Tomorrow's ghost

'More than that?' Professor Crowe gazed into space. 'Yes ... it would also account for what happened to Butler. A campaign directed against Butler would have made people suspicious - particularly you - because he is generally well-regarded. But a campaign against your acquisition of Sir Frederick's job wouldn't surprise anyone - least of all you.

Is that it?'

Audley nodded.

'I see. So Butler has been the real target all along? And that effectively eliminates Sir Frederick - and your illegitimate Israeli friend - and all the faceless little love-children from your list of villains, dear boy.' Crowe paused.

'Then it's just Butler.' He started up again. 'Someone must be very frightened indeed of his getting the job. Quite terrified, in fact, to go to such lengths. They've gone a long way beyond domestic politics and slander - they're into treason and murder, constructively.'

'Yes,' said Audley.

'Is the job that important?'

'It is and it isn't. It's basically a bloody thankless dogsbody job. But whoever gets it carries a lot of clout. And also gets to see a lot of things he's never seen before. From his own file upwards.'

His own file, thought Frances. Even she had only seen an edited version of that. But he had never seen it at all and now he would be able to. In his promoted place that would be the first thing she'd look at: all her test analyses, all her fitness reports, all her successes and failures.

His file would be a lot bigger than hers, though. It would start before she was born, and it would follow him across the world and back. It would list General Chesney's last will and testament. It would miss the marital disaster, and the visits to Rifleman Sands, because those were private matters that he had never revealed to anyone, and in certain things Colonel Jack Butler was a very private man.... For a guess, it might also miss this investigation, if Sir Frederick decided to play that close to his chest now, after what she had done. But it would certainly include everything about the original disappearance of Madeleine Francoise, and -

Successes and failures -

'What's up, Frances?' said Audley.

Failures.

'What's the matter, Frances?' repeated Audley. She looked at him. In fact she had already been looking at him, but not seeing him.

'Have you ever heard of Leslie Pearson Cole?' 'Leslie - ?' He frowned at her. 'Leslie Pearson

Cole?'

'And Trevor Anthony Bond.'

'Never heard of him. But Pearson Cole - what d'you know about Pearson Cole?'

'Very little. He committed suicide.'

'That's right.' Audley nodded. 'I wasn't on the case, thank heavens. There was a botch-up of some kind. Pearson Cole was mixed up in a big security leak, but there was a delay in picking him up, so he took his leak with him. What - ?'

'The delay was because a Major Butler was taken off the case, David. His wife had disappeared - he was delayed by that first. And then someone gave some conflicting evidence, for no reason. And nobody put two and two together.'

They stared at each other.

'Yes...' Audley nodded slowly. 'Yes, that would do very well - very well indeed. At least for a start.'

'In what way, dear boy?' asked Crowe.

Audley turned to him. 'Jack Butler's a good chap - he'll do a good job when he's promoted. He's very painstaking. Not a genius, but very, very painstaking. There's no general reason why anyone should go to such lengths to block his promotion - he isn't disliked. He isn't going to carry me up with him - so there has to be a specific reason.

That's what I've been thinking ever since I came back: somebody doesn't want him to be able to put two and two together and make four. If he isn't promoted, then he never will

- and two and two will never meet. And then somebody will go on being safe somewhere.'

'You have a traitor in the camp, dear boy.' Crowe sat back in spectator's comfort, hands at prayer. 'It happens in the best regulated families from time to time.'

'Yes.' Audley gave Frances a grimly anticipatory nod. 'Someone quite low down nine years ago, most likely. But quite high up by now. And someone who doesn't know that we know, by God!'

'Don't be too sure, dear boy. They'll be running scared now,' Crowe admonished him. That's when they'll become dangerous.'

'They can't know. Because they don't know I'm back.' Audley reached towards the Glenfiddich. 'I think I'll have a celebratory slug of my duty-free USAF hooch. I'm going to enjoy this... And, above all, they won't be running scared because they'll be expecting Mrs Fitzgibbon here to come up any moment with a nice handful of sticky mud which will keep Jack Butler firmly and safely among the other ranks. A nice, neat bloodless solution. Nothing to stir nasty suspicions in nasty suspicious minds like mine. No need to put O'Leary at risk by using his special talents.... Cheers!' He swung towards Frances.

'My manners! May I top you up - ' he stopped.

'What - what d'you mean - O'Leary's special talents?' said Frances.