Shaw stifled his racing thoughts. Bronsky was looking at him narrowly, grinning in vindictive triumph still. Shaw said indifferently, “I don’t see anything very special in that. All I can say is, I hope I don’t come across him.”
Bronsky gave a gust of coarse laughter. “I very much doubt if you will, poet! He will not be here long. Tonight a reception is being held in honour of the Minister at the Baku Hotel. Certainly Carew will be there, but I need hardly say that you will not be among the distinguished guests, poet. And now I have a good joke to tell you.” Bronsky gave another great laugh and slapped his thigh. “You would like to hear it?”
“Go on.”
“Very well, then. Do you know why Carew is coming — officially, that is? He comes to welcome your British admiral, who arrives tomorrow with his poor little fleet of impotent warships. Your admiral will have to receive Carew with full honours, as the welcoming representative of a host country. Is not that a fine joke, poet? That we should arrange for an Englishman to meet the British admiral?”
He roared with laughter again.
“Very funny indeed,” Shaw said dryly. “A nicely calculated insult. Clever. But I think you’ve forgotten one thing, haven’t you?”
“I do not think so, poet.”
“Then I beg to differ, Major Bronsky. You see, the moment Lawrence Carew steps aboard a British ship, he’s on British soil. He’ll be arrested at once, taken back to England, and charged with treason.”
Bronsky stared at him for a moment and then put his head back and laughed until tears ran down his cheeks. Shaw didn’t like the implications of that helpless laughter at all, but Bronsky clammed up after that and he couldn’t get any more out of him.
Ten minutes later, having discovered after threats and bad temper and cajolery that there was no alcohol in the flat, Bronsky lurched away angrily, presumably to carry out his duties in the town, and when the outer door had slammed behind him Triska came up to Shaw and said anxiously, “You must be very careful now, Peter. Igor is a dangerous man—”
“Yes, I know, so Godov told me, and he looks it too. But I don’t think he’ll bother me much, Triska.”
She insisted, “You must not be too sure. When he is sober, which he will be sooner or later, he will realize what he has said to you, and remember — he is a good communist and a Party member. I am frightened, Peter.”
“But why? He—”
“I told you! He will realize that you know too much.”
“He hasn’t told me all that much. And people often forget what they’ve said when they’ve been drinking.”
She shook her head. “Not Igor. You must believe me. He has a devil’s memory for all he says, even when he is much more drunk than now.”
“Well, maybe. But he won’t shop me, if that’s what’s worrying you. He won’t want to let out that he’s opened his big mouth!”
“No, I agree entirely, he will not. Don’t you see? What he will do is to kill you himself, Peter.” She grasped the lapels of his jacket and looked into his face pleadingly. “I know Igor so well.”
He said, “All right, Triska, I take your point. You may be right, but if you are he won’t be the first person who’s tried to kill me, and you can take it from me, he won’t be the last either. I’m much more worried about Carew. You know who he is, of course?”
“Yes.”
Shaw walked up and down the small room, like a frustrated tiger, then swung round sharply. “If Carew’s on his way in, then we can’t have long to go. That stands out a mile. The link’s too obvious to be ignored — and they don’t keep the brass hanging about. Besides, the Defence Minister’s coming himself, and you told me he’s the big shot. The Foreign Ministers’ Conference doesn’t break up for another three days, but whatever’s going to happen… well, I’d say it’s likely to happen any time after Carew gets to Moltsk, and pretty soon after at that.” He paused, frowning. “Wait, though! We may be able to rely on having until our ships get in… they won’t forgo their little joke, as Bronsky called it. They’ll be looking forward to that like bloody kids. Also that might tie in with what the N.C.O. said down in the tunnel about completion by tomorrow. D’you know, I wouldn’t be surprised if the thing’s tied in some way with the arrival of our fleet — that the whole damn show’s timed for the arrival itself!” He clenched his fists impotently. “God. Triska, if only I knew what it is they’re going to do…”
“I understand.” She looked at him in a scared way, her face white and drawn. “Peter, what do we do now?”
“Just a moment.” He ran a hand through his hair. “This is where you go to ground, I think — at least from to-night onwards… we don’t want to start arousing suspicions too soon. I take it you’ll be safe enough in your medical centre — I mean, Bronsky couldn’t get at you there? I ask because he may try to get at me through you.” He gave a tight smile. “You see, I am taking him seriously!”
She nodded. “I am glad, Peter. And I shall be perfectly all right at the centre, I assure you. I need not leave the building all day, and I will not have him admitted if he calls.”
“Right, fine. Now listen. You leave at six, don’t you? I’ll meet you outside then.”
“What about you? What are you going to do?”
He said grimly, “Lie as low as I can — consistent with finding out as much as possible about Carew’s movements after he gets to Moltsk. I’m going to get hold of Lawrence Carew and get this thing settled once and for all. Once I know what’s really going on in that tunnel, there’s just a chance I may be able to do something about it and anyway if Carew disappears, my guess is there’ll be such a God Almighty flap they’ll have to postpone their plans if not cancel them. And I may need your help, Triska.”
They left the flat soon after and he saw Triska off to work in her car; then he walked quickly through to the Nikolai Hotel and went straight up to his room.
He locked the door and took out the Luger. He checked the slide. Full. Things were hotting right up now and he would be needing that gun very soon. And if it did so happen that Bronsky came for him, then the Russian would stop a bullet. Triska’s cousin or not, it was far too late in the day to let a sneering drunk like Bronsky ball-up his plans.
Eighteen
Shaw left the Nikolai at ten-thirty and strolled out into bright sunshine, sunshine which glittered on soldier’s weapons and on the metalwork of tanks and armoured vehicles and personnel-carriers. There were some big guns on the move also and he saw some missile-carriers going out of the town towards the north. He began to have fears for the safety of the fleet when it approached Moltsk, dropping south through the Barents Sea… until he remembered again the little joke over Carew. If they had anything in store for the British ships, they would hold it until afterwards.
He went on along Nikolai Street, turned to the left at the end past an ominous-looking tank waiting with its gun pointing down to cover the whole thoroughfare, and fifteen minutes later he walked into MVD headquarters, as bold as brass. He was far from easy underneath, though he knew he had a first-class hand to play.
He demanded to see the officer-in-charge, and when, after considerable and nerve-racking delay, he was taken into an office, he found that he was confronting the same plainclothes man as had impounded his passport — the man he called Snake’s-head.
Rogovin recognized him and seemed surprised to see him. He said, “Well, Mr Alison. To ask for your passport yet is quite useless.”