The Memory Trap

'Yes — well, it never pays to keep people in ignorance, Henry.' Hugging Jake Shapiro's information to himself helped him to smile pleasantly. 'But ignorance is no excuse, you're also quite right . . . So, Billy, everywhere I go, there seem to be soldiers ... as well, presumably, as your well-armed heavies. And now I gather from the media that you are co-operating with our gallant Russian allies in some sort of anti-terrorist operations? Which I nevertheless assume is not quite the case, eh?'

'No, Dr Audley, it isn't.' Commander Pitt seemed almost relieved to be able to speak at last. 'We had an exercise planned — a short-notice SURE. But it wasn't actually scheduled until next month. But then the Americans tipped us off that something was up.'

Renshaw nodded. 'And they got it from the Israelis, David.

And then the plot really thickened — sorry, Billy!'

'Yes, sir.' Pitt had decided that, if it came to the crunch, it was Charlie who had the edge. 'First, it was the usual form: certain individuals we've been watching — or, other people dummy1

have been watching, anyway . . . dropping out of circulation.'

'Arabs?' Up to now the Arabs had been doing the dirty work.

'Or who else?'

Billy Pitt looked at Jaggard, and Jaggard nodded to Miss Franklin. 'Mary — ?'

'There's been a close-down in Eastern Europe, Dr Audley.' In turn, Miss Franklin also seemed relieved, to her credit. 'And in the Soviet Union.'

'When, Miss Franklin? In relation to Kulik's arrival in Berlin, I mean.'

'The same day. But perhaps a few hours afterwards.' She took the point. 'But Commander Pitt's information preceded our information by a full twenty-four hours.'

'I see.' At least events had been occurring in the right sequence, both to allow Kulik to get out and (though for reasons unknown) the Arabs to be ready for the Berlin ambush. 'And this was all to catch Kulik?'

'No.' Mary Franklin shifted to Jaggard doubtfully ' —Henry?'

All the while, Audley had been aware of Henry Jaggard more than anyone else, even though Mary Franklin was infinitely easier on the eye.

Jaggard drew a deep breath, to match his final decision.

(Which was, thought Audley cynically, that with General Voyshinski here, and Colonel Zimin somewhere, he needed Major Richardson more than ever. So, however unhappily, he also still needed Lieutenant (demobbed/ retired) Audley.) dummy1

'It seems that there were three of them, David: Kulik, Prusakov and Lukianov.' Having committed himself, he watched Audley like a hawk. 'Kulik, I gather, you don't know.

But what about the other two?'

Getting so much so quickly posed a pretty problem, in view of both Jake's information and his loss of face on Capri. So perhaps it would be advisable to compromise. 'Prusakov . . .

don't know.' Prusakov was a dead duck, anyway, according to Jake. 'But Lukianov . . .' He frowned, but encouragingly.

Names, after all, were supposed to be his stock-in-trade.

'Leonid S. Lukianov,' Charlie regarded him hopefully. 'Come on, David!'

He mustn't disappoint Charlie, who had supported him in his hour-of-need. 'Soldier. Originally soldier, anyway —

Spetsnaz, too. Maybe GRU once, but then KGB. Colonel . . .

but maybe General Lukianov now. Served in Afghanistan . . .

And — ' He frowned at Jaggard ' — wasn't he a friend of Brezhnev's son-in-law? The one they've just sent down the river, Henry?'

But Jaggard was frowning at Jack Butler.

'That's very good, Dr Audley,' said Mary Franklin, with a hint of misplaced admiration. 'Especially as he isn't in our records

— or yours.'

Ouch! 'Isn't he?' That would teach him to underrate her!

'Well. . . no, I suppose he wouldn't be, at that.' He looked into the space above her head for a moment, playing for time.

dummy1

'Or . . .' Lukianov had to be in the records, somewhere! '. . .

or, are you sure?' Neville Macready came to his rescue: dear old Neville was safely dead. 'It was Neville Macready who mentioned him to me, a couple of years back.' All he had to do was to imagine how Lukianov's career might have gone downhill since then. 'I think he'd just been posted out of Moscow to Kabul, or something like that.' He shrugged at her. 'But I'm only interested in the coming men, not the ones who backed the wrong horse, Miss Franklin.' That would do for the time being. So he could return to Jaggard. 'Where did you get these names, Henry?' (And at least Charlie looked satisfied.)

Henry Jaggard slid a picture across the table for an answer.

'Have a look.'

'Is this him?' It was irritating that he'd missed Lukianov somehow. 'Good-looking chap. But I still don't know