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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.

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