you. I doubt if I could walk the length of my shadow for you and that’s a fact. There’s some very funny business going on, I’ll tell you.’
‘What’s happened?’ Bond knew Murray well enough to see the man was engulfed in a mixture of anger, frustration and concern.
‘It’s what didn’t happen. First, I was wakened before dawn with a message about your man Basilisk. Your friends across the water wanted him pulled in and delivered to them on the quiet, right? Seeing as how we do favours for one another, we sent a couple of cars to the Clonmel Arms where, we were reliably informed, Basilisk was staying with your young woman – the one I met at the airport.’
‘You didn’t say anything about that when I telephoned you.’
‘Because you said they had been lifted. I thought it’d be a nice surprise for you to know we had lifted them.’
‘You took the girl as well?’
‘We didn’t get either of them. They weren’t there. I had a call five minutes after you got in touch. The people at the hotel said “friends” had picked them up. But later they changed their tune. It appears that Basilisk made a lot of telephone calls during the night. Then they came down around three thirty in the morning, paid the bill and left.’
‘What about the girl I was with?’
‘There’s neither hide nor hair of her. There really were complaints about shooting and explosions at the castle, and one of our people spotted you being brought out of the hotel. But it’s a great chance I’ve been taking meddling with the fella you were with.’
‘None of this is good.’ Bond felt foolish at his understatement.
Murray laughed. ‘You’ve yet to hear the really bad news, Jacko. Your Service refused to make you official.’
‘Damn!’
‘You’re on leave. There’s no sanction for you to be in the Republic, operational. That’s what I got. On no account are you to give this officer assistance. On no account, Jacko. That’s what they said.’
‘In the event of anything going wrong we shall have to deny you, even to our own police forces.’ He heard M’s voice as they walked through the park. ‘Our own police forces’ implied everyone else’s as well. But why? M had held out on the turning of Basilisk, though that had now to some extent been explained. There had been contact between M and Smolin, probably through Murray, who was the most pliable Irish SB man the Service had on tap. Already Bond had run Smolin and two of the girls to earth. Why in heaven’s name would the old man go on denying him?
‘Norman, you realise who that was in the car?’
‘I know exactly who it was, Jacko.’
‘Then why didn’t you . . .’
‘Hands off. Those were the instructions from my people, and I gather they are in contact with your own Service. Take in Basilisk and deliver him to us but don’t touch Blackfriar. That’s what we were asked. Well, Basilisk’s disappeared, and . . .’
‘And the girls as well. The girls were my real responsibility, Norman.’
‘I don’t want to know.’
‘You’re not going to know. Except that I have to find those girls, and someone else.’
‘Well, you won’t be finding them here, not in the Republic. I’m to get you to a secure place we have at the airport and move you on – with a giant boot up the backside.’
‘What?’
‘You heard, Jacko. We don’t want you here. So off you go. Even your Embassy doesn’t want you here.’
Bond’s mind reeled with questions. ‘If we come to a telephone, will you stop for a minute, Norman?’
‘Why should I?’
‘For old times’ sake.’
‘We’re square.’
‘Please.’ He spoke gravely. Smolin and Heather had disappeared entirely and Ebbie had vanished in minutes from their room, to be replaced by Chernov. Nasty suspicions were starting to form in his head.
Slowly Murray nodded. A couple of hundred yards along the road they came to a telephone box and he pulled over. ‘Quickly as you can, Jacko, and no stupidity. We’ve enough trouble without you going walkabout.’
Bond had the plastic ‘harmonica’ bleeper unpeeled from the button before he reached the telephone box. By now Blackfriar would be back in the castle and he reckoned the General would immediately have the telephones checked. Indeed, he was surprised it had not already been done, for Chernov was obviously scrupulously careful. The bugs were nevertheless still in place and he heard the usual mixture of voices. He could make out very little and was about to replace the instrument when he suddenly heard Chernov’s voice, very clear. He must be standing right over one of the activated telephones.
‘I want every man we have on the streets of Dublin.’ His voice was calm and authoritative. ‘Bond and Colonel Smolin must be found and soon. I want them both. Understand? They took Bond from under my nose. Then we have the added trouble of those two German women, the damned Cream Cake business. What have I done to deserve such idiots?’
‘Comrade General, you had no option. It just couldn’t be helped.’ The conversation was in Russian. ‘Your orders have been obeyed to the letter. Once we run everyone to earth it will be simple. But the gunfight last night has caused almost a diplomatic incident.’
‘Diplomatic rubbish!’ shouted Chernov.
Now there was another voice, close to Chernov. ‘We’ve just had a message from Hong Kong, Comrade General.’
‘Yes?’
‘They’ve tracked Belzinger and Dietrich. She’s opened up the GRU house on Cheung Chau Island.’
‘Dietrich’s an over-confident bitch. We shall have to move fast. Get a message to Hong Kong. Tell them to watch at a distance. I don’t want anyone going in there until I arrive.’
The line began to break up and Bond realised that now, more than ever, it was essential for him to take the initiative. Delving into his pocket he pulled out the few Irish coins that Chernov’s man had left him. He put the receiver down, then dialled the castle number again. When it was answered, he spoke quickly in Russian, asking for General Chernov by name.
‘This is most urgent! A life and death matter.’
Chernov was on in a few seconds, quietly cursing about secure lines.
‘We don’t need a secure line, Comrade General,’ said Bond in English. ‘You recognise the voice?’
There was a short pause. Then, Chernov answered, cold as ice. ‘I recognise it.’
‘I just wanted to say that I look forward to meeting you again, Blackfriar. Catch me if you can. North, south, west or east.’
He put the accent on east, goading Chernov. Replacing the instrument, he left the box and walked rapidly to the car. Chernov would know Bond was calling his bluff, and that Bond had a small advantage, with his knowledge of Chernov’s likely movements. M would probably have said the telephone call was an insane move, but M was also playing a devious game.
‘For a minute there I thought you were playing games with me, Jacko. They’ve been on to me from Dublin. What country do you want?’
‘What d’you mean, what country?’
‘You’re being deported, Jacko. Your own folk in London have said we can send you to the moon as far as they care. Even your old boss says you’ve to take the rest of your leave elsewhere.’
‘He used those words?’
‘Exactly those words. “Tell the renegade to take the rest of his leave elsewhere. Tell him to go missing.” That’s what the auld divil said. So where’s it to be, Jacko? Spain? Portugal? A couple of weeks in the Canary Islands?’
Bond glanced at him, but Murray’s face was expressionless, innocent of any knowledge about Jungle’s recent visit there.
‘Let me think for a minute or two, Norman. Wherever I choose, can you get me out really quietly?’
