Vandam said: 'Do you hate your father?'
She shrugged. 'I think it turned out rather well.' She spread her arms to indicate the apartment.
'But are you happy?'
She looked at him. Twice she seemed about to speak and then said nothing. Finally she looked away. Vandam felt she was regretting the impulse that had made her tell him her life story. She changed the subject. 'What brings you here tonight, Major?'
Vandam collected his thoughts. He had been so interested in her-watching her hands and her eyes as she spoke of her past-that be had forgotten for a while his purpose. 'I'm still looking for Alex Wolff,' he began. 'I haven't found him, but I've found his grocer.'
'How did you do that?'
He decided not to tell her. Better that nobody outside Intelligence should know that German spies were betrayed by their forged money. 'That's a long story,' he said. 'The important thing is, I want to put someone inside the shop in case he comes back.'
'Me.'
'That's what I had in mind.'
'Then, when he comes in, I hit him over the head with a bag of sugar and guard the unconscious body until you come along.'
Vandam laughed. 'I believe you would,' he said. 'I can just see you leaping over the counter.' He realized how much he was relaxing, and resolved to pull himself together before he made a fool of himself.
'Seriously, what do I have to do?' she said.
'Seriously, you have to discover where he lives.'
'How?'
'I'm not sure.' Vandam hesitated. 'I thought perhaps you might befriend him. You're a very attractive woman, I imagine it would he easy for you.' 'What do you mean by 'befriend'?'
'That's up to you. Just as long as you get his address.'
'I see.' Suddenly her mood had changed, and there was bitterness in her voice. The switch astonished Vandam: she was too quick for him to follow her. Surely a woman like Elene would not be offended by this suggestion? She said: 'Why don't you just have one of your soldiers follow him home?'
'I may have to do that, if you fail to win his confidence. The trouble is, he might realize he was being followed and shake off the tail- -then he would never go back to the grocer's, and we would have lost our advantage. But if you can persuade him, say, to invite you to his house for dinner, then we'll get the information we need without tipping his hand. Of course, it might not work. Both alternatives are risky. But I prefer the subtle approach.'
'I understand that.'
Of course she understood, Vandam thought; the whole thing was as plain as day. What the devil was the matter with her? She was a strange woman: at one moment he was quite enchanted by her, and at the next he was infuriated. For the first time it crossed his mind that she might refuse to do what he was asking. Nervously he said: 'Will you help me?'
She got up and filled his glass again, and this time she took another drink herself. She was very tense, but it was clear she was not willing to tell him why. He always felt very annoyed with women in moods like this. It would be a damn nuisance if she refused to cooperate now.
At last she said: 'I suppose it's no worse than what I've been doing all my life.'
'That's what I thought,' said Vandam with relief.
She gave him a very black look.
'You start tomorrow,' he said. He gave her a piece of paper with the address of the shop written on it. She took it without looking at it.
'The shop belongs to Mikis Aristopoulos,' be added.
'How long do you think this will take?' she said.
'I don't know.' He stood up. 'I'll get in touch with you every few days, to make sure everything's all right-but you'll contact me as soon as he makes an appearance, won't you?'
'Yes.
Vandam remembered something. 'By the way, the shopkeeper thinks we're after Wolff for forgery. Don! t talk to him about espionage.'
'I won't.'
The change in her mood was permanent. They were no longer enjoying each other's company. Vandam said: 'I'll leave you to your thriller.' She stood up. 'I'll see you out.'
They went to the door. As Vandam stepped out, the tenant of the neighboring flat approached along the corridor. Vandam had been thinking of this moment, in the back of his mind, all evening, and now he did what he had been determined not to do. He took Elene's arm, bent his head and kissed her mouth.
Her lips moved briefly in response. He pulled away. The neighbor passed by. Vandam looked at Elene. The neighbor unlocked his door, entered his flat and closed the door behind him. Vandam released Elene's arm. She said: 'You're a good actor.'
'Yes,' he said. 'Good-bye.' He turned away and strolled briskly down the corridor. He should have felt pleased with his evening's work, but instead he felt as if he had done something a little shameful. He beard the door of her apartment bang shut behind him.
