“Is anyone there now to your knowledge?”
“They employ a local couple to caretake. It was inherited by a son named Daniel. Some sort of war hero. Vietnam, I think. He’s even fought for the Israelis. He just comes and goes, that’s what I hear. Quite popular with the locals. Look, what is this?”
“I’ve reason to believe he’s holding two women there at the moment. One of them is my assistant, a Chief Inspector Bernstein. It doesn’t matter who the other is, it’s classified.”
“This is a political thing?”
“More a terrorist thing,” Ferguson said. “I’m going to fly out as soon as possible by private jet, and I’ll have two first-class operatives with me. We intend to get those women out, Constantine, and I need your help. There would be very big money in this.”
“Forget that for the moment. What are friends for? When will you arrive?”
“Sometime in the morning. I’ll have a Range Rover waiting at the airport, and we’ll drive across the island and join you at the taverna. The Cretan Lover is in good condition, I trust?”
“Perfection. You’re thinking of going in by sea?”
“Probably.”
“I’ve got an idea. Give me a contact number.”
“No problem. I’ll give you my mobile. It’s satellite-linked so you can even get me on the plane. What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll take a run up there now. If I go by motorbike I’ll be there in half an hour. I’ve got a cousin called Goulos, who has a small farm near the castle. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.”
Aleko returned to the kitchen, took his reefer coat from behind the door, and pulled it on. “But you haven’t finished your meal,” Anna told him.
“Later, this is important.” He opened a drawer, took out a Browning and checked it, and put it in his pocket.
“What is this?” Stavros said.
Aleko said, “I’ll tell you all about it later. I’m taking your Suzuki, Yanni, so let’s have the keys.”
Yanni complied. “Where are you going?”
“To see my cousin Goulos. There’s something funny going on at Castle Koenig and I’d like to know what it is,” and he went out.
The message waiting for Dillon and Blake when they arrived at Farley Field was explicit. They were to wait to hear from Ferguson. They joined the pilots in the RAF officers’ mess for a meal and were halfway through it when Dillon’s mobile sounded. He nodded to Blake, got up and went out of the front door of the mess, taking the call standing on the tarmac.
“I know you’ve been hanging around up there for some time,” Ferguson said, “but a lot’s happened. I know where she is, Corfu, and I know who Judas is.”
“But how?”
So Ferguson brought him up to date.
When the Brigadier was finished, Dillon said, “What now?”
“I’ll be joining you at Farley soon. Ask Captain Vernon to prepare a flight plan. I should be hearing from Aleko, of course.”
“So we hit from the sea?”
“That would seem logical.”
“We’ll need tooling up.”
“Aleko has a rather extensive range of equipment, but I’ll bring a few items from the armorer.”
“Fine. We’ll see you when we see you, then.”
Dillon went back to the mess and sat down. “That was Brigadier Ferguson,” he said to Captain Vernon. “He’d like you to file a flight plan to Corfu.”
Blake looked up, frowning.
“That might not be possible before the morning.” Vernon pushed his plate away and stood up.
“I’ll come with you,” Lieutenant Gaunt said and followed him.
“What the hell is going on?” Blake asked.
“We’ve found them, thanks to Teddy and that black raven sketch. It wasn’t Israeli, Blake, it was American. Judas is one of your own.”
“Then tell me, for Christ’s sake,” Blake demanded. “Everything.”
When the armorer at the Ministry of Defense knocked on the door of Ferguson’s office, he found Ferguson at the window looking out at Horse Guards Avenue.
“Ah, Mr. Harley.”
“Brigadier.” Harley almost clicked his heels. A retired sergeant-major, he had served in the Korean War with Ferguson. “How can I assist, Brigadier?”