At six-thirty in the evening the phone rang in Matthew and Jane’s hotel room.
“Hello.” Matthew said, into the receiver.
“Matthew, it's David de Longford here; there have been developments, and things are moving faster than I would have liked. Can you meet me at Bourbon Street Blues Club in Leidsekruisstraat?
It’s not far from Leidse Plien. I’ll be there at ten thirty.”
“Right.” Matthew said and then replaced the receiver.
The club was easy to spot due to there being plastic statues of the Blues Brothers on the roof.
“That must be it,” said Jane as she pointed at the statues.
Inside, the club was darker than just dimly lit. The tables, which were shelves, were on two walls of the room: the front and the left-hand side. On the right there was a long, old-fashioned bar.
The whole club had an old-fashioned character. The stage took up the whole of the back wall and was fringed with red velvet curtains. A band of four musicians: three guitarists and a drummer were checking the tuning of their instruments.
There were forty people in the place, mainly couples and groups of men.
Matthew looked around for David but couldn’t see him.
Jane pointed to an empty table along the left-hand side. “Let’s sit there.”
As they sat the band played the Muddy Waters song: ‘Houchie Couchie Man.’ A waitress appeared and asked what they would like to drink. “A pint of Guinness, and a Tia Maria and lemonade please,” said Matthew, looking at Jane, who nodded her head.
David de Longford appeared out of the gloom and sat at their table. He was wearing his long, black coat and homburg.
A waiter delivered the drinks, and David paid for them keeping his hat well down over his face.
“Anatole Saucier knows you are here, and he will assume the Key is here as well,” said David, as he tapped his foot along to Johnny Winter’s ‘Johnny Guitar'. “If he and his henchmen aren’t here yet they will be soon,” he continued.
“How do you know this?” Matthew asked.
“He visited Henri Diebolt.”
“So, he told him the story he told us.”
“No because Henri hanged himself before Saucier got to him.”
“What…?” Jane shouted.
“Oh my God!” exclaimed Matthew.
“Saucier knows I’m involved, and he’ll know I’m in Amsterdam. So, you should go back to your hotel; checkout and then come to stay under my protection at New Amstel books. Oh shit! Excuse me?” David said, as he left his seat and walked up to the stage.
The band were playing Rory Gallagher’s version of ‘Bullfrog Blues’, and the guitarist was making a hash of the slide solos. David climbed onto the stage and stood in front of him and asked for his guitar. The man took one look at David and handed the Fender Stratocaster over as he waved the bouncers away.
De Longford played the most exciting slide guitar finish to the song that the audience had heard, for they were on their feet at the end shouting for more. David cooly handed the guitar back and left the stage.
“I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t resist it,” he said, when he got back to the table. “I’d better go now; remember, go and checkout and come over to the book shop. Take cabs and beware!”
“You must go to the bank tomorrow, get the Key and destroy it,” said David as he sat in his office with Matthew and Jane later that evening. “I’ll clear the way for you first thing in the morning.”
“Okay,” said a yawning Matthew.
“Let’s get some rest now,” said David, rising from his chair.