Len Deighton - Mexico Set

'You came here after the Volkmanns arrived, didn't you?'

'I told her you'd guess that. Chronology is always the first element of deduction.'

'The Volkmanns arrived here, and then you came and let them discover you here.'

'Your wife was sure her scheme would make you run.'

'Was she?' I had my doubts about whether she'd discuss such things with Stinnes, or with anyone else. It was not Fiona's style.

'She thought London Central would be flaying you alive by now. Instead you seem to have talked your way out of trouble there. And instead of you fleeing East I am coming West. It will be a double defeat for her, and there are people in Moscow who'll not allow her to escape without blame. She will have within her an anger that only women know. She will take revenge upon you, Samson. I would not like to be in your shoes when she seeks retribution.'

'You win some; you lose some.' I could smell the paint now. It had that acrid taste of cheap boiled sweets that all such quick-drying paints have.

'You say that because you are a man,' said Stinnes.

'I say it because I'm a pro. Just as you are one, and just as my wife is. Professionals don't take revenge; they have enough trouble doing their job.'

'You may be a good agent,' said Stinnes. 'But you have a lot to learn about women.'

'The only thing a man has to know about women is that he'll never know anything about them. Now let me back up the car before the radiator goes pink.'

I started up the car and moved it out of the way of the mad spray-man. Stinnes said, 'Are you still in love with your wife?'

'No,' I said. I was getting fed up with everyone concerning themselves about how much I loved Fiona. 'Are you still in love with Mrs Volkmann?' I retorted.

Stinnes was startled. His head moved as if I'd given him a slap in the face.

'You'd better tell me,' I said. 'It could have a bearing on the enrolment.'

'How?'

'Have you arranged to go to England with Mrs Volkmann?'

'She arranged it. Your people approved.'

'Did they, by God.'

'She told them it must be a condition. I am in love with her. And she's in love with me.'

'Are you serious, Erich?'

'I love her. Have you never been in love?'

'Not with Zena Volkmann.'

'Don't try to change anything. It's too late now. We're going to start a new life together in England. If you tell her husband or try to interfere I will not go ahead.'

'You must be a bloody fool,' I said. 'A man like you, listening to the sweet talk of a little chiseller like Zena Volkmann. She wants to get her hands on the money. Can't you see that?'

'It's my business,' he said peevishly.

'Your fight with your wife… her bruised face. Was that something to do with Zena Volkmann? You didn't punch her in the face just to make it all look right, did you?'

'When I told Inge there was another woman she became hysterical. I didn't want to hurt her but she tried to kill me. She had a metal poker.' He sighed. 'Zena said I must tell her. Zena insisted upon a clean break. Otherwise, she said, Inge might keep trying to find me. This way, perhaps she'll forget me and marry again.'

'You didn't tell your wife that you were going to defect?'

'I am in love, but I am not insane. No, of course I didn't tell her.'

'Then stay sane about Zena too,' I said. 'I'll give Zena a ticket to London, for the flight after yours. You make sure you arrive alone on Friday. Or I'll have to get rid of Zena the hard way.'

Stinnes seemed not to take my threat seriously. He said, 'I suppose every tourist going to London wants to see 221B Baker Street.'

'What's in Baker Street?' I said. But even before I'd finished saying it I recognized it as the fictitious address of Sherlock Holmes. 'Oh, yes, of course. We'll go along there together,' I promised.

'It's something I've always wanted to see,' said Stinnes. But before he could get started about Holmes, Werner arrived in Stinnes's car. He got out, leaving the door open, and walked over to us.

'Are you finished?' said Werner. 'Or do you want me to give you a little more time?'

Stinnes looked at me. I said, 'We're all through, Werner.'

As Stinnes got out of the car he touched his forehead in a salutation. ' Auf Wiedersehen ,' he said, with a more than a trace of mockery in his voice. I noticed the way he abruptly introduced the subject of Sherlock Holmes; he hadn't promised not to bring Zena with him.

' Sayonara ,' I said. I still didn't know what to make of him.

'What's biting you?' said Werner as he got into the car alongside me. I looked in the mirror until Stinnes had got into his car and driven away. Then I gave Werner the Russian passport to look at. 'Holy Christ,' said Werner.

'Yes, they were going to snatch me.'

'And Stinnes prevented it?'

'He's bound to want the credit,' I said. 'They might just have dropped it in favour of other plans.'

'London would have thought you'd gone voluntarily,' said Werner. 'It's a smart idea.'

'Yes, Moscow are having a lot of smart ideas about me lately.'

'Fiona, you mean?'

'It's tempting to think it's all coming from her,' I said. 'But I don't want to become obsessed about it.'

'Did he say anything about Zena?' said Werner.

'We've been all through that, Werner. You make sure Zena is kept busy on Friday. You tell her nothing is planned and you're flying her to Acapulco for a long weekend and swim and get a tan. Send her off on her own on Friday morning so you can be my back-up at the airport on Friday night. Then fly out on the late plane to join her.'

'She won't fall for that, Bernie. She knows it's getting close.'

'You convince her that you both could do with a couple of days off. Make it sound right, Werner. You know what this one means to me. I need Stinnes in London.'

'And I need Zena here with me,' said Werner grimly.

'Stinnes thinks Zena is eloping with him.'

'Eloping?'

'You know what I mean,' I said.

'Zena is just stringing him along,' said Werner. 'She's trying to help you, Bernie.'

'She's bloody devious, Werner. She's your wife, I know. But she's too bloody devious.'

Werner didn't deny it. 'She's seen that man Tiptree,' said Werner.

'Seen him?'

'That's where she went this afternoon when we were talking. She went to meet Henry Tiptree. She told me when she got back.'

'What are London playing at?' I said wearily.

'Why put up with it?' said Werner. 'Why don't you go and see Tiptree? Tell him to either take over the whole operation or stay out of it.'

'I thought of that, Werner,' I said. 'But Tiptree is sure to say he'll take over. And we both know that Tiptree might well make a botch of it. I'm convinced that Erich Stinnes is serious. If he turns up on Friday I'll deliver him to the bloody plane; at gunpoint if necessary. I'll get him to London or die in the attempt. If I hand it over to Tiptree, and it all goes wrong, London will say I deliberately abandoned the operation because I didn't want Stinnes debriefed in London.'

Werner turned away from me and wound down the window as if suddenly interested in something else. He was avoiding my eyes. I suppose he was upset at the prospect of losing Zena.

'Zena's not going anywhere with Stinnes,' I promised him. 'You'll be at the airport, Werner. You can stop her if she tries.' He didn't reply. I started up the car and turned round in the yard. Then I drove through the workshop. The flashes of the acetylene torch lit up the wrecked cars like the flashguns of a thousand paparazzi. Outside a blue-and-white police car was parked. The driver was inside talking to Angel.

Garibaldi Square is to Mexican musicians what the Galapagos Archipelago is to wildlife. Even in the small hours of the night the square was crowded with people and the air was filled with the sound of two or three dozen groups singing and playing different songs. There is no pop, rock, soul or punk to be heard; no Elvis, no Beatles, no Elton John. This is Mexican music and, if you don't like it, you can go somewhere else.