Smith sipped from a glass of water and in the gap a man at the front blurted: ‘You mean we are going to stop working with the British?’
Smith smiled, the timing of the question over-riding any annoyance at the interruption.
‘I intend giving the impression of continued co-operation,’ he said. ‘Before this meeting is over, you will all be given dossiers containing every item of information about Charlie Muffin that the British have so far been able to assemble … it is quite extensive. With the benefit of that information, we are going to establish our own, independent operation. When the shit hits the fan, I still want us wearing clean white suits.’
The persistent questioner in the front row pulled forward again.
‘He will be eliminated, sir, won’t he? Charlie Muffin will be eliminated?’
It was almost a plea, thought Smith. He moved to speak, but Ruttgers responded ahead of him, emotion momentarily washing away his awareness of his reduced role.
‘Oh, yes,’ said the ex-Director, fervently. ‘He’ll be eliminated. I promise you that.’
‘But not until I’ve given the explicit order,’ instructed Smith.
Charlie stood at the lounge window of the Brighton house, gazing out at the tree-lined avenue. The uniformed policeman who had passed twice was standing at the corner now, stamping his feet against the early evening chill. Where, wondered Charlie, were the others?
He turned into the room, staring at the bottles grouped on the table by the far wall. No, he decided easily. He didn’t need it. Not any more.
‘What I need,’ he told himself, ‘is for them to over-reach themselves. Just once.’
And Edith, he thought. He wanted her by him very much. But not yet. He had to get a clearer indication of what was happening before putting her to any more risk than she already faced. Poor Edith.
SEVENTEEN
Charlie arrived in Rupert Willoughby’s office an hour after making the telephone call for the confirmation he scarcely needed. The underwriter greeted him with an attitude that swung between nervousness and anger. At last, thought Charlie. He hoped the growing awareness wouldn’t affect the man’s memory of his father.
‘You knew we’d covered the exhibition?’ challenged Willoughby immediately. Anger first, Charlie accepted.
‘It was obvious,’ said Charlie. ‘Once I heard of the robbery. And more particularly, what was stolen and from whom.’
‘What, does it mean?’
‘That the department has known from the very beginning of our meeting. That they know I’ve put money into your firm. That they had you under permanent observation for as long as they’ve been watching me. And that in one operation they intend hitting back at everyone.’
Willoughby nodded, as if agreeing some private thought. His throat was moving, jerkily.
‘No wonder my father was so frightened in the last year,’ he said.
‘I warned you,’ Charlie reminded him.
Willoughby looked at him, but said nothing.
‘Tell me about the cover,’ said Charlie.
Willoughby pulled a file towards him, running his hand through the papers.
‘Completely ordinary,’ he said. ‘For an exhibition of this value, the government always goes on to the London market, through Lloyd’s. For us, it’s usually a copper-bottomed profit. Security is absolute but because of the value and alleged risk, we can impose a high premium.’
‘How much cover did you offer?’
‘Two and a half million,’ said Willoughby.
‘What happens now?’
‘Claim to be filed. And then the squabbling begins, to gain time.’
‘You expect a sell back?’
Willoughby looked surprised.
‘Of course,’ he said. ‘That’s what always happens in a case like this.’
‘What percentage?’
‘Varies. Usually ten.’
Charlie laughed, appearing genuinely amused.
‘Two hundred and fifty thousand,’ he said. ‘Exactly what I put in. They don’t mean me to misunderstand for a moment, do they?’
‘Is it significant?’ asked Willoughby.
‘Very,’ said Charlie. To continue would mean admitting he was a thief. The man deserved the honesty, he decided.
‘They want to recover $500,000 from me. Plus interest,’ he said. ‘They got almost half from the Brighton robbery. This would be the remainder.’
Willoughby sat, waiting. It was impossible to judge from the expression on his face whether there was any criticism.
‘You told me once you hadn’t done anything criminal,’ he accused Charlie.
The anger was on the ascendancy, Charlie decided.
‘They set out, quite deliberately, to kill me,’ said Charlie. ‘That was the penalty I imposed upon them for being abandoned … abandoned like your father was. He tried to fight back against them as well, remember. We just chose different ways of doing it. Mine worked better than his. They lost more than money.’
‘What happens next?’ asked the underwriter.
‘I don’t know,’ confessed Charlie. ‘I’d guess they’re getting ready to kill me now.’
‘You’re not worried enough,’ said the younger man in sudden awareness. ‘Boxed in like this, you should be terrified. Like I am.’
‘I’m not,’ confirmed Charlie easily. ‘The Russian robbery was the error … the one I was waiting for them to make …’
Willoughby shook his head.
‘Your father was very good at this sort of thing,’ said Charlie. ‘He’d do it to get someone whom he suspected to disclose themselves completely.’
‘You’re not making yourself clear,’ complained the underwriter.
‘I know the pattern,’ said Charlie. ‘It must be either Wilberforce or Cuthbertson or both. And I learned from your father a bloody sight better than they did.’
Willoughby gazed back, unconvinced. It was the first time the confidence, almost bordering on conceit, had been obvious, he realised. Another thought came, with frightening clarity. He’d been a fool to become involved, no matter what his feelings for the men who had destroyed his father.
‘You’ve got to get out,’ he said.
‘Oh, no,’ answered Charlie. ‘You don’t survive looking constantly over your shoulder. I’ve tried for the past two years and it’s almost driven me mad.’
‘You don’t have an alternative.’
‘I have,’ said Charlie. He considered what he needed to say but still began badly, speaking as the thoughts came to him.
‘I told you at our first meeting there was a risk of your being compromised,’ he said. ‘And you have been …’
‘And I said then that I was prepared to accept that,’ interrupted the underwriter in a vain attempt at bravery.
‘Because you didn’t really know what it was going to be like,’ argued Charlie. ‘Now it’s different. The robbery was directed against you and your firm. And because of it, other underwriters could be out of pocket, coming to a buy-back settlement. From this firm all that is at risk at the moment is the money I’ve deposited. So this time you’ve been let off with a warning …’
‘What do you want?’ Willoughby interrupted.
‘The sort of help which, if it goes wrong, could mean that next time there won’t be any warning,’ said Charlie bluntly.
‘I’ll hear you out,’ said Willoughby guardedly.
Charlie stood and began pacing the office, talking as he moved.
‘The misjudgment they’ve made is one that your father never allowed,’ lectured Charlie. ‘They’ve given me the opportunity to react.’
‘I still don’t think you’ve got any choice,’ said Willoughby.
‘That’s it,’ agreed Charlie. ‘And that is what Wilberforce and whoever else is working with him will be thinking.’
Charlie stopped walking, thoughts moving sideways.