Алистер Маклин - Santorini

‘Less than admirable though they may be, Vincent, deviousness and low cunning have their place in the scheme of things.’

‘It wasn’t like that at all. I told her that you had sent me to try to trap her into making unwary and unguarded statements and unwittingly to betray herself. After that, we got along famously.’

Talbot smiled. ‘Just another way of being devious. What does she know?’

‘Nothing. I guarantee you’d come to the same conclusion, sir. She doesn’t know her uncle, except superficially. She doesn’t trust him. She thinks he’s a highly suspicious character. She thinks Alexander is a highly suspicious character, although that wouldn’t require any great acumen on anyone’s part. She knows nothing about his businesses. She’s never travelled with him. Her father, whom she obviously dotes on and has the highest respect for, thinks he’s a highly suspicious character – he and Andropulos haven’t spoken for years. She’s convinced that her father knows a great deal about her uncle and his businesses, but Dad refuses to discuss any aspect of the matter.’

‘Sounds as if we could do with Dad aboard right now,’ Hawkins said, ‘I have the feeling we could learn some very interesting things from him.’

‘I’m sure we could, sir. One odd thing – she’s convinced that her uncle is genuinely fond of her.’

Hawkins smiled, ‘I think it would be rather difficult not to be fond of the young lady. However, I would point out in the passing, and apropos of nothing, that mass murderers have been known to dote on tiny tots.’

‘I hardly think he’s a mass murderer, sir.’

‘And she’s certainly not a tiny tot.’ He looked speculatively at Talbot. ‘A passing thought, John?’

‘Yes.’ Talbot looked out through the window for an unseeing moment, then back at Hawkins. ‘How do we know he’s not a mass murderer?’

The speculation was still in Hawkins’s eyes. ‘You don’t normally make remarks like that. Not without good reason. You have something in mind?’

‘I think I have. But it’s so far back in my mind that I can’t reach it. It’ll come.’ He turned as Denholm entered the cabin, ‘I seem to recall having asked you this question before. What drags you away from the fleshpots?’

‘Duty, sir.’

‘You will have noticed, Admiral,’ Talbot said, ‘how devoted the Ariadne ’s officers are to their duty. I thought, Jimmy, that you were supposed to be lurking and eavesdropping?’

‘I have lurked, sir. And eavesdropped. I have also been plying Mr Andropulos and his friends with strong drink.’

‘At this time of the morning?’ Hawkins said.

‘Captain’s orders, sir. I hope, Captain, that the Admiralty are going to take care of my bar bill.’

‘Prodigious?’

‘Not as prodigious as their thirsts. They have relaxed a bit. They have apparently agreed that I’m simple-minded. They are quite certain I don’t know a word of Greek but even so they’re still very cautious. Much given to allusions and cryptic references, all made, for good measure, in a Macedonian dialect.’

‘Which you learnt at your mother’s knee?’

‘A bit later than that. But I’m at home in it. I don’t know whether you will consider this good news or bad, sir, but Andropulos knows there are hydrogen bombs aboard that bomber. He even knows there are fifteen of them.’

There was a fairly lengthy silence while the other three men in the cabin considered the implications of Denholm’s words, then Hawkins said: ‘Good news and bad news. Good news for us, bad news for Andropulos. Well done, my boy. Very well done.’

‘I echo that, sir,’ Talbot said. ‘Lieutenant Denholm is miscast as either a classicist or electronics officer. MI5 should have him. There is no way that Andropulos could have learnt aboard the Ariadne of the existence of those bombs. So he knew before. Proof, if that were needed, of our near-certain conviction that Andropulos has penetrated the Pentagon.’

‘I would point out, sir,’ Denholm said, ‘that the words hydrogen bombs weren’t actually used. Also, it’s only my word against theirs.’

‘That’s irrelevant and this is no court of law. There will be no confrontation. All that matters is that we know and they don’t know that we do.’

‘My usefulness is over? Or do I continue to lurk?’

‘Lurk, of course. The three A’s must be making some contingency plans. We know now why they wanted aboard the Ariadne. What we don’t know is what they intend to do now that they are here. Resume your wassailing.’

‘Wassailing?’ Denholm sounded bitter, ‘I have an arrangement with Jenkins whereby I consume copious quantities of tonic water, lemon and ice. Ghastly.’ He turned to go but Talbot stopped him as a seaman entered and handed over a sheet of paper.

‘You might as well hear what’s in this.’ He studied the paper briefly. ‘This is in reply to a request we made of Greek Intelligence for as exhaustive a list as they could supply of all places where Andropulos is known either to do business or have contacts. No names, no addresses, just towns. Forty or fifty of them. My, my. This list wasn’t compiled on the spur of the moment. Greek Intelligence must have been taking a more than passing interest in the activities of our friend Andropulos over a long period, years I would think. I wonder why. About half of those places are marked by asterisks. Again I wonder why. Was that for their own information or is it intended to suggest something to us?’

He handed the paper to Hawkins, who studied it for a moment, then said: ‘I know those places marked with an asterisk. I don’t see their relevance in our circumstances. I can’t even remotely associate them with our problem. I’d swear that none of those places had any connection with hydrogen bombs.’

‘So would I,’ Talbot said. ‘Maybe they handle something else. In spite of the situation we find ourselves in, maybe hydrogen bombs aren’t the biggest cause for concern. If you can imagine anything worse than our present situation, that is. Could I have that back, sir?’

He sat at the desk, made some marks on the paper before him, then looked up.

‘Bangkok, Islamabad, Kabul, Bogotá, Miami, Mexico City, Tijuana, San Diego, Bahamas, Ocho Rios, Ankara, Sofia – Andropulos playing both sides of the fence with those last two, the ethnic Turks are having a very bad time in Bulgaria just now, but Andropulos wouldn’t let that interfere with his business interests – and Amsterdam. What does that list suggest?’

‘Drugs,’ Van Gelder said.

‘Drugs. Heroin, cocaine, marijuana, you name. it. Now some more towns. Tehran, Baghdad – Andropulos again playing both sides of the fence, Iran and Iraq had been at war for six years now – Tripoli, Damascus, Beirut, Athens, Rome, East Berlin, New York and London. That suggest something?’

‘Yes.’ It was Van Gelder again. ‘Terrorism. I’m not quite sure why New York and London qualify.’

‘I seem to remember there have been two attempts, one at John F. Kennedy, the other at Heathrow to smuggle bombs aboard planes. Both bungled, both failed. I think it’s fairly safe to assume – in fact, it would be criminally negligent not to assume – that the terrorists who planned those crimes are still in residence in London and New York, waiting. Jimmy, would you please go to your cabin and bring Theodore here with whatever further results his cryptology has turned up.’

Hawkins said: ‘I most sincerely hope that you are not thinking what I think you are, if you follow me.’

‘It may be, sir, that I am thinking what you are, if you follow me. ’

‘What you are suggesting is that this Andropulos is some kind of mastermind – possible world co-ordinator – of drug-smuggling? Is that what you meant by your remark that we didn’t know he wasn’t a mass murderer?’