“Checks aren’t a hundred per cent reliable, as we both know. Nothing on Wicks or Fawcett?”
“Nothing under those names, but London’s dug up some information via Scotland Yard that suggests they could have operated large-scale smuggling rings under various aliases, though nothing’s ever been proved. That fits from one aspect, according to what you’ve just told me. The Polish and Soviet security people evidently had the edge on us there — so had your Miss MacKinlay if she’s genuine. But that’s just as far as it goes.” Jones picked up a twig and was scuffing it through the dust between his legs. “I’m not white-washing those two, but from our point of view they’re clear, and in any case it can’t be long before they’re pulled in — assuming they’re still alive anyway. The MVD’ll be out after them, and once they’re in the net they couldn’t be any danger to Kos-yenko even if one of them was Conroy.”
“Agreed — once they’re in the net! But suppose they are alive but written off as believed lost in the Pripet?”
“As a matter of fact they have been,” Jones replied, confirming what Shaw had already heard from Henderson. “So for that matter have you and the girl — at least, that’s what we’ve been fobbed off with. Frankly I doubt if the case is closed, and those two will be spotted before long if they haven’t gone into the marsh, and again, the same applies to you. Without passports you’re all in the same boat, and it’s liable to sink at any moment.”
Shaw grunted non-committally and said, “Well, I’d like a sight of that London report, anyway.”
“Of course. It’ll be handed to you just as soon as we’ve fixed up this passport angle,” Jones promised. “Until that’s done, I’m sorry, but you’re a security risk yourself, because sooner or later both you and your girlfriend are going to be pulled in for questioning. In the meantime, neither of you can move around in safety — and don’t, please, imagine we can hide you in the Embassy, because that’s not on at all. H.E won’t touch any of this, and I honestly can’t say I blame him.”
“I’d have thought it was time the Embassy took some action. They must know the matter’s vital.”
“They do,” Jones assured him. “You needn’t doubt that. But there are so many considerations to be taken into account.” He scuffed around with his twig again, making patterns of nonsense. “You’ll have gathered in London that certain diplomatic negotiations are at a tricky stage, to say nothing of various important trade deals, including the one I’m on. Russia is genuinely anxious to reach agreement with the West on all sorts of complex matters… and, as you’ll also know, both East and West are moving pretty fast into a state of peaceful co-existence which it’s hoped will become permanent — and, of course, when I say East I mean Russia not China. The possible permanence of this phase, they say, will be due to two things mainly — the fact the H-bomb exists and will continue to exist, and the fact that Russia has China on her doorstep and always will have. Russia’s scared of a war partly because they know China would stab them in the back. Nevertheless, the status quo could be upset, and pretty easily too in my opinion. The Russians still don’t trust us an inch, and never will if you ask me. So — if at this stage in particular the British Embassy should be linked with the concealment of a passpordess Britisher wanted in connection with the smashing of a road check and the deaths of a couple of security police, however tenuous that connection may be in fact — well, you can imagine the results for yourself.”
“As bad as letting Kosyenko be killed?” Shaw enquired sardonically. “If I get no Embassy help and am pulled in, who takes over? You?”
Jones gave him a quick sideways glance. There was a sudden dislike in his face. “There’s no reason why that should arise. I’m going to suggest to you a course of action that I happen to believe is the only possible one in the circumstances, and one that’ll leave you absolutely in the clear so far as the Russian authorities are concerned. I’m not going to dispute an element of risk, but frankly I don’t consider it very great.”
Shaw raised an eyebrow. “And the suggestion is?”
“That you give yourself up to the MVD here in Moscow.”
Shaw stared unbelievingly. “What did you say?”
Jones laughed rather acidly. “You heard — and just relax! Let me finish and you’ll see it isn’t as bad as you think. Go to the MVD and make a clean breast of it. You’re an experienced agent, old man — don’t tell me you didn’t dream up a story ready to tell them if you’d been arrested on your way into Moscow?”
Reluctantly, Shaw agreed. “I had it ready all right.” He gave Jones the story he’d put to Virginia. “But look,” he said, “just suppose the people back in Minsk do still happen to believe we were lost in the Pripet? Wouldn’t we be simply chucking away a damn fortunate immunity, by following your plan?”
Jones said, “I’ve already told you, I don’t believe that’s genuinely what they do think, and whatever they think, it doesn’t bring your passport back. Meanwhile your story ought to cover the situation. As you so rightly say, anyone could have rifled the baggage aboard the coach. We needn’t worry too much about your visit after the event, as it were — but you’ll have to let me have Fawcett’s Webley. That’s incriminating, don’t you agree?”
“I do — now I’ve got through to Moscow! For one thing, it’s been fired. The slug’ll still be in the coach.”
“Quite. Well now, as to the rest of your cover-story…” he shrugged. “Yes, it’s all perfectly logical. Tell the truth about Henderson giving you a lift into Moscow, of course — they can check on that. On arrival here you contacted the Embassy — though you don’t ever mention the name of Jones — and you were told you should apply to the MVD for the return of your passport, which in point of fact is all we could advise you to do, officially. Anyway, the Embassy wouldn’t do any more than that for you, and frankly you’re a bit peeved. Play that line. You saw a man called Henniker, Geoffrey Henniker — I’ll fix that our end. Henniker’s short, fat, and forty, bald, dark moustache, high-pitched voice — just in case they ask. We’ll back you officially to that extent, in you role as Stephen Cane.”
“And no further?”
“Naturally not.”
“I’m not exactly keen on handing myself over on a plate.”
Again, Jones said, “Naturally not. I understand that. But I do assure you there’s nothing to worry about — provided the boys in London did a good job on your passport, and I’m certain they did. I know our mutual friend very well. He doesn’t pass a thing till it’s one hundred per cent. Coming as you do from the Defence Ministry, and before that the Admiralty, you’re probably inclined to sniff at us — and that’s mutual!” he added, grinning. “But you can rely on us, I assure you. Meanwhile I’ll arrange with the Americans that the same procedure is followed with Miss MacKinlay…”
Shaw looked quizzical. “Arrange — or recommend?”
Jones laughed. “They’ll just have to follow suit — this thing has to be co-ordinated. In fact you’d better both report to MVD headquarters together, since that’s how you traveled through from Minsk.” He took a sandwich and munched with enjoyment. “Jolly good, these,” he murmured.
“Excellent. By the way, have you any news of the rest of the coach party?”
“Not a lot. We understand the injured are being well cared for, but none of the Embassy staff are so far being given access to them — to those in hospital, that is. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. It’s the Russian mind at work, I suppose. We haven’t even been told the names of the dead yet. And don’t forget one thing: whoever Conroy was, he could quite well be among the dead.”