Here Be Monsters

in Moscow eventually, Research and Development would survive, if only because it would be politically convenient for it to continue to do its important duties, beyond the scope of normal intelligence. But that still left a fearsome problem unsolved which Audley had overlooked.

'And the Americans?' It was unfair, when the CIA had raised the hare in the first place. But the British had let the animal escape, and that was what mattered. 'We've lost their transmissions, David.'

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The sly look remained. 'They won't make waves this time. And you can thank Paul Mitchell for that, Jack.'

Butler schooled his face. Putting David Audley and Paul Mitchell on anything together should have warned him that they would exceed their brief. 'What have you done?'

'Nothing really.' Audley trod the pattern of the carpet geometrically. 'It was just… he was handling the signals traffic the fellow was receiving.' He twisted at a right angle towards Butler. 'And… we were monitoring it to see what he was particularly interested in, to get a back-bearing on it, to find out what they wanted to know - eh?' Their eyes met briefly.

'Yes?'

'Paul had this idea.' Audley twisted again. 'He cleared it with Latimer, and then he talked to the Americans. And - so - they adjusted some of their figures for him, on a one-off irrational deviation, to destroy the readings. Which means that in about a month's time the Russians will have some inexplicable decimal points. Nothing very serious at the moment… but it will become serious.' He looked at Butler sidelong. 'And then they'll begin to wonder whether I didn't leave Cheltenham deliberately, if we play our cards right -

whether their Cheltenham man isn't really our Cheltenham man in drag, do you see?'

Butler saw.

'The choice is ours, strictly speaking,' said Audley. 'I didn't know he was going to run, as I say. So we can play it in a lot of different ways, for the time being. And, if you like - in fact, I'd recommend it - you can ask the Americans which way they want to play it. Because that way you can tell them you let him run - that you deliberately ordered me away from Cheltenham, to give them the choice… Only, you'll have to do that bloody quick, Jack.

Othewise, they'll smell a rat.'

What Butler thought was that Audley had covered himself, on both flanks and in the rear.

In fact, both Oliver St John Latimer and David Audley had covered themselves, although in very different ways, even as they had made different mistakes. But that was mere professionalism. Except that there was still one complication, which could not be overlooked.

He could send Audley away, and think of it at leisure. But that was not the way he had once commanded his company in the best days of his life. So it was not something to be fudged now, as though it didn't matter. 'Elizabeth Loftus, David.'

Audley's mouth lifted, one-sided. 'Dear Elizabeth - yes, Jack?'

He underrated her, thought Butler. In the last analysis women were still merely sex-objects dummy2

for David Audley: he was a product of his class and his education, pickled in the aspic of time in spite of his intelligence, when neither Mitchell nor Cable would have made the same mistake. 'She has submitted an interim report, David.'

The corner of the mouth remained contemptuous. 'That was her brief. And she's had a couple of days to think about it. So what?'

So Audley was about to learn something, thought Butler. And that must be a lesson for him, too. 'She wants more time, to consult the record, David.'

'I don't bloody wonder! She was rather pitched into the deep end, poor woman!' Audley was still innocent. 'And with me, too. So she was a bit out of her depth, Jack.'

There were times when cruelty was satisfying. 'What do you think of her?'

Audley drew a magisterial sniff. 'She'll do, Jack - she'll do.' He nodded. 'She doesn't panic in adversity. In fact, she's one tough lady… But, you must remember, she's my recommendation… for our obligatory female - ' Much too late, he caught a hint of something hostile in the question. 'What does she say, then?'

Being a little worried was always good for Audley. 'She thinks we perhaps ought to reopen the Debrecen List, David.'

'Oh?' Too late, Audley realized he was too late. 'She lists five possibilities.' Butler recalled Elizabeth Loftus's report easily because it had been impeccably typed, although she had not had time to submit it to Mrs Harlin, never mind the computer. 'But she discounts two of them as unlikely. She merely left them in the margin for me to bear in mind.'

'Uh-huh? Which leaves three. One of which is the reopening of the Debrecen List, presumably.' Audley nodded, but then smiled. 'Well, at least I convinced her about Haddock Thomas, and Peter Barrie, anyway.'

'No. Actually, you didn't.' Butler savoured the change in Audley's expression. 'She thinks we should take another look at the list. With Haddock Thomas and Barrie on the top of it.

The two names she discounted are Latimer's and yours, David.'

Audley stared at him for a moment. 'Ah… Yes, I suppose you could say that we fit quite well, at that.' He pursed his lips. 'The right original date… and I did help to screw up the

'58 inquiry. And Latimer put me in the right place to do it again this time. So that's fair enough, Jack. I'd go along with that, anyway.'

'But she discounted you all the same.'

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'Ye-ess… monstrous decent of her.' Audley was smiling again, but it was a different sort of smile. 'So what does she know about the other two that I don't?'