A Prospect of Vengeance (23 page)

‘He sent postcards, didn’t he?’ He grimaced at her. But then he frowned. To Willy—? But no … Willy knows better than to tell you that.’ All her more recent feints, and sharp-toothed threats, were calmly ignored in the search for an explanation for her special knowledge. ‘So … it would be—
Mrs Clarke
, of course!’ Mitchell nodded to himself. ‘And she puts them up on her mantelpiece, amongst those lovely old mugs of hers, over the kitchen-oven—?’ He nodded. ‘For all to see … and he sends them to her because she loves them—because he loves
her
.’ Another nod. But he was only thinking aloud because he wanted her to hear his thoughts, quite deliberately. ‘Or were they from Cathy—?’ He stopped suddenly. ‘But you went down there, bright and early. And you chatted Mrs Clarke up—‘ Mitchell’s mouth twisted ‘—and you’re pretty, and you’re smart … and Clarkie’s old now, of course.’ His expression hardened. There would have been a time when you wouldn’t have got through that door, Miss Fielding-ffulke: she’d have clobbered you with her rolling-pin first, I tell you!’ Then he relaxed again, having betrayed himself momentarily … and perhaps not so deliberately this time. ‘So … it was the postcards, wasn’t it—? Fuentarrabia—Santa Dominigo de la Calzada, Benevente, Ciudad Rodrigo?’ The man’s certainty increased as he echoed the drum-roll of names. ‘You really
are
good! Because … that’s bloody ingenious—just from a collection of postcards? And poor old Clarkie?’

Jenny smiled at Ian. ‘Dr Audley has this ancient retainer darling … his old nurse, I believe she is … And she’s a perfect sweetie.’ She transferred the smile. ‘Don’t worry, Dr Mitchell: I didn’t tell her that her “dear Mr David” was a murderer—it would have been too cruel.’

‘And it would also have been wrong, Miss Fielding.’

‘Wrong?’ Her lip curled. ‘He’s not a murderer? Of course!’

‘Of course.’ He nodded, and then considered her for a moment. ‘Do you always start your books with preconceived notions about the goodies and the baddies?’ Then he shrugged. ‘But there! I suppose that’s the nature of investigative journalism these days: don’t spoil a good story with inconvenient facts, by golly! “I name this bandwaggon
Freedom of the Press
, and this gravy-train
The Right to Know
. And God bless them, and all who crusade on them, and do very-nicely-thank-you while smiting the wicked and putting down the proud”, eh?’

‘That’s not true,’ snapped Ian. ‘We don’t go about it like that.’ All the same, he didn’t want to look at Jenny. ‘If Audley isn’t—‘

‘He isn’t.’ Jenny interrupted him quickly, but coolly. ‘Then he’s been quite remarkably accident-prone in his long career. Or … other people around him have been, wouldn’t you say, Dr Mitchell?’

Mitchell looked at his watch. ‘What I would say, Miss Fielding-ffulke, is that … now that we’ve met at last … is that I have more work to do this night. So I must leave you temporarily, I fear.’

‘Temporarily?’ The breath she drew belied her coolness. ‘But … you were just getting interesting, Dr Mitchell.’ The repeated
Dr
Mitchell, matching
Dr
Audley, was another straw in the wind.

‘I’m always interesting, Miss Fielding-ffulke. But, what I mean is … it’s my duty to protect you, so that you can traduce me in print in due course—if you can find a publisher—if—?’ This time it was Mitchell’s lip which curled. ‘But, of course, you have found one—
post
Peter Wright that’s only to be expected, isn’t it! And especially with your record of heroic and responsible investigative reporting—‘ He embraced Ian in this embittered accolade—foolish of me … yes!’ The lips straightened and tightened. ‘But you can’t stay here, is what I mean. You need a safe house—a very safe house, as of Paddy MacManus’s appearance on the scene, I’d say.’ This time he lingered on Ian. ‘Because he’s still got his fee to earn, as I told you.’

‘Paddy—?’ Check Coat’s name was suddenly like a lump in Ian’s throat, which had to be swallowed as he thought of Check Coat out there somewhere in the gathering dark of a London night. So he swallowed the lump. ‘Still—?’

‘You’d better believe it.’ Mitchell nodded. ‘It’s just like your books, Ian: fifty per cent advance on signature of contract—is that it, for you? And then the rest on publication?’ He paused to let the terms sink in. ‘Which, in this case, will be the publication of your obituary. And failure to deliver, after signature, is bad for business—right?’

Ian looked at Jenny, and caught her drawing in her breath.

‘We’re safe here, Dr Mitchell.’ She deflated with the words.

‘You’re not safe anywhere, Miss Fielding-ffulke.’ Mitchell’s voice grated on his reply. ‘What you don’t seem to understand is that you’re in the big league now, Miss Fielding-ffulke: you’re not just messing with old fuddy-duddy British Intelligence—not with chaps like me, who’ve got so shit-scared of their own shadows, in case they step out of line, that they swan off without protection, and have to borrow weapons from the local vicar.’ Mitchell swung towards Ian. ‘For Christ’s sake, man: suppose Father John hadn’t borrowed that shot-gun himself, to shoot those pigeons that were crapping on his bells in the belfry—? Or … never mind he wouldn’t find the shells—in case I actually
shot
anyone, even in self-defence—?’ His mouth twisted. ‘So where the hell would you have been
now?
’
He shook his head. ‘Because I sure-as-hell wouldn’t have gone out there to point my finger at that bastard, and said “
Bang-bang!
”
—
‘ Mitchell brought his hand up as he spoke, and squeezed his eyes shut as he pointed his finger. ‘Because that’s the way to get dead, forever after.’ Then he focused again. ‘You’re in the big league. And the first mistake you make in that league is to think you’re cleverer than the opposition. And that’s the only mistake you make.’

Ian had been conscious of Jenny all the time Mitchell was speaking, drawing in breaths to interrupt; but first failing to get her words in edgeways, and then failing altogether as Mitchell concentrated not on her, but on him, because he was more receptive to the message after their shared experience of Lower Buckland.

‘But why
us
, Dr Mitchell?’ She seized the first moment of silence between them. ‘If you’re not trying to stop us … ’ There was still doubt in that: she still wasn’t giving him the whole benefit of doubt, even now—‘ … then who is?’

‘Who?’ Mitchell gave her his full attention. ‘I wish I knew, Miss Fielding-ffulke!’ He shook his head. ‘I tell you—you were just a bloody inconvenience, as of forty-eight hours ago … Asking all your questions, in the wrong places—‘

‘About Audley—David Audley—?’

‘Forget Audley!’ Mitchell shook his head. “
Philip Masson
—
d’you think we haven’t been asking questions about
him
, too? Ever since he turned up—?’

She stared at him obstinately. ‘Only if you don’t already know the answers … about
him
—
?’

Mitchell stared at her for a moment. Then he looked at his watch again. Then he looked at her again. ‘Miss Fielding-ffulke—
Jenny
—
?’

‘Very well.’ She nodded. ‘Tell me about Philip Masson.’

Suddenly Ian felt like a fly on the wall, ignored by them both. They were each making terms now, and no longer pretending; and whatever Mitchell thought he could get, Jenny herself was as excited as she ought to be at the prospect of having someone on the inside, who was willing to trade with her.

‘We don’t know any of the answers.’ Mitchell drew a matching breath. ‘We didn’t expect Masson to turn up. But … when he did … we didn’t think Audley had anything to do with it—‘ He shook his head slowly ‘—because it’s not his style … And, he hasn’t the resources, anyway—‘

‘The Americans?’ She cocked her head as she cut in. ‘Or the Israelis—? He’s been kissing-cousins with both of them for God knows how long! Since Suez—? Or, since the Seven Days’ War, anyway: wasn’t he the middle-man then? When the CIA double-crossed the State Department—?’

Mitchell’s mouth opened. ‘My God! That was long before my time!’ The mouth closed tight-shut. ‘Who the hell have you been talking to? That’s—for Christ’s sake—!’ He frowned at her.

‘Ancient history? Medieval history?’ She paused. ‘Or modern history—modern
secret
history?’

Ian knew exactly what she was doing: if the man was here to make a deal, she wanted him to be under no illusions about the strength of her position, which he had been trying to weaken with his emphasis on the danger that threatened them. So now it was her turn.

‘You said it first, Paul.’ He nodded as to an equal. ‘She’s been busy.’ And that crack of Mitchell’s about ‘investigative journalism’, couldn’t be left unanswered: it had to be nailed once and for all. ‘It’s what we “investigative writers” have to do, to earn our money: we have to earn it by being busy. And, because we’re self-employed, we
are
busy: it’s what Mrs Thatcher calls “Private Enterprise”. And the emphasis is on both words equally. So we can’t afford to waste our precious time.’

Mitchell gave him a something-less-than-friendly look. But at least that was better than being regarded as part of the furniture of the Shah Jehan private dining room.

‘But you were wasting your time today.’ Mitchell looked like a man who found himself where he didn’t want to be. ‘And mine.’

‘Was he?’ Jenny picked up her private bottle again. ‘And yet … there was that man—the man with the contract. And now we’re not safe, even here?’ She applied the bottle to her glass. ‘Even here?’

‘You’re not safe anywhere. Not with MacManus after you—‘

‘”The big league”—yes! So you keep saying.’ In spite of her best efforts, glass shook against glass. ‘And yet, you don’t know why—?’ She got the wine into the glass at last. ‘You only know that David Audley had nothing to do with Philly Masson’s death, back in 1978?’

‘Yes.’ Mitchell watched her drink. ‘And—yes, I
don
’
t
know why. If I did I’d know better what to do next. All I know is, I’ll be able to think a lot straighter if I don’t have to worry about you two.’ He looked from her to Ian, and then back to her. ‘Just for a few days, anyway?’ Deep breath. ‘For your own sakes, if not for mine—‘ He looked at Ian almost pleadingly. ‘For God’s sake, man … MacManus isn’t just a name in the index of some book, he’s
real
. And he’s got
your
name in his own little book, which he keeps in his head—your name
until he crosses it out!
’
Back to Jenny. ‘Maybe he hasn’t got “
The Honourable Miss Jennifer
Fielding-ffulke
”
in it yet. But there has to be big money on Ian’s head. Because MacManus is taking a big risk to earn it, I tell you. Because … there’s a warrant out—Christ! There are half-a-dozen warrants out on him—in half the countries in Europe, Ireland included … So neither of you are safe, as of now.’

The dishes were still clattering downstairs. And Paul Mitchell might be a good actor—he probably was a good actor. But (as in Beirut) Ian knew that he himself was a clerk at heart, not a man of action. And Jenny was looking at him.

‘I think they call it “Protective Custody”, darling.’ She smiled at him. ‘But we can consider it as part of the rich tapestry of life’s experience—one of the hazards of “investigative journalism” in a free society?’ She turned the smile on Mitchell. ‘And it’ll look jolly good in our book eventually, won’t it? How the Security Service protects the citizen—even the fearless writer? The fearless
inconvenient
writer—? We could make a fortune out of your solicitude for our safety, Dr Mitchell. And maybe they’ll promote you—? I could have a word with Daddy … and Daddy can drop a word in the Prime Minister’s ear.’ Having inserted the knife, she couldn’t resist turning it. But then she pretended to return to Ian. ‘”Protective Custody”, if not “Durance Vile”—shall we be good citizens … if only for “a few days, anyway”—and for our “own” sakes—?’ Then she spoilt it by not waiting for him to agree. ‘Very well, Paul! So … what do you want us to do?’

For a moment Ian thought she might have overdone it. Because anyone who knew Jenny when she was as brittle as this wouldn’t trust her an inch. But Mitchell didn’t know her, he saw instantly: Mitchell only knew that she ought to be frightened, as he had intended her to be, and deluded himself consequently that she was hiding her fears behind her banter.

‘You stay here, for the time being.’ Mitchell was infinitely relieved by her surrender, so that he insulted Ian by not even looking at him.

‘You mean … we
are
safe, under Mr Malik’s protection?’ She was so sure of herself now that she prodded Mitchell unmercifully.

‘This is your secret place, is it?’ Mitchell was still relaxing. ‘Nobody knows about Mr … Malik—?’ For the second time Mitchell tasted what was in his own glass, which he had hardly touched hitherto.

‘Yes.’ Suddenly she wasn’t quite so sure.

‘Yes. Well … there’s a term we have for that: it’s called “Making pictures”.’ Mitchell nodded, and tasted his drink again. ‘Which means, believing what we’d like to believe.’ He wanted to drink more deeply, but he resisted the temptation, and looked at his watch instead. ‘So … maybe you’ve got another hour or two, at best.’ He looked up from his watch. ‘But you let me worry about that now. And when I come back … then we can maybe make a deal—okay?’ He started to turn away, towards the door.

‘
Paul
—
wait!
’

Ian agreed with her: now it was all happening too quickly. ‘
Mitchell
—
!
’

Mitchell turned. ‘This is your secret place—isn’t it?’

Jenny drew a deep breath. ‘What’s the deal?’

‘How do I know?’ He shrugged. Then he concentrated on them both. ‘Well … let’s say … if I have to throw David Audley to the wolves … then
you
can be the wolves—how’s that, for starters—?’ He paused for a second—two seconds—while Ian’s mouth opened, but before he had time to look at Jenny. And then he opened the door and was gone through it before they could exchange faces. And then it was too late.