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strongly. I’ve been doing this kind of work for some months in Rotterdam and
nothing has ever happened to me there. And while there may be no Krakers
down there, the criminal element are a great deal tougher than they are
here. I’m sorry, Colonel, but I think you exaggerate the dangers. I’m rather
good at disguises – you as much as said so yourself. I have a gun. Best, of
course, is that no one in Amsterdam knows ine.’
‘I know you.’
‘That’s different. Peter says that you know everyone – and you must admit
that it was a very remote chance that you knew my father.’
‘I could have found out easily enough. Peter knows?’
‘Only my name. Not who I am, not until you spoke about it just now. I must
say he didn’t seem particularly surprised.’ She smiled. ‘He could, of
course, have been unconcerned or uninterested.’
‘You’re fishim, for compliments, my dear.’ She made to protest but he held
up his hand. ‘In your case, indifference is impossible. The Lieutenant
cares very much for people. ‘rhat doesn’t mean he goes around showing it
all the time. It’s a learned habit. I know he didn’t know. I’m equally sure
Julie does.’
‘Ah. Julie. Your favourite lady in all Amsterdam?’
‘I now have two favourite ladies in all Amsterdam. With the usual provisos,
of course.’
‘Your wife and daughters, of course.’
‘Of course. Don’t stall. You’re very good at stalling, you know, Anne, at
diverting me from the topic at hand, which is you, and don’t give me those
big innocent eyes.’
‘Julie knows,’ she said. ‘How did you know that, sir~’
‘Because I know Julie. Because she’s clever. Because she’s a woman. Living
so close to you she’s bound to notice things that others wouldn’t. Clothes,
jewellery, personal possessions -things the average working girl wouldn’t
have. Even the way you speak. Fine by me if Julie knows, she’d never tell
anyone, I’ll bet she’s never even told her brother. You like living there?’
‘Very much. And Ju!ic, also very much. I think she lik-cs me, too. I have
the honour Lo sleep in the bedroom that used to be
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Peter’s. I believe he left about six years ago.’ She frowned. ‘I asked her
why he’d left, it couldn’t have been an argument, they’re obviously
terribly fond of each other, but she wouldn’t tell me, just said I’d have
to ask Peter.’
‘Did you ask him?’
‘No.’ She shook her head very firmly. ‘One doesn’t ask the Lieutenant
personal questions.’
‘I agree that he does rather give that impression. He’s quite
approachable really. No secret about his departure – he left to get
married. Marianne. Loveliest girl in Amsterdam, even although I do say
it about my own niece.’
‘She’s your niece?’
‘Was.’ De Graaf’s voice was sombre. ‘Even in those days Peter was the
best, most able cop in the city; far better than I am but for God’s sake
don’t tell him so. He broke up a particularly vicious gang of people who
specialized in a nice mixture of blackmail and torture. Four brothers,
they were, the Annecys. God knows where they got their name from. Peter
put two of them away for fifteen years. The other two just vanished.
Shortly after the conviction of the two brothers, someone, almost
certainly one or both of the two brothers that had not been brought to
justice, placed in Peter’s weekend canal boat a huge bomb wired up to the
ignition switch – same technique as was used by the murderers who
assassinated Lord Mountbatten. As it happened, Peter wasn’t aboard his
boat that weekend. But Marianne and their two children were.’
‘Dear GoV The girl’s hands were clenched. ‘How awful. How – how
dreadful!’
‘And every three months or so since that time he receives a postcard from
one of the two surviving Annecy brothers. Never any message. just a
drawing of a noose and a coffin, a reminder that he’s living on borrowed
time. Charming, isn’t it?’
‘Horrible! just horrible! He must be worried to death. I know I would.
Wondering every night when I go to sleep – if I could sleep – whether I
would wake up in the morning.’
‘I don’t think he worries much – if he did he’d never show it -and I know
he sleeps very well. But that’s the reason – although he never mentions
it – why he doesn’t return to live with Julie.
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He doesn’t want her to be around when the bomb comes through his window.’
‘What a way to five! Why doesn’t he emigrate somewhere, live under an
assumed naine?’
‘If you ever get to know Peter van Effen — really know him, I mean –
you’ll wonder why you ever asked that question. Anne, you have an
enchanting smile. Let me see it again.’
She gave a puzzled half-smile. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘He’s coming back. Let me see how good an actress you are.’
And, indeed, when van Effen returned to the table she was smA,.;ng, a
person at ease with the world. When she looked up and saw the expression –
more accurately, the total lack of expression – on his face she stopped
smiling.
‘About to ruin our dinner, are you, Peter?’de Graaf shook his head. ‘And
such a splendid rreal we’ve ordered.’
‘Not quite.’ Van Fffen smiled faintly. ‘I’Aight put us off our third bottle
of Bordeaux or Burgundy or whatever. Perhaps even the second bottle? First,
let me put you briefly in the picture as to what happened earlier today.
Yes, sir, I’ll have some wine, i feel I could do with a mild restorative.
I’ve been offered a. job – at, I’m sure, a far higher salary plus than I’m
ever likely to get in this police force – to blow somethin g up. What, I
don’t Lnow. Could be the Amsterdam-Rotterdam bank for all I know. Maybe a
boat, bridge, barge, barracks, maybe anything. Haven’t b~en told yet.
‘As you know, Vasco had brought those two characters to the Hunter’s Horn
this afternoon. Prosperous and respectable citizens, but, then, no
successful criminal ever looks like one. We were all very cagey and crafty,
toing-and-froing, sparring and giving nothing away for most of the time.
Then they made me this definite offer of a job and I accepted. They said
they would have to report back to their superiors but would definitely
contact me tomorrow and give me details of the job to be done and what my
rewards would be for this. Vasco was to be the courier. So we shook hands
like gentlemen and parted with expressions of goodwill and mutual trust.
‘I had two sets of tails waiting at a discreet distance from the Hunter’s
Horn. I’ve had a report
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‘Goodwill and mutual trust?’ Annemarie said.
De Graaf waved a hand. ‘We tend to use figurative terms in our profession.
Proceed, Peter.’
‘I’ve had news of both sets of tails. The first say that they lost Agnelli
and Paderiwski – that’s what they called themselvcs -,
‘Good God!’ de Graaf said. ‘Agnelli and Paderiwski. A famous industrialist
and a famous pianist. Aren’t they original?’
‘That’s what I thought. Lost them in a traffic jam, they say. Claimed that
they hadn’t been sported. Pure accident. The report about the other two
makes me wonder, to say the least.’
‘ “About” the other two?’de Graaf said. ‘Not “from”?’
‘About. They were found in a darkened alley. Barely able to call for help,
barely conscious. Unable to move and both in agony. Both men had had both
kneecaps smashed. A sign used in Sicily andcertain American cities that
some people don’t like being followed a-,)d that those who were doing the
following
w’t be doing it again for seme time to come. They weren’t
on IZ:~
knee-capped – no guns. Iron bars. They’re under surgery.
Neither man will he able to 1valk for months, neither will ever
be able to walk properly again. Nice, isn’t it, sir. And a new
developmeqt in our fair city. Another instance, one supposes,
of the steady advance of American culture.’
‘Crippled?’ Annemarie’s voice was low, barely above a whisper. ‘Crippled
for life. How can you – how can you joke about such things.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Van Effen looked at her, saw that some colour had gone from
her fiice, and pushed her glass closer to her. ‘Take some. I’ll join you.
joking? I can assure you I never felt less funny in my life. And it’s not
just an American practice, sir: it’s become a very popular pastime in
Northern Ireland in the past two or three years.’
‘So your other tails were almost certainly given the slip and nothing
accidental about it.’ De Graaf sampled his Bordeaux and the distressing
news didn’t appear to have upset him unduly for he smacked his lips
appreciatively. ‘Excellent. Our friends seem to have a considerable
expertise in both evasive
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and direct action. Professionals. And gone to ground. Ah. All is not lost.