Robbie drew a sharp breath. 'Then I'm right. Even if those cylinders contain only a quarter of the load in the war-head of an I.C.B.M., a dozen of them would set earthquakes going that would destroy the islands and tear southern Greece into pieces. As for your subs, in the Aegean, they would be thrown about like matchsticks and smashed to bits.'
'You've said it, friend.' The American grabbed his coat. 'I'm off to my local H.Q., to get on the "blower" to my Chief in Athens. I'm telling him that he's got to act fast and, whether the Greeks like it or not, bust this Czech oil-prospecting wide open, if you're wrong, I'll be out on my ear; but if you're right, I'll get the Congressional Medal and be the No. 1 hero in the United States.'
As they went down together in the lift, he said to Robbie: T gather that this big think came to you while you were out at Knossos this morning. Was your girl friend with you?'
'Yes. That car you saw us in yesterday is one we've hired for the week in her name, and whenever we go anywhere she still does the driving.'
'Did you tell her this theory of yours?'
T saw no reason why I shouldn't. It has nothing to do with any arrangements between you and me; so my telling her didn't infringe our pact.'
'Sure, sure. I'm not complaining. You'll be seeing her again shortly, I take it?'
'Yes, we're lunching together.'
'Well, she's certain to want to know what I thought of your idea and I'd be glad if you said that I didn't consider it practical. We can't be too careful. Where will you be lunching, in case I want to get in touch with you?'
'At a little place called the Ariadne.'
'Good. I don't suppose I'll be bothering you but, as you're so cagey about giving me your address, you'd best look in here again this evening, round seven o'clock, to see if I've left a message for you.'
By this time, they had reached the entrance to the hotel. They parted on the pavement outside, Mahogany Brown to get on his motor cycle and Robbie to walk down to the Ariadne.
Stephanie was having a drink at one of the tables on the narrow pavement. As Robbie sat down beside her, she said eagerly: 'Well?'
He grinned at her. 'Henry is still afraid that you are in secret communication with your husband; so he didn't want me to tell you. But I made no promise that I wouldn't. He thinks I'm right, and by this time he will be in communication with his Chief in Athens. He means to push him into having all the sites raided, and hopes to get the Congressional Medal for having spiked the great Communist plot.'
'What cheek!' Stephanie exclaimed indignantly. 'He hasn't discovered a thing. All the credit for this ought to go to you.'
Robbie shrugged. 'I don't give a damn who gets the credit. What matters is preventing the possibility of this part of the Med. being blown up, and the destruction of the U.S. subs.'
'Anyway, you are safe now. Once the sites have been raided and the plot uncovered, no one is going to hold it against you that you killed Cepicka while trying to prevent Greece being blown off the map. I think we ought to celebrate. Instead of lunching in this shoddy little place, let's go down to the Glass House.'
'1 told Henry I'd be lunching here, in case he wanted to get hold of me,' Robbie demurred. 'Still, he said that was unlikely, and I promised to look in at the Candia Palace about seven, to pick up any message he might have left during the afternoon. So let's leave it at that.'
At the Glass House a quarter of an hour later, they found that the chef had just had in some live crayfish; so they selected a fine hen and, while it was being boiled, they ordered the rest of their meal at a table at the far end of the restaurant. When the waiter had taken their order, Stephanie said: 'What shall we do about Vdclav?'
'You mean, what is the best way to secure him when you have brought him along to me?'
'No.' She shook her head. 'I wasn't thinking of that, I was wondering if you still wish me to meet him. After your wonderful hunch this morning, and now that Henry is acting on it, we could let sleeping dogs lie. You never have liked the idea of taking him to pieces. Now, apart from the fact that you hate him on account of what he did to me, there's no reason why you should.'
After a moment, Robbie replied thoughtfully: 'I think you're wrong there. I feel pretty certain my guess is the right one, but there's a chance that it might not be. There's a chance, too, that Henry's Chief may refuse to believe him and do nothing, anyhow for the present. Your getting Barak here will give us the opportunity of making certain, and I don't think we ought to throw it away.'
'Very well, then. His plane is due in at the airport at ten to five. That means that I should be able to deliver him over to your tender mercies at about half past. Unless, of course, he wants to register at an hotel first and drop his bag. In that case, it will be nearer six. But you'll be careful how you tackle him, won't you? Remember, it is you he is coming to get, and it's certain that he'll be carrying a gun.'
'You bet I'll be careful,' Robbie smiled. 'I should look pretty silly if this boomeranged on me.'
'You wouldn't have a chance to look anything,' Stephanie told him grimly. 'Once I've led him into the ambush there must be no mistakes. When we've finished lunch, we'll go over to your hideout and work everything out very carefully.'
About half-past-two, Stephanie drove the car back to its garage, while Robbie made his way to the half-ruined house among the rubble. Half an hour later, she joined him. Their problem was to think of a way by which Robbie could stun Barak, by hitting him over the head with a sandbag, before he realized that he had fallen into a trap and drew his gun. Their difficulty was that there was no place in the house in which Robbie could lie concealed and that, being empty, even taking a few steps on tiptoe from one room to another meant boards creaking so loudly that they would give away a stealthy approach.
After much discussion it was decided that Barak must be ambushed outside the house and, as this required darkness to prevent anyone seeing from a distance the assault on him, the following plan was adopted: Stephanie was to tell him that Robbie had gone over to Phaestos to see what he could find out about the site there, and he would not be back until eight o'clock. When he returned he would go straight to his hide-out for a meal, since he avoided as far as possible being seen in the town from fear of the police. She would take Barak to the hideout about half-past-seven, and he could lie in wait for Robbie there. That was the sort of set-up that Stephanie had suggested in her letter, and it would still be daylight when she brought Barak to the house; so there would be no reason for him to suspect
that she was leading him into a trap.
Actually, however, a little before the time that Barak was due to arrive at the house Robbie would conceal himself behind the low wall outside it. Having brought Barak there, Stephanie would leave him. The half hour would pass and twilight would be falling. Barak, believing Robbie's return to have been delayed by some unforeseen circumstance, would continue to wait for another hour, perhaps two, or it might even be three. But is was certain that by midnight, at the latest, he would become so weary of standing in the darkness that he would throw in his hand and decide to go to his hotel. As he passed along the low wall, Robbie would then rise up, slog him on the back of the head and drag him into the house. The plan might mean a long vigil for Robbie, but it reduced to a minimum the risk that he might be shot by Barak before he could overcome him.