Hammond Innes - The Strange Land

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Tell me one thing,’ he said. ‘Did you ever meet this Dr Kavan — when you engaged him to be your doctor, for instance?’

‘No. It was all arranged by letter.’

‘Exactly. In fact, you have never seen the real Dr Kavan. You have no idea what he looks like.’

‘I assure you — ‘

But he cut me short, leaning quickly forward. ‘Have you had occasion to call on this gentleman’s services as a doctor?’

‘No, not personally, but when — ‘

‘So you do not know if he is a doctor or not. Have you ever heard him speak Czech?’ I looked across at Kavan. ‘Well, have you, monsieur? Has he ever spoken one word of Czech since you have known him?’

‘It’s no use, Philip,’ Jan said quietly, speaking in English.

‘Oh, don’t be a fool. All you’ve got to do is talk to him in your own language.’

‘I know.’

‘Don’t you realise what this may lead to?’

He didn’t answer me, but turned away towards the window and stood there, staring out at the drab expanse of rainswept sand. He seemed suddenly to have withdrawn from the room.

I was angry and a little scared. ‘Are you crazy?’ And when he still said nothing, I turned back to Bilvidic. ‘I give you my word that this man is Kavan,’ I told him in French.

He frowned, annoyed at my insistence. ‘You admit, monsieur, that he is the man you rescued from the sea at Tangier?’

I nodded.

‘And he is also the man who shared your room at the Hotel Malabata, the man you put on the plane at Tangier Airport?’

‘Yes.’

‘And yet you still insist that he is Kavan?’

‘Yes.’

‘Very well.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Then we will settle it finally.’ He nodded to the plain-clothes man standing against the door, and he opened it and disappeared. There was a momentary silence as we waited, and then footsteps sounded on the bare concrete of the passage. There was the man’s heavy tread, and also the shorter, lighter tap of a woman’s heels.

We were all of us facing the door as it was thrust open and she entered. It was Karen Kavan and she stopped in the doorway, her face frozen with the shock of seeing us there. Her gaze went straight to Jan. But he made no move. He just stood there, looking at her, his face expressionless. She turned to me then. There was a desperate, bewildered look in her eyes — it was as though she was pleading for me to tell her what to do.

And then Bilvidic’s voice cut the stillness of the room. ‘One question, madame.’ He pointed t6 Jan. ‘Is this man your husband?’

I saw her hesitate. I thought she was going to tell him the truth. But then Jan turned away again towards the window and her face froze so that there was no sign of recognition in it. ‘No.’ She was looking straight at the detective, her face white and strained, just as it had been in the cafe by the waterfront in Tangier, and she was twisting at the gold band of her wedding ring. Her features might have been chiselled out of stone, they were so controlled.

‘Have you ever seen him before?’

‘Yes.’ Her voice was scarcely above a whisper.

‘What is his name, please?’

Again the momentary hesitation. ‘So far as I know it is Monsieur Wade.’

‘Thank you.’ Bilvidic nodded and the plain-clothes man opened the door for her. She paused a moment. Then she went quickly out, and Jan made no move to stop her going. He had turned at the sound of her footsteps, that was all, and he stood there, staring at the open doorway through which she had passed, his face empty of all expression. I couldn’t stand it.

‘For God’s sake!’ I cried. ‘Tell them who you are. Have them bring your wife back again. Don’t you see what you’re doing to her?’

I had spoken in English, but he replied in French. ‘It is useless.’ His voice was harsher now, suddenly determined.

I stared at him. If he had just said one word to her, I turned to Bilvidic. ‘Monsieur. I want you to bring the girl back. These two — ‘

‘Philip!’ Jan’s voice was suddenly angry. ‘This is nothing to do with you. Keep out of it. You hear?’ He turned to Bilvidic and said in French: ‘You say I’m not under arrest?’

‘No.’

‘I have important work to do here. We’re opening up a silver mine. Since I’m not under arrest, is there any reason why I should have to come to Casablanca with you?’

Bilvidic shrugged his shoulders and smiled coldly. ‘If you refuse to accompany me voluntarily, then I have orders to arrest you on a charge of entering Maroc under another man’s name and with another man’s papers.’

‘I see.’ Jan hesitated and then turned towards the door. ‘Very well. The sooner we get started the better,’ he said-and his voice sounded tense. I listened to his footsteps going slowly down the passage. He didn’t pause as he went out to the waiting car.

‘Monsieur?’ Bilvidic was looking at me. His assistant came in and he ordered him to fellow Jan. I glanced at Julie. She was looking pale and a little scared.

‘What do you want me to do, Philip?’ Her voice trembled slightly. ‘There must be something I can do?’

‘Do you think you could drive the bus alone as far as Ouarzazate?’

‘Of course.’

‘Go to the gite d’etapes there and phone the British Consul at Rabat. Tell him the whole thing. Make him understand that this man is Dr Kavan.’

‘But how do you know — ‘ She stopped abruptly. But she had said enough. I suddenly realised that she, too, wasn’t certain about Jan’s identity. ‘I’m worried about you,’ she said. ‘Not him.’

‘Just do as I ask.’

She nodded. ‘Yes, of course. And then I’ll come on to Casa.’

‘It’s too long a drive.’

‘I’ll leave the bus at Ouarzazate and come on by CTM.’ And then she smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be there to bail you out.’

Bilvidic must have understood the gist of what we had been saying. ‘If you are going to Ouarzazate, mademoiselle,’ he said, ‘then perhaps you will be so kind as to take Madame Kavan with you. She also has to go to Ouarzazate …’

I slipped out of the office and walked down the passage. I had seen Karen standing by the open door of one of the other offices. She heard me coming towards her and turned. Then she went back into the office. When I reached the door she was standing by the window, staring out at the desert. She couldn’t see the car from there. She was staring out at nothing, deliberately trying to avoid me. She was quite still and her face was set hard like a mask.

I went over to her. ‘Why on earth did you say he was Wade?’ I said. ‘Can’t you see it doesn’t matter any more? You’re safe. You’re both of you safe. There was no point in it.’ She stared at me as though I were a stranger to her. ‘For goodness’ sake tell them the truth. I don’t know what Jan’s idea is, but it’ll only land him in real trouble. Come back now and tell Bilvidic who Jan is.’

But she made no move. ‘If that is what he wants, he would have spoken to me.’ She said it flatly and without hope.

‘He doesn’t understand,’ I said. ‘He doesn’t know what he’s doing. A body has been found in Portugal and sooner or later the police will — ‘

‘It is my husband’s body.’ Her voice was toneless as though she was repeating something in her sleep.

‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ I said, and I caught hold of her and turned her towards me. ‘Go out to the car and talk to him. Tell Bilvidic the truth.’

She stared up at me, her eyes wide with sudden hostility. I thought for a moment she was going to struggle, but then her body went slack under my hands and her eyes were blank. It was as though she had withdrawn completely inside herself. ‘Don’t you understand?’ I cried, shaking her. ‘If you let the police go on thinking he’s Wade, he’ll face a serious charge. Wade had a motive for killing your husband. For God’s sake tell them who he is.’