Floodgate

Ten

George woke van Effen at ten to p.m.

‘New sentry took over at nine. Hardly seems an improvement on the other one except, that is, from your point of view. He’s middle-aged, fat, wears two overcoats, is sitting in the armchair with a rug over his knees and, you’ll be pleased to hear, also has a bottle in his hand.’ ‘Sounds like my kind of man.’ Van Effen rose and changed his trousers for a pair of denims.

Vasco said: ‘What’s that? Your battle uniform?’

‘What’s Samuelson going to say if he sees me in sodden trousers or even dry trousers that are so wrinkled that it will look as if I’d fallen into a river?’

‘Ah. Well, you’re going to get wet enough, that’s for sure. Rain’s heavier than ever. There are times when we can hardly see the lad in the loft doorway.’

‘Suits me fine. That barn wasn’t built yesterday and old floor-boards in old lofts tend to creak. With ram like this drumming on the roof he won’t be able to hear a thing. Besides, judging from George’s general description, the sentry is probably half deaf anyway.’ He strapped on his Smith and Wesson, shrugged into his jacket and put the aerosol can in one pocket and the hooded torch in the other.

‘Velvet gloves,’ George said.

Vasco said: ‘What’s that?’

‘Silenced pistol and a knockout gas canister. That’s what he calls velvet gloves.’

Van Effen dug into an inside pocket, brought out a small leather wallet, unzipped it, took out the metallic contents, examined them, then returned them to the wallet and pocket.

‘Skeleton keys and picklocks,’George said approvingly. ‘No self-respecting detective should be without them.’

Vasco said: ‘What happens if you don’t come back, sir?’ ‘I shall be back. It’s five past ten now. I should be back by ten-thirty. If I’m not back by eleven go downstairs. Say nothing. No doom laden speeches, no warnings that their end is nigh. Kill Samuelson. Cripple the Agnelli brothers and Daniken, and, if Riordan is there, him also. Remove all weapons of course and one of you keep an eye on them and make sure that nobody tries to stagger out of the room and summon help while the other gets the girls. As your guns are silenced, there should be no interruptions. Then get the hell out of it. If anyone gets in your way, you know what to do.’

‘I see.’ Vasco looked and sounded more than slightly shocked. ‘And how do we get the hell out of it?’

Van Effen touched the pocket where he had replaced his wallet of skeleton keys and picklocks. ‘What do you think those are for?’ ‘Ah. The army truck.’

‘Indeed. As soon as you get under way, call up the army or the cops. Give them the approximate location of this place — we know it’s somewhere between Leerdam and Gorinchen — and leave the rest to them.’ Vasco said: ‘They might try to escape by helicopter.’ ‘You have the alternative of shooting Daniken in both shoulders or taking him with you. I’m virtually certain that none of this will happen. I don’t want it to happen and that’s not primarily because by the time it happens I’ll probably be dead. It would be a confession of failure and I don’t like being associated with failure. It would be a most unsatisfactory conclusion: in fact, it would be no conclusion at all. Samuelson has another headquarters and, as we have agreed, other associates: O’Brien has almost certainly departed this evening to associate with those other associates. Even although I doubt it, some of those associates may — I repeat may — be in a position to carry out his plans to a successful conclusion.’ He opened the window. ‘Back at ten-thirty.’ He slid down the two knotted sheets and vanished into the shadows.

George and Vasco went into the darkened bathroom. Vasco said: ‘He is a cold-blooded bastard, isn’t he?’

George said: ‘Um.’

‘But he’s a killer. “

‘I know he has killed and would do so again. But he’s very selective, is our Peter. Nobody who has ever departed this world and at his hands has ever been mourned by society.’

Four minutes later Vasco caught George by the arm. ‘See?’ They saw. The sentry had just taken a long swig from his bottle, laid it on the floor beside him, clasped his hands over his rug and appeared to relapse into some kind of yoga-like contemplation. The shadow that had loomed behind him resolved itself into the unmistakable form of van Effen, whose right hand curved round and held the aerosol can an inch or two from the.sentry’s face for a period of not more than two seconds. He then pocketed the aerosol, hooked his hands under the man’s knees and eased him forward several inches to ensure that he wouldn’t topple sideways from his armchair, picked up a bottle from the floor, poured some of the contents over the sentry’s face, emptied the remainder of the contents over the front of his clothes, wrapped the fingers of the unconscious man’s right hand round the bottle, thrust hand and bottle partly under the rug, tightened the rug to ensure that hand and bottle would remain where they were then vanished into the gloom.

‘Well, now,’ Vasco said, ‘there’s one character who isn’t going to report himself for dereliction of duty because of dropping off into a drunken slumber.’

‘Our Peter doesn’t do things by halves. Let’s see now. A two-second burst. He should come to in about half an hour. Peter explained those things to me once.’

‘Won’t he know he has been drugged?’

‘That’s the beauty of it! Leaves no trace. That apart, what would you think if you woke up with your clothes reeking of schnapps or whatever and your hand clasped round an empty bottle?’

The stairs, broad and very creaking and just behind where the sentry slept, led directly to the floor of the barn, now converted into a temporary garage. Torch in hand, van Effen descended quickly, loosed the bolts on the retaining half of the entrance door and turned his attention to the army truck. The exterior was as it had been except that the number plates had been changed. He then wriggled under the truck, scraped clear an area on the underside of the chassis just forward of the rear axle and attached to it the magnetic clamp of the metallic device which Vasco had removed from the bar of soap. Thirty seconds later he was in the driver’s seat and through to the Marnixstraat. ‘Put me through to Colonel de Graaf, please.’

‘Who is speaking?’

‘Never mind who’s speaking. The Colonel.’

‘He’s at home.’

‘He is not. He’s there. Ten seconds or you’re an ex-policeman tomorrow.’ In just ten seconds the Colonel was on the phone. ‘You were a bit harsh on that poor lad.’ His voice held a complaining note. ‘He’s either a fool, an incompetent or was improperly instructed. He was told to keep open an anonymous line.’ Van Effen spoke in Polish, which the Colonel understood as well as he did. Dutch police changed their wavelengths at infrequent intervals and had done so again only that day. As in every major city in the world, villains occasionally picked up police wavelengths. But the probabilities against a villain who understood Polish picking up a changed wavelength were astronomical. ‘Please switch on your recorder. I don’t know how much time I have and I don’t want to repeat myself.’

‘Proceed.’

‘I shall spell names backwards. We are south of — this is a name — Utrecht — and between — two other names — Leerdam and Gorinchen. You have that?’

‘I have that.’

‘Do not attempt to locate and do not attempt to attack. “The Principals are elsewhere”’ — it was an outright lie but the Colonel was not to know that — ‘and it would achieve only the deaths of five people who don’t deserve to die. You know the people I mean?’

‘I know.’

‘We have here the army truck. You know which one. It has changed the identification plates. I will give you the new numbers. Backwards. ‘van Effen did so. ‘It will be carrying the nuclear devices you know about.’ ‘What!’

‘I have attached a magnetic transmitter bug to this vehicle. Have an unmarked police car in the vicinity as from, say, 7 a.m. It is to track this truck at a safe distance. This police car will also be in radio contact with two or three Army Commando trucks lying to the west. I am becoming increasingly convinced that this truck will be heading towards the Scheldt area. There will be three people in that truck, all dressed in Dutch army uniforms, including a bogus lieutenant-colonel called Ylvisaker, who may even call himself by that name. I want that truck seized along with its occupants and the seizure to be kept in complete secrecy. If you release that news then the responsibility for the flooding of the country will lie in your hands.’

De Graaf’s voice took on an even more complaining note. ‘You don’t have to threaten me, my boy.’

‘I apologize. I am under intense pressure and have to make my points in as impressive a way as I can — One other thing. Have TV and radio announce — or just say, if you like — that they are to be of good heart and that you are closing in on the Rotterdam and Scheldt areas. The reason to be given is that you want every citizen thereabouts to be on continuous alert and report anything abnormal to the police. This is purely psychological and I don’t believe our friends are very good at psychology. But please, please, apart from taking this truck in complete secrecy, no other attempts at interference.’

‘Understood. I have someone with me who would like a word with you and who speaks Polish even better than you and I do.’

‘Spell his name backwards.’

De Graaf did so and Wieringa’s voice came on the phone. ‘Congratulations, my boy.’

‘Those may be a bit premature, Minister. I can’t for instance, stop the breaching of the Flevoland dykes or the detonation of the Markewaard device. A further thought has occurred to me. You might have the media include in their broadcasts about the Rotterdam area that Whitehall and Stormont have arrived at an agreement to begin active and immediate negotiations.’

‘The two parliaments might not like it.’

‘I’m a Dutchman. Instruct them to like it.’

‘Some obscure psychological motive again, I suppose. Very well, I agree. Frankly, my boy, how do you rate our chances?’

‘Better than evens, Minister. They trust us. They have to trust us.’ He explained briefly about the De Dooms ammunition dump and the RAF’s inability to handle radio-controlled devices. ‘Apart from that, I’m not only sure but know that they don’t distrust or suspect us. They are basically naive, complacent, over confident and sure of themselves. They lack the devious minds of honest detectives. I have to move, sir. I’ll call again as soon as whenever possible.’

In the Marnixstraat, the Minister of Defence said: ‘You agree with van Effen’s assessment, Colonel?’

‘If that’s what he thinks then that’s what I think.’ ‘Why isn’t that young man — well, young compared to us — not Chief of Police somewhere?’

‘He’ll be the chief here in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I need him.?

‘Don’t we all,’ Wieringa sighed. ‘Don’t we all.’

Van Effen climbed up to the loft, patted the sentry lightly on the cheek, got no reaction and left. Three minutes later he was inside the bedroom. Vasco looked pointedly at his watch.

‘Ten thirty-three,’ Vasco said accusingly.

‘Sorry. I was detained. Anyway, that’s a fine way to welcome back a man who may just have escaped the jaws of death.’

‘There was trouble?’

‘No. Clockwork.’

‘You didn’t unpick the garage lock,’ George said, also accusingly. ‘Another warm welcome. Where are the congratulations for a mission successfully accomplished? Would you have picked that lock if, at the window next to our bathroom, you had seen the Reverend Riordan, who seems to meditate on his feet and pray with his eyes open, gazing out pensively over the courtyard? Instead, I unbolted the garage doors from the inside.’

‘I hope you remembered to rebolt them.’

‘George!’

‘Sorry. What detained you?’

‘Wieringa, the Defence Minister. He was in the Marnixstraat with Colonel de Graaf. If you refrain from asking questions, I’ll tell you word for word how our conversations went.’

He did so and at the end George said: ‘Satisfactory. You fixed the bug, of course. So why did you go to all this devious trouble of getting hold of the operating instructions for the devices?’

‘Have you ever known of a cop — or soldier — for that matter — who never made a mistake?’

George pondered briefly then said: ‘Present company excepted, no. True, we may yet need that information — Ylvisaker and his friends might just miss the road-blocks. But you didn’t tell them that we were going by helicopter?’

J did not. For the same reason that I didn’t take up Samuelson’s unspoken offer to tell us where we are going. If I had done, his immediate reaction — our Defence Minister’s that is — would be to have called his counterpart in Whitehall to send over a Nimrod, the British bomber that is a virtual airborne radar station and which could have tracked us from here to wherever we’re going without our knowing a thing about it.’ He smiled. ‘You wear, what shall we say, George, a rather peculiar expression. The same thought had occurred to yourself?’

‘It had.’ George looked thoroughly chagrined. ‘I thought it rather a good idea, myself’

‘I don’t. I have no doubt that the Royal Air Force would have been delighted to comply and I have equally no doubt that within a very short time of our arriving at our destination we would have a visit from our paratroopers and commandos who don’t tend to beat about the bush very much. I don’t much care for that idea. Three reasons. I don’t want a fire-fight, a blood bath. Killing or capturing — killing, more likely — Samuelson and his friends would not be the final solution. There may be — in fact I feel certain there will be, don’t ask my why, I don’t, know — enough of his men left to carry out the ultimate threat.

Thirdly, I don’t much care for the idea of the young ladies being hurt or worse. I wouldn’t much like to gun down — wound, I mean, not kill — a countryman who was threatening the fife of one of the girls.’ Vasco said: ‘Julie and Annemarie?’

‘All four.’

George said mildly. ‘The other two are criminals.’

‘They associate with criminals. Different matter entirely. Anyway, if the government were to commit this crass folly, we would be in a position to expose them and dictate our own terms. Wieringa and the Colonel would back us up and they’re the only two people who matter. However, this is all academic. It’s not going to happen. Moment, gentlemen. These denims are rather damp.’

When he’d changed, he said: ‘Our absent friend O’Brien is missing in more than one way — he’s also the missing key. I’d give a great deal to know where he is at this moment. He won’t have gone to their other hang-out for his expertise in debugging and defusing alarm systems wouldn’t be called for there. One could speculate endlessly as to where he has gone to exercise his skills but that would be a waste of time.’ ‘I’m neglecting my duties,’ Vasco said. ‘If I may be excused. George, would you come and switch the light on again?’

He turned off the light, went into the bathroom and closed the door. No sooner had George turned the light on than Vasco tapped on the door. George switched the light off again and the bathroom door opened. ‘This may interest you,’ Vasco said.

The sentry’s head was nodding, intermittent, and at irregular intervals. After a few seconds of this he held it in an upright position then shook it from side to side. After a few more seconds of this — it was too dark to see what his expression was registering but it was, very probably, one of confusion and apprehension — brought up his right hand from under his rug, looked at the bottle still clutched in it, upended it and apparently established the fact that it was empty, placed it on the floor and pushed himself back in his seat.

‘He’s going to drop off again,’ Vasco said.

‘Not him,’ van Effen said — ‘He’s making a major decision.’ The sentry made his major decision. He lifted his rug to one side, pushed himself groggily to his feet and took a few staggering steps that brought him perilously close to the loft doorway.

Vasco said: ‘He’s drunk.’

‘Again, not him. He’s seen his bottle is empty and assumes because of that and the fact that he reeks of schnapps that he ought to be drunk and acts accordingly. Auto-suggestion, I believe they call it. It could have been a bit awkward if his relief found that he couldn’t wake him. Enough.’ In the bedroom van Effen said: ‘I think we should go downstairs in a few moments. Including you, Vasco, if you feel strong enough.’ ‘I’m a captain in the Dutch army. I’m brave.’

George said: ‘You told Samuelson you wouldn’t be down.’ ‘My mind changes along with the circumstances. It was freezingly cold out there. I require brandy. More importantly, I want to see their reaction to the news that the hunt for the FFF is now being concentrated in the Rotterdam-Scheldt area. Even more important is that I want those missiles, explosives and other nasties transferred from the truck to the helicopter.’ ‘Why?’George said.

‘The roads between here and the Rotterdam-Scheldt area will be alive with patrols tomorrow morning, police and army, but mainly, I suspect, army. My personal conviction is that Ylvisaker will be intercepted. I want those missiles because the FFF want them mounted for some offensive or defensive purposes and that should give them, from our point of view, owing to the fact that the missiles are totally useless, a splendid sense of false security.’

‘You should have been a lawyer, a politician, a Wall Street broker or a criminal specializing in fraud,’ George said.

‘Such devious minds don’t belong on the ranks of the police forces.’ ‘Hark at who’s talking. I have also the hunch that the explosives, grenades and other sundries may prove to be more useful to us than to them. Just a hunch. Vasco, what do you know about the regulations concerning the transport of missiles?’ ‘Absolutely nothing.

‘Then let’s invent some.’

‘I’ll wager, sir, that I can invent better regulations than you can.)

‘Gentlemen, gentlemen!’ Samuelson’s crocodile smile would have shamed an archangel. ‘Delighted to see you. I thought you weren’t coming down, Mr Danilov.’

‘I just couldn’t sleep,’ van Effen said with a transparent honesty that would have shamed the same archangel. ‘As a Dutchman, even an adopted one, I just couldn’t — well, you understand — well, you know, Flevoland.’ ‘Of course, of course. I understand. And the Captain — sorry, Lieutenant. Delighted to see you, my boy. I take it you are feeling better?’ ‘My voice is not but I ain’t,’ Vasco said hoarsely. ‘Thanks to your kindness, Mr Samuelson.’

‘The universal specific. I suggest another.’ He looked at van Effen and George. ‘Brandies, gentlemen? Large ones?’

‘You are very kind,’van Effen said. He waited while Samuelson gave instructions to Leonardo. ‘You know that I am a normally incurious person, but two things take my attention. The ladies have returned. I was given to understand that they were still in a state of nervous exhaustion.’ ‘As far as I can understand, they still are. Your second question?’ Van Effen smiled. ‘My second question may give the answer to my first implied question. I see your TV is on again. I have by now come to understand that this means that you are expecting a further communiqué or statement or whatever in the near future.’

‘You understand correctly. ‘It was Samuelson’s turn to smile, the usual avuncular one. ‘Both questions answered. You will excuse me a moment, gentlemen. I must tell the Reverend that it is earphones time.’ Leonardo brought them their drinks. Van Effen thanked him and led the other two out on to the terrace. No one raised an eyebrow. Apart from the fact that they had already established reputations as eccentric fresh-air fiends, ii they wished to have a private conversation they had already had a long time to have held it upstairs.

Van Effen closed the door and said: ‘Well, what do we make of that?’ ‘The four young ladies who appear to have recovered from their nervous exhaustion? They’re talking among each other, not animatedly, not very cordially, but they’re talking. And I don’t for a moment believe they’ve come down to watch this next broadcast. ‘George sipped his brandy thoughtfully. ‘Somebody wants to talk to us.’

Van Effen nodded. ‘Julie. Could be Annemarie, but my hunch is Julie.’ He looked across at the loft door where the sentry was now pacing to and fro, perfectly steady on his feet and looking every inch a man devoted to his job. ‘When we get back inside — which will be in a very few seconds, it’s like an ice-box out here — I want you to wait a few discreet minutes, then wander aimlessly around, playing the role of a genial, middle-aged Lothario — just act your natural self, that is — and see if you can’t have a word with Julie. just a few words and don’t let her talk more than a few words with you. If necessary, just say the word “helicopter”. She’ll know what I mean, I’ll try to get next to her and no one can hear a word on a helicopter. I don’t want to go near her myself. If Samuelson has got a leary eye for anyone, it’s for me.’

‘A bagatelle,’ George said.

They re-entered the living-room, both van Effen and Vasco giving exaggerated shudders: George was too big and well covered for that sort of thing.

Romero Agnelli smiled. ‘Back so soon, gentlemen?’

‘Fresh air is one thing,’ van Effen said. ‘The Polar ice-cap another.’ He looked up at the flickering but silent TV set. ‘Mr Samuelson not down yet?’ ‘He’s hardly had time to get upstairs and back, has he,’ Agnelli said reasonably. ‘Your glasses, gentlemen.’

At the bar, van Effen said: ‘It’s a wild night outside and getting wilder. Do you seriously think it’s safe to fly tomorrow?’ ‘Do you fly?’

‘As a passenger, a lot. I have — had — a pilot’s licence. Never been in a helicopter in my life.’

‘I have a licence for a helicopter. Total solo flying time — about three hours. In weather like this, you wouldn’t get me within a hundred miles of the pilot’s seat in a helicopter. Daniken’s had thousands of hours. Superb pilot.’

‘Well, that’s a relief.’ Van Effen was aware that George and Vasco had drifted away: his eyes made no attempt to follow them. ‘Nice to think we might get there — wherever there is.’

‘If Daniken wasn’t sure he wouldn’t take off.’

They continued an amicable discussion along those lines for two or three minutes until Samuelson reappeared, to all appearances his usual urbane and good-humoured self.

‘Any moment now, ladies and gentlemen. I think we should take our seats.’ It was the same lugubrious announcer and he seemed to have aged considerably since his last appearance.

‘We have two announcements to make, both concerning the FFF. The first is that London and Stormont, the Northern Ireland parliament, have arrived at an agreement to begin active and immediate negotiations with our government. Such negotiations have, in fact, already begun.’ Samuelson beamed.

‘The second is that the government advises all citizens of the Netherlands to be of good heart. The Ministry of Defence suspects, although it has no reason to believe, that the FFF will be switching its scene of operations from the lisselmeer, where the dyke breaches and the explosion of this nuclear device are promised to take place tomorrow. This is because the FFF have established a practice of not striking twice in the same area. The balance of opinion is that they will concentrate on the southwest, most likely in the Rotterdam-Scheldt. The reason given for this announcement is that the government wants every citizen in that area — repeat eve?y — because it affects every citizen, to be on continuous alert and report anything in the slightest way abnormal to the nearest police or army post. It is appreciated that this statement will also be picked up by the FFF, but the government regards this as the lesser of two evils compared to whatever use it may be to the FFF.’

Samuelson was no longer beaming. Van Effen, forehead furrowed and lips pursed, looked at George, then, without altering his expression, at Samuelson and said: ‘I don’t think I like this very much.’ ‘I don’t like it at all.’ His expression was almost a mirror image of van Effen’s and the fingers of both hands were drumming on the arms of his chair. After a few seconds he turned to van Effen and said: ‘And what do you make of this development?’ It was significant, van Effen thought, that Samuelson should have asked him first: it didn’t speak too highly for his confidence in his associates. Van Effen waited about twenty seconds before he replied: he already had the answers to most possible questions but Samuelson wouldn’t have been too impressed by an immediate answer. ‘I think they’re bluffing. Or, at least, counter or double bluffing. They may believe that you intend to strike next in some other spot entirely and that this is intended to put you off your guard and relax while they close in on where they fondly imagine you are, or they may not be bluffing and this may be intended to restrict your movements. Either way, they’re not very bright, but, then, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Police of Amsterdam are hardly renowned for their outstanding intelligence.’ George coughed softly into his hand but retained an impassive expression.

Samuelson looked doubtful. ‘Don’t forget I’ve met Wieringa. He didn’t strike me as a fool.’

‘He’s not a fool. He’s honest, straightforward and the most popular man in government but lacks the devious intelligence to rise to the very top. Plots and counter-plots are not for him. Another thing, if the authorities knew where we were don’t you think we’d have had a visit from a battalion of paratroopers or commandos — or both — quite some time ago?’ ‘Ah!’ The thought seemed to cheer Samuelson up.

‘And still another thing. I’m told you have another operations centre somewhere. Why don’t you call them and see if they’ve suffered any harassment?’

‘An excellent idea.’ Samuelson nodded to Romero Agnelli, who dialled a number, spoke briefly and hung up.

‘Nothing,’ he said.

‘Again excellent,’ Samuelson said. ‘So we’re in the clear.’ ‘No, we’re not. ‘van Effen shook his head in a discouragingly defiant fashion. ‘Lieutenant, is there any chance that it may have been discovered that the truck and weapons are missing from the armoury from which we took them?’

‘The truck?’Vasco said hoarsely. ‘Possible but unlikely. The weapons, no. The regular inventory isn’t due for another two weeks.’ Van Effen said: ‘Mr Samuelson, it’s not really for me to say, but shouldn’t we change the identification numbers on that truck?’ Samuelson also smirked. ‘Already done.’

‘Well done. But there’s more to it than that.’ Vasco spoke huskily and unhappily. ‘The authorities, as Mr Danilov says, may be operating in this area. Mention was made of both police and army posts. That means there may be police and army road blocks. Police road blocks present no danger. Army ones do. They know the missiles in transport — which is in itself an extremely rare occurrence — always travel in convoy. If you want to get them to their destination they’ll have to travel by helicopter.’ ‘Not in my helicopter, they won’t,’ Daniken said firmly. ‘Mr Daniken, I believe you to be an expert helicopter pilot.’ Vasco’s voice being in the assumed condition it was, it was difficult for him to speak coldly, but his eyes were cold enough. ‘The cobbler should stick to his last. I’m an expert on missiles. A missile cannot be armed until it’s in flight. It’s obvious that you’ve never been in military helicopters. What do you think the Russian gunships use in Afghanistan? Pea-shooters?’ Daniken remained silent. ‘I also think the other weapons and explosives should be removed otherwise you’re more than liable to be asked what armoury you’ve taken them from and to what armoury or army unit you’re taking them. Mobile army controls tend to be very curious, very alert and very persistent — especially when they know there’s a national emergency alert out.’ Daniken looked unhappy. ‘But the detonators

‘The detonators,’ George said comfortably, ‘will be in their velvet sockets, wrapped in cotton wool, in a lead-sheathed steel box and resting on my lap.’ He let a note of irritation creep into his voice. ‘Do you think I want to have myself blown up, far less your damned helicopter?’ ‘I shouldn’t imagine so. ‘It was Samuelson who spoke. ‘What do you think, Romero?’

‘I don’t have to think, Mr Samuelson.’

‘Neither do I. Totally agreed, gentlemen. Excellent precautions. We shall drive the truck down to the helicopter tonight and transfer the missiles and the rest of it after the staff have retired, which may be rather late especially as they, too, will be watching their TV sets at midnight. Not that it matters that much. They are well accustomed to the mysterious goings-on of film companies.’ He paused. ‘I wonder if one of you three gentlemen would care to supervise the transfer of those materials.’ ‘I will,’ George said immediately. ‘No coward like a big coward.’ He looked at Daniken. ‘It looks like being a rather bumpy flight tomorrow. As this is an ex-military helicopter, I assume you have clamps, lashings and other devices to secure things that. have to be secured?’ ‘We have,’ Daniken said. He still looked distinctly unhappy. ‘Seems to be all,’ van Effen said. ‘Mr Samuelson, I’d like another snooze before this midnight broadcast. Not that I’m convinced that we’ll see anything. Even if there am ships or helicopters around with searchlights, visibility in this driving rain will be zero. George? Lieutenant?’ ‘Me, too,’ George said. ‘Any more of this brandy and I’ll be dropping those detonators all over the place.’

Vasco was already on his feet. Without as much as a glance at the four girls they left and made their way up the stairs. In the corridor above van Effen said admiringly: ‘You really are a couple of fearful liars. Have a word with Julie, George?’

‘Certainly not.’ George spoke in a lofty tone. ‘We professionals operate on a higher level. ‘He produced a folded bit of paper from his pocket and replaced it.

‘Splendid. Vasco, we approach our bedroom door. Has anything occurred to you?’

‘Visitors.’

Once inside, van Effen carried on a brief conversation about the weather, the best way of securing the missiles and other weapons aboard the helicopter and their conviction that the truck should have no trouble in getting through to its destination while Vasco carried out his usual meticulous inspection. After a few minutes he returned from the bathroom and put his fingers to his lips.

‘Well, me for bed,’van Effen said. ‘Any gallant volunteers to keep the midnight watch?’

‘No need for anyone to keep a watch,’ Vasco said. ‘I have a travelling alarm.’

Seconds later all three were within the bathroom which had both the mirror and overhead lights on. Van Effen and George had gone in first, from darkened bedroom to darkened bathroom followed immediately by Vasco, who left the now lit bedroom door slightly ajar and turned on the light as he entered. He then switched on the overhead shower in the bath. ‘One doesn’t have to be a genius to know that O’Brien is elsewhere,’ Vasco said. ‘He could never have been responsible for the crude device that’s attached to the underside of my bed. The one device that can’t be deactivated without a listener knowing is inside a shower head — the listener can hear it being unscrewed — and even if there were other bugs in here, which there aren’t, no one can hear a thing over the sound of a shower. Odd, but a fact.’

‘You’re just like our big friend here,’ van Effen said. ‘You should have joined the criminal ranks years ago. You’d have made a fortune. Well, the FFF should now have a tape-recording reassuring them that there’s no way they can fad. Let’s have a look at that note, George.’ George did so and van Effen read it out.

“Something goes on which neither Annemarie nor I understand but which may be of use to you. We have become quite friendly with our two lady criminal ‘kidnappers’ and if they are criminals so are Annemarie and 1. Hardened criminals don’t go around looking as if the day of judgement is at hand and trying all the time not to have tears in their eyes. They do.”’

Van Effen broke off and looked thoughtfully at George. ‘Anyone see Julie slip this note to you?’

‘No.

Vasco was perturbed. ‘What if Julie, I’m sorry, sir, your sister — you must remember I don’t know her — has told them about us?’ ‘Rubbish!’ George said. ‘As you said, you don’t know her. Peter’s faith in her intelligence, judgement and intuition is total, as is mine. In fact,’ George added confidentially, ‘she’s a lot cleverer than he is.’ ‘That was quite uncalled for,’van Effen said coldly. ‘ “Kathleen is quite definitely the one who is under the most pressure. She is definitely afraid of Samuelson or something that Samuelson might do. Maria is under less pressure but doesn’t seem to like what her brother Romero is up to. But she seems to like him and I have to admit that he has been very kind and courteous to us since they took us away.

‘ “I think that, in their own way, they are as much prisoners as we are. I think Kathleen and Mafia are here under a form of coercion just as Anne and I are hem under coercion, but a different kind of coercion.” ‘ ‘ “Coercion,”’ Vasco said. ‘That’s the word you used. On the veranda, remember?’

‘I remember. “We’re here — Annemarie and I — simply because we were abducted. They are here, I’m sure, because they have been misled, tied to, because appeals have been made to their love or loyalty or some misguided sense of honour or all three. I think that they, especially Kathleen, have been lured here under totally false misapprehensions”.’ ‘Jesus Christ!’ For once George’s massive calm had deserted him. ‘I’ve heard of rare cases of telepathy between twins but she’s only your young sister. That’s what you said, almost word for word.’

‘Nothing to do with telepathy. Great minds tend to think alike. Still question her intelligence, judgement and intuition, Vasco?’ Vasco shook his head very slowly, several times, and said nothing. Van Effen looked at George. ‘Hah! And you still think she’s cleverer than I am?’ George stroked his chin and said nothing. Van Effen read on and his face became very still. ‘Maybe you were right at that, George. Listen to this last paragraph.’

‘ “I know why Maria is here. Despite her disapproval of what Romero is up to, there is a genuine bond of affection between them. As for Kathleen, I have mentioned that she is afraid of Samuelson and whatever he has in mind. I have also mentioned misguided love and loyalty. I am convinced that she is Samuelson’s daughter.” ‘

There was a considerable silence then George said: ‘I take back what I said about her being smarter than you. She’s smarter than the three of us put together. She has to be right. There’s no other explanation.’ Van Effen set fire to the note and flushed the ashes away. Then they turned off the shower and left.

Vasco shook van Effen by the shoulder. ‘It’s time, Mr Danilov.’ Van Effen opened his eyes and, as always, was instantly awake. ‘I didn’t hear the 2 a.m. bell.’

‘Turned it off — I’ve been awake for some time. George.’ Only Samuelson, the Agnelli brothers and Daniken were in the living-room when the three men arrived.

‘Just in time, gentlemen, just in time,’ Samuelson said. Even though normally cheerful he seemed to be in uncommonly good humour that midnight, a condition that could possibly have been accounted for by the bottle of brandy and glass by his side, but which was almost certainly due to an anticipatory euphoria. ‘Ten minutes and we’re all back in bed.’ ‘Not me,’ George said. ‘I’m staying here. Your loading supervisor, remember. When do we begin the transfer?’

‘Of course, of course. Half an hour say. Leonardo, we are neglecting our guests.’

While Leonardo proceeded to remedy the neglect, van Effen looked at Samuelson. He bore no resemblance to Kathleen but that meant nothing: she probably took after her Irish mother. Van Effen didn’t doubt his sister’s conviction.

The same announcer, whose depth of depression seemed to be matched only by his remarkable stamina, appeared on screen just after midnight. ‘It is with regret that we have to announce that we will be unable to show live the threatened breaches of the Flevoland dykes when and if they occur. It is impossible for our TV cameras to operate in conditions of total darkness and torrential rain. We are, however, in constant radio-telephone touch with a number of observers and will inform you at once as soon as any positive news is at hand.’ His image faded from the screen.

‘Pity,’ Samuelson said. He seemed in no way disappointed. ‘It would have been a stirring spectacle. Still, we shouldn’t have long to wait.’ They had very little time to wait. Less than a minute elapsed before the announcer reappeared, replacing a phone on his desk. ‘The Oosthjk-Flevoland and Zuidslijk-Flevoland dykes were breached simultaneously some ninety seconds ago. Both breaches appear to be fairly massive but the appalling weather conditions make it impossible to gauge their extent or the severity of the flooding. The authorities say they must wait until the first light of dawn before the scope of the disaster can be accurately assessed. We shall, however, be on the air every hour on the hour to give you what fresh details are available.’ He paused to look at a sheet of paper that had just been handed to him. ‘A phone call has just been received from the FFF. The message reads: “Markerwaard 2 P.M. today.”’