do our job and catch a spy then there’s a scream to high heaven that we
/haven’t/ been doing our job.’
‘You break my heart,’ I said. /’You/ didn’t catch Slade.’
He changed the subject quickly. ‘Wel , there Slade was – in charge of
the operation.’
‘Yeah,’ said Ryan. ‘In charge on /both/ sides. What a sweet position to
be in. He must have thought he couldn’t lose.’ He leaned forward. ‘You
see, once the Russians knew about the operation they decided they had no
objection to grabbing the package if they thought it would fool us into
believing they’d been fooled, A sort of double blind thing.’
I looked at Taggart with distaste. ‘What a bastard you are,’ I said.
‘You must have known that Kennikin would do his best to kil me.’
‘Oh no!’ he said earnestly. ‘I didn’t know about Kennikin. I think
Bakayev must have realized they were wasting a good man so they decided
to rehabilitate him by sending him on this operation. Perhaps Slade had
something to do with it too.’
‘He would!’ I said bitterly. ‘And because I was supposed to be a
pushover they gave Kennikin a scratch team. He was complaining about
that.’ I looked up. ‘And what about Jack Case?’ I demanded.
Taggart didn’t bat an eyelid. ‘He had my orders to steer you to the
Russians – that’s why he didn’t help you at Geysir. But when he talked
to Slade you had already fil ed him up with your suspicions. He must
have tried to pump Slade, but Slade is a clever man and realized it.
That was the end of Case. Slade was doing everything to make sure his
cover wasn’t blown and in the end you were more important to him than
that damned package.’
‘Write off Jack Case,’ I said sourly. ‘He was a good man. When did you
catch on to Slade?’
‘I was slow there,’ said Taggart. ‘When you telephoned me I thought
you’d done your nut, but after I sent Case here I found I couldn’t get
hold of Slade. He’d made himself unobtainable. That’s against al
procedure so I began to look into his record. When I found he’d been in
Finland as a boy and that his parents were kil ed during the war I
remembered that you’d mentioned Lonsdale and I wondered if the same
trick hadn’t been played.’ He grimaced. ‘But when Case’s body was
discovered with your pet knife in it, I didn’t know what the hel to
think.’ He nudged Ryan. The knife.’
‘What! Oh, yes – the knife.’ Ryan put his hand into his breast pocket
and produced the /sgian dubh./ ‘We managed to get it from the police. I
guess you’d like to have it back.’
Chapter I
He held it out. ‘It’s a real cute knife; I like that jewel in the hilt.’
I took it. A Polynesian would have said it had /mana;/ my own distant
ancestors would have named it and cal ed it /Weazand Slitter/ or /Blood
Drinker,/ but to me it was just my grandfather’s knife and his
grandfather’s before him. I laid it gently on the bedside table.
I said to Ryan. ‘Your people shot at me. What was the idea of that?’
‘Hel !’ he said. ‘You’d gone crazy and the whole operation was in
danger. We were floating about in a chopper above that goddamn
wilderness and we saw you, and we saw the Russians chasing you, and we
reckoned you had a good chance of getting clear away. So we dropped a
guy to stop you in your tracks. And we couldn’t be too obvious about it
because it had to look good to the Russians. We didn’t know then that
the whole operation was a bust, anyway.’ , Neither Taggart nor Ryan had
a grain of morality, but I didn’t expect it. I said, ‘You’re lucky to be
alive. The last time I saw you was through the sights of Fleet’s rifle.’
‘Jesus!’ he said. ‘I’m glad I didn’t know it at the time. Talking about
Fleet; you busted him up but good – but he’l survive.’ He rubbed his
nose. ‘Fleet is sort of married to that rifle of his. He’d like to have
it back.’
I shook my head. ‘I’ve got to get something out of this deal. If Fleet
is man enough let him come and get it.’
Ryan scowled. ‘I doubt if he wil . We’ve al had a bel yful of you.’
There was just one more thing. I said, ‘So Slade is stil alive.’
‘Yes,’ said Ryan. ‘You shot him through the pelvis. If he ever walks
again he’l need steel pins through his hips.’
‘The only walking Slade wil do for the next forty years is in the
exercise yard of a prison,’ said Taggart. He stood up. ‘All this comes
under the Official Secrets Act, Stewart. Everything has to be hushed.
Slade is in England already; he was flown across yesterday in an
American aircraft.
He’l stand trial as soon as he comes out of hospital but the
proceedings wil be in camera. You’l keep quiet, and so wil that
girl-friend of yours. The sooner you turn her into a British subject the
better I’l be pleased. I’d like to have some control over her.’
‘Christ Almighty!’ I said wearily. ‘You can’t even act as Cupid without
an ulterior motive.’
Ryan joined Taggart at the door. He turned, and said, ‘I think Sir David
owes you a lot, Mr Stewart; a lot more than thanks, anyway – which I
notice he hasn’t proffered.’ He looked at Taggart from the corner of his
eye, and I thought there was no love lost between them.
Taggart was impervious; he didn’t turn a hair. ‘Oh, yes,’ he said
casual y. ‘I dare say something can be arranged. A medal, perhaps – if
you like such trinkets.’
I found that my voice was shaking. ‘All I want is your permanent
absence,’ I said. ‘I’l keep quiet for just as long as you stay away
from us, but if you, or any of the boys from the Department, come within
shouting distance, I’l blow the gaff.’
‘You won’t be disturbed again,’ he said, and they went out. A moment
later he popped his head around the door. ‘I’l send in some grapes.’
Chapter II
Elin and I were flown to Scotland by courtesy of the CIA and the US Navy
in a plane laid on by Ryan, and we were married in Glasgow by a special
licence provided by Taggart. Both of us were stil in bandages.
I took Elin back to the glen under Sgurr Dearg. She liked the scenery,
especial y the trees – the marvel ous un-Icelandic trees – but she
didn’t think much of the cottage. It was smal and it depressed her and
I wasn’t at al surprised; what suits a bachelor is not good for a
married man.
‘I’m not going to live in the big house,’ I said. ‘We’d rattle around in
there and, anyway, I usual y tent it to Americans who come for the
shooting. We’l let a gil ie have the cottage and we’l build our own
house a little farther up the glen, by the river.’
So we did.
I stil have Fleet’s rifle. I don’t keep it over the fireplace as a
trophy but decently in the gun cabinet along with al the other working
tools. I use it sometimes when the deer herd needs culling, but not
often. It doesn’t give the deer much of a chance.
The end.