smiling balance again. ‘Perfectly splendid, Mr Danilov. And no damage
after all that noise. Unbelievable.’
‘Perhaps a little royal wine spilt on the royal table-cloth.’ Van Effen
made a dismissive gesture. ‘I don’t want to seem unduly modest – not in
my nature, really – but that was next to nothing. Next time – if there
is a next time – something a little more demanding perhaps.’
‘There’ll be a next time. That I promise. And a little more exacting.
That I also promise.’ He paused to sip some schnapps as the others,
obviously excited and elated, turned to congratulate van Effen, then held
up a hand for silence as the buzzer rang again.
‘Ah! You heard it also, did you? Very, very satisfactory. Mr Danilov is
a man of his word.’He was silent for almost a minute then said: ‘Yes, I
agree. I’d been thinking along those lines myself. Most fortuitous, most
… Thank you. Teri o’clock then.’
He replaced headpiece and microphone, then leaned back in his seat.
‘Well, now, time to relax.’
‘You relax,’ van Effen said. ‘Not me. If you’re not moving on, I am.’ He
made to get up and a puzzled Agnelli caught his arm.
‘What is wrong?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with me. It’s just, as I’ve told you, that I’ve
got a very acute sense of self-preservation. As soon as the police come
to their senses – if they ever lost them, they’re a pretty efficient
bunch hereabouts – they’re going to start questioning everyone within
eyesight of the palace. I should imagine – no, I’m certain – that a
minibus with eight odd characters such as us parked in a rainstorm in the
Dam would be a prime target for questioning.’ He shrugged off Agnelli’s
hand and rose. ‘I’ve an acute aversion to being questioned by the police.
A criminal
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– and we are criminals – has to be some kind of retarded lunatic to remain
in the vicinity of his crime.’
‘Sit down. You’re right, of course. Foolish of me – one should never let
one’s guard down. Helmut?’
Paderiwski, who was obviously in full agreement with van Effen, drove off
at once.
Back in the room they had so recently vacated, Agnelli sank into an
armchair. ‘Thank you, ladies, thank you. Schnapps would be fine. Now,
perhaps, Mr Danilov, we can relax.’
‘Safer than where we were. But relax? For me, no. Still too close.
Instinct? Plain cowardice? I just don’t know. Anyway, I have an
appointment tonight. Nine-thirty.’
Agnelli smiled. ‘You were pretty sure that you were going to keep that
appointment?’
‘I never had any reason to doubt it. No, that’s not quite accurate. I
never had reason to doubt that the arranging of the explosion was a
simple matter. I had ample reason to question your ability to get us in
and out undetected. But, then, I had no reason beforehand to be aware of
your rather remarkable organizational ability. I’ll have no doubts about
you again.’
‘Nor we of you – not after tonight’s performance. I had mentioned the
possibility of finding a permanent niche with us. That’s no longer a
possibility, it’s a guarantee if you’re still of the same mind.’
‘Of course I’m of the same mind. Tonight, you had a free demonstration.
Now, I would appreciate some steady employment.’
‘The point I was about to raise. I think you arc now entitled to be taken
into our confidence.’
Van Effen looked at him in silence, took a thoughtful sip of his schnapps
and smiled. ‘Not, I feel certain, your full confidence. You are not about
to tell me your ultimate aims. You are not going to tell me how you came
together. You’re not going to tell me how you are financed or by whom.
You are not going to tell me where you stay- although, if we’re to work
together in however limitcd a capacity, you’ll have to give me some
intermediate contact phone number. You’re not even going to tell me why,
in what would appear to be an otherwise highly
x65
organized set-up, you require my services at such a late date.’
Agnelli was thoughtful. ‘That’s a lot of things you seem to be certain that
we’re not going to tell you. How come?’
Van Effen let a little impatience show. ‘Because that is precisely the way
I would behave myself. The need-to-know principle. I’m sure I don’t have to
remind you of that again. What I do believe -is that you are about to let
me into your very limited corifidcnce about your immediate operational
plans. No abnormal prescience on my part. You have to. If, that is to say,
I’m to be of any use to you.’
‘Correct on all counts. Tell me, Mr Danilov, are you in a position to
acquire explosives?’
‘Good God!’
‘Is that so extraordinary a question to ask of an explosives expert?’
‘My astonishment was not at the fact that you ask me. I’m surprised that –
well, that such an organized group should embark upon what I take to be an
ambitious project without the essentials to hand.’
‘We have some of what you call the essentials. We may not have enough. Are
you in a position to help?’
‘Directly, no.’
‘Indirectly?’
‘Perhaps. I would have to make enquiries.’
‘Discreet, of course.’
Van Effen sighed. ‘Please don’t be so naive. If it were possible to obtain
explosives without official permission in the Netherlands you would already
have done so.’
‘Sorry. Silly remark. But we have to protect ourselves. Your contact would
not, of course, obtain supplies – if he could – in a legitimate fashion?’
‘I’m not being indiscreet in saying that, to the best of my knowledge, my
contact has never been involved in any legitimate dealings in his life. He
would regard it as an affront to his professional code. He is also,
incidentally, the only man in the country who knows more than I do about
explosives.’
‘Sounds like a person whose acquaintance it might be useful to make.’
Agnelli studied his glass then looked at van Effen.
166
‘Not by any chance your friend Vasco? The person who introduced us at the
Hunter’s Horn?’
‘Good lord, no.’Van Effen creased his brow and compressed his lips. ‘Vasco
is hardly what you might call my friend, Mr Agnelli. I got him out of bad
trouble, once, and have employed him occasionally on some
none-too-demanding errands. But we are not soulmates. I’m quite certain
that Vasco knows nothing about explosives, has no access to them and would
find it difficult to obtain a child’s cap pistol in a toy shop.’
Agnelli turned to his brother and shrugged. ‘Had we known that, Leonardo,
you wouldn’t have spent so much time looking for him this afternoon.’
‘Vasco frequently disappears,’ van Effen said. ‘Has a girlfriend in
Utrecht, I believe. You are seriously trying to tell me that you were, also
seriously, thinking of engaging Vasco’s services?’
‘Not exactly, but
‘He comes in the front door and I go out the back and that’s that,’ van
Effen said. ‘He’s unstable, unpredictable and highly dangerous, whether he
means to be or not.’
‘I don’t quite understand what you mean by that.’
‘And I don’t quite understand you. You mean you’ve never even bothered to
check on him, his background?’
‘We didn’t check yours.’
‘You didn’t have to,’ van Effen said bleakly. ‘Not with all those
extradition wan-ants hanging around.’
Agnelli smiled. ‘That was this morning and this morning has been forgotten.
You obviously know something about Vasco that we don’t.’
‘Obviously. He’s bad. Poison. He’s the classic example of game-keeper
turned poacher. He’s treacherous and a man full of hate. He hates the law
and the society that law protects – or is supposed to protect. He’s that
most dangerous of criminals, an ex-cop gone wrong.’
‘A policeman?’ Agnelli’s surprise, van Effen thought, was splendidly done.
Tolice!’
‘Ex. No public accusation of wrong-doing, far less a trial. Dismissed
without explanation – although doubtless there
x67
would have been an explanation made to Vasco. just try making some
discreet enquiries at the Utrecht police station about a certain
ex-Sergeant Westenbrink and see what kind of dusty answers you get. My
friend George is a different kettle of fish entirely. A firm believer in
honour -among thieves. An honest criminal, if such a contradiction in
terms exists.’
‘This George is your explosives friend?’ Van Effen nodded. ‘He has a
second name?’
‘No.’
‘Do you think he’d work for me?’
‘George never works for anyone. He might be prepared to work with
someone. Another thing. George never works through anyone. Not even
through me. He’s a very careful man. His police record is clean and he
wants to keep it that way. He talks to principals only and then it must
be face to face.’
‘That’s the way I like it. Do you think you could get him to talk to me?’
‘Who knows? I could ask him. Not here though.’