"Nick," she exclaimed. "What in heaven's name are you doing here at this hour. You look like you've had another rough time of it."
"You could say that, honey," I said. "I wanted you to do something for me as soon as you got to the office."
"No sooner said than done," Mona answered. "Tell me about it while I finish polishing these shoes. White pumps can be so damned hard to clean,"
She went into the kitchen and I followed her. I saw the other shoe standing on the sink top, a fine film of powdery, red dust over it. The shoe-polish rag she was using was smeared with it. I looked at Mona for a long minute, trying to decide whether to say anything about the dust. I decided against it, my inner caution flags fluttering all over the place. Maybe she'd picked up the powdery dust someplace else. And maybe not.
I was remembering a number of things that suddenly had taken on an entirely new character. Mona had tried to discourage me from the whole bit when I first arrived. It was nothing but inefficient Aussie bumbling, she'd said. I marked that down to an unwillingness to face unpleasant facts. But was it merely that? That clock of hers that had stopped and made me miss meeting Burton Comford, had that been just one of those things? And the pilot, Dempster, who was expecting me to show up — had the men from the Circle Three briefed him? Or had it been Mona?
She finished the shoes and slipped into them. "Well?" she said, coming over to lean her beautiful, big breasts against me. "You haven't said much?"
I smiled at her and decided to let her gather the information I needed. It would keep her busy anyway.
"I want as much information as you can get for me on two people," I said. "One is named Lynn Delba, the other Judy Henniker. Get on it right away, will you, doll?"
"Immediately," she said, kissing me lightly. I was remembering that night in bed with her, and the way she'd made love to me with techniques I'd never found anywhere outside the Orient. Mona Star, beautiful, luscious Mona Star, was lining up alongside Lynn Delba and Judy. In fact, I mused quietly, she might even be the front runner in the lying sweepstakes. I left with her and watched her walk down the street to the bus stop. I waved and drove off to the cottage. I needed some time to digest the fast moving events. I had three queens in my hand, but one of them was a joker — a deadly joker.
VI
I showered, shaved and got a few hours of sleep. My body ached and groaned and I'd decided that bulldogging steers was no career for me. I awoke refreshed and one fact emerged out of the welter of slipping, sliding deceptions. I had done enough shadow-boxing. There was a leader to this operation and I had to make him come forward. One of the three girls had lied from the very start but short of torture, I'd no way to find out which one it was. But if I could move them into a position where they'd have to show their hands, I'd find out all the answers I needed to know. I dressed slowly, letting the plans gather in my mind. I had to move carefully all around now. After what I'd learned about Mona this morning, there were no more islands of safety. This operation could have penetrated far up. When I finished dressing, I drove to Ayr.
I went to the Major's office and closed the door behind me. I'd rehearsed what 1 wanted to say and how I was going to put it.
"I'm afraid I've gotten a lot of suspicious leads, Major," I said. "But nothing really concrete. But there are a few last questions I'd like answered."
"Anything you wish, Carter," the Major said. "I can't say I'm too surprised that you've come up with nothing concrete. I'm afraid that perhaps there just isn't anything."
"Perhaps," I smiled, putting some sadness into it. "But I have a question on your own personnel. How thoroughly do you check them out? Take Mona, for example. I presume she's been carefully screened."
"Oh, thoroughly," Major Rothwell said. "We have her whole background on file. You may see it if you like. She was born in Hong Kong, lived a good number of years in Peking with her father, who was with the British Army. She was actually hired by us in London. Oh, everybody's thoroughly screened, you can be sure of that."
I nodded. I didn't tell him that I'd seen thoroughly screened personnel before who turned out to be enemy agents.
"One last thing," I said. "Is there any other major maneuver or venture taking place soon that, if it went wrong, would strain Australia's relations with her friends to the breaking point?"
Major Rothwell pursed his lips and thought, gazing up at the ceiling. "Well, there is one thing," he said. "A huge dam is being built just south of here. It's being done by an American firm using Australian workmen. This has already caused some friction and hard feelings. A lot of our blokes couldn't understand why it had to be a Yank firm. Our firms were much higher in their cost estimates, but people don't pay attention to those things when they want an emotional issue. And, as you know, the Australian people are pretty angry at the charges that have been leveled at us, rightly or wrongly. If something were to go wrong with that dam, and people were to be killed because of it, I bloody well think it would put the icing on the cake. There's considerable support for a movement to withdraw from the whole alliance, mostly out of hurt feelings, but there nonetheless."
The Major was more than right, I knew. I had no more questions, so I left. Before returning to the cottage I made two stops in downtown Townsville, one at a novelty store, the other at a drugstore. Then I closeted myself for the rest of the day. In the morning, I reported in to the Major. I'd planned what I would say carefully. If Mona was the one involved, she'd be my problem. She'd know I'd been at the ranch and had escaped the stampede. She'd know I had latched onto something, so I couldn't just bow out claiming lack of success. If she were the one, that is.
"I'm afraid I've some bad news," I announced. "I have to return to the States — an emergency has come up and they've called me back. I spoke to Hawk last night."
"That's a rotten shame," the Major said. "But you have to follow orders like the rest of us, I know."
"Hawk sends you his apologies," I lied blandly. "He said I could come back if you still feel you need me. I was just getting into some solid leads, too."
"Perhaps this emergency will pass in a day or two," the Major said. 'They sometimes do. Good luck, Carter. Thanks for everything so far."
A phone call for the Major ended our conversation and I paused at Mona's desk. "I want to come back." I grinned at her. "I don't have to toll you why, honey."
"Can we spend tonight together?" she asked. I shook my head. "Booked on the afternoon flight already," I said. "I'll be back. Save some for me till then." She gave me a narrow look and smiled. I walked, out, on my way back to the United States — at least so far as they were concerned. My next stop was Judy. I gave her the same story about being called back on orders. Her eyes held mine with a steady look.
"It figures," she said, bitterly. "I didn't think it would really come true, anyway."
"You mean about my helping you get to the States?" I said. "Maybe it will, yet. I may be back."
"Rot," she said. "And even if you do come back, you don't believe me any more."
I just smiled at her. You're so right, honey, I told myself. That scuba gear of yours in the closet could be used for a lot more than fun and games underwater. She was pouting when I left, her round face was set, and her eyes on me were accusing. Damn her hide, if she were the one, she was the best actress of them all. I left quickly and stopped at Lynn Delba's place. I added one thing to my story for her.