'You did indeed.' Nayler came in before he could continue, his confidence now fully restored. 'And in consequence I can think of no reason why I should give you even the time of day.'
That was just about perfect, thought Audley. If Nayler had read the script for a classic hard-soft-hard interrogation pattern he couldn't have played his part better than that.
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'No? Well here's a reason, then.' Audley looked at his watch.
'If you don't answer my question in one minute from now—'
he looked up '—I will arrest you —and I have ample authority to do that— and I will take you to the nearest police station, where you will be held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act until such time as I may charge you under the Defence of the Realm Act, or alternatively with impeding the course of justice. And I will further personally ensure that you are thereafter held in custody as being a person consorting, or likely to consort, with known agents of a foreign power engaged in a conspiracy to endanger the safety and security of the realm.'
The colour drained out of Nayler's face.
'Fifteen seconds to go.' Audley reached inside his jacket.
'Here is my warrant card, which is issued under the joint authority of the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office.'
'A foreign power?' Nayler whispered the words as though only hearing them from his own lips would make them real to him.
'Time's up. Professor Stephen Adrian Nayler, I arrest you—'
'No—this is ridiculous!' Nayler squeaked.
'That's one thing it isn't. Professor Stephen Adrian Nayler—'
'I didn't mean that!' The jerky wave was abject now, not insulting. 'I mean— I didn't understand—I didn't realise this was a matter of national security, Audley.'
'Why the hell did you think I got rid of the police, you fool?'
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said Audley contemptuously. 'For old times' sake?'
'I ... no ... I don't know.' Nayler licked his lips. There was no room left on his face for anything except fear now. 'But I didn't—'
'Shut up. And sit down, Professor.'
Nayler sat down as though strings holding him up had been cut.
The very completeness of his collapse steadied Audley. This was how it must be in the Lubianka when the KGB man spoke; or how it had been in Fresnes when the Gestapo ruled there—
Saditye, Professor!
Setzen Sie sich, Professor!
The comparison wasn't flattering, it was sickening—not even the thought of Henry Digby could quite take the sickness away.
'Audley—I had no idea ...' Nayler trailed off helplessly.
Audley swallowed. 'You talked to Sergeant Digby about Standingham?'
'Yes.' Nayler nodded.
'Did you tell anyone else about your conversation?'
'Only young Ratcliffe—' Nayler stopped abruptly as the implication of what he had said became clear to him
'Only . . . Ratcliffe,' he repeated in a whisper.
'Why him?'
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'Why . . .' Nayler blinked. 'Well . . . I was surprised—I was worried that someone had come so close to our hypothesis about the storming of the castle . . . as the sergeant had done.' He paused. 'I mean, some of these amateurs are extremely knowledgeable—and he was a member of the Double R Society. . . . But it was disquieting nevertheless.'
'Disquieting? Why was it disquieting?'
'Because we didn't want our secret to be known before the re-enactment of the battle—and my television programme. That would have spoilt the whole thing, you see. There would have been no surprise then. In fact there was no real danger of it, because after I'd spoken to the sergeant he promised not to leak his ideas, but I thought Ratcliffe ought to know about it even though there was no danger any more.'
'Except to the sergeant,' murmured Audley.
'I beg your pardon?'
So that was how Digby had made Nayler talk, thought Audley. By accident or design he had provided himself with the right lever.
'It doesn't matter. So what was your secret, then?' And there was another painful truth: young Digby had fashioned his lever out of pure knowledge, whereas clever David Audley had required the crude blunt instrument of the State bully.
'Our hypothesis?' Nayler's voice was almost back to normal.
'Yes . . . well, how much do you know about the Standingham affair, Audley?'
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