A Woman Involved (6 page)

‘No way.’

‘But it’s not necessarily
killing
people,’ Makepeace appealed ‘– it’s
looking after
people. Like bodyguard work for these Arab guys. There’s a
fortune
to be made in security work in Europe – all these high-ups coming here. And training their armies. And arranging arms and ammunition, all that good stuff – pay a
fortune,
they do. It’s mostly official, you know.’

‘I’m a seaman, Makepeace, not a hired gun. If you don’t like the merchant marine, pay your debts and go.’

‘But how do I pay the money I owe you?’

‘In cash.’

‘That’s the difficulty,’ Makepeace mused. ‘Look, there’s this little place I’ve got in France. Lovely spot, bought it from my brother-in-law for my old age …’

‘Sell it. If you’re joining Danziger and the boys, you’re not going to have any old age.’

‘I wondered if you’d take it as payment –’

‘No way.’

So he took the rock-farm in France, because that was the only way he’d ever get anything from Makepeace, and he had not seen it to this day because he was so busy surviving, He was doing carpentry on his bridge when the Navy car drew up on the quay in Plymouth and the ensign scrambled out. He came clattering up the companionway to the bridge. He was a red-headed young man with a white, earnest face. He saluted and panted:

‘Captain S/M’s compliments, sir, he wants to see you immediately, this moment, sir.’

Morgan looked at him angrily. Ensign Phillips, who thought he dined with kings because he was a four-ring captain’s flunky …  ‘The Captain of Submarines wants to see me immediately, does he, Phillips?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘This moment, you say?’

‘Yes, sir.’

Morgan breathed deep. ‘What about?’

‘Don’t know, sir.’

Morgan took another angry breath.

‘Phillips,’ he said, ‘please do
not
convey my compliments to the Captain S/M. But
do
remind him that I am
no
longer in Her Majesty’s Navy. And that if for some extraordinary reason he wants to see me,
he can bloody well come here! And request permission to come aboard first!
’

‘Sir –’

‘Do you think you can remember all that, Phillips?’

Ensign Phillips blinked. ‘But please, sir –’

‘Thank you, Phillips, that will be all.’

Morgan picked up his saw elaborately. Phillips blinked, then saluted worriedly and turned and clattered down off the bridge.

Twenty minutes later Morgan saw the car coming back along the jetty. It stopped opposite the freighter. He had been wondering what all this was about, but he studiously ignored the car. Two minutes later the Captain of Submarines clambered up onto the bridge. ‘Permission to come aboard?’

Morgan straightened, and glared at him.

‘You’re already aboard, Carrington. You can go back and holler from the jetty.’

Carrington looked thoroughly peeved. He was tall, aristocratic, immaculate in his uniform; the man did not move, he flowed. ‘Now look here, Jack – this is top priority.’

Morgan put down his saw.

‘I’ll never understand the Navy. Or you. You know I hate your guts. And yet, when for some extraordinary reason you want to see me, you send a flunky with a curt message. “This moment”, quote, unquote.’ He frowned in wonder. ‘You’re so puffed up with your own importance that you don’t even know that’s dumb behaviour – it seems perfectly normal to you to wave your wand and command.’

‘Have you quite finished?’

‘No. You can go and get
fucked,
Carrington!’

Carrington enquired: ‘The whole Navy as well?’

‘Yes! Because not one of you bastards stood by me!’

Carrington said, ‘We haven’t got time to go over all that again, but let me say that I didn’t ruin your career, Jack – you did. You shouldn’t have been fooling around with a married woman. Indeed, I saved your bacon. You could have been court-martialled on the story we were given about that cocaine. Instead you were quietly retired.’

‘Because you believed my version?’

‘Of course. We wouldn’t let a man we believed guilty of such a serious offence walk free.’

‘Then if you believed me you should have stood by me! But, no. The Navy couldn’t stand a whiff of scandal. Oh dear me no, we can’t have the public saying there’s no smoke without fire, et cetera, can we? So, to save your precious image you sacrifice an innocent man!’

Carrington said, ‘If you play with fire you must expect to get your fingers burnt. And married women are fire. You can’t expect the Navy to pull you out of that soup. Now, we’ve got a very important job for you to do.’

Morgan wondered if he had heard right.

‘The Navy’s got a job for me?’

‘And it’s very urgent. So will you please be so kind as to accompany me back to Headquarters?’

Morgan almost wanted to laugh. ‘This moment? And what on earth makes the Navy think I’ll do a job for them?’

Carrington said: ‘I could hand you your Call-up papers. As
a retired officer you’re still subject to call-up and the Naval Discipline Act.’

Morgan held out his hand angrily. ‘So? Hand me my Call-up papers.’

Carrington said crisply, ‘We want this to be unofficial.’

Morgan was completely taken aback.

‘
Unofficial
?’ he said. You mean, “Deniable”?’

‘Exactly.’

Morgan stared. Jesus Christ. ‘I repeat, what makes the Navy think I’ll do an unofficial and deniable job for them?’

‘Money,’ Carrington said.

Morgan could hardly believe this. He picked up his saw again. ‘Carrington, please tell the Navy to stick their money right up their arse.’

‘Big money, in this case.’

‘The Navy’s got a big arse. Particularly in its Captain of Submarines!’

‘You’re not coming?’

‘How very perspicacious.’

Carrington sighed. ‘Then I must tell you, Jack, that the Navy will reconsider legal proceedings in respect of that cocaine report.’ He added: ‘I’ll deny I ever said that.’

Morgan wondered if he had heard right.

‘Jesus Christ …  Not only does the Navy submit to blackmail, it now
practises
blackmail! …  Jesus Christ,’ he said again. ‘Now I’ve heard everything.’

He grimly followed the Captain of Submarines into his office. A lanky middle-aged man with spectacles heaved himself up from an armchair as they entered. Carrington suddenly seemed in good humour.

‘Jack, this is somebody hardly anybody knows. Anthony Brink-Ford. In his indefinable way he’s one of the gentlemen who controls poor mortals like me. Anthony – Jack Morgan.’

‘How do you do?’ Morgan nodded briefly. He said to Carrington: ‘You’re mortal?’

‘Alas, I sometimes suspect so.’ He went behind his desk and picked up a form and a Bible. ‘Hold that, raise your right hand and repeat after me.’ He prepared to read the form.

‘You’re joking.’

‘Just the usual Official Secrets Oath, Jack, got to take it.’

‘But I’m no longer an official.’

‘As a retired Royal Navy officer, you’re still in the Reserves, Jack.’

‘Then if I’m still an officer I haven’t got to take the Oath again!’

‘We can require you to do so, under certain circumstances.’

‘Where my continued loyalty is questionable? Are you handing me my Call-up papers?’

‘No.’

‘Then if my loyalty is questioned, I’m going back to my boat.’ He turned to go.

‘Jack …’ Carrington sighed. ‘All right.’ He put the Bible down. He said wearily: ‘You’re still familiar with the Oath?’

‘I don’t suffer from amnesia!’

‘All right,’ Carrington sighed. He waved his hand. ‘Please sit down.’

Morgan sat, pleased with his little victory. ‘This doesn’t mean I’m going to do a bloody thing.’

‘Now, then.’ Carrington sat. He crossed his legs. ‘Officially Anthony draws the salary of a Permanent Under-Secretary of State. In fact, he’s one of the senior chaps in MI6. He wants to talk to you.’ He waved a hand. ‘And I want you to know I think it stinks. But it’s got to be done.’

Morgan frowned. ‘
You
think it stinks? …’ He sat back. ‘Boy, then it must be really bad.’

It was water off Carrington’s back. ‘I want you to know that I’m on your side, Jack.’

Morgan shook his head.

‘Now,’ he said, ‘I’ve
really
heard everything.’

Anthony Brink-Ford’s rimless spectacles made his eyes look unusually large. He sat forward and said:

‘You’ve heard about the state of emergency in Grenada, Mr Morgan? It’s been in the newspapers.’

Morgan felt his pulse trip.
So it was about Grenada.
He nodded. Brink-Ford went on:

‘In short, there’s been another coup. The Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, who was a communist but changed his tune somewhat and began to make overtures to America again – he was placed under house arrest by his army. The hard-line communists in his cabinet wanted to get rid of him, but they dared not do so, because of his popular support.’

Morgan was trying to think ahead – and all he could think was
Anna … 

‘Well,’ Brink-Ford said, ‘today Bishop’s supporters stormed his house, and set him free. They marched into town. Bishop had four or five of his loyal cabinet ministers and advisers with him.’ He raised his eyebrows at Morgan. ‘One of them was a well-known financier called Max Hapsburg.’

Morgan stared at him. Brink-Ford went on: ‘They confronted the army. Then the hard-line communist leaders arrived. Bishop and five of his leading friends were seized. They were dragged into the army headquarters, and shot.’

Morgan stared. ‘And Max Hapsburg was one of those shot?’

Brink-Ford nodded. ‘Yes.’ He added significantly: ‘His wife was definitely not present.’ He paused, then went on soberly: ‘The United States of America is about to invade Grenada.’

America about to invade Grenada?
Morgan’s mind was fumbling, with the beat in his chest. Brink-Ford continued:

‘The official reason is the safety of one thousand American medical students who are living on the island. In a state of siege in the university, while civil war’s raging. After the hostage crisis in Iran and Jimmy Carter’s bungling of that, and the recent bombing of American military in Beirut, President Reagan is not taking any chances with American lives. Or America’s reputation.’ He added: ‘Or his own. There’s a presidential election next year. Another reason is the usual one: the Russians. The Reds are on the island in a big way, Soviets and Cubans. Amongst other things, they are building a huge new airport, capable of taking any planes. Why? Little Grenada’s tourist traffic is handled quite satisfactorily by the existing airport. So obviously the Russians intend making Grenada
another military base, like Cuba. America is not going to tolerate that.’

Morgan was thinking hard. ‘And the other reason?’

‘Those are good enough reasons, in our book. Even though Mrs Thatcher is going to scream blue murder about America’s interference – because Grenada is a member of the British Commonwealth. Just like Reagan made a big show of complaining about Thatcher’s Falklands War. So he could keep in sweet with Latin America.’ He paused. ‘There
is
no other reason for America’s invasion officially. But there is an important spin-off, as the Americans say.’

‘And that is?’

Brink-Ford pressed his fingers together. He said:

‘Max Hapsburg died today, with certain information in his head. Highly important, of a secret nature.’ He paused. ‘And we believe – that is to say, Her Majesty’s government, and the United States believe, that Max Hapsburg may have told his wife the information …  That she either
knows
it, or knows where it is to be found.’

Morgan stared at the man. He could not believe this was happening. ‘What makes you think that?’

Brink-Ford said, ‘Suffice it to say that Max Hapsburg was a prominent man in banking circles. He was involved in many – or several – top level negotiations on behalf of certain Caribbean and Latin American countries, about their international debts. It appears that, to that end, he was possibly not above applying a little pressure in certain areas.’

Morgan said slowly: ‘And you want me to get Anna …  to his widow, and get this information from her.’

Brink-Ford’s eyes were big behind his spectacles.

‘Commander – Mr Morgan …  We have a most important task which only
you
can carry out.’ He paused. ‘You are the
only
person, because of your – er — association, with Mrs Hapsburg.’ He took an uncomfortable breath. ‘Mr Morgan, it is of the utmost importance that you proceed to Grenada and get to see Anna Hapsburg immediately. That you … 
win
her complete confidence.’ He cleared his throat. ‘And persuade her to come away with you, to a place of safety. In fact, to England.’

Morgan was astonished. Brink-Ford went on:

‘And if for some reason she will not do that voluntarily, you must
make
her come to England …’

Morgan could not believe his British ears.

‘Good God,’ he said. ‘Ab
duct
her? …  Against her will? So you can … 
extract
the information out of her? And if I refuse to be a party to this … 
kidnapping,
you’ll exert a little blackmail on
me
? Jesus.’ He could not believe it. He got up and walked to the window. He looked out elaborately. He turned back to them. ‘Am I in England? Or Russia?’ He walked back to his chair. He sat down incredulously. ‘Half an hour ago
this
sanctimonious prick –’ he pointed at Carrington – ‘was telling me that it all served me right for playing with married women – with
fire
, he said. Now you want to
use
that …’

‘A different thing entirely. This is for Queen and Country.’

Morgan half-laughed. ‘Now I’ve heard
absolutely
everything. Seduction and abduction for Queen and Country! …’

Brink-Ford sat forward earnestly. ‘Have you been in touch with Mrs Hapsburg since that incident a year ago?’

Morgan snorted. ‘No, I have not.’

‘Has she attempted to be in touch with you?’

‘No, she has not.’

‘Do you know why not?’