Алистер Маклин - Red Alert

‘When you were so quick to tell Mike and me about your plans to put Italy back on its feet again. Now you’re threatening to destroy it, along with countless other nations around the world. You can’t have it both ways. Question is, which is the truth?’

‘I’m sure you’re going to tell me,’ Calvieri said.

‘I don’t have to. You answered it yourself when you insisted that I remain here with you.’

‘I see what you’re getting at,’ Calvieri said, keeping up the sarcasm. ‘You think I was telling the truth yesterday. And by holding you here I’ve prevented you from passing information on to the leaders which could have had a bearing on their decision whether or not to pay the ransom.’ He chuckled softly to himself. ‘It’s a fascinating theory but unfortunately there’s one major flaw in it. Why didn’t I insist on holding Graham and Paluzzi here as well? They know just as much about the coalition as you do.’

‘Because they don’t know you like I do,’ she replied quickly. ‘Fabio knows you, and the other Brigatisti, like a teenager knows his favourite band. He knows your family histories, who your associates are and what you’ve done since joining the Red Brigades. But he doesn’t know you as a human being. I got to know you as a person over these past few days. Take that incident in Venice. You treated that runaway as if he were your own son. And it would be the children who would be the first casualties if the virus was ever released into the atmosphere. You know you could no more press that button than send that kid back to the orphanage.’

Calvieri put the transmitter on the table and clapped lightly.

‘Bravo. A wonderful speech. So touching.’

Ubrino grinned at Sabrina. ‘So much for your theory, bella.’

Calvieri held up the transmitter in front of Sabrina.

‘It’s like nuclear weapons. Are they just a deterrent, or would they be used as a last resort? Bluff and counter-bluff. It’s all a game.’ He shifted his chair round to face the television screen, then looked back at her, a faint smile on his lips. ‘Or is it?’

Philpott arranged for the final briefing to be held at 11.15 in the boardroom on the tenth floor. He was the last to arrive, having left Kuhlmann in Vlok’s office to man the telephone. After taking his place at the head of the table he took his pipe and tobacco pouch from his jacket pocket and put them beside the folder he had brought with him. He took a wad of tobacco from the pouch and as he tamped it into the mouth of his pipe he looked around slowly at the faces watching his every move. Paluzzi and his men sat on his left, Kolchinsky, Graham and Whitlock on his right. Sergeant Ingrid Hauser, the policewoman he had briefed only minutes earlier, sat beside Whitlock. She was in her late twenties with a stocky figure and curly black hair. Her confident manner had already impressed him.

‘Coffee, sir?’ Whitlock asked, indicating the tray in the middle of the table.

Philpott shook his head and carefully lit his pipe. He exhaled the smoke upwards, then opened the folder in front of him.

‘I’ve divided the list into four sections. I want you to work in teams. Two to a team.’

‘I’ll work with C.W.,’ Graham said.

Philpott shook his head.

‘Your Italian’s non-existent. Sergei’s and C.W.’s isn’t much better. You’ll each be paired off with one of the Italians. They can cover for you.’

‘I’ll work with Fabio, then,’ Graham said.

‘I’m keeping you two well apart,’ Philpott replied, jabbing the stem of his pipe at each of them in turn. ‘I’ve read the Corfu report. You’re a bad influence on each other.’

Graham and Paluzzi grinned like a couple of mischievous schoolboys.

‘C.W., you’ll work with Major Paluzzi. You’ll be Team One.’ Philpott looked at Paluzzi. ‘I need two men to work with Sergei and Mike. Who would you suggest?’

‘Sergeant Visconti can work with Sergei,’ Paluzzi replied, patting the arm of the swarthy man sitting beside him.

Philpott jotted down the name.

‘You’ll be Team Two.’

‘Lieutenant Marco can work with Mike. They know each other from Rome. He’s also the most level-headed one amongst us. He certainly won’t be a bad influence on Mike.’

There was a ripple of laughter from the Italians, which Marco dismissed good-humouredly with a flick of his hand.

‘You’ll be Team Three. Which leaves you as Team Four,’ Philpott said, pointing his pen at the two men sitting between Visconti and Marco.

‘Sergeants De Sica and Alberetto,’ Paluzzi said.

Philpott wrote the names down, then handed out the four lists.

‘Teams One and Two will assume the identity of security agents. Teams Three and Four will be maintenance men. That way you’ll be able to gain access to the areas specified on your lists. I’ve tried to spread the workload evenly throughout the four lists but if a team does fall behind it’s up to them to contact me and I’ll try and get one of the other teams to help them out.’ He turned to Paluzzi. ‘I assume your men are armed?’

‘Beretta 92’s,’ Paluzzi replied.

‘Good.’ Philpott looked at Kolchinsky. ‘The handguns you ordered arrived just before I came here. They’re in the office.’

‘What about the maintenance overalls?’ Graham asked.

‘They’re also in the office,’ Philpott answered.

‘Dieter Vlok has given me four bleepers which work off the system he has in his office. Each team will carry one. You’ll be bleeped only in an emergency so please respond promptly. Call the office from the nearest house phone. The extension number’s on each of the lists. And one last point. For God’s sake be careful of the metal detectors at the main entrances. You shouldn’t need to leave the premises but if you do and you get into any difficulties, call the office. If I’m not there you can speak to Commissioner Kuhlmann. We’ll smooth things over. But under no circumstances are you to call on each other for help. I don’t want any public confrontations with the security staff. Is that understood?’

There was a murmur of agreement.

‘Well, I think that about covers everything,’ Philpott concluded, closing the folder. ‘All that remains now is for me to wish you luck. You all know what’s at stake. That alone should be enough of an incentive.’

Kolchinsky got to his feet, signalling that the briefing was over. The others followed him out of the room.

Philpott remained in his seat after they had gone. He was thinking about Sabrina. Was it any wonder that there was still only one female field operative at UNACO. No one had yet come close to matching her abilities. She was a cut above the rest. And that included the majority of her male colleagues as well. Graham was the exception. The maverick. Philpott regarded him as second only to Jacques Rust, in his opinion UNACO best ever field operative. But Graham had only been with them a year. He would become the best, given time, especially if Sabrina remained his partner. Their record was unparalleled. They had solved every case to date. Until now. If only she were there to partner Graham now…

He pushed the thought from his mind, reached for his cane and got to his feet. He picked up the folder and pipe and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Whitlock checked underneath the last of the tables in his section of the restaurant on the eighth floor, then straightened up and looked across despairingly at Paluzzi.

‘Seventeen minutes to one,’ Paluzzi muttered, glancing at his watch. ‘It’s taken us over an hour just to check the kitchen and restaurant. We’re never going to finish at this rate.’

Whitlock nodded sombrely. ‘Don’t remind me. What’s next on the list?’