It was Hannah Bernstein who interrupted. “I wonder if you mind my asking you something, Mr. President. It’s the policeman’s mind, I’m afraid. In my job you develop a nose for things, just a hunch with nothing to back it up.”
“And you have one now, Chief Inspector?” Cazalet asked her. “Okay, fire ahead.”
“The Basement, who knows about it? Is it as secret as they say?”
The President turned to Blake Johnson. “You have my permission.”
Blake said, “Officially, I’m the General Affairs Department, and that’s all people know. I have a secretary named Alice Quarmby, a widow and entirely trustworthy, and that’s it: no other staff. People imagine I’ve something to do with White House administration.”
“Then how do you manage?”
“Rather like Judas. I have a circle of people in other employment, former FBI, for example, scientists, university professors, whom I call on for a specific job. Always totally reliable people.”
“Are you saying the Secretary of Defense or the National Security Advisor, people like that, don’t realize the true nature of the Basement?” Ferguson asked.
“Teddy knows, but then Teddy knows everything.” The President managed a grin. “Let me explain. Several Presidents ago, and I won’t say which one, there were a series of scandals to do with Communist infiltration of the CIA and the Defense Department. You may recall the legend of the Russian mole in the Pentagon.”
“I do indeed, Mr. President.”
“The President of the day, on his own initiative, charged an old personal friend, an ex–CIA man, to set up the General Affairs Department, which meant that he had someone totally trustworthy to rely on. It worked very well, and when his successor took office, the President spoke to him privately on the matter and the Basement carried on.”
“And still does,” Blake Johnson said. “Of course, there have been a few whispers over the years, but nothing concrete enough to invade our secrecy. Our only connection abroad has been with you, Charles, and that’s a special relationship.”
“Indeed it is,” Ferguson said and turned to Hannah. “What are you driving at, Chief Inspector?”
“Listening to what Dillon had to say, it would seem that Judas mentioned his connections with the main security services, but he never mentioned the Basement.”
“My God, girl, you’re right,” Dillon said. “There’s a grand copper’s mind for you.”
“I would have thought he would, particularly in a matter so personal to the President.”
“What you’re saying is that he doesn’t know about the existence of the Basement,” Ferguson said.
She nodded. “And we can prove it one way or the other.” She turned to Blake. “I presume that because of the extreme secrecy of your activities you have your own computer bank?”
“I sure do. I can access Langley, FBI, the Defense Department, but mine is locked up tight with our own security codes.”
“Good. He told Dillon he could make another security computer inquiry after London to prove his power. Let’s not access the other security services, let’s put our question to the Basement’s computer bank.”
There was a short pause, and it was Teddy who said, “I always did say we should have more women policemen. It’s the devious minds women have.”
“We’ll give it a try,” Blake said. “I’ll use the control room, Mr. President.”
He got up and went out and Jake Cazalet stood up. Murchison, lying on the floor, got up also and the President said, “No, lie down.”
Instead, Murchison went to Hannah and she stroked his ears. Dillon said, “If it works, it changes a lot of things.”
“We’ll see,” Ferguson said.
Johnson came back. “I asked for any terrorist group known as the Maccabees and an individual known as Judas Maccabeus. The response was negative. Nothing known.”
“So now we wait,” the President said. “But for how long?”
“He was on to us on the instant in London,” Ferguson said.
“Well, I tell you what,” Jake Cazalet told them. “This is one of the worst scenarios in my life, but a man must eat and I believe a light meal’s been organized in the kitchen. Let’s go in for an hour and see what happens.”
“I told Mrs. Boulder to go early,” Teddy said, when they went into the kitchen. “It’s all ready. I’ll serve. She left the potatoes in the oven on a low heat and everything else is cold.”