"It is not too large a step," she had said, "from the appropriation of the discoveries of a conquered country to picking the brains of your own scientists." He had stayed close to government, always with some official position that gave him a certain amount of power. "If the plagiarism is not too blatant, there are few people who will openly oppose a man who has the ear of senior officials and can influence academic appointments." She had got all this from Gilmore and I was remembering her words now as I saw Holroyd glance quickly across to where I was standing slightly apart from the others and then turn to question Cartwright. "He's politically astute and quite ruthless. He's also a publicist." By this she had meant he could write for a wider public than the purely academic. "You'll see, he'll have the Greeks eating out of his hand. He's a born schemer."
Holroyd was moving towards the table now. He shook hands with Hans, said something to Sonia which was received in stony silence, and then, after accepting a glass of ouzo, he came across to me. "Well, young man-so you changed your mind, eh?" A smile was creasing the corners of his eyes, but the eyes themselves were without warmth. "Dr. Gilmore told me he had failed to persuade you to come out to Greece."
"I changed my mind, as you say."
He nodded. "Now, come and have a drink-I want to talk to you in a moment about your father. I hope to persuade him to behave more sensibly in future. I shall expect your help." The aroma of coffee filled the air. Cartwright brought a tray of artefacts from his tent and placed it on the table, also his notebooks. The soldiers were dismantling their tent. "I have brought Mr. Leonodipoulos with me," Holroyd nodded towards the Greek official who was talking to the corporal. "I'll explain why later."
Coffee was served, and whilst we drank it the talk was entirely scientific as Cartwright explained the artefacts they had picked up in their trek down through Macedonia, mostly chippings of chert and obsidian, and all neatly labelled. Now and then he referred to his notes. Holroyd listened, smoking his pipe and only occasionally asking a question. At the end
of it, he said, "Well, at least you've got something to show for your efforts. But the earliest of these chert flakes is probably not more than seventeen thousand." He leaned forward, stabbing with the stem of his pipe at the contents of the tray. "There's nothing here, nothing that could remotely be associated with a carbon-fourteen dating of thirty-five thousand B.P."
"No, sir, I agree."
"But that was the whole purpose of the expedition."
Cartwright nodded, his face flushed. "I understand, sir. But, as I wrote you, I have high hopes of the present location. When we've dug down-"
"That's a full season's work. You admit it yourself." And Holroyd added with harsh emphasis, "This expedition was not undertaken with a major dig in mind. You know that very well. If we had envisaged that, it would have meant a much bigger grant and a dozen or so students."
"With all due respect I think the two of us can manage to get a pilot trench cut to the Solutrean level at least."
"Solutrean, or Aurignacian-what does it matter? You don't know what's there. Whereas this expedition was based on quite positive information-a carbon-dating of bones that had already been unearthed."
"I think when you see the site itself-"
"In a moment, Alec. In a moment." Holroyd smiled, his manner suddenly more conciliatory. "What I'm trying to establish for you is the real intention of this expedition. It is purely a reconnaissance, an initial probe to test the validity of Dr. Van der Voort's theories." He turned to Sonia. "You were right about his Journal. I had a talk with Dr. Gilmore and I must accept his word for it that it is personal and deals with behaviourism. What I do not accept is that there is no record of his discoveries out here. He made three expeditions in the Central Mediterranean area, two of them entirely on his own. Last year he brought back bones for dating that would appear to be highly significant. You, as his secretary, must know-"
"I'm not his secretary," she said quickly. "I merely did some typing for him."
"You also nursed him through an illness. You lived for a time in his house." He was staring at her intently and I began to understand why he had decided to discuss the expedition publicly like this, instead of having a private talk with Cart-wright. "You could assist us greatly, and Dr. Van der Voort, if you would tell us where he was last year, also perhaps the year before-the exact locations."
She was staring back at him, very pale, very intense. "Surely it is for Dr. Van der Voort to tell you himself," she said in a tight, controlled voice.
"That is precisely my difficulty. Miss Winters. If Dr. Van der Voort were available-"
She went for him then, all the feelings that had been bottled up inside her during the days she had been in Greece bursting out of her in a torrent of words: "You of all people-to come here and complain that Dr. Van der Voort is not available. You know what is happening today-this very minute. A man called Kotiadis-Intelligence agent. Security Police-I don't know what he is-but he is hunting him down with a police dog like a-criminal. And you're responsible."
"What do you mean by that?" Holroyd's voice was sharp.
"Don't pretend you don't know." Her voice was wild and unrestrained. "Do you think I'm a fool? Who set them on to him? Who tipped off the authorities that he was a Communist? You hound him. You drive him half out of his mind. And then you have the effrontery to come here asking me- me-to tell you where he was working these last two years. That's something you'll never-"
"Calm yourself." He was leaning forward, his hand gripping her arm. "I assure you I did not inform the authorities of his political background. Why should I?" he added. "It is of no advantage to me that he has disappeared. Quite the reverse, I assure you." He turned to Cartwright. "Is that what he thinks-that I informed the authorities?"
Cartwright shook his head. "No. He thought it was me."
"And that's why he attacked you?"
"Yes."
"I know all that," Sonia snapped. "He went for the wrong man."
"You mean he should have attacked me?"
She shook her head, biting her lip. "He shouldn't have attacked anybody, of course. But imagine how he felt-how you would have felt? He was engrossed with his work, and then suddenly this old bogey of Communism-"
But Holroyd was looking across at the Greek official. "Tell her, will you," he said. And then, turning back to Sonia, "I knew this would have to be explained-if not to Van der Voort himself, certainly to you, and his son since he's here. It was one of the reasons I asked Mr. Leonodipoulos to accompany me." He nodded to the Greek, who said:
"On March thirteenth the Intelligence branch of the Public Order Ministry learned that a Communist agent had entered Greece under cover of leading a scientific expedition and was operating from a camp near this village. The information came from a Yugoslav source that has generally proved reliable." He was speaking in impeccable English, smoothly and with scarcely a trace of accent. "They checked first with our Immigration people, then with my Ministry. It was not difficult to confirm that this Dr. Van der Voort had been associated with the Soviets and had published books in the Communist countries. The Security Police were informed and that evening they phoned the local headman here, Andreas Dikeli. Discreet enquiries were then made through the Russian embassy in Athens. It all seemed to confirm the information our people had been given. However, since the expedition was British-sponsored, they sent Demetrios Kotiadis, one of their most senior men, up to interview Dr. Van der Voort. When he discovered this man is disappeared in somewhat unusual circumstances-" He left it at that with a little expressive shrug.