TURKISH DELIGHT

Istanbul, matters began slipping out of his control and, as summer
turned to autumn, dark shadows started to spread. Sanem and Mert
were wont to take expensive shopping trips to places like the island of
Mykonos in neighbouring Greece. The pair would drop thousands of
euros in a day, which placed a strain even on Mert's well-stuffed treasure
chest. His resentment at what he regarded as her profligacy was
matched by her growing irritation with his secrets and lies.

In a typically convoluted episode, Mert was detained for having alleg-
edly stolen €5,000 from a friend of Sanem's brother. His detention proved
to be the last straw for Fox Turkey, which dismissed him. More ominously,
National Intelligence finally decided that he had become a liability who
was no longer worth protecting. Out of the blue, he felt suddenly very
exposed, as well as being deprived of two important sources of income.

On remand, he stepped up his carding activities with Sadun, thanks
to the continuing vulnerability of the Akbank's systems. Desperation
translated into nervousness, compounded by the miserable discovery
that Sanem was having an affair. The subsequent bust-up was a tempes-
tuous business and bitter accusations were hurled back and forth. Mert
believed that she had stolen large sums of money from him. She must
have thought he was quite simply insane.

With his world suddenly falling apart, Mert travelled south for the
New Year to consider his next move. On the road, he received further
bad tidings – Sadun had been arrested and the police had already raided
Mert's flat, brandishing a warrant for his detention. Had he stayed in
Istanbul he would already be under lock and key. As so often when
faced with a tough situation, Mert's decision was to keep digging until
he was well and truly underground.

Returning under an assumed name to Istanbul, he started to plot an
escape strategy. Using one of his many false IDs, he applied for and
received a new passport, before bribing a consular official at the French
Embassy in order to secure a visa. He then embarked on a tortuous
journey via the French Caribbean territory of Martinique and Paris to
Alès, a sleepy town lying fifty miles north of France's Mediterranean coast.

Mert was isolated. He possessed limited funds, barely spoke a word
of French and, even more unsettling, he had no ready access to the
Internet. At least he was able to console himself with the knowledge
that he was safe. And so, with nothing else to do, Mert sunk into an
extended period of rest and relaxation.