The Alamut Ambush

Butler had an exact memory as well as a good ear; if he said

'expendable', then that was the word Llewelyn had used. The bastards had discussed him as though he was a piece of fairly expensive equipment!

'And Llewelyn asked the Special Branch man how he rated the risk

– '

'How did he rate it?'

'He said if they were right about Audley he'd pretty soon find the right hole and then he'd put you down it like a ferret. Only you weren't a trained ferret and Hassan was no rabbit.'

'So I'm an untrained ferret now!'

Butler shook his head sadly. 'You're a bright lad, Hugh — with your weapons systems. But you're being used for something different this time.'

'They warned me, Jack – you were there when they did it. You're forgetting I'm supposed to go running back to them every time David blows his nose.'

'But you aren't, are you?'

dummy2

Roskill shrugged. 'It doesn't happen to suit me.'

'Aye – it doesn't suit you!' said Butler, scowling. 'Man, they've got Audley summed up properly, and you too, I'm sorry to say. He's a bloody genius at research, but when he has a job of his own to do he goes his own sweet way, and they know it. When they warned you they were just covering themselves with Sir Frederick, that's all.'

He paused for breath, running his hand through his hair again.

'Have they bothered you at all? Have they tried to get in touch with you?' He didn't wait for an answer. 'They bloody haven't, have they? I tell you, Hugh, they're just waiting for you two to get things really stirred up. And you'll do exactly just that, if I know you!'

'We haven't done anything exactly spectacular yet, you know, Jack,' Roskill protested mildly. It was odd – he'd never seen Jack to vehement, at least not since the cancellation of the South African cricket tour.

'Enough to get your track rods fixed.'

Roskill gazed at Butler, overwhelmed suddenly with curiosity.

'What's all this got to do with your sudden urge to come bird watching here?'

'I knew I could pick you up here as soon as I found out about Jenkins. It was the one place I was sure you'd turn up.'

'But why, Jack? It's not your affair any more – you ought to be home with your girls, or watching the cricket.'

Butler glowered at him. 'Aye, but somebody's got to watch your back for you. And in my book you don't send anyone out without dummy2

telling him the score...'

He clipped off the sentences abruptly, as though their implicit criticism of his superiors were against the grain of his character.

Roskill eyed him with astonishment: he'd always regarded Jack as a fundamentally simple man, who did his job and minded his business, sustained only by a rather old-fashioned patriotism, the three small female Butlers and the latest cricket scores. But now it looked as though his loyalties were rather more complex.

'Besides, if I want to go bird-watching in my own time – ' the hint of Lancashire broadened as Butler gestured to the darkening landscape '– I can watch where I bloody well please, and– '

He stopped suddenly, his freckled, hairy hand frozen in mid-sweep and his attention snatched away from Roskill by something which had caught his eye below them.

'Blue and white Cambridge saloon in the drive beside your car.

Isn't that – ?'

'One wing mirror?' Roskill cut in. 'And there'll be a patch of rust on the white strip, forward of the door?'

Butler lifted his field-glasses.

'Aye – it's Audley's car, isn't it!' Butler turned back to him. 'Did you expect him to come down here?'

They both knew well enough that Audley never strayed abroad on business from the department or his home if it could be avoided.

And in this instance Audley had even spelt it out: If I were spotted there it might give the game away.

'He'd only come here in an emergency. Jack.'

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'Likely there's an emergency, then. Or maybe he's not as thick as you are.'

'It's simpler than that,' said Roskill. 'Before I came down here I phoned him up – he wasn't in and I left a message with Faith.'

'A message?'

A big raindrop spattered on Roskill's cheek, rolling down to the corner of his mouth. He brushed it away.

'I told her to ask him what Alamut was.'

XII

'JAKE'S QUITE RIGHT,' said Audley. 'I probably do know more about Alamut than he does. But the Alamut