Honour Among Thieves by Jeffrey Archer Read Free Book Online

left and right before
she crossed Harrington Road and walked towards the Norfolk Hotel, an
inconspicuous medium-sized hostelry that she had carefully selected. She had
checked it out the day before, and could walk straight to the ladies’ rest room
without having to ask for directions.
    Hannah
pushed the door open, and after quickly checking to confirm she was alone,
chose the end cubicle, locked the door, and flicked open the catch of the
battered suitcase. She began the slow process of changing identity.
    Two
sets of footsteps entered and left while she was undressing. During that time,
Hannah sat hunched up on the lavatory seat, continuing only when she was
confident she was alone.
    The
exercise took her nearly twenty minutes. When she emerged, she checked herself
in the mirror and made a few minor adjustments.
    And
then she prayed, but not to their God.
    Hannah
left the ladies’ room and made her way slowly up the stairs and back into the
lobby of the hotel. She handed over her little case to the hall porter, telling
him she’d collect it again in a couple of hours. She pushed a pound coin across
the counter, and in return she received a little red ticket. She followed a
tour party through the revolving doors and seconds later was back on the
pavement.
    She
knew exactly where she was going and how long it would take to reach the front
door, as she’d carried out a dry-run the previous day. She only hoped her
Mossad instructor was right about the internal layout of the building. After
all, no other agent had ever been inside before.
    Hannah
walked slowly along the pavement towards the Brompton Road.
    She
knew she couldn’t afford to hesitate once she reached the front door. With
twenty yards to go, she nearly decided to walk straight past the building. But
once she reached the steps she found herself climbing them and then boldly
knocking on the door. A few moments later, the door was opened by a bull of a
man who towered a full six inches over her. Hannah marched in, and to her
relief the guard stepped to one side, looked up and down the road and then
slammed the door closed.
    She
walked down the corridor towards the dimly lit staircase without ever looking
back. Once she reached the end of the fading carpet, she slowly climbed the
wooden staircase. They’d assured her that it was the second door on the left on
the first floor, and when she reached the landing she saw a door to the left of
her, with peeling brown paint and a brass handle that looked as if it hadn’t
been polished for months. She turned the handle slowly and pushed the door
open. As she entered, she was greeted by a babble of noise that suddenly
ceased. The occupants of the room all turned to stare at her.
    How
could they know that Hannah had never been there before, when all they could
see were her eyes?
    Then
one of them began talking again, and Hannah quietly took a seat in the circle.
She listened carefully, and found that even when three or four of them were
speaking at once she could understand almost every word. But the tougher test
came when she decided to join in the conversation herself. She volunteered that
her name was Sheka and that her husband had just arrived in London, but had
only been allowed to bring one wife. They nodded their understanding and
expressed their disbelief at British Immigration’s inability to accept
polygamy.
    For
the next hour, she listened to and discussed with them their problems. How
dirty the English were, how decadent, all dying of AIDS. They couldn’t wait to
go home and eat proper food, drink proper water. And would it ever stop
raining? Without warning, one of the black-clad women rose and bade her friends farewell. When a second got up to join her, Hannah
realised this was her chance to leave. She followed the two women silently down
the stairs, remaining a few paces behind. The massive man who guarded the
entrance opened the door to let the three of them out. Two of them climbed into
the back of a