Алистер Маклин - Red Alert

Philpott replaced the receiver and looked at Kolchinsky.

‘We’re going to need handguns for Mike and C.W. Major Paluzzi, what weapon do you use?’

‘Same as Mike and Sabrina. A Beretta 92.’

Kolchinsky got to his feet. ‘So that’s two Berettas and a Browning.’

‘I want you carrying as well, Sergei.’ Kolchinsky nodded. ‘I’ll get on to it right away. There’s a phone in the outer office I can use.’

‘Oh, and Sergei, get a couple of cheap wristwatches for Mike and C.W. as well.’

The telephone rang.

Kolchinsky froze, his hand on the handle of the communicating door.

‘Get the guns, Sergei,’ Philpott said. He picked up the receiver as Kolchinsky disappeared into the outer office.

‘Yes?’

‘What’s going on up there?’ Calvieri demanded. ‘I called a minute ago and the line was engaged. Let’s get something straight right from the start. That line is to remain open at all times. Is that understood?’

‘Perfectly,’ Philpott replied.

‘I’m going to issue my demands now. Are you ready to write them down?’

‘I’m ready.’

‘My demands are twofold. Firstly, the Italian Prime Minister, Enzo Bellini, who is attending the summit, will call a special press conference for five o’clock this afternoon at which he will announce that he is stepping down as the leader of our country on the grounds of ill-health. He has had problems with his heart in recent years so this will give credence to his story. I do have a television set in the room, Colonel, so if he doesn’t appear at exactly five o’clock I’ll press the button. It’s that simple.’

‘And what do you hope to achieve by getting Bellini to resign?’

‘You let me worry about that. You just make sure he gets the message.’

‘And the second demand.’

‘There are sixteen countries represented at this summit. Between them they will pay the sum of a hundred million pounds to the following five revolutionary organizations: Action Directe in France, the Red Army Faction in West Germany, the Red Brigades in Italy, Euskadi ta Askatasuna, ETA, in Spain, and the Irish Republican Army in Britain. Twenty million each. They have until five o’clock this afternoon to have the money ready for collection.’

‘That’s impossible. They won’t be able to raise that kind of money in seven hours. Make it a more realistic deadline.’

‘Six hours and fifty-four minutes to be precise. Once they have seen Bellini resign on television a member of each organization will call the Foreign Office in their particular country with details of where they want the money to be delivered. They will then call me when they have recovered the money. But they will only call when they are sure that they are safe and that no homing devices have been hidden amongst the notes. They each have a special password, known only to the two of us, so don’t try anything foolish like using some of your own people to call me pretending to have the money. Then, once I have received all five calls, I’ll contact you again to arrange for a helicopter to fly Riccardo and me out of here.’

‘What about Sabrina?’

‘She’ll come with us, at least for part of the way. I’ll then call you in the morning to tell you where to find the vial and the transmitter.’

‘I’ve told you, getting hold of that kind of money–’

‘If, however, the governments refuse to pay the ransom,’ Calvieri cut in, ignoring Philpott’s protestations, ‘try and stall for more time, or even try to evacuate the building by staging some fake bomb hoax in order to conduct a search, I won’t hesitate to press the button.’

‘I’ve told you, Calvieri, they won’t be able to raise that sort of money in seven hours.’

‘Why do you persist in insulting my intelligence, Colonel? We both know the leaders of those five countries alone could raise twenty million pounds by making a single phone call. And they could arrange to have the money ready for collection in half the time I’ve given them. Please call me when you know their decision. They have exactly six hours and fifty minutes left.’

The line went dead.

Philpott replaced the receiver then looked at Kolchinsky who was hovering by the door.

‘Have you arranged for the handguns to be brought here?’

‘Yes.’ Kolchinsky gestured to the pad Philpott had used to jot down the demands.

‘What does he want?’

Graham came in before Philpott could reply. He dumped the three rolled-up blueprints on the desk then looked at them both carefully, suspicious of the sudden silence.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Calvieri’s just called the Colonel with his demands,’ Kolchinsky replied.

‘What are they?’ Graham asked Philpott.

‘I was about to announce them when you arrived.’ Philpott relit his pipe, then recounted the demands.

‘I’d say they got off lightly,’ Kolchinsky said, then pushed a cigarette between his lips and lit it.

‘I agree,’ Philpott replied. ‘He could have asked for ten times that amount and they would still have had to pay up.’

‘What’s to say he won’t keep the transmitter and ask for another hundred million once his demands have been met?’ Graham asked.

‘Absolutely nothing.’ Philpott looked at Paluzzi who was sitting thoughtfully on the couch. ‘What do you make of the Bellini angle?’

‘Have you been told about Calvieri’s plans to form a coalition between the Red Brigades and the PCI?’

Philpott nodded. ‘Sergei briefed me on the phone last night.’

‘That’s your answer. Without Bellini the coalition would become a distinct possibility.’ Paluzzi got to his feet and crossed to the window. He stared up at the sky, then turned back to them. ‘As you know, the NOCS have a senior mole on the Red Brigades committee. What I’m about to tell you has to be strictly off the record.’

‘We understand,’ Philpott replied softly.

‘The Red Brigades have infiltrated the PCI. Nothing unusual in that, you might say. It wouldn’t be, but their mole is the Deputy Prime Minister, Alberto Vietri.’

‘Good God,’ Kolchinsky muttered in horror. ‘And if Bellini steps down, Vietri takes over as Prime Minister.’

‘Leaving the floodgates open for the Red Brigades to overrun the PCI,’ Graham added.

‘In theory,’ Paluzzi replied. ‘It’s the Red Brigades’ most closely guarded secret. Now that Pisani’s dead, there are only two committee members left who know about Vietri’s duplicity: Calvieri, and our mole. So you see, if it were ever made public the finger of suspicion would immediately point at our mole.’

‘Unless something were to happen to Vietri,’ Graham said. ‘An accident of some kind.’

‘It will, believe me,’ Paluzzi replied coldly. ‘Alberto Vietri will never become Prime Minister of Italy.’

‘You’re proposing…’ Kuhlmann trailed off as he stared at Paluzzi. ‘That would be murder.’

‘What do you suggest, Commissioner?’ Paluzzi asked, the sarcasm not lost on Kuhlmann.

‘Threaten to expose him publicly unless he agrees to resign. Politicians fear scandals more than anything else.’

‘It’s a nice scenario, Commissioner, but you’re overlooking one small point. What if Vietri calls our bluff? We don’t have a shred of evidence to back up our accusation. All we have is the word of an informer. And he’s hardly going to hand over any incriminating evidence to us, is he? He might as well put a gun to his head and pull the trigger.’

‘Why should Vietri–’

‘Reinhardt, that’s enough!’ Philpott reached for his cane and stood up. ‘Major Paluzzi doesn’t need a lecture from you on how to handle his domestic problems.’

‘Are you condoning murder, Malcolm?’ Kuhlmann challenged.