Part 56 (1/2)

'So you're sure Sharon is Charlie?' Paula remarked. 'If we've time to relax for five minutes.'

'We not only have the time - we need it.'

'Were you suspicious of her earlier?' Paula suggested.

'Yes, up to a point. Who was always on the spot when attempts were made to kill us? In Basel? In Freiburg? In Strasbourg? Sharon Mandeville. Someone had to be instructing Ronstadt and his thugs.'

'Monica,' Paula went on, turning in her chair, 'while building up your profiles did you ever fill in those long strange gaps in Ed Osborne's life?'

'No, I was never able to fill one of them. A mystery man.'

Paula turned back to Tweed. 'I noticed that Sharon never admitted she was Charlie. And Osborne was always on the spot. In Basel. In Freiburg. In Strasbourg.'

'You are a very observant lady,' Tweed told her.

'And I was also struck,' she said, 'by Chuck Venacki, the smooth-faced man we met in the corridor. He was so much more polished, spoke very well, an educated man who was very well dressed.'

'A lot of Americans are,' Newman said. 'We've been meeting the dregs of American society. We do have the same type over here.'

'Are you sure,' she pressed him, 'that you saw him in that car by the side of Ronstadt at Schluchsee?'

'I am sure. I know I was jumping for my life out of the way but I saw him clearly. Don't ask me who the other two were.'

'It's weird,' she said. 'And when do we all go down to Romney Marsh?'

'That reminds me,' said Tweed. 'I have to phone a friend of mine at the MoD. What he tells me will answer your question.'

Paula got up to stretch her legs. She gazed out of the window. Marler was still talking to Alf. As she watched he got into the cab as though he were a pa.s.senger. Alf had not got his light on. Not available for taking fares.

'Philip,' Tweed began, using Beck's mobile, 'Howard has told me about-'

'Hold it, please,' a cultured voice interrupted. 'Is this a safe line?'

'Absolutely. I'm on a hacker-proof mobile, advanced Swiss version. Can I go on? Good. Philip, I need to know the progress of that American task force how dose it is.'

'You're talking to the right chap, Tweed. I'm in charge of monitoring it. It's still heading straight for us. We estimate it will be well inside the English Channel late tomorrow night. I can keep you informed of its progress, if that would help.'

'It would be a life-saver. A plan I'm working on depends on my knowing their timetable. If I'm not here could you give the latest news to Monica? You know how reliable she is.'

'Think I'd trust Monica before I trusted you,' Philip joked. 'I'll keep you in close touch with developments. Let's have a drink when this is all over.'

'Time you paid for your round. Bye...'

'There's something else,' Newman remarked.

'And I thought we'd got enough on our plate,' Paula chided him.

'We mustn't forget the Phantom is still on the loose,' Newman warned.

'Oh, he'll turn up again,' Tweed a.s.sured him. 'Maybe next time he will make a fatal mistake. I wonder who's paying him.'

'Sharon?' Paula suggested.

'Possibly.'

'So when is zero hour? I imagine you know, after talking to your old chum, Philip.'

'At a guess I'd say between 2200 hours and midnight, So it will be dark, which worries me.'

At that moment Marler returned. He gave Paula a little salute and took up his favourite position. Leaning against a wall he looked at Tweed.

'Alf is all clued up. He's gone off to meet his pals one by one. He'll brief them. He's going to photocopy that map in some small all-night shop he knows about. All knows where to get anything done.'

'I'm glad you came back so quickly, Marler. A friend of mine at the MoD has warned me that task force will arrive after dark tomorrow. That's when I think they will launch their attack on the Bunker. The dark will make it difficult to see them coming.'

'Problem solved. I'll go back to my office now to call down to the mansion in deep and darkest Surrey. They have a collection of mobile hand-operated searchlights. And a goodly number of star sh.e.l.ls would come in handy. I'll talk to the one man who knows where the Bunker is, tell him to load up a van immediately, to drive it himself through the night to the Bunker.'

'You're a genius,' said Tweed.

'Oh, I know. But it's nice to have it confirmed. See you.'

'Why didn't I think of that?' Tweed asked when Marler had gone.

'Because you're not a genius,' said Paula. 'Incidentally, I'm not going to ask you what you discussed with the PM. Out of bounds. But what was your objective during our visit to those people at the American Emba.s.sy?'

'To destabilize them, the way they're trying to destabilize us. It worked better than I'd hoped. Morgenstern is the kingpin.' He looked at his watch. 'By now he should be airborne in his Gulfstream jet, heading for Was.h.i.+ngton.'

'You certainly destabilized Sharon.'

'A trifle dramatic, wasn't it? I'd wondered what lay under her deep calm at all times. Now we know. A volcano. And I managed to trigger it off. A real eruption.'

'What do you imagine she's doing now? Checking out the first flight back to the States in the morning?'

'Maybe. And maybe not.'

In her white office at the Emba.s.sy Sharon Mandeville was her normal cool self. Leaning back in her tall chair she was on the phone to Was.h.i.+ngton.

'Hi there, Senator, this is Sharon. How goes it?'

'Great. Just great, honey. You'll be needed back here soon to start your campaign. All the posters are printed for the billboards. You look a winner on them. You will be. I'm banking on it.'

'I'm very grateful to you, Grant. I hope you know that.'

'h.e.l.l with that. I'm looking forward to retiring, to putting you in my place. Don't forget this is a big state, a key state when it comes later to the nomination for a presidential candidate. A whole load of electoral college votes in your pocket.'

'I've got to get there first, Grant. To become a senator as a springboard for the big one.'