Colonel Butler's Wolf

'Aye, you're right about that, man,' Butler agreed harshly. 'And I'll tell you what smells wrong to me, too: by all the laws, they should have dropped whatever they're up to like a red-hot poker the moment Smith went round the bend. They know we're on to them—the whole thing's compromised for them.

And yet it looks as if they're going on regardless.'

'So bully for them!' Richardson grinned. 'So we get an extra chance of putting the skids under them—'

'If you think that, then you're a fool,' snapped Butler. 'If they haven't disengaged, it's because they can't disengage. And you better pray that it never happens to you like that— that you're on the wrong side of the wall and the other side's on to you, and the word comes back that you've got to stay with it. Because that means it is more important than you. That's when you become expendable, Richardson.'

He glared at the young man fiercely, partly because it was time someone cut him down to size and partly because he had no wish to catch Audley's eye. It had not been so long ago that he had warned Hugh Roskill in the same way, but Hugh had trusted his own judgement and because of that Hugh would never fly for the RAF again. And Hugh had been lucky at that: if he couldn't fly he could still limp to his pension.

'All right, Colonel Butler, I'll pray that day never comes,' replied Richardson coolly, his long face tilted towards Butler. 'But I don't have to get scared in advance by the thought of it.'

'No—you don't have to. But their day has come and I'll bet they are scared, Richardson. And that makes them very dangerous. So if you haven't the wit to be frightened, I have!'

'Gentlemen!' The embarrassment was unconcealed in Audley's voice. 'This isn't leading any place, is it?'

'But it is, David.' Something of his former banter was back in Richardson's voice. 'Colonel Butler agrees with you —and this is a big one. The question is whether he can help us find out what it is before it goes off bang underneath us.'

'Maybe I could at that.'

They both stared at him.

'I've already recruited your inside man for you,' said Butler heavily. 'And your inside girl.'

'McLachlan?' Audley's eyebrows lifted. 'And Polly Epton?'

'Aye. The boy and the girl.'

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The eyebrows lowered. 'I thought you were against that sort of thing—using civilian labour?'

'I am dead against it. But in this instance I haven't any choice. They volunteered.'

'And you accepted?'

'After the business at the bridge they tumbled to a few false conclusions of their own. They think Smith was murdered and they'd like to see the killers put down—'

'And naturally you let them go on thinking that?' Audley looked at Butler curiously, nodding to himself at the same time. 'So naturally they would want to help. That was neatly done—though not quite your usual style, surely?'

'They made it a condition for agreeing to tell me about Smith,' said Butler unwillingly. 'It was not much my doing.'

'Of course not. Not so much volunteers as blackmailers.' Audley smiled. 'And just what did they tell you in exchange for lies?'

Butler glowered at him. 'Not anything that's of much use, damn it all! In fact, what Miss Epton knew made nonsense of what happened at the bridge.'

'I doubt that.' Audley shook his head. 'The Russians simply didn't know how much she knew. And they couldn't come round and ask her, so they had to prepare for the worst. I'd guess they were ready to leave her alone as long as we did —much the same as they left Eden Hall intact until you turned up there.

When they spotted you in Oxford they went into action—not quite quickly enough, fortunately.'

Butler stared at him. 'It wasn't good fortune—it was young McLachlan's reflexes.'

'Was it indeed?' Audley said, as though his mind was no longer entirely on the job. 'But it was still what people would call lucky.'

'It's all in my full Oxford report, anyway,' said Butler, feeling in his breastpocket for the photocopy.

'I shall enjoy reading that. But there was nothing you could put your finger on—nothing that stands out?'

Butler shrugged. 'She said they once had an argument— several of them—about the nature of treason.

Smith was very hot against traitors, surprisingly so she thought, because he was normally an internationalist. But he said they were no good to anybody, or any side. But everyone had had a few more drinks than usual and she put it down to that.'

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'Whereas you think it was a case of in vino veritas?'

'If he thought he had become a traitor he wouldn't value himself very highly, I think that.'

Audley bowed his head. 'Very well, then. And now we come to McLachlan of the fast reflexes—what about him?'

'Hah—hmm. I asked the Department to run a report on him. I only have what he—and the others—told me.'

'Peter has the report and we'll hear from him in a moment. It's your opinion I want. You think highly of him?'

'If we don't expect too much of him we can use him.'