Алистер Маклин - Red Alert

There was a knock at the door. She peered through the spy hole. It was Paluzzi. She opened the door and invited him in. He looked around the room.

‘Mike and Sergei not back, then?’

She closed the door. ‘I thought they were with you.’

He recounted the evening’s events.

‘I knocked on their doors but there was no reply. I thought they might be with you.’

‘I haven’t heard from them. I presume they must still be at the hospital.’

Paluzzi nodded, then indicated the armchair by the window.

‘May I?’

‘Of course,’ she replied with a sheepish grin. ‘Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. Can I get you a drink?’

‘A soft drink, perhaps. Soda water?’

She took a bottle of soda water from the fridge.

He told her not to bother with a glass and took a long swallow from the bottle, then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. ‘That’s better. It’s been quite a day.’

‘But hardly constructive,’ she replied, sitting on the bed. ‘We’re just clutching at straws, aren’t we? What chance have we got realistically of finding Ubrino before the deadline on Thursday?’

‘Not much, I’m afraid. We could certainly do with a bit of luck.’

Paluzzi took a sip, then pointed the neck of the bottle at Sabrina.

‘Conte’s our only hope now. The doctors are confident he’ll regain consciousness. It’s just a matter of when.’

‘And you think he knows where Ubrino’s hiding?’

‘It’s obvious that Ubrino’s orders were to kill the rest of his team once he had the vial. That’s borne out by Nardi’s murder as well as the attempt to try and kill Conte. Why else would he have been told to kill them, unless they already knew too much about the operation?’

‘I see your point. It’s still a long shot, though.’

‘I agree. But as you said, what chance have we got of finding Ubrino before Thursday? We have to bank on long shots now.’

They lapsed into a thoughtful silence which was interrupted moments later by the telephone ringing. Sabrina answered it. Paluzzi crossed to the window while she talked.

‘That was Calvieri,’ she said, replacing the receiver. ‘He’s had another tip-off. This time in Rome.’

‘Did he think it was genuine?’

‘All he said was that it was an anonymous call. It certainly smells like a trap.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s got to be checked out anyway.’

The telephone rang again.

‘That’s probably for me,’ he said as she picked up the handset.

She listened momentarily, then nodded and passed the receiver to him. She went to the cupboard to get her Beretta and shoulder holster.

‘Calvieri did receive an anonymous call,’ he said, hanging up.

She looked round at him as she strapped the holster over her T-shirt.

‘Who was that?’

‘One of the men in the van.’

‘What van?’

He jabbed his thumb towards the window.

‘I’ve got two men out there monitoring all Calvieri’s calls. I told you about it at HQ.’

‘No you didn’t,’ she replied, shaking her head.

‘Sorry, I thought I’d told you. We put a tap on his phone and planted a couple of bugs in his room while the two of you were in Venice. I’m sure he suspects he’s being bugged but it’s worth a try anyway.’

She pulled on a jacket.

‘Is he being tailed?’

‘When he goes out by himself.’

‘And?’

‘Nothing.’

There was a knock at the door. She answered it and ushered Calvieri into the room.

‘Evening, Paluzzi. I presume Sabrina’s told you about the tip-off.’

‘Anonymous, I believe? How original.’

‘All I was told was that he’s been spotted at one of the safe houses here in Rome.’

‘Do you think it’s a trap?’ Paluzzi asked.

‘It’s possible. As you know, I’m not very popular any more with the Brigatisti here in Rome. Most of them would gladly put a gun to my head and pull the trigger.’

‘Do you want back-up?’ Paluzzi asked.

‘No, definitely not,’ Calvieri insisted. ‘The last thing we need is a gun battle in the street.’

‘Are you armed?’ Sabrina asked.

Calvieri nodded.

‘A Heckler & Koch P9,’ Paluzzi said, looking at Sabrina. ‘But don’t rely on him to cover your back. He never uses it.’

‘I’ve never been known to use it. There is a difference.’

There was an uneasy silence as the two men stared contemptuously at each other.

‘Fabio, you’re welcome to wait here for Mike and Sergei,’ Sabrina said, deliberately stepping between them. ‘They should be back any time now.’

‘Thanks,’ Paluzzi replied. ‘I will. Take care of yourself.’

She smiled reassuringly and followed Calvieri from the room.

The small red-brick house, bordered by a neatly trimmed hedge, was a typical example of a Red Brigades safe house. An inconspicuous building in the heart of suburbia.

Calvieri pulled up opposite the house and killed the engine. He looked at it. A paved footpath, flanked by well-tended flowerbeds, led up to the front door which was illuminated by a subtle entrance light. The only other light came from behind the drawn curtains in the room to the left of the door. He checked out the garage to the right of the house.

An Alfa Romeo Alfetta stood in the drive in front of the closed garage door.

‘Why didn’t you just ring ahead and tell them we were coming?’ Sabrina said sarcastically beside him.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Whoever’s in there will have seen the car the moment we pulled up. Why didn’t you park at the end of the street? At least then we would have had the option of using either the front or the back of the house to gain entry. Now we’ve lost the element of surprise.’

‘There is no back.’

‘How do you know?’ she asked suspiciously.

‘I’ve used this house before when I was stationed here. It backs on to the house directly behind it. The only way in from the street is through the front door. The only other way out is through the garage. So you see, we don’t have any option. We have to use the front door.’

‘And get shot before we’re halfway up the garden path?’

‘A bit melodramatic, don’t you think?’ He got out of the car and made a sweeping gesture with his arm. ‘This is suburbia. Anything suspicious and the police would be here in a flash. And that would mean the discovery of the safe house. So what use would it be? No, if they’re going to spring a trap it will be inside the house, away from prying eyes.’

‘What do you suggest we do?’

‘Use the front door, what else? I have my skeleton keys with me, one of them is sure to fit the lock. If Ubrino is in there his only way out will be through the garage. You wait out here in case he shows.’

‘Why don’t I go in and you wait out here?’

‘I know the house, Sabrina. It’s got several places where someone could hide in an emergency. You don’t know where they are.’

‘Then we go in together.’ She noticed the uncertainty in his eyes. ‘Let me put it another way for you. Either I go in with you or else I call Paluzzi and have his men go in with me. The choice is yours.’

‘Some choice.’ He opened the gate and looked at the garage.

‘He couldn’t get out there anyway.’

‘Why not?’

‘The car’s parked against the garage door. He’d have to use the front door.’

They approached the front door cautiously, their hands holding the guns in their pockets. The door was ajar. They exchanged wary glances.

Calvieri ran his fingers lightly down the jamb to check for any booby-trapped wires. Nothing. He eased the door open with his fingertips. The hallway was deserted. She took the Beretta from her pocket and slipped past him into the hallway. He closed the door behind them and followed her. She pointed to the first door on the left. He nodded and took the Heckler & Koch P9 from his pocket, his eye continually darting towards the other closed doors leading off from the hallway. She pressed herself against the wall and indicated that he should do the same on the other side of the door.