Thunder Point

16

It was just before six o’clock the following evening in Ferguson’s office at the Ministry of Defence and Simon Carter sat on the other side of the desk, white-faced and shaken as Ferguson finished talking.

“So what’s to be done about the good Sir Francis?” Ferguson asked. “A Minister of the Crown, behaving not only dishonourably but in what can only be described as a criminal way.”

Dillon, standing by the window in a blue Burberry trenchcoat, lit a cigarette and Carter said, “Does he have to be here?”

“Nobody knows more of this affair than Dillon, can’t keep him out of it now.”

Carter picked up the Blue Book file, hesitated, then put it down and unfolded the Windsor Protocol to read it again. “I can’t believe this is genuine.”

“Perhaps not, but the rest of it is.” Ferguson reached across for the documents, replaced them in the briefcase and closed it. “The Prime Minister will see us at Downing Street at eight. Naturally I haven’t invited Sir Francis. I’ll meet you there.”

Carter got up. “Very well.”

He went to the door, was reaching for the handle when Ferguson said, “Oh, and Carter.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t do anything stupid like phoning Pamer. I’d stay well clear of this if I were you.”

Carter’s face sagged, he turned wearily and went out.

It was ten minutes later and Sir Francis Pamer was clearing his desk at the House of Commons before leaving for the evening when his phone rang. “Pamer here,” he said.

“Charles Ferguson.”

“Ah, you’re back, Brigadier,” Pamer said warily.

“We need to meet,” Ferguson told him.

“Quite impossible tonight, I have a most important function, dinner with the Lord Mayor of London. Can’t miss that.”

“Max Santiago is dead,” Ferguson said, “and I have here, on my desk, the Bormann briefcase. The Blue Book makes very interesting reading. Your father is featured prominently on page eighteen.”

“Oh, dear God!” Pamer slumped down on his chair.

“I wouldn’t speak to Simon Carter about this if I were you,” Ferguson said. “That wouldn’t really be to your advantage.”

“Of course not, anything you say.” Pamer hesitated. “You haven’t spoken to the Prime Minister then?”

“No, I thought it best to see you first.”

“I’m very grateful, Brigadier, I’m sure we can work something out.”

“You know Charing Cross Pier?”

“Of course.”

“One of the river boats, the Queen of Denmark, leaves there at six forty-five. I’ll meet you on board. You’ll need an umbrella, by the way, it’s raining rather hard.”

Ferguson put down the phone and turned to Dillon, who was still standing by the window. “That’s it then.”

“How did he sound?” Dillon asked.

“Terrified.” Ferguson got up, went to the old-fashioned hall stand he kept in the corner and took down his overcoat, the type known to Guards officers as a British warm, and pulled it on. “But then, he would be, poor sod.”

“Don’t expect me to have any sympathy for him.” Dillon picked up the briefcase from the desk. “Come on, let’s get on with it,” and he opened the door and led the way out.

When Pamer arrived at Charing Cross Pier the fog was so thick that he could hardly see across the Thames. He bought his ticket from a steward at the head of the gangplank. The Queen of Denmark was scheduled to call in at Westminster Pier and eventually Cadogan Pier at Chelsea Embankment. A popular run on a fine summer evening, but on a night like this, there were few passengers.

Pamer had a look in the lower saloon where there were half-a-dozen passengers and a companionway to the upper saloon where he encountered only two ageing ladies talking to each other in whispers. He opened a glass door and went outside, and looked down. There was someone standing at the rail in the stern holding an umbrella over his head. He went back inside, descended the companionway and went out on deck, opening his umbrella against the driving rain.

“That you, Ferguson?”

He went forward hesitantly, his hand on the butt of the pistol in his right-hand raincoat pocket. It was a very rare weapon from the exclusive collection of World War Two handguns his father had left him, a Volka specially designed for use by the Hungarian Secret Service and as silenced as a pistol could be. He’d kept it in his desk at the Commons for years. The Queen of Denmark was moving away from the pier now and starting her passage upriver. Fog swirled up from the surface of the water, the light from the saloon above was yellow and sickly. There were no rear windows to the lower saloon. They were alone in their own private space.

Ferguson turned from the rail. “Ah, there you are.” He held up the briefcase. “Well, there it is. The Prime Minister’s having a look at eight o’clock.”

“Please, Ferguson,” Pamer pleaded. “Don’t do this to me. It’s not my fault that my father was a Fascist.”

“Quite right. It’s also not your fault that your father’s immense fortune in post-war years came from his association with the Nazi movement, the Kamaradenwerk. I can even excuse as simply weakness of character the way you’ve been happy over the years to accept a large, continuing income from Samson Cay Holdings, mostly money produced by Max Santiago’s more dubious enterprises. The drug business, for example.”

“Now look here,” Pamer began.

“Don’t bother to deny it. I’d asked Jack Lane to investigate your family’s financial background, not realizing I was sentencing him to death, of course. He’d really made progress before he was killed, or should I say murdered? I found his findings in his desk earlier today.”

“It wasn’t my fault, any of it,” Pamer said wildly. “All my father and his bloody love affair with Hitler. I had my family name to think of, Ferguson, my position in the Government.”

“Oh, yes,” Ferguson conceded. “Rather selfish of you, but understandable. What I can’t forgive is the fact that you acted as Santiago’s lap dog from the very beginning, fed him every piece of information you could. You sold me out, you sold out Dillon, putting us in danger of our very lives. It was your actions that resulted in Jennifer Grant being attacked twice, once in London where God knows what would have happened if Dillon hadn’t intervened. The second time in St. John, where she was severely injured and almost died. She’s in a hospital now.”

“I knew none of this, I swear.”

“Oh, everything was arranged by Santiago, I grant you that. What I’m talking about is responsibility. On Samson Cay, a poor old man called Joseph Jackson who gave me my first clue to the truth behind the whole affair, the man who was caretaker at the old Herbert Hotel in 1945, was brutally murdered just after talking to me. Now that was obviously the work of Santiago’s people, but how did he know of the existence of the old man in the first place? Because you told him.”

“You can’t prove that, you can’t prove any of it.”

“True, just as I can’t prove exactly what happened to Jack Lane, but I’ll make an educated guess. Those were computer printouts I found in his desk. That means he was doing a computer sweep on your family affairs. I presume one of your staff noticed. Normally, you wouldn’t have been concerned, it happens to Crown Ministers all the time, but in the light of recent events, you panicked, feared the worst, and phoned Santiago, who took care of it for you.” Ferguson sighed. “I often think the direct dialing system a curse. In the old days it would have taken the international operator at least four hours to connect you to a place like the Virgins. These days all you do is punch a rather long series of numbers.”

Pamer took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “As regards my family’s business interests, that was my father’s affair, not mine. I’ll plead ignorance if you persist with this thing. I know the law, Ferguson, and you seem to have forgotten that I was a working barrister for a short while.”

“Actually I had,” Ferguson said.

“Santiago being dead, the only thing you have left is my father’s inclusion in the Blue Book. Hardly my fault.” He seemed to have recovered his nerve. “You can’t prove a thing. I’ll tough it out, Ferguson.”

Ferguson turned and looked at the river. “As I said, I could understand your panic, an ancient name tarnished, your political career threatened, but the attacks on that girl, the death of that old man, the cold-blooded murder of Inspector Lane – on those charges you are every bit as culpable as the men who carried them out.”

“Prove it,” Pamer said, clutching his umbrella in both hands.

“Goodbye, Sir Francis,” Charles Ferguson said and turned and walked away.

Pamer was trembling, and he’d totally forgotten about the Volka in his pocket. Too late now for any wild ideas like relieving Ferguson of the briefcase at gunpoint. He took a deep breath and coughed as the fog bit at the back of his throat. He fumbled for his cigarette case, got one to his mouth and tried to find his lighter.

There was the softest of footfalls and Dillon’s Zippo flared. “There you go.”

Pamer’s eyes widened in fear. “Dillon, what do you want?”

“A word only.” Dillon put his right arm around Pamer’s shoulders under the umbrella and drew him against the stern rail. “The first time I met you and Simon Carter on the Terrace at the House of Commons I made a joke about security and the river and you said you couldn’t swim. Is that true?”

“Well, yes.” Pamer’s eyes widened as he understood. He pulled the Volka from his raincoat pocket, but Dillon, in close, swept the arm wide. The weapon gave a muted cough, the bullet thudded into the bulkhead.

The Irishman grabbed for the right wrist, slamming it on the rail so that Pamer cried out and dropped the pistol in the river.

“Thanks, old son,” Dillon said. “You’ve just made it easier for me.”

He swung Pamer round and pushed hard between the shoulder blades so that he sagged across the stern rail, reached down, grabbed him by the ankles and heaved him over. The umbrella floated upside down, Pamer surfaced, raised an arm. There was a strangled cry as he went under again and the fog swirled across the surface of the Thames, covering everything.

Five minutes later the Queen of Denmark pulled in at Westminster Pier next to the bridge. Ferguson was first down the gangway and waited under a tree for Dillon to join him. “Taken care of?”

“I think you could say that,” Dillon told him.

“Good. I’ve got my appointment at Downing Street now. I can walk there from here. I’ll see you at my flat in Cavendish Square, let you know what happened.”

Dillon watched him go, then moved away himself in the opposite direction, fading into the fog and rain.

Ferguson was admitted to Downing Street some fifteen minutes early for his appointment. Someone took his coat and umbrella and one of the Prime Minister’s aides came down the stairs at that moment. “Ah, there you are, Brigadier.”

“A trifle early, I fear.”

“No problem. The Prime Minister would welcome the opportunity to consider the material in question himself. Is that it?”

“Yes.” Ferguson handed him the briefcase.

“Please make yourself comfortable. I’m sure he won’t keep you long.”

Ferguson took a seat in the hall, feeling rather cold. He shivered and the porter by the door said, “No central heating, Brigadier. The workmen moved in today to install the new security systems.”

“Ah, so they’ve finally started?”

“Yes, but it’s bleeding cold of an evening. We had to light a fire in the Prime Minister’s study. First time in years.”

“Is that so?”

A few moments later there was a knock at the door, the porter opened it and admitted Carter. “Brigadier,” Carter said formally.

The porter took his coat and umbrella and at that moment, the aide reappeared. “Please come this way, gentlemen.”

The Prime Minister sat at his desk, the briefcase open at one side. He was reading through the Blue Book and glanced up briefly. “Sit down, gentlemen, I’ll be with you directly.”

The fire burned brightly in the grate of the Victorian fireplace. It was very quiet, only sudden flurries of rain hammering against the window.

Finally, the Prime Minister sat back and looked at them. “Some of the names on this Blue Book list are really quite incredible. Sir Joseph Pamer, for example, on page eighteen. I presume this is why you didn’t ask Sir Francis to join us, Brigadier?”

“I felt his presence would be inappropriate in the circumstances, Prime Minister, and Sir Francis agreed.”

Carter turned and glanced at him sharply. The Prime Minister said, “You have informed him of his father’s presence in the Blue Book then?”

“Yes, sir, I have.”

“I appreciate Sir Francis’s delicacy in the matter. On the other hand, the fact that his father was a Fascist all those years ago is hardly his fault. We don’t visit the sins of the fathers on the children.” The Prime Minister glanced at the Blue Book again, then looked up. “Unless you have anything else to tell me, Brigadier?” There was a strange set look on his face, as if he was somehow challenging Ferguson.

Carter glanced at Ferguson puzzled, his face pale, and Ferguson said firmly, “No, Prime Minister.”

“Good. Now we come to the Windsor Protocol.” The Prime Minister unfolded it. “Do you gentlemen consider this to be genuine?”

“One can’t be certain,” Carter said. “The Nazis did produce some remarkable forgeries during the War, there is no doubt about that.”

“It is a known fact that the Duke hoped for a speedy end to the War,” Ferguson said. “This is in no way to suggest that he was disloyal, but he deeply regretted the loss of life on both sides and wanted it to end.”

“Be that as it may, the tabloid press would have a field day with this and the effect on the Royal Family would be catastrophic, and I wouldn’t want that,” the Prime Minister said. “You’ve brought me the original of Korvettenkapitän Friemel’s diary as I asked and the translation. Are these all the copies?”

“Everything,” Ferguson assured him.

“Good.” The Prime Minister piled the documents together, got up and went to the fire. He put the Windsor Protocol on top of the blazing coals first. “An old story, gentlemen, a long time ago.”

The Protocol flared, curled into ash. He followed it with the Hitler Order, the bank lists, the Blue Book and finally Paul Friemel’s diary.

He turned. “It never happened, gentlemen, not any of it.”

Carter stood up and managed a feeble smile. “A wise decision, Prime Minister.”

“Having said that, it would appear this business of using the services of the man Dillon worked out, Brigadier?”

“We only reached a successful conclusion because of Dillon’s efforts, sir.”

The Prime Minister came round the desk to shake hands and smiled. “I’m sure it’s an interesting story. You must tell me sometime, Brigadier, but for now, you must excuse me.”

By some mystery, the door opened smoothly behind them and the aide appeared to usher them out.

In the hall the porter helped them on with their coats. “A satisfactory conclusion all round, I’d say,” Carter remarked.

“You think so, do you?” Ferguson said.

The porter opened the door and at that moment, the aide hurried in from the rear office. “A moment, gentlemen, we’ve just had a most distressing call from the River Police. They recovered the body of Sir Francis Pamer from the Thames a short time ago. I’m about to inform the Prime Minister.”

Carter was struck dumb and Ferguson said, “Very sad. Thank you for letting us know,” and he stepped out past the policeman on the step, put up his umbrella and started to walk along Downing Street to Whitehall.

He walked very fast, was almost at the security gates before Carter caught up with him and grabbed his arm. “What was it you said to him, Ferguson, I want to know.”

“I gave him all the facts,” Ferguson said. “You are aware of the part he played from the beginning in this affair. I reminded him of that. I can only imagine he decided to do the decent thing.”

“Very convenient.”

“Yes, isn’t it.” They were on the pavement of Whitehall now. “Do you want to share a cab?”

“Damn you to hell, Ferguson!” Simon Carter told him and walked away.

Ferguson stood there for a moment, rain bouncing from his umbrella, and a black cab swerved into the curb. The driver peered out, a cap down over his eyes and asked in perfect cockney, “You want a cab, guvnor?”

“Thank you.” Ferguson climbed in and the cab pulled away.

Dillon removed his cap and smiled at Ferguson in the rearview mirror. “How did it go?”

Ferguson said, “Did you steal this thing?”

“No, it belongs to a good friend of mine.”

“London-Irish, no doubt?”

“Of course. Actually it’s not registered as a working cab, but as everyone assumes it is, it’s great for parking. Now what about the Prime Minister?”

“He put everything on the fire, said it was an old story, was even charitable about Francis Pamer.”

“Did you put him straight there?”

“I couldn’t see the point.”

“And how did Carter take it?”

“Rather badly. Just as we were leaving, the Prime Minister’s office received a report from the River Police. They recovered Pamer’s body.”

“And Carter thinks he did it because of pressure from you?”

“I don’t know what he thinks, or care. The only thing I worry about is Carter’s competence. He dislikes me so much that it clouded his judgment. For example, he was so taken up with the mention of Sir Joseph Pamer in the Blue Book on page eighteen that he missed the gentleman on page fifty-one.”

“And who would that be?”

“An army sergeant from the First World War, badly wounded on the Somme, no pension, out of work in the twenties and understandably angry with the Establishment, another associate of Sir Oswald Mosley, who entered politics and became General Secretary of a major trade union. He died about ten years ago.”

“And who are we talking about?”

“The Prime Minister’s uncle on his mother’s side.”

“Mother of God!” Dillon said. “And you think he knew, the Prime Minister I mean?”

“That I knew? Oh, yes.” Ferguson nodded. “But as he said, an old story and the evidence has just gone up in smoke anyway. Which is why I can afford to tell you, Dillon. After all your efforts in this affair I think you’re entitled to know.”

“Very convenient, I must say,” Dillon observed.

“No, the Prime Minister was right, we can’t visit the sins of the fathers on the children. Pamer was different. Where are we going, by the way?”

“Your place, I suppose,” Dillon said.

Ferguson opened the window a little and let the rain blow in. “I’ve been thinking, Dillon, my department’s under severe pressure at the moment. Besides the usual things we’ve got the Yugoslavian business and all this Neo-Nazi stuff in Berlin and East Germany. Losing Jack Lane leaves me in rather a hole.”

“I see,” Dillon said.

Ferguson leaned forward. “Right up your street, the sort of thing I have in mind. Think about it, Dillon.”

Dillon swung the wheel, did a U-turn and started back the other way.

Ferguson was flung back in his seat. “What are you doing, for God’s sake?”

Dillon smiled in the rearview mirror. “You did mention dinner at the Garrick Club, didn’t you?”