The Eldorado Network (55 page)

'I still have to pay for the room,' Luis said. 'Don't let me forget the receipt. It's deductible.'

'What are we going to do, Luis?' Julie asked.

'I wish I really hated him,' he said. 'Maybe I could kill him if I really hated him.'

'Do you want to kill him?'

'Sometimes. When I think that he stands between me and a million dollars, yes, I'd like to be able to kill him. Painlessly.'

'Where's the nearest cliff?' she asked.

'We haven't got time for cliffs. It's got to be done now, within the next hour, or not at all. The German Embassy must know he's missing. If he doesn't turn up soon they'll assume the worst, won't they?'

'I guess so.'

'If Adler lives, Eldorado dies. That's what it comes down to. Then I'll be no use to anyone, not even the British.' Luis took a quick look inside his briefcase. 'I wonder if I could shoot him? Maybe if I thought hard about it I could . . . you know . . . sort of work myself up to it.' He sighed. 'Damn it all. Why didn't he stay in bloody Russia where he belonged?'

'That revolver makes such a hell of-a noise,' Julie said.

'Yes. You're sure you wouldn't like to do it?'

'No thanks.'

'You needn't sound so righteous. You keep wanting me to join the British and fight for freedom, don't you? Well, he's ruining all your plans too, remember. I thought you were very keen on bashing the enemy.'

Julie had no answer to that. She looked away. Luis glanced at his watch. 'Strangling people seems to have a disastrous effect on Adler's bowels,' he muttered.

Julie suddenly turned back to him and snapped her ringers. 'We must be crazy!' she said. 'It's not our job to get rid of him, for Pete's sake. The goddam German Embassy already wants him, for murder! All we have to do is tell them - here he is!'

Hope revived Luis like a whiff of pure oxygen. He looked r a telephone and saw Wolfgang striding across the lobby. Too damn late,' he said. 'Still, maybe they're already out looking for him. If we stay in the open--' 'We go?' Wolfgang called.

'Look, you two don't really need me,'Julie began. 'On the contrary!' Without stopping, Wolfgang took her m and headed for the exit. 'I think we must hurry,' he called to Luis.

It was the end of the afternoon. The sun filtered through overcast and gave the city a strangely sallow look. The air had the empty smell that comes with the fading of a long, hard day, and the streets were full of people trudging home.

'Taxi?" Wolfgang suggested.

'It's not worth it,' Luis said. 'The embassy isn't far. [Besides, in this traffic it would take forever,' He began to walk, but Wolfgang still hesitated. 'If we take a taxi I shall feel sick,' Luis said firmly. 'I need some fresh air.'

Wolfgang reluctantly followed.  Luis headed towards centre of Lisbon, wondering if it might be possible to pretend to be lost and perhaps go into a bar to ask directions so that Julie could slip away to a telephone . . . He glanced Wolfgang.  Wolfgang smiled back.   Luis thought of Brigadier Christian lying on the lavatory floor with his eyes popping and his tongue sticking out, and returned a smile it felt more like a nervous grin. This wasn't the first time he had been frightened recently, but he knew that fear could make people behave stupidly. He was afraid of Adler and he was even more afraid of killing Adler. Above all he was terrified of doing something foolish and thereby hurting Julie. He felt stiff and clumsy and unbrave.

They walked three abreast until the street narrowed and the crowd thickened. Then Wolfgang kept Julie on his arm while Luis walked behind. Eventually the street led to a long flight of stone steps that curved down to feed into one of the avenues. The steps were uneven, and Wolfgang had to watch his footing. Luis got his right hand inside the briefcase and took hold of the gun.

Because Wolfgang was always a step below, the gun was pointing at the middle of his back. Would that kill him? Would the bullet go through and kill someone else? The noise would be awful, but so would the confusion. All the same someone might see him fire, might even grab him. Luis glanced around. The crowd was mostly women, shop-assistants or office workers by the look of them. That would help: more screaming, more panic. On the other hand it made him conspicuous: the only man. If he were ever going to do it, it had to be now, on these steps, in this crowd, before they reached the wide, exposed avenue. He hitched up the briefcase with his left hand and stretched his fingers around the butt until his forefinger found the cold curve of the trigger. An extra-wide step surprised him and made him stumble. There was sweat on his brow and his legs wobbled like an infant's. He could see the end now, see the traffic on the avenue. Wolfgang turned his head to ask something, was jostled, and gave a little gasp, hardly more than an exhalation. He stopped. Luis had to stop too, and he braced himself against the knocks of people walking into him. Wolfgang's hand slid down Julie's arm and he collapsed, slowly, like an old dancer going down too far in an curtsey and unable to get up again.

By the time Luis had got in front of him, Wolfgang's head was resting between his knees. Luis kneeled and took his face in his hands. All around, people had stopped to watch. Others bumped into them; there was much scuffling and apologising. The face in Luis's hands was warm but the eyes were dead. He looked up and saw Julie staring at him, frowning a little. At last his sluggish brain caught up and he turned to look for the jostler, but already the crowd had changed, had moved on; it could have been any one of thirty people. Even as he looked they were moving away, disappearing.

He took his hands from the face. Wolfgang sat on the steps and parted the flow of pedestrians like a rock in a stream. Luis grabbed Julie's hand and hurried her down the steps as fast as he could. They went along the avenue, fast, not going anywhere, simply escaping. Charles Templeton was waiting at the first corner. 'I have a car,' he said. 'Why don't you come with me? You don't want to hang around here, do you?'

They got into his car. 'Right-ho, George,' Templeton told the driver.

'I should have guessed,' Luis said. He felt drained of energy and will. 'It was you, wasn't it?

'Not exactly,' Templeton said, 'but more or less.'

They went first to Templeton's office, where they drank his Portuguese brandy while he made some telephone calls.

'Well now, Luis,' he said, when he had finished. 'In terms of human gore it didn't compare with Jarama, did it? All the same I expect you're glad it's over.'

'True,' Luis said.

'Jarama is where we first met,' Templeton explained to Julie. 'A lot of fighting over a rather boring hill, I can't i remember why.'

'Honour and glory,' Luis said.

'Is that what it was? No wonder I never understood. Anyway, today's nonsense is now behind us, and that's the main thing, isn't it?'

'No question,' Luis said.

'You may think I'm buttering you up,' Templeton went on, pouring more brandy, 'but I really am looking forward immensely to working with you. 'I'm sure it will be most enjoyable.'

'What on earth makes you think we're going to work together?' Luis asked.

'My dear chap, after today's experience surely even you can see ... I mean, you've had a jolly good innings but . . .'

'Be your age, Luis,'Julie said. 'It's time to grow up and play with the big boys.'

'I fail to see,' Luis said stiffly, 'how today's events make it necessary for me to change my plans. On the contrary, now that certain obstacles have been removed--'

'You're crazy,' Julie said. 'He's crazy,' she told Templeton. 'He wants to take the Abwehr for a million bucks. If the war doesn't last long enough he's going to sue Churchill.'

Luis hunched his shoulders and glowered at a framed photograph of the Royal Family in kilts.

'Honestly, it's not on, old boy,' Templeton said. 'Our chaps can't have chaps like you running independent sideshows. You might spoil the big attraction, if you see what I mean.'

'No,' Luis said.

Templeton grunted sadly. 'I think we'd better go upstairs,' he said.

They went upstairs, and trooped into Commander Meredith's office. Luis leaned against a wall and sneered. Meredith looked as if he hadn't left his desk since the last time they met.

'I'm not a man to hold a grudge, Cabrillo,' he said. 'I intend to forget your extraordinary carry-on at our previous meeting ..." He did his best to suppress a glare. '. . . and recommence with a clean sheet.'

'Do what you like,' Luis muttered.

Meredith released the full force of his glare at Templeton, but Templeton was fully occupied with adjusting the crease in his trousers.

Just for Christ's sake listen to what they have to say, Luis,' Julie said.

'I have no intention of attempting to persuade you,' Meredith said. 'The facts alone are enough, and the facts are that we cannot allow you to continue operating independently.'

'You can't stop me, either.'

'That is a stupid remark,' Meredith said, 'particularly after what you observed less than an hour ago.'

Luis looked at Julie, and scoffed. 'You see what I mean? Threats. Big mouth, small brain. No style.'

'I can live without style,' she said. 'I can even live without your style.'

That silenced him. He folded his arms and looked at the carpet.

'The truth is we can all live without you, Cabrillo,' Meredith said. 'Don't flatter yourself that this department eliminated Adler for your benefit. Far from it.'

Luis raised his head, and sniffed sharply. 'Then why did you do it?' he demanded.

'None of your business.'

Luis walked to the door. 'And my business is none of your business,' he said.

'You'll come a cropper, old boy,' Templeton warned him. 'Honestly you will.'

'Luis, listen to them,' Julie pleaded. 'You can't go on forever on your own.'

'Why should I do as he says?' Luis jerked his head towards Meredith.

'Because you've got no damn choice,' Meredith snapped.

'That's not good enough.'

Julie turned away. 'I can't go on like this,' she said. You're on your own now, Luis.'

For a moment the air was sour with stalemate. Then the telephone rang. Templeton answered it. "The Director would like to see you,' he said to Luis and Julie.

'Tell him to write for an appointment,' Luis said.

'You maniac!'Julie shouted. She went over and punched him in the eye. He hit her in the mouth. "Please, please,' Templeton said, pulling them apart. 'Try to control yourselves. There's a war on, remember.'

'She started it,' Luis complained. Already his eye felt like a blood-orange.

'If that's what he means by style,' Meredith said to Templeton, 'I think I'm better off without it. Get him out of here.'

Templeton led them down the corridor and into another and bigger office. 'Mrs Conroy and Mr Cabrillo, sir,' he said.

'Do sit down,' the Director said. He was a short, comfortably built man with a pleasant, rubbery face. Julie, sucking a split lip, took an armchair. Luis took another and held his handkerchief against his eye. 'Be a dear chap and open that champagne, Charles,' The Director said. 'This is something of a special occasion for me.'

He picked up a sheet of paper from his desk, went over to Luis, and squatted on his haunches so that they could both read it. 'You probably recognise this,' he murmured.

Luis squinted at it through his one good eye. 'Yes,' he said. 'That's part of my report on the new British "crusher" tank.'

'Excellent stuff,' the Director said. 'I did enjoy it. What a pity the tank doesn't exist. Mind you, we may develop it one day.'

'How did you get hold of this?' Luis asked.

'We intercepted it. We intercept a lot. of Abwehr signals, frightfully dull stuff most of it, but this . . . Ah, well done, Charles.' Glasses of champagne arrived. The Director took a mouthful, and perched on the arm of Luis's chair. 'You see that bit there,' he said. 'Delightful turn of phrase; I wish I'd written it ... Now tell me, Mr Cabrillo: am I wrong, or has your style been influenced by the novels of Graham Greene?'

Luis was startled and pleased. 'Well, naturally I admire Greene's writing,' he said. 'Can you really tell?'

'Heavens, yes.' The Director stood up. 'If you've got a minute,' he said, 'I'd be most interested in your opinion about a passage that rather intrigued me ..." He took Luis over to his desk.

For the next half-hour they talked books and writers. Luis responded more and more willingly to the Director's slightly diffident questions until the conversation was flowing quite freely. Meanwhile Templeton chatted quietly with Julie.

Eventually Luis and and the Director strolled back to the armchairs. Templeton refilled everyone's glass. 'Of course you know that Graham Greene is here,' the Director said.

'No, I didn't.' Luis's functioning eye opened wide with surprise. 'You mean he's working here?'

'In my department. Would you like to meet him some time? I know he'd be fascinated to meet you. My goodness, yes.'

Luis simply nodded. Julie sipped champagne through the undamaged corner of her mouth and watched discreetly. Was he hooked? Would he let himself be caught?

'I'm awfully glad you dropped in,' the Director said. "There's another problem that's been bothering me.'

'Anything I can do,' Luis said generously.

'I hoped you'd say that.' The Director led him over to a wall-map of Europe. 'I expect you've guessed that the Allies are going to invade somewhere, sooner or later,' he said, gesturing vaguely at the entire Continent.

'It's no secret.'

'No, of course not. The only secret is when and where. Now, just suppose we knew that one area where the invasion ••rill definitely not take place is, for instance, Greece.'

Luis nodded.

'In your opinion,' the Director said, 'would it be possible, using a team of agents such as your own Eldorado team, to feed a stream of misinformation to the enemy until he became persuaded that Greece must be the invasion site?'

'Nothing is certain,' Luis said, 'but it would probably be worth a try.'

'I see. Of course the entire operation would have to be carefully orchestrated so as to harmonise with all our other deception plans.'