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After the harum-scarum experience of being a fugitive from Turkish justice while feuding with his ex-lover, he soon regarded Alès as a welcome refuge. For the first time in months, maybe years, he could dispense with the half-truths, the deception, the thieving and the prevar- ications. He could cease the extreme compartmentalisation that his multiple online and offline personalities demanded and seek his real essence - provided, of course, he still had a recognisable essence. Perhaps the time had come to make a break from the madness: time to go straight, find a proper job and settle down with a decent woman. If he played his cards wisely, all this lay within his grasp.

Then one morning at around eight o'clock there was the knock on the door.

Mert was lying in bed sipping some coffee. He had never received visitors here in Alès and was not expecting them. Throwing on his dressing gown, he shuffled towards the door and opened it to two men who were carrying backpacks. 'Hello, Mert! How are you?' said the first one in Turkish. In return, Mert muttered feebly, 'Je ne comprends pas . . .' 'Come on, Mert,' said the second man in English, 'we know who you are. It would be in your interest to invite us in.'

As they sat with mugs of coffee around the kitchen table, one of the men pulled out a folder and put it on the table. Mert had the first man down as a second-generation immigrant to America from Turkey because he spoke colloquial Turkish, but with an accent and occasional grammatical errors. The second guy, who did most of the talking, was American.

Mert was presented with alternatives: 'Either you help us uncondi- tionally or we are giving this folder to the Sécurité.' Mert flicked through the pages of French credit cards, which he and Sadun had skimmed after they had wormed their way into the innards of the Akbank's computer system. The two men reminded him that in France he could receive up to eight years for just one credit-card fraud.

This was Hobson's choice, but before he consented, Mert demanded to know who the two men represented. American law enforcement came the reply. 'And what,' Mert continued, 'do you want from me?' 'Go on, Mert, have a wild guess!' Mert, irritated and frightened, shook his head. 'We want you to give us Cha0.'

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