Jack Higgins - On dangerous ground

Asta was back in the chair and Morgan knelt beside her, holding a hand. "It was horrible, Carl. I left the train at Lochailort and came over the mountain, turned my ankle and was feeling absolutely foul when I found the lodge and got in through the kitchen window. And then this man came, the man out there. He was horrible."

Morgan stood up. "The man out there?" he said and his face was very pale.

"Yes, Carl, he threatened me." Her hand went to the torn blouse. "In fact, he was thoroughly unpleasant, and then Mr. Dillon here came and there was a struggle and he threw him out."

Morgan had murder in his eyes. He turned to Murdoch, who stood in the doorway. "Do you realize who this is? My daughter Asta. Where's that bastard who brought us here, Fergus?"

The roar of an engine breaking into life answered him and he pushed Murdoch to one side and ran out to see one of the Shoguns drive away.

"Shall I go after him?" Murdoch said.

"No." Morgan shook his head, hands unclenching. "We'll deal with him later." He turned to Dillon and held out a hand. "I'm Carl Morgan and I would seem to be considerably in your debt."

"Dillon-Sean Dillon."

Morgan turned to Asta. "Are you trying to tell me you walked over that damn mountain this afternoon?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. I thought I'd just walk in on you. Surprise you."

Morgan turned to Dillon, who, lighting a cigarette, forestalled him. "I'm on my way to join my uncle, Brigadier Charles Ferguson, for the shooting. He's leased a place called Ardmurchan Lodge."

There was something in Morgan's eyes straight away, but he simply said, "That makes us neighbors then. I presume you also thought it was a good idea to walk over the mountain?"

"Not at all. I thought it was a lousy idea and so did the ticket collector when she left the train. To be frank, I'd noticed her destination from her luggage labels. I got out to stretch my legs and saw her make off. When I asked the ticket collector what was going on, he told me she was going to walk over the mountain. As I said, he didn't think much of the idea and neither did I, so I decided to follow. Unfortunately I chose another route and was delayed by the mist, so I didn't catch up with her until she reached the lodge."

Asta said weakly, "I'm afraid I've made something of a fool of myself. Could we go now, Carl?"

She was acting up to the hilt and Dillon, an actor himself, saw that, but not Morgan, who put an arm round her, instant concern there. "Of course we will." He glanced at Dillon. "We'll drop you off on the way."

"That would be fine," Dillon said.

Murdoch took the wheel on the way down the glen and Dillon and Morgan sat on the large bench seat, Asta between them, the Doberman on the floor at their feet. Dillon fondled its ears.

"Guard dog, they said." Morgan shook his head. "With you he's more like a big pussy cat."

"An emotional thing between me and him, Mr. Morgan. He likes me."

"Loves you, more like," Asta said. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I still wouldn't like to be the intruder who comes over the wall and finds him there."

"So Brigadier Ferguson is your uncle?" Morgan said. "I haven't had the pleasure yet, but then I only arrived at Loch Dhu Castle myself yesterday."

"Yes," Dillon said, "so I understand."

"Is the Brigadier retired or in business or what?"

"Oh, he was in the army for years, but now he's a consultant to a number of businesses worldwide."

"And you?"

"I help out. A sort of middleman, you might say. I've got this thing for languages, so he finds me useful."

"I'm sure he does."

Murdoch changed down and swung in through gates following a narrow drive to the house beyond, lights at the window. He braked to a halt. "Ardmurchan Lodge."

It was raining again, rattling against the windscreen. Morgan said, "It does that a lot, six days out of seven, driving in from the Atlantic."

"Just think," Asta said, "we could be in Barbados."

"Oh, it has its points, I'm sure," Dillon said.

She took his hand. "I hope to get a chance to thank you properly. Perhaps tomorrow?"

Morgan said, "Plenty of time for that, I'll fix something up. You both need a chance to settle in."

As Dillon got out, Morgan followed him. "I'll see you to the door."

At that moment it opened and Ferguson appeared. "Good God, Sean, is that you? We got your message at Arisaig, but I was beginning to get worried. What happened?"

"A long story, I'll tell you later. Can I introduce our neighbor, Carl Morgan?"

"What a pleasure." Ferguson took Morgan's hand. "Your reputation precedes you. Will you have a drink before you go?"

"No, I must get my daughter home," Morgan said. "Another time."

"I believe we'll be sharing the shooting," Ferguson said genially.

"Yes, they didn't tell me that when I took the lease," Morgan told him.

"Dear me, I trust there won't be a problem."

"Oh, I don't see why there should be as long as we're not shooting from opposite sides." Morgan smiled. "Good night." He got back in the Shogun and it drove away.

"He knows," Dillon said.

"Of course he does," Ferguson told him. "Now come in out of this appalling rain and tell me what you've been up to."

When the Shogun arrived at Loch Dhu Castle, Morgan helped Asta out and said to Murdoch, "You come too, we need to talk."

"Very well, Mr. Morgan."

The great iron-banded oak door was opened by Marco Russo wearing a black alpaca jacket and striped trousers. "My God, Marco," Asta said. "I can't believe it, a butler now?"

She was probably the only human being he ever smiled for, and he did now. "A short engagement only, Miss Asta."

"Tell the maid to run a bath," Morgan said and turned to Murdoch. "You wait in the study."

He took Asta through the magnificent baronial hall and placed her in the great oak chair beside the log fire that crackled in the open hearth.

"Right," he said, "Dillon. He followed you over the mountain. Why?"

"He told you."

"That's a load of tripe."

"Well, he knew who I was and where I was going, but not because of my luggage labels."

"Explain."

Which she did-the Brazilian Embassy Ball, the write-up in the Daily Mail's social column, everything.

"I might have known," Morgan said when she finished.

"Why do you say that?"

"As soon as I heard about the new tenant at Ardmurchan Lodge I had him checked. Brigadier Charles Ferguson, Asta, is head of a very elite section of British Intelligence, usually involved with anti-terrorism and responsible to the Prime Minister only."

"But I don't understand."

"They know," he said. "The Chungking Covenant."

"My God!" she said. "And Dillon works for him?" She nodded. "It makes sense now."

"What does?"

"Well, I told you Dillon saved me from that beast Hamish Hunt at the ball. What I didn't tell you was that Hunt grabbed me in Park Lane afterwards. He was terribly drunk, Carl, and pretty foul."

His face was pale again. "And?"

"Dillon appeared and beat him up. I've never seen anything like it. He was so economical."

"He would be, a real pro. I thought so." Morgan smiled. "So I owe him not once, but twice." He helped her up. "Off you go and get your bath, we'll have some supper later." As he walked away, he called, "Marco?"

The Sicilian appeared from the shadows. "Signore?"

"Listen to this." Very quickly Morgan gave him a resume of events in Italian.

When he was finished, Marco said, "He sounds hot stuff, this Dillon."

"Get on to London now. I want answers and they've only got an hour, make that clear."

"As you say, Signore."

He walked away and Morgan went and opened the study door. It was a pleasant room, lined with books, French windows to a terrace, and as in the hall, a fire burned on the hearth. Murdoch was standing staring down into it and smoking a cigarette.