"A total failure. Barry and Flynn dead in New York, Pool dead, Docherty very probably. What happened to Cochran?" Holley asked.
"I think we may have struck gold there. He got in the garden and was disturbed by a man who beat him up pretty thoroughly. He said he looked like some ghoul in a horror movie."
"The chemotherapy man," Holley told her. "I walked past the house yesterday, to check it out from the outside, and saw him emerge from a side entrance."
"Another man, Cochran said, came out of the house on the terrace and called: 'Are you all right, Alex?' "
"Alexander Kurbsky, it has to be, and the other guy would be Yuri Bounine. What happened?"
"This Alex relieved Cochran of his wallet. He was distracted by the arrival of his friend, so Cochran managed to run for it, scrambled over the wall, and got away. He also heard women's voices, and one did call out: 'Alexander, are you well?' "
"That's it," Holley said.
"Not quite, Daniel." She was silent for a moment. "We even lost when I lied to you."
In a way, he knew what was coming, and said, "Spit it out."
"Monica Starling." She took a deep breath and told him. "So there you are, and God's curse on me for what I did. She's all right, though."
"And how in the hell would you know?"
"Murray dumped the truck into a tree farther along and went back through the wood along the side of the road. He watched police and ambulance at the scene. There was an old boy with her who'd been bandaged up, but she seemed fine."
"No thanks to you," Holley told her.
"So what happens now?" she asked wearily. "I suppose the Russians will be interested to know that Kurbsky is alive and kicking, if that weird-looking man really is him."
"I'd stake my life on it. I think this strange appearance is just a very clever disguise. If you look at photos of Alexander Kurbsky, he's a long-haired, bearded cavalier of a man, a swagger to him. It was an absolutely brilliant idea on the part of whoever thought it up to disguise him as the exact opposite."
"So you'll pass the information on to the Russians? What would they do? Kidnap him, I suppose?"
"To do that, they'd have to lay hands on him, and I very much doubt that's going to happen. Charles Ferguson and his friends have just experienced a personal and very organized series of attacks. They're not going to take any chances." Holley shook his head. "Ferguson is going to fear the worst when Kurbsky reports in. He'll make arrangements to get him and the women out of there and pack them off to somewhere safe and secure. Perhaps out of the country."
"Where do you think?"
"Oh, who the hell knows? They're very close with the Americans, they'll probably help. One thing you can be certain about, it will happen today and very quickly."
"So what now?"
"I'll not run out on you."
"I'm glad to hear it. Just before everything hotted up last night, I had a strange call from a man who asked me if I knew where you were. He said he was a Captain Ivanov."
"What did you do?"
"I was up to my eyes with everything. I said I didn't know what he was talking about, and he laughed in a very nasty way and said maybe he should come and see me. I closed down on him. Who is he?"
"I told you I had the Russians behind me in this and asked if it bothered you. You said it didn't and that they were a means to an end. Peter Ivanov is a GRU captain. He's turned out to be a truly bad man. He doesn't like me and thinks he should be the one running things, not that there's much left to run. I'll deal with him."
"Where are you?"
"In the country. I'll be back in town soon. Look for me, girl. Keep the faith."
He sat there, thinking about it. A bloody mess it had turned out to be and still only three o'clock in the morning. Well, no point going back to bed now. He called Selim, who answered groggily.
"Whoever this is, go away."
"It's me, Selim. Stop fooling round. We need to talk. Meet me downstairs in five minutes."
He had actually been sitting in the lounge for fifteen minutes when Selim emerged, looking rumpled.
"So tell me what's so important."
Holley did, from the beginning to the shambles it had now become. Selim listened with a kind of awe. "My dear boy, can this be so? It's better than the midnight movie. What happens now?"
"Charles Ferguson will move quickly to get Kurbsky and those with him to somewhere safe-and that's the end of it."
"The Big Boss in the Kremlin will be disappointed, and I have a feeling Lermov will feel you've let him down."
"Well, that's too bad… And if he thinks I'll go back to the Lubyanka, he can think again."
"Fighting talk, that's what I like to hear. Let's see if there's anyone round to give us breakfast, Daniel, and then we'll get back to town and see what's happening."
END GAME
14
Back in London at his hotel, Holley phoned Ivanov in the afternoon. "I presume you've heard the bad news?"
"Chekhov told me as soon as he knew. Not so clever now, Holley, are we? You've failed."
"I suppose you could put it that way," Holley told him. "Has Lermov called?"
"Of course he has and he isn't pleased. I'd say it's back to the Lubyanka for you."
"It's a thought, I suppose. When does he get in?"
"Round midnight, and he's told me to keep a close eye on you. No use in trying to do a runner." He was thoroughly worked up, his voice full of venom.
"Don't be stupid," Holley told him. "How can you keep a close eye on me when you don't even know where I am?"
"I know where the Daly woman is, though."
"That's true, but I warned you about approaching her and I meant what I said. She's had enough on her plate."
"Yes, more bloody failure, as I understand it. Major Chelek has heard what happened to Charles Ferguson last night. Absolutely bloody nothing. A dead chauffeur wasn't the point. I understand the Salters' pub, the Dark Man, is still standing in spite of a suspected arson attack."
"True," Holley said. "And Lady Monica Starling survived the crash with the truck driver who tried to knock her off the road."
"A complete failure, that's the truth of it," Ivanov said. "And what about Kurbsky? Chekhov told me that you had arranged for one of the cell members to break into Kurbsky's aunt's house to find out if he's been hiding there. What happened about that?"
Suddenly, in a moment of revelation, Daniel Holley knew that he'd had enough, and that he didn't really care anymore about Putin being disappointed and Josef Lermov's career prospects facing severe damage. When it came right down to it, even the threat of a return to the Lubyanka didn't worry him, because he was going to run, and keep on running, and they could all go to hell.
What he wasn't going to do was tell Ivanov that Alexander Kurbsky and Yuri Bounine were hiding in his aunt's house, almost certainly awaiting a pickup for pastures new, arranged by Charles Ferguson.
"According to Cochran, the house was empty, everyone gone. That's all I can say."
"Then where are they?"
"I haven't the slightest idea. Maybe Ferguson would know. You could ask him."
"Or that Starling bitch," Ivanov said. "She was more involved with Kurbsky than anyone."
"I don't think you'd get very far asking her, and, as she's Harry Miller's sister and Sean Dillon's lover, I wouldn't advise you to try. Anyway, I'm telling you again. Stay away from Caitlin Daly."
"Go to hell," Ivanov told him, and clicked off.
Holley didn't have to prepare for the possibility of a bad scenario, he knew it was coming. He stripped to the waist and pulled on his bulletproof vest, then dressed again. This time, he backed up the ankle holster and the knife in his left sock with the silenced Walther in the special left-hand breast pocket of his raincoat.