Kasimir shrugged again. ‘I am a poor detective. I think that woman have something to do with it, the one you talk to at the cafe.’
Gently nodded. ‘But now you think we did it?’
Kasimir said nothing, glanced at Empton’s back.
‘You don’t really believe that,’ Gently said. ‘Just as I don’t believe you did it, either.’
Kasimir looked at him. ‘You know…?’ He hesitated.
‘I’m getting a rough idea,’ Gently said.
‘It is difficult,’ Kasimir said slowly. ‘Very difficult. I think perhaps you are a good detective.’
‘You’ll be seeing this man again — Mr Razek?’
Kasimir glanced at Empton again. ‘Yes. I have appointment.’
‘You’d better tell him you’ve talked to us about it,’ Gently said. ‘And that at the moment it looks to us like a simple criminal job. It may or may not concern some other nationals, but we don’t regard it primarily as a political killing. We’re as anxious as he is, you can tell him, to avoid giving this case a political colouring.’
‘I will tell him,’ Kasimir said. ‘I will return today and tell him.’
Empton turned from the window. ‘How nice,’ he said. ‘How terribly nice. Little Jan and English justice settling their differences like gentlemen. What a pity we haven’t got it on tape to give them a belly laugh in the Kremlin.’ He showed his teeth, came into the room. ‘Sad,’ he said, ‘I must break up the act. But I belong to a different school of thought and suffer from a chronically reluctant gullet. Little Jan isn’t sliding off yet, for all his cultivated wog-pals in Cambridge.’
‘I think he is,’ Gently said.
‘Decent of you, old man,’ Empton said. ‘But I’ve a charge to prefer, don’t you remember? Are you up to charging someone yet, old man?’
‘Oh yes,’ Gently said. ‘Ever since last night.’
‘A parking offence?’ Empton said.
‘No, murder,’ Gently said. ‘This is a murder case. Haven’t you seen the newspapers lately?’
He took a newspaper out of his pocket, uncapped his pen, marked an item. He handed the newspaper to Empton. Empton snatched it. He read the item. He stared at Gently.
‘So?’ he said softly.
‘So we’re ready to charge him,’ Gently said. ‘Just as soon as we can pick him up. I’m afraid you’re wasting your time, old man.’
CHAPTER NINE
Empton dropped the newspaper on the desk, walked round the desk, sat down on the edge of it. He took out his cigarette case, took from it a yellow cigarette, looked at the cigarette for a moment, rolled it between his lips, flicked a light for it, sucked. He looked at the angle of the wall and the ceiling.
‘I see,’ he said. ‘Men at work.’
He sucked in air along with the smoke and forced the smoke through his nostrils.
‘And you’ve got it all tied up,’ he said. ‘Ready to hit me over the head with it. You ring for Joe to open the tin, then shunt him off back to stores.’ He sucked hard. ‘Congratulations. Nice timing and all that. Trusting I gave every satisfaction, must hurry away to other clients.’
‘Jan,’ Gently said. ‘You can go.’
‘Yes, you can go, Jan,’ Empton said. ‘We’ll give you a ring if your alibi’s faked. Slide. Shove off. Blow. Fade.’
‘Unless Superintendent Empton has any questions,’ Gently said.
‘Oh, laughable,’ Empton said. ‘Run along Jan. Sling your hook, Jan. Love and kisses to Mr Razek.’
Kasimir rose, hesitated. ‘I will answer the questions,’ he said.
‘Dear boy,’ Empton said. ‘Remind me to send you a card at Christmas.’
Kasimir gave his little shrug, picked up his possessions from the desk. His lips were puffed, his face bruised. He held his back very stiffly. To Gently he said:
‘I have Flat 5 A, 22 Bonser Street, West Hampstead. My alibi is not a fake. You will find me there if you want me again.’
‘Leave me your handkerchief,’ Empton said.
Kasimir bowed. He went out.
Nobody said anything for a little while. Empton sucked and exhaled noisily. Whitaker fiddled with a pen-stand on the desk. Gently sat and did nothing. At last Empton ground out the cigarette.
‘Right,’ he said. ‘So I’m a bastard.’ He turned about to look at the two of them. ‘But I’m a good bastard, in my line. It’s a bastard line, let’s face it. You don’t kid-glove in MI5. And I’m a royal bastard in a nest of bastards. And that’s my job. And the country pays me. So knock me down, point to the kennel. But remember who it was made Kasimir talk.’
Whitaker stirred. ‘I don’t know,’ he said.
Empton’s teeth showed. ‘Why not, old man? Don’t you know that Rule Britannia stinks outside the last night of the proms? We’re a dirty lot at a dirty game, and so we pay dirty people like me. Sorry if the cloven hoof shows. We try to hide it from the taxpayer.’
‘And you like your job?’ Whitaker said.
Empton kept on smiling. ‘I’m a natural bastard, old man,’ he said. ‘You can’t do without me until the millennium.’
Whitaker dropped his eyes to the pen-stand, shook his head. ‘I don’t know,’ he repeated.
‘But you do, of course,’ Empton said. ‘Of course you do. Of course. Of course.’
‘It’s beyond me,’ Whitaker said.
Empton chuckled. He looked pleased again.
He said to Gently: ‘Can we get to business, and waste a little more of my time? It’s faintly possible that there’s still an angle which belongs to my department.’
‘That’s not improbable,’ Gently said.
‘You amaze me, old man,’ Empton said.
Gently shrugged. ‘Like you,’ he said. ‘I’d be interested to know who Teodowicz was.’
‘Who he was?’
Gently nodded. ‘It’s just an idea that came into my head. And what links he had with Huxford. And the Poles who used to be there.’
Empton widened his eyes. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘This sounds amusing. Run over the details for me, old man. I may not be quite expended yet.’
Gently told him the details. Empton listened without questions. He sat on the desk looking straight at Gently, quite still, never moving his head. Gently looked at him occasionally. Empton’s stare never shifted. Whitaker had pulled a little aside, was twiddling his fingers, frowning at them. Gently finished.
‘Yes… I see,’ Empton said. ‘It fits together like a Swiss watch. Mysterious calls, the missing gun, the van parked by a main-line station. But don’t you think it stinks a little, old man?’
‘I’m open to reactions,’ Gently said.
‘My name is mud,’ Empton said, ‘but I can’t help twigging a faint aroma. You look for the gun. You go to the nearest aerodrome. Immediately everything is falling into place. Your chummie is pin-pointed, motive, opportunity, nothing is left to the imagination. Oh, I’m a Special Branch man, I see a bogey in every bush. But in my doubtful opinion there is a definite pong.’
‘Well,’ Gently said.
‘A pong of contrivance,’ Empton said. ‘The sort of contrivance one might expect from some thoroughgoing professionals. The sort of people with devious minds who like to tuck in the loose ends, who take a pride in their craft. People like me, in fact.’ The teeth appeared. ‘Another small point. Weren’t you surprised by Kasimir’s ineptness? How easy it was for you to spot him, and how excruciatingly innocent he was? He was bloody amateurish, old man, he was staked out for our inspection. We’re supposed to think that Razek knows nothing and
