For the Good of the State

But I shall say “no”.’

‘Ah!’ Harvey let the light dawn. ‘That’ll be that odd communication about Professor Panin, I take it—?’ After letting the light dawn he let himself relax. ‘I was thinking… it’s a curious coincidence, isn’t it—eh?’

‘Curious?’ Jaggard stopped covering the file.

‘Well, there’s obviously no connection between what Audley’s just done and whatever Professor Panin and the KGB may be contemplating.’ He let that out as an arguable statement, because they both knew who Panin was, beyond what the Soviet Embassy and the FCO alleged he was. ‘So it is a pure coincidence, Henry.

There can be no question about that.’

The stare cracked, and Jaggard flipped open the file. ‘ “Professor Nikolai Andrievich Panin. Third Deputy-Director in the Ministry of Culture: one of the foremost authorities on the archaeology of the royal tombs (6th and 5th century BC) in the bend of the Dnieper, Price, Anthony - For the Good of the State the districts of Poltava and Kiev, and the Crimea’‘? He looked up at Garrod Harvey, then down into the file again. ’ ”Dr David Longsdon Audley. CBE. Ph.D. MA (Cantab)“—‘ He looked at Harvey again ’—” distinguished medievalist“? ‘ This time he didn’t look down again. ’Have you seen this SG?‘

That wasn’t a trick question. ‘Yes. My name’s on the list, Henry.’

‘Yes?’ The nostrils blew out again. ‘But I’ve also got a clever-dick note from some wag in the FCO—did you get that too?’

That wasn’t a trick question either. ‘No.’

‘No?’ Jaggard locked down quickly to refresh his memory. ‘I’ve got: “1. Isn’t Panin one of theirs and Audley one of yours?” And

“2. What has 6th-5th century BC Scythia got to do with Medieval History?” And “3. Are there any Royal Scythian tombs on Exmoor?” ’ Jaggard considered Harvey dispassionately for a moment. ‘And then they advise me that Professor Panin is to be given all reasonable help and consideration, because HM

Government is concerned to improve Anglo-Soviet cultural relations, pending projected diplomatic and cultural exchanges running up to possible East-West disarmament talks later in the year.’ He gave Harvey another couple of seconds. ‘Are there any Royal Scythian tombs on Exmoor?’

‘Not that I’ve heard of.’ That was the moment, as the full awfulness of the FCO advice registered, when Garrod Harvey began to suspect that Henry Jaggard had been there ahead of him, thinking the same wicked thoughts. ‘Prehistoric ones, maybe—or Neolithic. But that could be Dartmoor, not Exmoor…’ He let Jaggard see that he had something else in his mind.

Price, Anthony - For the Good of the State

‘Yes?’ Jaggard paid his penny cautiously.

‘I was just thinking.’ On second thoughts it would be better to be honest—or fairly honest, anyway: that usually paid better with Jaggard. ‘Or… I have been thinking.’

‘About what?’ Jaggard hadn’t got his pennyworth yet.

‘About Audley. And Panin.’ He gave Jaggard a seriously questioning glance. ‘I take it the FCO doesn’t really know why Panin is here? That he’s General Zarubin’s Number Two, I mean?’

‘They certainly do not.’ There was a metallic curtness about Jaggard’s reply: it was the sound of the penny dropping. ‘Nobody knows except the Viking Group. You know that.’

‘Yes. So that’s just you and me, and de Gruchy.’ Garrod Harvey deliberately thought aloud. ‘But the Americans also may have an inkling, we decided.’

‘They may.’ Jaggard accepted the thought. ‘They’ve almost certainly got someone of their own in the Soviet Embassy. So it’s just possible they’ve also picked up a hint of the Polish operation—

agreed.’

‘Yes. But their man is at a much lower level than our Viking.’

Harvey could see that the very mention of Viking, the highest-placed contact they had ever had in the KGB’s London Station, made Jaggard cautious. Yet he still had to push matters further. ‘So the Polish operation is the one you want us to leave well alone.’

Jaggard stared at him. ‘The one we have to leave well alone, Garry.’ The edge of his patience was beginning to fray. ‘We’ve been through all this.’

Price, Anthony - For the Good of the State

‘Even though we know that Zarubin—Zarubin and now Panin…

even though we know that they’re up to some bloody mischief.’

Harvey nodded, noting the shift to ‘we’, even though the emphasis had been on ‘have’.

‘Yes.’ Jaggard knew that it had been his rank-pulling decision over their indecision which had swayed the vote. But, to his credit, he had never been afraid of responsibility. ‘Viking’s worth more to us than any bunch of miserable Polacks. And they must be damn close to him already—in fact, I’m not at all sure that this whole Polish thing hasn’t been dreamed up just so that they can pin their leak down. Because we haven’t had a whisper about these so- called “Sons of the Eagle” from our people in Poland—they’ve never even heard of them. But whoever they are, and whatever the KGB’s doing, Viking is just too valuable to risk, that was the decision. So what are you after, then?’

The moment to break cover had arrived. ‘Maybe we don’t have to risk Viking, Henry. Because, according to the FCO, it’s Panin who wants to meet Audley. And Audley doesn’t know anything about Viking—it’s just that he and Panin are both “distinguished scholars”—’ He remembered Audley’s file ‘—and old friends too, maybe?’

‘ “Friends”?’ Jaggard tossed the question aside contemptuously. ‘I thought you said you’d read Audley’s file? Back in ’70—

remember?‘