She had to go with him. She forced herself to speak calmly. "May I come?" He hesitated. Suza thought: He should let me. Hes enjoyed talking to me, he believes I'm on his side, and if I learn any secrets how could he imagine I could use them, stuck here on a KOB ship? Rostov said: "Why not?" He walked away. Suza followed. Up in the radio room Rostov smiled as he read through the messages and translated them for Suza's benefit. He seemed delighted with Dickstein's ingenuity. "The man is smart as hell," he said. "What's Savile Shipping?" Suza asked. "A front for Israeli Intelligence. Dickstein is eliminating all the people who have reason to be interested in what happens to the uranium. The shipping company isn't interested because they no longer own the ship. Now he's taking off the captain and crew. No doubt he has some kind of hold over the people who actually own the uranium. TVs a beautiful scheme." This was what Suza wanted. Rostov was talking to her like a colleague, she was at the center of events; she must be- able to find a way to foul things up for him. She said, "I suppose the breakdown was rigged?" "Yes. Now Dickstein can take over the ship without firing a shot." Suza thought fast When she "betrayed" Dickstein she had proved her loyalty to the Arab side. Now the Arab side had split into two camps: in one were Rostov, the KGB and Egyptian Intelligence; in the other Hassan and the Fedayeen. Now Suza could prove her loyalty to Rostov's side by betraying Hassan. She said, as casually as she possibly could, "And so can Yasif Hassan, of course." "'What?" "Hassan can also take over the Coparelli without firing a shot. Rostov stared at her. The blood seemed to drain from his thin face. Suza was shocked to see him suddenly lose all his poise and confidence. He said, "Hassan intends to hijack the Coparelli?"
Suza pretended to be shocked. "Are you telling me that you didn!t know?" "But who? Not the Egyptians, surelyl" "Me Fedayeen. Hassan said this was your plan." Rostov banged the bulkhead with his fist, looking very uncool and Russian for a moment. "Hassan is a liar and a traitor!" This was Suza's chance, she knew. She thought: Give me strength. She said: "Maybe we can stop him . . Rostov looked at her. "What's his planr "To hijack the Coparelli before Dickstein gets there, then ambush the Israeli team, and sail to ... he didn't tell me exactly, somewhere in North Africa. What was your plan?" "fo ram the ship after Dickstein had stolen the
"Can't we still do that?" "No. We're too far away, we'd never catch them." Suza knew that if she did not do the next bit exactly right, both she and Dickstein would die. She crossed her arms to stop the shaking. She said, "nen there is only one thing we can do." Rostov looked up at her. "There isr "We must warn Dickstein of the Fedayeen ambush so that he can take back the Coparelli." There. She had said it. She watched Rostov's face. He must swallow it, it was logical, it was the right thing for him to dot Rostov was thinking hard. He said, "Warn Dickstein so that be can take the Coparelli back from the Fedayeen. T'hen he can proceed according to his plan and we can proceed according to ours." "Yesl" said Suza. "Thafs the only waylIsn't it? Isn't it?"
FROM: SAVILE SHIPPING, ZURICH TO: ANGELUZZI E BIANCO, GENOA YOUR YELLOWCAKE CONSIGNMENT FROM F.A. PEDLER INDEFINITELY DELAYED DUE TO ENGINE TROUBLE AT SEA. WILL ADVISE SOONEST OF NEW DELIVERY DATES. PAPAGO' POLOUS.
As the Gil Hamflton came into view, Pyotr Tyrin cornered Ravlo, the addict, in the 'tweendecks of the Coparelli. Tyrin
acted with a confidence he did not feel. He adopted a bully~ ing manner and grabbed hold of Ravlo's sweater. Tyrin was a bulky man, and Ravlo was somewhat wasted. Tyrin said, "Listen, you're going to do something for me." "Sure, anything you say." Tyrin hesitated. It would be risky. Still, there was no alternative. "I need to stay on board ship when the rest of you go on the Gil Hamilton. if I'm missed, you will say that you have seen me go over." ~"Right, okay, sure." "If I'm discovered, and I have to board the Gil Hamilton, you can be sure III tell them your secret." "I'll do everything I can." "Yowd better." Tyrin let him go. He was not reassured: a man like that would promise you anything, but when it came to the crunch he might fall to pieces. Ali hands we're summoned on deck for the changeover. Mie sea was too rough for the Gil Hamilton to come alongside, so she sent a launch. Everyone had to wear lifebelts for the crossing. Tlie officers and crew of the Coparelli stood quietly in the pouring rain while they were counted, then the first sailor went over the side and down the ladder, jumped into the well of the launch. The boat would be too small to take the whole crew-they would have to go over in two or three detachments, Tyrin realized. While everyones attention was on the first men to go over the rail, Tyrin whispered to Ravlo, "Try and be last to go. 99 "All right." The two of them edged out to the back of the crowd on deck. ne officers were peering over the side at the launch. The men were standing, waiting, facing toward the Gil Hamilton. Tyrin slipped back behind a bulkhead. He was two steps from a lifeboat whose cover he had loosened earlier. The stem of the boat could be seen from the deck amidships, where the sailors were standing, but the stem could not. Tyrin moved to the stem, lifted the cover, got in and from inside put the cover back in place. He thought: If I'm discovered now Ive had it. He was a big man, and the life jacket made him bigger.
With some difficulty he crawled the length of the boat to a position from which he could see the deck through an eyelet in the tarpaulin. Now it was up to Ravlo. He watched as a second detachment of men went down the ladder to the launch, then heard the first officer say, "Where's that radio operator?" Tyrin looked for Ravlo and located him. Speak, damn you I Ravlo hesitated. "He went over with the first lot, sir." Good boyl "Are you sure?" "Yes, sir, I saw him." The officer nodded and said something about not being able to tell one from another in this filthy rain. The captain called to Koch, and the two men stood talking In the lee of a bulkhead, close to Tyrin's hiding place. The captain said, "rve never heard of Savile Shipping, have you?" "No, sir." "This is all wrong, selling a ship while she's at sea, then leaving the engineer in charge of her and taking the captain Off." "Yes, sir. I imagine they're not seafaring people, these new owners." "They're surely not, or they'd know better. Probably accountants." There was a pause. "You could refuse to stay alone, of course, then I would have to stay with you. I'd back you up afterward." "rm afraid I'd lose my ticket." "Right, I shouldn't have suggested it. Well, good luck." "Thank you, sir.' The third group of seamen had boarded the launch. The first officer was at the top of the ladder waiting for the captain, who was still muttering about accountants as he turned around, crossed the deck and followed the first officer over the side. Tyrin turned his attention to Koch, who now thought he was the only man aboard the Coparelli. The engineer watched the launch go across to the Gil Hamilton, then climbed the ladder to the bridge. Tyrin cursed aloud. He wanted Koch to go below so that he could get to the fbeard store and radio to the Karla. He watched the bridge, and saw Koch's face appear from time to time behind the glass. If Koch stayed there, Tyrin would have to wait until dark before he could contact Rostov and reporL It looked very much as if Koch planned to remain on the bridge all day. Tyrin settled down for a long wait.
When the Nablus reached thee point south of Ibiza where Hassan expected to encounter the Coparelli, there was not a single ship in sight. They circled the point in a widening spiral while H san scanned the desolate horizon through binoculars. Mahmoud said, "You have made a mistake." "Not necessarily." Hassan was determined he would not appear panicked. .'This was just the earliest point at which we could meet her. She doesn't have to travel at top speed. "Why should she be delayed?" Hassan shrugged, seeming less worried than he was. "Perhaps the engine isn't running well. Perhaps they've had worse weather than we have. A lot of reasons." "What do you suggest, then?" Mahmoud was also very uneasy, Hassan realized. On this ship he was not in control, only Hassan could make the decisions. "We travel southwest, backing along the CoparelICS route. We must meet her sooner or later." "Give the order to the captain," Mahmoud said, and went below to his troops, leaving Hassan on the bridge with the captain. Mahmoud burned with the irrational anger of tension. So did his troops, Hassan had observed. They had been expecting a fight at midday, and now they had to wait, dawdling about in the crew quarters and the galley, cleaning weapons, playing cards, and bragging about past battles. They were hyped up for combat, and inclined to play dangerous knifetbrowing games to prove their courage to each other and to themselves. One of them had quarreled with two seamen over an imaginary insult, and had cut them both about the face with a broken glass before the fight was broken up. Now the crew were staying well away from the Fedayeen. Hassan wondered how he would handle them if he were Mahmoud. He had thought along these lines a lot recently. Mahmoud was still the commander, but be was the one who had done all the important work: discovered Dickstein, brought the news of his plan, conceived the counter-bijacx and established the Stromberes whereabouts. He was beginning to wonder on what would be his position in the movement when all this was over. Clearly, Mahmoud was wondering the same thing. Well. If there was to be a power struggle between the two of them, it would have to wait. First they had to hijack the Coparellf and ambush Dickstein. Hassan felt a little nauseous when he thought about that. It was all very well for the battle-hardened men below to convince themselves they looked forward to a fight, but Hassan bad never been in war, never even had a gun pointed at him except by Cortone in the ruined villa. He was afraid, and he was even more afraid of disgracing himself by showing his fear, by turning and running away, by throwing up as he had done in the villa. But he also felt excited, for if they won-if they.wonf There was a false alarm at four-thirty in the afternoon when they sighted another ship coming toward them, but after examining her through binoculars Hassan announced she was not the Copareffl, and as she passed they were able to read the name on her side: Gil Hamilton. As daylight began to fade Hassan became worried. In this weather, even with navigation lights, two ships could pass withinhalf a mile of one another at night without seeing each other. And there had been not a sound out of the Coparelli's secret radio all afternoon, although Yaacov had reported that Rostov was trying to raise Tyrin. To be certain that the COparelli did not pass the Nablus in the night they would have to go about and spend the night traveling toward Genoa at the Coparelli's speed, then resume searching in the morning. But by that time the Stromberg would be close by and the Fedayeen might lose the chance of springing a trap on Dickstein. Hassan was about to explain this to Mahmoud-who had Jim returned to the bridge-when a single light winked on in the distance. "She's at anchor," said the captain. "How can you tell?" Mahmoud asked. 'naes what a single white light means." Hassan said, "That would explain why she wasn't off Thiza when we expected her. If that's the Coparelli, you should prepare to board."