Алистер Маклин - Circus

‘Anything special?’

‘Yes. Everybody’s so terribly nice and polite.’

Henry smiled. ‘We’re not all just down from the trees.’ He took her arm and guided her towards the arena. His blue-stocking fiancée wasn’t even a cloud on his rose-coloured horizon.

There was someone in the circus at that moment who was not being terribly nice and polite, but then the admiral was not a member of the circus and he certainly was not accustomed to having his will thwarted. Further, he’d had a long, tiring and very frustrating day and his normal amiability had deserted him.

‘I don’t think you heard me properly,’ the admiral said with ominous restraint.

‘You heard me, all right.’ Because the back-stage entrance to the circus was ill-lit, because it was very dark and still raining outside and because his faded eyes no longer saw too well, Johnny, the night watchman, had failed to identify the admiral. ‘The entrance for the public is farther along there. Get going!’

‘You’re under arrest,’ the admiral said without preamble. He turned to a shadowy figure behind him. ‘Take this fellow to the nearest station. Have him charged with obstructing the course of justice.’

‘Easy, now, easy.’ Johnny’s tone had undergone a marked change. ‘There’s no need–’ He leaned forward and peered up at the admiral. ‘Aren’t you the gentleman who was here when we had this bit of bother this morning?’

‘If by a bit of bother you mean murder, yes. Take me to Mr Wrinfield!’

‘Sorry, sir. I’m on duty here.’

‘Johnny, isn’t it? You still want to be on duty tomorrow, Johnny?’

Johnny took the admiral to Mr Wrinfield.

The admiral’s interview with Wrinfield was brief. He said: ‘You’re clear for Europe. There’ll be no trouble with visas.’

‘Twenty-five different nationalities? In one day?’

‘I have a staff of four hundred, amongst some of whom the eagle-eyed may detect some glimmering of intelligence. Dr Harper will be here at ten in the morning. Be here please. He will begin immediately. Our personal investigations and police enquiries into the murders of Pilgrim and Fawcett have turned up nothing. I don’t expect they will. Future events may.’

‘What kind of events?’

‘I don’t know. Fairly drastic in nature, I should imagine. Next, I’ve just put a scare into Johnny, your night watchman. That was to ensure his co-operation. He’s truculent and a bit dim but I suppose reliable.’

‘I’d trust him with my life.’

‘We put different values on our lives. I’m putting six men on to patrol the sleeping quarters of the train at night. They’re not from our organization, so you need have no worries on that score. They will be here nightly until you leave – which, incidentally, will be in five days’ time.’

‘Why the patrol? I’m not sure I like that.’

‘Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not.’ The admiral smiled, albeit tiredly, to rob the words of offence. ‘From the moment you accepted this assignment, you’re under government orders. It’s for security. I want Johnny to act as a guide-dog.’

‘Whose security?’

‘Bruno’s, Maria’s, Harper’s – and yours.’

‘Mine? I’m in danger?’

‘Quite candidly, I’m sure you’re not, if for no other reason than if anything happened to you the trip would be cancelled – which wouldn’t suit our friends at all. But I’m not taking the ghost of a chance.’

‘And you think this patrol will help?’

‘Yes. In a closed community like this their presence will be common knowledge within the hour. Put it about that the police have received threats against unspecified members of your staff. If you have any bogey-men among your crew members, this news will make them lie very low indeed.’

‘As you say, you don’t take many chances, do you?’

The admiral said drily: ‘I think the shadows of Pilgrim and Fawcett would entirely approve. Have Bruno and Maria met yet?’ Wrinfield nodded. ‘Reactions?’

‘Bruno hasn’t got any. If he has, he never shows them. As for Maria, well, Henry said she didn’t exactly fall about.’

‘Unimpressed, one might say?’

‘One might.’

‘She’s watching the show?’

‘Yes. With Henry.’

‘I wonder if she’s still unimpressed.’

‘Still unimpressed?’ Henry asked. He clearly wasn’t, but then he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

Maria didn’t answer immediately. She was staring, as if hypnotized – as ten thousand other people were doing – as The Blind Eagles went through their unbelievable and seemingly suicidal aerial routine. At the end of the performance she released her breath in a long soundless sigh.

‘I don’t believe it.’ Her voice was almost a whisper. ‘I just don’t believe what I’ve seen.’

‘I can hardly believe it myself – and I’ve seen it a hundred times. First impressions can be wrong, no?’

‘Just how wrong.’

Half an hour later she was with Henry just outside the dressing-room area when Bruno emerged, dressed in street clothes. He was back to his old, relatively unimpressive self. He stopped, smiled at her, and said: ‘I saw you at the show.’

‘Blindfolded?’

‘On the low wire. On the bicycle.’

She looked at him in astonishment. ‘Doing that impossible act? You have time to look round the audience?’

‘I have to have something to occupy my attention,’ he said with mock bravado. ‘Enjoy it all?’ She nodded and he smiled again. ‘Even The Blind Eagles? I’m only searching for compliments, of course.’

Maria looked at him without smiling, pointed upwards and said: ‘A star has fallen from the sky.’ She turned and walked away. From the slight corrugation of Bruno’s brow it was impossible to tell whether he was puzzled or amused.

Dr Harper, looking every inch the high-powered consultant that he wasn’t, arrived precisely at ten o’clock the following morning, but had to wait over half an hour while Wrinfield went through the motions of interviewing several other would-be circus doctors who had turned up quite some time before ten o’clock.

Wrinfield was alone in his office when Harper knocked and entered. Harper said: ‘Good morning. I’m Dr Harper.’

Wrinfield looked at him in considerable astonishment and had just opened his mouth to speak, doubtless to inform Harper that he was not likely to have forgotten him due to the fact that they had made their first acquaintance over the dead body of Pilgrim, when Harper handed him a handwritten note. It read: ‘This office may be bugged. Interview me as you would any other candidate.’

‘Good morning.’ Wrinfield hadn’t even blinked. ‘I’m Wrinfield, the owner.’ He launched smoothly into the interview: Harper, both while listening and answering, sat down and scribbled another note. He handed it across. It read: ‘End the interview and give me the job. Ask me my immediate plans then invite me outside for a look around.’

Wrinfield said: ‘Well, that’s it. I’m too busy a man to spend a lifetime on making decisions. The job’s yours. Frankly, when I have the choice between an experienced consultant and the young interns I’ve been seeing – well, I don’t have much of a choice. I’m not so naïve as to imagine that you’re making this a full-time career. A sabbatical – or part of it?’

‘Twelve years in the Belvedere is a long time.’

‘How soon could you be free, Doctor?’

‘Now.’

‘Splendid. And what would your immediate plans be?’

‘Depends on how soon you want to leave on this foreign tour.’

‘Let’s work towards four or five days from now.’

‘Little enough time. First, Mr Wrinfield, I’d like your authorization for medical supplies, then a collection of all the passports until I see what’s required in the way of vaccinations and inoculations – I understand your circus has never toured abroad before. I’m afraid that some of your high-wire and trapeze artistes will have to curtail their acts quite a bit in the next few days.’