Mosby gave him a half-smile. If UK Operations Control could take a bitching from Shirley in his stride, then he could take a squadron of Harry Finsterwalds with no trouble. 'Yeah, well now you've mentioned him, Harry, I'd say he's got the gall and MI6 has the know-how. Only I just can't work out the connection between either of them and Badon Hill. But then the same applies to the KGB—Second Directorate, Clandestine Operations Division, that would be the one, I guess. Unless they've gotten Anthony Price - Our man in camelot
themselves an Ancient British History Division, that is.' He looked back at Morris again. 'But if you can't answer that one—'
'Or won't,' murmured Shirley.
'Or won't—I'll settle for an easier answer first.'
'Which is—?' Morris regarded him with interest.
'Which is—which side is Audley on? British or Russian?'
'What makes you think he's on either?'
'You've practically said as much. So did Shirley—'the way he looked at us' she said. I don't know about
'watchful', but whatever it was you remind me of him every time you look at me.'
'Hah!' Morris beamed at him. 'So you have an instinct—that's very good… Not reliable, but still useful, an instinct. But it doesn't tell you which side, eh?'
Mosby decided to rise to the challenge. 'British, for choice.'
'More instinct?'
'Uh-huh. Logic this time. The guys who took out Major Davies will be waiting for us to come knocking on their door. But you want them to go on hoping they've succeeded for as long as possible. Which means Audley isn't on their team. And as Harry doesn't fancy Mr Wilson as the villain of the piece that means he must be working for the British—Audley, I mean. Okay?'
'Logical certainly.'
'You want more?'
'Whatever you've got.'
'Okay. Theory this time. Shir—Mrs Sheldon and I represent a substantial outlay in Agency planning and resources. We've been over here four months just being ourselves, which is nice, but not very cost effective. And Captain Finsterwald arrived about the same time, and for a bet he's been doing even less in Base Publicity. And he's got a partner tucked away somewhere, so there are at least four of us—which sounds like a Special Operations Unit.'
Morris nodded cautiously. 'Could be.'
'That's only Theory One. My Primary Operational Field is counter-intelligence—Mrs Sheldon's too, for another guess. And Harry's for a third.' He looked quickly at Finsterwald. 'Though I wouldn't be certain about that, maybe he's just a strong arm boy.'
Before Finsterwald could react Morris said: 'Go on.'
'That makes us a counter-intelligence SOU, which the book says is a reaction pattern to early warning of a KGB clandestine action. And what little you've actually admitted so far confirms that—plus what you haven't actually denied. If this was Latin America or Africa it'd most likely be straight insurgency or urban terror, but over here the law enforcement is sophisticated and the people are—'
'You're beginning to lecture us, Captain.'
Mosby grinned sheepishly. 'Sorry. I was getting carried away.'
'By your own brilliance.' Finsterwald yawned.
'Which is better than getting bogged down in his own stupidity,' observed Morris mildly. 'Theory two: A KGB clandestine action is about to start. You don't have a theory of how King Arthur comes into it by any chance?'
'According to Audley he doesn't come in at all,' said Shirley. 'He never existed, remember?'
'And what do you say to that, Captain?'
Anthony Price - Our man in camelot
'Oh, I can account for that okay. It's really pretty simple. But do I rate another question first?'
'I guess you've earned it. So go ahead.'
'The way Harry briefed us, we're not liaising with Audley—right?'
'Correct.'
'Then we're going it alone—and the British don't know?'
'That's two questions.'
'I'll just take the last one, then. They don't know what's going on?'
'So far as we know, they don't. Theory Three?'
Mosby drew a deep breath. 'No more theories. Just I don't like this deal any more.'
'Reasons, then.'
'Reasons? My God, aren't they obvious? A KGB operation in Britain—we don't know what, but we know there is one—and we're not going to warn the British? Instead we're going to try and sucker one of their agents to work for us without knowing it. You want I should like the job?' He stared at Morris in genuine surprise. 'No way, Mr Morris, no way.'
'He isn't exactly an agent. Not in the formal sense, anyway.'
