The Tailor of Panama by John le Carré

‘I don’t know where this is leading us actually, Andy.’

‘This is no time for you to be paddling your own Canal. Get my meaning?’

‘I don’t think I do, Andy.’

‘Together we stand. Divided we’re screwed. You deliver Mickie, I deliver London, simple as that.’

An idea came to Pendel. A lovely one.

‘There was one more stipulation he made, Andy, which I should just mention.’

‘What’s that, then?’

‘It was so ridiculous, frankly, I didn’t see the point of passing it on to you. “Mickie,” I told him, “it’s a total non-starter. You’ve overplayed your hand. I don’t think you’ll be hearing from my friend again for rather a long while.”‘

‘Go on.’

Pendel was laughing, but only inside himself. He had seen his way out, a doorway to freedom six feet wide. The fluence was rushing all over his body, tickling his shoulders, throbbing in his temples and singing in his ears. He took a bream and made another long paragraph:

‘”It’s regarding the method of payment of the cash that your mad millionaire proposes to pour into my Silent Opposition in order to bring it up to par and make it a worthy instrument of democracy for a small nation on the brink of self-determination and all that that entails.”‘

‘So what is it?’

‘The money to be paid up front, Andy. Cash or gold in toto,’ Pendel replied with heavy apology. ‘No credit, cheques or banks to be involved at any stage, owing to the security. For the exclusive use of his Movement, which includes both students and fishermen, down the middle and kosher, receipts and all the trimmings,’ he concluded, with triumphant acknowledgements to his Uncle Benny.

But Osnard was not responding as Pendel had anticipated. To the contrary, his podgy features seemed to brighten as he heard Pendel out.

‘I can see a case for that,’ he said perfectly reasonably, after giving this interesting proposal the prolonged consideration it deserved. ‘So should London. I’ll run it by ’em, try it on for size, see what they come up with. Reasonable chaps, most of ’em. Keen. Flexible when necessary. Can’t give cheques to fishermen. Makes no sense at all. Anything else I can help you with?’

‘I’d have thought that was enough, thank you, Andy,’ Pendel replied prissily, stifling his astonishment.

Marta stood at her stove making Greek coffee because she knew he liked it. Pendel lay on her bed studying a complex chart of lines and bubbles and capital letters followed by numerals.

‘It’s an order of battle,’ she explained. ‘The way we used to do it when we were students. Codenames, cells, lines of communication, and a special liaison group to talk to the labour unions.’

‘Where does Mickie fit in?’

‘Nowhere. Mickie’s our friend. It would not be appropriate.’

The coffee rose and settled again. She filled two cups.

‘And the Bear rang.’

‘What did he want?’

‘He says he’s thinking of doing an article about you.’

‘That’s nice then.’

‘He wants to know how much the new clubroom cost you.’

‘Why ever should that concern him?’

‘Because he’s evil too.’

She took the order of battle from him, handed him his coffee, sat close to him on the bed.

‘And Mickie wants another suit. Houndstooth alpaca the same as you made for Rafi. I said not till he’d paid for the last one. Was that right?’

Pendel sipped his coffee. He felt afraid without knowing why.

‘Give him what makes him happy,’ he said, avoiding her eye. ‘He’s earned it.’

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Everyone was delighted with the way young Andy was working out. Even Ambassador Maltby, though not deemed capable of delight as others understood it, was heard to remark that a young man who played off eight and kept his mouth shut between strokes couldn’t be all bad. Nigel Stormont had put aside his misgivings within days. Osnard staked no challenge to his position as Head of Chancery, showed due deference to the sensitivities of his colleagues, and shone, but not too brightly, on the cocktail and dinner round.

‘Have you any suggestions about how I’m to explain you in this town?’ Stormont asked him, none too kindly, at their first encounter. ‘Not to mention here in the Embassy,’ he added.

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