'Kidnapping, Chinese terrorists, traitors: is there no end to it?' Arenski turned businesslike; he had spent too long being reasonable. 'Now, I will outline our course of action. I want Bond here. He clearly has designs of some sort against our conference. Aided by this Greek ruffian and an unwashed small boy he has little chance of achieving anything spectacular. There are weapons here that would drive off a small warship. I think I can say that I've neglected nothing.' The general gave a narrow smile. 'But Bond may be a nuisance. He must be kept out of harm's way until our delegates have departed.'
'Anything I can do, Comrade General...'
'Yes, Comrade Alexandrou, there is a great deal. I take it you have been sleeping with our Mr Bond?' Arenski managed to keep out of his voice very nearly all the distaste he felt at the idea.
'Yes, sir. He won't let me alone.'
'Is he infatuated with you?'
'Oh yes. I've very much influence over him.'
'Better and better.' Arenski almost beamed. 'Persuade him to come here for an interview. Say I am gravely concerned about what has happened and need his help. Give him my word that he'll be able to depart unmolested at any time he may wish. You'll know what arguments to use. Is that clear?'
'Perfectly clear, Comrade General,' said the girl, getting up. 'I'll bring him here as soon as I can, but you must give me a little time.'
'By all means.' The general also rose. 'Tell me, how did you persuade him to let you come here this morning?'
'By the same sort of methods as I shall use to persuade him to come himself.'
'Just so, just so,' said Arenski hurriedly, then, remembering his manners, added, 'A glass of something before you go, my dear?'
'No thank you, sir. The sooner I return the better.'
'We shall make a Marxist of you yet. Let me say how much I appreciate your services.'
The girl smiled gratefully and said with obvious conviction, 'And let me say, Comrade General, how grateful I am to you for interpreting the situation scientifically to me and for being merciful with me about my bad attitude to this spy's deceptions. I hope I have learnt from the experience.'
Arenski bowed. He had thought her a typical Balkan whore, foolish, sentimental and pleasure-loving with a streak of gangsterism, but she had determination and her readiness to correct her mistakes was promising. He would mention her favourably in his report. 'Au revoir, Comrade Alexandrou, I look forward to seeing you very soon.'
Left alone, he paced the floor for a time, frowning. It crossed his mind that the notion of a Chinese attempt to sabotage the conference was not entirely fanciful. According to report, Mao Tse-tung had been in some odd moods recently, as his retirement approached. And the behaviour of the Red Guards, the new hostility to foreigners.... Then the general's brow cleared. Fantasy must be catching. Overt violence on the scale required was unthinkable in peacetime, even granted the uttermost in neo-Stalinist irresponsibility among the Chinese leaders. Nevertheless, one or two points must be cleared up at once.
He went to the desk and rang a small brass hand-bell. Mily came in.
- Go to the wireless room and tell the operator to contact Athens immediately. I'll come along and speak in a couple of minutes.
- And break wireless silence, sir?
Arenski clenched his small fists. This ploughboy gaping would drive him mad. He answered in a tone of caricatured patience - Yes, Mily, and break wireless silence. Exactly that. Now go and do as I say. And get one of the Greeks, the fat one, to go up to the hospital in the town and inquire about a - no, tell him to come and see me.
The fat Greek arrived, was briefed and sent on his way with Arenski's usual politeness. (Once outside the door, the man made the traditional five-finger gesture, meaning roughly, 'May all your senses leave you.') Then the general went up to the tiny oven-hot cubicle on the top floor that housed the wireless station with its R/T links to Athens and to Plovdiv in Bulgaria, which would act if required as a relay to Moscow. The latter circuit was not to be used except in conditions of threat-to-peace emergency. The room reeked of sweat and cheap Russian cigarettes. An unmade bed filled most of the space not occupied by the grey-enamelled set. Arenski pulled out a scented silk handkerchief and inhaled.
The operator, a bull-necked Muscovite with a heavy shaving-rash, handed up the microphone and Arenski got down to it.
It was frustrating, it was unbelievably prolonged and the howl of static surrounding and blurring the incoming voice set his teeth on edge, but at the end of twenty agonizing minutes he had the situation clear. He thanked the operator and left the room, sweating freely.
Descending the broad whitewashed stone stairs to the terrace, where he would sit out of the sun and enjoy his midmorning glass of fresh lemonade, Arenski almost smiled at the predictability of the answers to his questions. Why had the shootings - 'the forcible retirements of the sales manager and two representatives' - not been reported? Because on attempting to make this report the transmitter had been found to be defective. And repairing it had taken a long time. It had only been functional for the last two hours or so. Why had not the report been made then, at once? Because it had been thought better to wait until the allocated transmission period at 1200 hours. Why had the arrival of Bond - 'a dangerous English competitor' - not been reported? Because by the time the plans to detain him in Athens had broken down the transmitter had become defective. Apologies were offered, plus an assurance that the assistant sales-manager was now in complete control of the situation.
Arenski relaxed in his basket chair and sipped his lemonade. On further reflection he actually did smile. How like poor old Piotr Gregorievitch to have imagined he could deal with Bond by himself. How like him to have failed to institute an efficient maintenance-and-repair system at his wireless station. And how totally, hopelessly like him to have got himself killed in a quarrel between two bands of Western thugs. It was painful to think ill of an old comrade, but it was as well that Piotr had gone before doing any real damage.
Bond... Arenski was looking forward to the encounter. And not only that. It would be satisfying as well as advantageous to him to be able to tell the minister, 'I have a prisoner who may interest you. A Western gangster
