The Run Around

Chapter Twenty-two

‘So your people didn’t need any specific instruction!’ accused Charlie. The rudeness was intentional: he wanted to stir one of them — or more hopefully all of them — into some sort of reaction.

‘I don’t think it is as indicative as Charlie does,’ said Levy, ‘but it’s certainly curious.’

‘I think so too,’ endorsed Giles, pleased he had isolated the inconsistency like the other two.

‘There might be an explanation different from that you are reaching,’ tried Blom. He was burning with impotent anger.

Charlie tossed the log records on to the desk of the Swiss counter-intelligence chief and said: ‘Look at it! The entry of a workman carrying a toolbag is recorded at ten-thirty in the morning: they actually wrote it down for Christ’s sake!’

‘I know what they wrote down,’ said Blom.

‘So where’s the matching entry of his leaving!’ demanded Charlie. ‘You trying to suggest that the Soviets have kidnapped a Swiss workman and have still got him in the embassy!’

‘They could have missed the departure,’ suggested the American. ‘A workman is a pretty normal sort of arrival and departure, after all.’

‘That’s exactly what it is not!’ insisted Charlie. ‘It just seemed so to these Watchers and it shouldn’t have done; they need their arses kicked. The Russians never employ local labour for any work inside their embassies. It’s their standard trade-craft to have everything done by Russians: to fly people in from Moscow, if necessary.’ He hesitated, for effect, then he said: ‘And just in case they changed the habit of a lifetime I checked, with every service agency I could think of: telephone, electricity, gas, everyone. There is no record of any call to the Soviet embassy at Brunnadernain: I asked about the past, too. They never get called.’

‘You think he came out with that mass exit, recorded at lunchtime?’ asked Levy, referring to his own copy of the Watchers’ log.

‘It’s the most obvious answer,’ said Charlie. He looked at the Swiss intelligence chief. ‘And your Watchers did not think that was significant enough to report specially either, did they?’

‘There appears to have been some slackness,’ conceded Blom, with no choice. ‘I still think it would be wrong to twist it to fit the circumstances.’

‘I’m not twisting it to fit any circumstance,’ argued Charlie. ‘It’s actually got a pattern. He almost beat us by merging into the background in England and he beat us here by merging into the background again. It was actually a mistake on his part.’

‘What about a different exit?’ said Giles.

‘I went to Bern and looked at the embassy for myself,’ said Charlie, unaware of his own mistake. ‘They’re all covered.’

‘I think the squad on duty when the workman went in should be interrogated to see if we can get a description that matches the one we’ve already got,’ said Levy.

‘It was the pick-up,’ said Charlie, in adamant frustration. ‘This was when he collected the weapon. Or weapons.’

‘There’s no record on the log of anyone in that lunch-time crowd carrying anything out,’ said Giles.

‘The squads should be interrogated on that, too,’ said Charlie.

‘They will be,’ promised Blom.

‘You’ve got five days before the Middle East conference begins,’ reminded Charlie. ‘The delegation leaders start arriving in the next forty-eight hours.’

‘So?’ said Blom.

‘So publish the damned photograph!’ said Charlie. ‘Frighten the bastard off!’

‘I don’t think anything has happened to change the attitude on that,’ said the Swiss.

‘Suggest it again,’ urged Charlie, looking to each of the other three men. ‘And warn the other delegations.’

‘I won’t start a panic,’ said Blom.

‘It’s the way to avert one,’ said Charlie.

‘Give me some positive proof,’ demanded Blom. ‘Better proof than this.’

‘By the time you accept it, it’ll be too late,’ warned Charlie.

‘I’ll raise it again with Jerusalem,’ undertook Levy.

‘I’ll play it back, too,’ said Giles.

‘I’m sure the answer will be the same as before,’ said Blom, confident his security committee would not change their minds.

‘If it is it’ll be a mistake,’ said Charlie. Christ how he hated working with a committee!

Sulafeh stirred and Zenin shook her gently, fully awakening her.

‘We should go,’ he said.

‘I don’t want to.’

‘It’s late.’

‘Can we come here again tomorrow?’

‘Yes.’

‘Every day?’

‘We’ll see,’ avoided the Russian. ‘I think we should leave separately. You first.’

‘Shall we meet at the same place tomorrow?’

‘No.’

‘Where?’

Zenin hesitated and then said: ‘The Cornavin terminal: the main concourse.’

‘What time?’

‘Three.’

‘Make love to me again.’