‘Who could impersonate me?’ joked the huge major.
‘Man Mountain Dean, sir,’ answered the marine on the right.
‘Oh, yes, I recall. An American wrestler. ‘
‘My granddad used to talk about him. ‘
Thank you, son. You might have at least said your father. May I proceed or am I impounded?’
‘We’ll turn off the lights and open the gate, sir,’ said the first marine. ‘By the way. Major, thanks for the name of that restaurant in the Wanchai. It’s a class act and doesn’t bust the bankroll. ‘
‘But, alas, you found no Suzie Wing. ‘
‘Who, sir?’
‘Never mind. The gate, if you please, lads. ‘
Inside the house, in the library which had been converted into an office, Undersecretary of State Edward Newington McAllister sat behind a desk, studying the pages of a dossier under the glare of a lamp, making checkmarks in the margins beside certain paragraphs and certain lines. His attention was riveted. The intercom buzzed and he had to force his eyes and his hand to the telephone. ‘Yes?’ He listened and replied. ‘Send him in, of course.’ McAllister hung up and returned to the dossier in front of him, the pencil in his hand. On the top of the page he was reading were the words repeated in the same position on each page: Ultra Maximum Classified. PRC. Internal. Sheng Chou Yang.
The door opened and the immense Major Lin Wenzu of British Intelligence, MI6, Special Branch, Hong Kong, walked in, closed the door, and smiled at the absorbed figure of McAllister.
‘It’s still the same, isn’t it, Edward? Buried in the words there’s a pattern, a line to follow. ‘
‘I wish I could find it,’ answered the undersecretary of state, reading feverishly.
‘You will, my friend. Whatever it is. ‘
‘I’ll be with you in a moment. ‘
”Take your time,’ said the major, removing the gold Rolex wristwatch and the cufflinks. He placed them on the desk and spoke quietly. ‘Such a pity to give these back. They add a certain presence to my presence. You will, however, pay for the suit, Edward. It’s not basic to my wardrobe, but as ever in Hong Kong, it was reasonable, even for one of my size. ‘
‘Yes, of course,’ agreed the undersecretary, preoccupied.
Major Lin sat down in the black leather chair in front of the desk, remaining silent for the better part of a minute. It was obvious that he could remain silent no longer. ‘Is that anything I might help you with, Edward? Or more to the point, is it anything that pertains to the job at hand? Something you can tell me about?’
‘I’m afraid it isn’t, Lin. On all counts. ‘
‘You will have to tell us sooner or later. Our superiors in
London will have to tell us. “Do what he asks, ” they say. “Keep records of all conversations and directives, but follow his orders and advise him. ” Advise him? There is no advice but tactics. A man in an unoccupied office firing four bullets into the wall of the harbour walk, six into the water and the rest blanks – thank God there were no cardiac arrests – and we’ve created the situation you want. Now, that we can understand-‘
‘I gather everything went very well. ‘
‘There was a riot, if that’s what you mean by “very well”. ‘
‘It’s what I mean.’ McAllister leaned back in his chair, the slender fingers of his right hand massaging his temples.
‘Score one, my friend. The authentic Jason Bourne was convinced and he made his moves. Incidentally, you will pay for the hospitalization of one man with a broken arm and two others who claim they are still in shock with extremely painful necks. The fourth is too embarrassed to say anything. ‘
‘Bourne’s very good at what he does – what he did. ‘
‘He’s lethal, Edward!’
‘You handled him, I gather. ‘
‘Thinking every second he’d make another move and blow that filthy room apart! I was petrified. The man’s a maniac. Incidentally, why is he to stay out of Macao? It’s an odd restriction. ‘
‘There’s nothing he can’t do from here. The killings took place here. The impostor’s clients are obviously here in Hong Kong, not Macao. ‘
‘As usual, that is no answer. ‘
‘Let’s put it another way, and this much I can tell you. Actually you already know it since you played the role tonight. The lie about our mythical taipan’s young wife and lover having been murdered in Macao. Any thoughts on it?’
‘An ingenious device,’ said Lin, frowning. ‘Few acts of vengeance are as readily understood as an “eye for an eye”. In a sense, it’s the basis of your strategy – what I know of it. ‘
‘What do you think Webb would do if he found out it was a lie?’
‘He couldn’t. You made it clear the killings were covered up. ‘
‘You underestimate him. Once in Macao, he’d turn over every piece of garbage to learn who this taipan is. He’d question every bellhop, every maid – probably threaten or bribe a dozen hotel personnel at the Lisboa and most of the police until he learned the truth. ‘
‘But we have his wife, and that is not a lie. He will act accordingly. ‘
‘Yes, but in a different dimension. Whatever he thinks now – and certainly he must have suspicions – he can’t know, know for certain. If he digs in Macao, however, and learns the truth, he will have proof that he’s been deceived by his government. ‘
‘How specifically?’
‘Because the lie was delivered to him by a senior official of the State Department, namely me. And by his lights at best, he. was betrayed before. ‘
‘That much we do know. ‘
‘I want a man at all times at immigration in Macao -around the clock. Hire people you can trust, and give them photographs but no information. Offer a bonus for anyone who spots him and calls you. ‘
‘It can be done, but he wouldn’t risk it. He believes the odds are against him. One informer in the hotel or at police headquarters and his wife dies. He wouldn’t take the chance. ‘
‘And we can’t take that chance, however remote. If he found out that he’s being used again – betrayed again – he might come unhinged, do things and say things that would have unthinkable consequences for us all. Frankly, if he heads for Macao, he could become a terrible liability rather than the asset we think we’ve created. ‘
‘Termination?’ asked the major simply.
‘I can’t use that word. ‘
‘I don’t think you’ll have to. I was very convincing. I slammed my hand on the chair and raised my voice most effectively. “Your wife will die!” I yelled. He believed me. I should have trained for the opera. ‘
‘You did well. ‘
‘It was a performance worthy of Akim Tamiroff. ‘
‘Who?’
‘Please. I went through this at the gate. ‘
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Forget it. In Cambridge, they said I’d meet people like you. I had a don in Oriental History who said you can’t let go, any of you. You insist on keeping secrets because the Zhongguo ren are inferior; they cannot comprehend. Is that the case here, yang guizi?’
‘Good Lord, no. ‘
Then what are we doing! The obvious I understand. We recruit a man who’s in the unique position of hunting a killer because the killer is impersonating him – impersonating the man he was. But to go to such lengths – kidnapping his wife, involving us, these elaborate and, frankly, dangerous games we play. Truthfully, Edward, when you gave me the scenario, I, myself, questioned London. “Follow orders, ” they repeated. “Above all, keep silent. ” Well, as you said a moment ago, it’s not good enough. We should be told more. Without knowledge, how can Special Branch assume responsibility?’
‘For the moment, the responsibility’s ours, the decisions ours. London’s agreed to that, and they wouldn’t have agreed if they weren’t convinced it was the best way to go. Everything must be contained; there’s no room whatsoever for leakage or miscalculation. Incidentally, those were London’s words.’ McAllister leaned forward, clasping his hands together, his knuckles white from the grip. ‘I’ll tell you this much, Lin. I wish to God it wasn’t our responsibility, especially with me near the centre. Not that I make the final decisions, but I’d rather not make any. I’m not qualified. ‘
‘I wouldn’t say that, Edward. You’re one of the most thorough men I’ve ever met, you proved that two years ago. You’re a brilliant analyst. You don’t have to possess the expertise yourself as long as you take your orders from someone who does. All you need is understanding and conviction – and conviction is written all over your troubled face. You will do the right thing if it is given to you to execute. ‘.