Colin Forbes: The Janus Man

Gorbachev was referring to the chief of East German Intelligence based in East Berlin. He watched Lysenko closely, searching for any doubt in tone of voice or expression.

`I cooperate with Wolf very well…'

`You direct Wolf,' Gorbachev corrected him. 'Never forget he also is another bloody German.' Seated, he waited until Lysenko had almost reached the exit door before he barked out the warning.

`You could get over-confident where Tweed is concerned. I was rereading his file last night. That man is very clever – so, very dangerous. Go!'

`Guy Dalby…' Monica again recited her resume from memory. `… head of the Mediterranean sector. The largest of all the territories. Zone of operations includes France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Portugal and Switzerland. HQ in Bern. Our best linguist. He speaks French, German, Spanish, Italian and Arabic. Also the best admin man. Very methodical. Well organized in his job – and his private life. Penetration areas Libya and the Middle East. Our most well-informed man on terrorists, even outside his own zone. That's it.'

`His private life – so well organized, you said,' Tweed asked.

He sat back again in his chair, eyes almost closed. He had returned from having lunch with Newman at Inigo Jones, a restaurant where the tables were arranged so you could have a private conversation without fear of being overheard. And no one else Tweed knew frequented the place.

`Married to a French girl. Lives in Woking, Surrey. It has the best train service in the country for commuting to London. Also he can drive across country to Heathrow without touching London – which makes it easier for him to slip abroad unnoticed. Has no friends among his neighbours. They think he's an accountant with his own practice. Perfect cover.'

`The perfect man?' Tweed commented with a touch of irony. `Tell him I'd like a word…'

Dalby, dressed in a conventional grey suit, walked in and sat down without a glance at Monica. He whipped the cat-lick higher up his forehead and waited, leaving Tweed to make the opening move. Typical Dalby tactic.

`Guy, why did you ask what was the motive behind Fergus- son's murder during our meeting this morning?'

`Track down the motive and you're close to the people who did the job. Howard is back a day early, by the way. He'll be up to see you soon I think.'

`Thank you for the warning.' Tweed, Monica noted, was at his most ironic. And he already had the information. Newman had told him over lunch that he'd seen Howard aboard the same flight which had brought him from Paris.

`What is the atmosphere like in your sector, Guy?' Tweed continued. 'You'll be on your way back to Bern soon, I take it?'

`By a late flight this afternoon. To Geneva, then on by train to Bern. The atmosphere?' Dalby cocked his head to one side in a bird-like gesture Monica knew so well. 'Very odd. I was going to ask to see you, but you got in first. The other side has withdrawn most of its top agents back behind the Curtain. Something is up…'

`A conference with Gorbachev so he can drum into them his new strategy?'

`Perhaps.' Dalby sounded unconvinced. 'The last time they did this it was the prelude to a major operation. I don't like it – I've put all my people on top alert. They're getting in touch with every contact they know. Someone must know something. I'll be glad to get back into the field.'

`And how is your wife?'

Monica bent her head over her file and had trouble keeping a straight face. A typical Tweed ploy when he was puzzled – to switch the conversation abruptly from one topic to another. `Going fishing,' he called it.

`Renee has gone back to Paris. We're separated. There's a full report on Howard's desk. I have two men following her…'

`I wouldn't worry over-much. She was thoroughly vetted. I'm sorry to hear it though…'

`I'm not. The French have funny habits. She couldn't keep her eyes off other men. At parties. In a restaurant. I tackled her and we had our last flaming row. Packed her bags and off she went. I'll be glad to get back to some real work. Is that all? Can I go now?' Dalby asked perkily.

`Why not?'

Monica waited until they were alone before she spoke. Her voice was full of disapproval.

`I'm not a bit surprised about Renee. I suppose he didn't catch on earlier because he's away so much.'

`And what does that catty remark mean?'

`That she was promiscuous. I saw her twice in London clinging on the arm of a man – a different one each time. You could tell what she was doing with them the way she walked and looked.'

`I'm sure you could. As you know, I'm catching the plane to Hamburg, so we'd better get on. Masterson is last on the list…'

`Harry Masterson is fun,' Monica began. For the first time she didn't sound as though she were speaking by rote. She really has a crush on him, Tweed thought as she continued her description.

`Chief of the Balkan sector. Headquarters, Vienna. Zone covers Austria, Yugoslavia and Greece. Operates in the most dangerous penetration areas – Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and the Ukraine. Speaks German, Serbo-Croat, Greek and Russian. A gay dog since his divorce – even before it..

No note of disapproval for Masterson, Tweed observed.

`… has a succession of girl friends. All of them in this country, all of them British. Very careful not to get involved once he leaves for Vienna. Very popular with his agents – he'll take any risk he asks them to undertake. Has been behind the Iron Curtain seven times before you stopped him. Can hold his drink. At a party I once saw him – he was loaded – walk into the street with an unopened bottle of champagne perched on his head. He walked along the centre white line, arms outstretched like a tightrope walker. All for a bet…'

`Your enthusiasm wouldn't be running away with you?'

Monica wouldn't stop. She continued in full flood. 'Lives in a lovely old cottage at Apfield near Chichester. Mixes with the yachting crowd but wouldn't set foot on a boat. Hates them and says so. That's a tribute to his personality. Boaty people are very sensitive about their hobby. He doesn't give a damn. "Bloody boats," I once heard him say at Cowes, "they never stay in one place." They made him a member. Can you believe that?'

`If you say so, Monica. Call him. Let's get it over with. I'm beginning to feel I'm conducting a series of interrogations.'

`Isn't that exactly what you are doing?' she asked and picked up the phone.

`The general situation in the Balkans?' Tweed asked and watched Masterson through half-closed eyes.

`Bloody boring. Nothing doing. Can't understand it. Never known the roubles go to ground like this before. Something sinister in the wind. I'll damned well dig out what it is..

`Go to ground, you said. What exactly does that indicate?'

`It indicates what I said. All enemy agents have dived into their burrows like a bunch of flaming rabbits. You can walk down the Karntnerstrasse in Vienna and back up again all day without seeing one suspicious character. That's suspicious in itself. Vienna is the espionage centre of Europe east of Geneva. The place is losing all its character…'

`Slow down, Harry. I've got the picture. What does that picture suggest to you?'

`They're preparing something really nasty, of course. Pull out, lull us into a state of spending our time in the bars. Then, bingo! Launch the operation. Always the same technique. Moscow got into, a rut years ago. I keep telling you that. So what do I have to do to convince you? Take out an ad in The

Times?'

`It could be the new leadership assessing the situation…'

`Assessing my ass! We'd better brace ourselves, Tweed – and you'd better watch your back on that Hamburg jolly. From what I hear the only big feature recently has been the killing of poor Ian Fergusson. Hamburg is what it's all about. Not that Hugh Grey has caught on yet. Too busy dusting off Howard's chair before he plants his poncy behind in it. God, I'd hate to work under him. Come to think of it, I wouldn't…'