Brian Freemantle - In the Name of a Killer

‘He’s made open threats?’ anticipated Ross, with weary resignation.

‘Last night. During a fifteen-minute private meeting at the White House,’ confirmed the Secretary of State, just as wearily. ‘What Walter Burden wants Walter Burden gets. And that’s the word of God. It might not be officially recorded as such, but you’d better believe that it is.’

‘Shit!’ said Ross, viciously.

‘Shit’s the stuff that fuels politics,’ reminded Hartz, with unaccustomed cynicism.

‘The President might need the arrogant bastard’s influence,’ said Ross. ‘I’m not at all sure I do. Or that I’m officially supposed to.’

‘The feed from the White House is that he’s got to be handled with care,’ insisted Hartz. ‘Let’s keep our personal feelings to ourselves, OK?’

The Secretary of State didn’t try to greet Burden at the door on this occasion and probably wouldn’t have reached it in time anyway, so quickly did the politician enter from the outer office.

‘I’m not satisfied,’ announced Burden, once again before he was properly seated. ‘I’m getting a run-around and I don’t get treated that way.’ The clipped-voice warning was delivered quietly, ominously without any outward emotion.

‘What exactly is it that you want ?’ said Hartz, accepting his role as convenor.

‘To be told everything that’s happened. What progress has the FBI agent …’ Burden paused, directly addressing Ross. ‘… The FBI agent I was specifically prevented from speaking with, before his departure … made in the investigation? Are there any definite leads? The likelihood of an arrest …?’

‘… Our agent has only just arrived,’ interrupted Ross, impatiently, immediately disregarding the earlier instruction because he was damned if he was going to be threatened by this man. ‘I’ve already told you I will pass on anything you should know. These meetings achieve nothing.’

Colour flooded Burden’s face and momentarily he appeared unable to speak. Before he did so, Hartz hurriedly intervened. ‘We have been officially informed that the body is being returned. Will you inform the parents? Or would you have us do it? There’s a procedure for this sort of unfortunate affair, where there’s been a sudden death.’

Burden initially seemed unwilling to withdraw from the dispute with the FBI Director, his open-and-close eyes moving in anger. But then he said, tightly: ‘I’ll do it.’ He turned quickly to the CIA Director. ‘Well?’ he demanded.

Holmes stared back, nonplussed. ‘I’m sorry?’

‘What about the idea of assassination?’

‘None whatsoever,’ said Holmes, smoothly. He hadn’t made any inquiry of the Moscow station, just reiterated his hands-off-at-all-costs order.

‘No doubt whatsoever?’ persisted Burden.

‘None. It was a street crime.’

‘Keep your people on it: I still think it’s sinister.’

Holmes nodded, not deigning to reply.

Burden looked to each of the three other men, addressing them all. ‘What about when the bastard’s caught? We got the extradition warrants under way? I want him back here, a proper trial for everyone to see. And a proper sentence …’

‘Execution, you mean?’ Ross, the former judge, cut in.

‘That’s exactly what I mean!’

‘You know something we don’t, Senator?’

Burden concentrated again upon the overweight FBI Director. ‘What’s that mean?’

‘You know who did it?’ demanded Ross. ‘That he’s an American? That’s the only chance in hell I could ever see of us being able to demand jurisdiction and extradition, and even then I’m doubtful of the legality. But let’s carry the hypothesis on, to see where it gets us. How do you want him executed? You favour the electric chair? Or lethal injection? Gas chamber, maybe? How do you imagine it’s going to work: some sort of lottery in reverse, getting all the States that still have the death penalty to put in bids for the right to try and pronounce judgement on him? We going to afford this guy a lawyer or have we decided to dispense with that: might slow the process up and I’m not sure you want that, do you?’

Burden was utterly exposed and he knew it, like everyone else in the room. His face was an even deeper red now, the prominent vein that had reacted before to anger jumping again in his forehead, eyes bulging, his hands twitching in frustration. When he spoke it was with difficulty, the words jerky and uneven. ‘I had a very important meeting last night … a meeting at which I received certain undertakings. I don’t believe those undertakings are being fulfilled by people here this morning.’

‘I’m sorry you should feel that way,’ said Hartz, anxiously. ‘I’m not sure what more any of us could have done, at this early stage.’

Burden made an obvious effort at recovery. ‘It seems to me the only way I am going to find out what I want is to go to Moscow myself.’

Pauline Andrews decided that despite there having been nothing in the Christmas cards or the yearly digests Cowley must have remarried. To somebody whom he clearly loved much more deeply than he’d ever cared for her: it still hurt that he hadn’t loved her as much as she’d loved him, which had been absolutely, able for so long to forgive all his mistakes and all his thoughtless disregard. Having remarried was the only explanation she could find for Barry’s insistence that Cowley had stopped drinking. He’d certainly not been able — or not wanted — to stop during all the years when she’d begged and pleaded. She hoped he was happy, with whoever it was. It was going to be strange, seeing him again. She felt ambivalent about it. Sometimes, since learning of his coming to Moscow, she’d wanted to meet him, meaning it when she’d told Barry she was looking forward to the encounter. But other times not, frightened it would all be too hard. But why should it be? The other times hadn’t been difficult, not really. Frosty, maybe: very much arm’s-length. But what else could she expect? She’d once loved him so much. Always felt so secure, so protected. Which was before she’d discovered he was screwing around, practically boring his way through every female in every embassy to which they’d ever been assigned. And before the drinking. Which had come first? She couldn’t decide. Her recollection was that it had seemed to happen at the same time. It would have been good, to feel secure and protected again. Too late, like so much else.

Pauline determined to try particularly hard with the dinner. Boeuf-en-Croute. That had always been his favourite.

She wondered if he would bring a photograph of the new wife. She’d like to see a picture: find out what his new wife looked like. Or would she?

The American remained absolutely motionless but in an attitude of wariness after Danilov’s announcement, head curiously to one side, as if he imagined he had misheard. ‘When?’ he demanded, finally.

‘A month ago.’

‘Exactly the same?’

‘The head shearing and the shoes. And the hair sprinkled over the face. But buttons weren’t taken off …’ Danilov paused. ‘And the victim was a man.’

‘Jesus.’ It was Cowley’s only lapse from complete control and even then it was muted, a thought spoken aloud to himself. He shifted on the inadequate chair, blinking out of the momentary reverie, jerking his head vaguely towards the outside corridor and the exhibit room beyond. ‘That the Russian-language paperwork, back there?’

‘We’ll get a translation.’

‘I’d like to hear it all from you, in the meantime.’

Danilov didn’t need anything from the dossiers, so well did he know the facts. He recounted the first murder in strict police narrative, date, time, circumstance, family history, medical findings and finally the forensic opinion.