Precipice

47

Eve flounced out of the phone box, hurried back to the Baur-en-Ville. She was going to the bar. She needed a large vodka.

Gustav had watched her from inside a shop front across the street. As soon as she was hidden by an approaching tram he ran across to the phone box. A grim-looking woman had her hand reached out for the door of the phone box. He brushed her aside, ignored her abuse, pretended to look up a number.

As soon as she had gone he detached the miniature listening and recording device he had hidden, pulling hard at the suckers which held it in place. Gustav had hoped that if she made another call she would use the phone box he had seen her use before.

He wasted no time getting back to his office in the hotel. Once inside, he locked the door, extracted the cassette, placed it in the machine which played it back, listened with growing excitement. He had never liked Eve.

He was walking along the corridor to Brazil's room when his chief came up behind him. Gustav dropped back as Eve came out of her room. She had freshened herself up and was on her way to the bar.

'Where is Jose?' she asked.

'Jose decided to stay behind,' Brazil told her cheerfully. 'I think he's gone home.'

'I'll be in the bar if you want me.' she said.

'Where else?' replied Brazil, even more cheerfully.

He was unlocking his door when Gustav came up behind him, said he'd like a private word.

'Is it important?' asked Brazil.

'I think you should judge that for yourself.'

'Oh, all right. You'd better come in. But not for long.'

Brazil sat behind his desk, hoping Gustav would soon go away. He wanted to listen to the latest radio reports -particularly if anything had slipped through about the situation in Moscow.

'I want to play you a tape.' Gustav said.

Brazil frowned, nodded his head, sat back while Gustav inserted the tape in the machine on his desk, pressed the play button. Nothing changed in his expression as he heard what was on the tape. Brazil had iron self-control. When the tape ran out Gustav looked at his boss expectantly.

'I had seen her go into that phone box before.' he explained. 'So, thinking she might use it again, I attached one of my recorders inside the box. The same recorder which I put under Jose's desk.'

'Leave the tape with me.'

'You don't want me to…'

'I want you to go and get on with your work.'

He waited until Gustav had left, got up, locked the door and returned to his desk. Gustav had rewound the tape before leaving. Brazil pressed the play button and listened again.

… the scoop of your career… I can give you the real story of Leopold Brazil… I was able to photograph the sheets from those files…

… one hundred thousand pounds for the information…

When the tape was finished Brazil rewound it, extracted the cassette, slipped it into his pocket. He sat down again behind his desk, his expression grim.

I trusted her, he thought. I paid her a huge salary, but even that wasn't enough. More treachery among my own ranks. Greed is her driving force. Loyalty to no one except her hideous self.

Brazil spent a long time gazing at the opposite wall, replaying in his mind what he had heard on the tape. He pulled himself together with a jerk, switched on the radio.

Now he would never be able to send the second signal – which would have obliterated all world communications. But he had done enough to give Marov the opportunity to seize full control. Russia was now again a major power, a menace which would wake up the West.

Newman had sat in his own room for awhile. He was writing down in his swift hand the gist of his conversation with Eve Warner. Then he had a good wash, brushed his hair, and went along to Tweed's room.

Tweed was listening to the World Service as more and more reports came through. Paula sat in a chair close to Philip as they also listened. Tweed switched off the radio when Newman was let in by Philip.

'Brazil has achieved a lot of his plan,' he told Newman. 'It's strange, but I still find myself agreeing with the blackguard's ideas. I'm sure Brazil planned to send a second signal – probably to do it himself as he was at the ground station – but you stopped him by destroying the ground station. Which is a blessing.'

'Why?' asked Newman.

'One of our agents flew out of Russia before Marov shut down the frontiers. He tried to call me from Frankfurt and talked to Monica when I wasn't available. There have been rumours of Russian troops massing on the border separating Russia from Ukraine. I'm sure Marov – with the aid of the considerable Russian population there – planned to occupy Ukraine. Then we would have faced a huge world crisis.'

'Because Ukraine has a long border with Poland.' Newman suggested.

'Exactly.' agreed Tweed. 'The Russian Army would have loomed over Western Europe. People forget they still have most of the immense armoury of weapons they built up during the Cold War. And it's quite definite that a proclamation has been issued, making all the previously private shops state concerns. Bread rationing has been brought back. The Russian people may not enjoy queuing up but they'll know there is bread to be bought at controlled prices daily.'

That's Communism.' Newman objected.

'No, it isn't. Marov is being very clever. He's using the bits of Communism which guaranteed food supplies -but the proclamation was issued in the name of All The Russias. The ailing President signed it, but Marov has countersigned it. So we know who is now in charge.'

'Their economy is still in ruins.' Newman objected again.

'Not really. It was when Gorbachev dabbled with a capitalistic economy – and the Mafia took over. It's also been announced the state is taking over all the factories -including those making armaments. With the borders shut down tightly the economy will stabilize.' He changed the subject. 'You took a long time having a bath.'

Newman glanced at Philip, then told them about his long phone conversation with Eve. Philip exploded.

'There you are! She's shown her true face. She'll do anything to grab hold of money.'

'I think she'll try and get back to me.' Newman commented. 'If she does I'll listen again and say nothing.'

'While you were enjoying yourself.' Tweed said with wry humour, 'I had a call from Monica. Howard is spinning round in circles again. I got a taxi over to Beck's HQ. I needed a safe phone to call the PM.'

'What happened?' asked Paula eagerly.

'Howard had disturbed the PM. Of course. I quietened him down, suggested he immediately created a second Rapid Reaction Force, despatched it to Germany. Then brought back conscription. And made the announcement in the House of Commons before he informed Washington. I said Britain would appreciate some strong leadership. That got him.'

'And what about Brazil?' asked Philip.

'Oh, we're going to finish him off, one way or another.'