Nicolson stared at her, at the tired little face and empty eyes, and all at once he was convinced of the truth of it. Even as he looked at her, not really seeing her, memories came flooding in on him and many things that had baffled him gradually began to become clear… But Van Eft'en was speaking again.
'18th February, 1902. If I know that, Miss Plenderleith, I know everything.'
'Yes, you know everything.' Her voice was a distant murmur.
'Please.' His hand was still outstretched. 'You would not care for Captain Yamata's men to search you.'
'No.'. She fumbled under her salt-stained, bleached jacket, undid a belt and handed it to Van Effen. 'I think this is what you want.'
'Thank you.' For a man who had secured what he had spoken of as a priceless treasure, Van Effen's face was strangely empty of all triumph and satisfaction. 'This is indeed what I want.'
He undid the pouches of the belt, lifted out the photostats and films that had lain inside and held them up to the light of the flickering oil-lamps. Almost a minute passed while he examined them in complete silence, then he nodded his head in satisfaction and returned papers and films to the belt.
'All intact,' he murmured. 'A long time and a long way ? but all intact.'
'What the devil are you talking about?' Nicolson demanded irritably. 'What is that?'
'This?' Van Effen glanced down at the belt he was buckling round his waist. 'This, Mr. Nicolson, is what makes everything worth while. This is the reason for all the action and suffering of the past days, the reason why the Kerry Dancer and the Viroma were sunk, why so many people have died, why my allies were prepared to go to any length to prevent your escape into the Timor Sea. This is why Captain Yamata is here now, although I doubt whether even he knows that ? but his commanding officer will. This is??-'
'Get to the point!' Nicolson snapped.
'Sorry.' Van Effen tapped the belt. 'This contains the complete, fully detailed plans, in code, of Japan's projected invasion of Northern Australia. Japanese codes are almost impossible to break, but our people know that there is one man in London who could do it. If anyone could have escaped with these and got them to London, it would have been worth a fortune to the allies.'
'My God!' Nicolson felt dazed. 'Where ? where did they come from?'
'I don't know.' Van Effen shook his head. 'If we had known that they would never have got into the wrong hands in the first place… The full-scale invasion plans, Mr. Nicolson ? forces employed, times, dates, places ? everything. In British or American hands, these would have meant three months' setback to the Japanese, perhaps even six. At this early stage of the war, such a delay could have been fatal to the Japanese: you can'understand their anxiety to recover these. What's a fortune in diamonds compared to these, Mr. Nicolson?'
'What, indeed,' Nicolson muttered. He spoke automatically, a man with his mind far away.
'But now we have both ? the plans and the diamonds.' There was still that strange, complete lack of any inflection of triumph in Van Effen's voice. He reached out a toe and touched the pile of diamonds. 'Perhaps I was over hasty in expressing my contempt of these. They have their own beauty.'
'Yes.' The bitterness of defeat was sharp in Nicolson's mouth, but his face was impassive. 'A fantastic sight, Van Effen.'
'Admire them while you may, Mr. Nicolson.' Captain Yamata's voice, cold and harsh, cut through the spell, brought them all tumbling back to reality. He touched the tip of the cone of diamonds with his sword-point and the white fire glittered and blazed as the stones spilled over on to the ground. 'They are beautiful, but man must have eyes to see.'
'What's that supposed to mean?' Nicolson demanded.
'Just that Colonel Kiseki has had orders only to recover the diamonds and deliver them intact to Japan. Nothing was said about prisoners. You killed his son. You will see what I mean.'
'I can guess.' Nicolson looked at him with contempt. 'A shovel, a six by two hole and a shot in the back when I've finished digging. Oriental culture. We've heard all about it.'
Yamata smiled emptily. 'Nothing so quick and clean and easy, I assure you. We have, as you say, culture. Such crudities are not for us.'
'Captain Yamata.' Van Effen was looking at the Japanese officer, fractionally narrowed eyes the only sign of emotion in an expressionless face.
'Yes, Colonel?'
'You ? you can't do that. This man is not a spy, to be shot without trial. He's not even a member of the armed forces, Technically, he's a non-combatant.'
'Of course, of course.' Yamata was heavily ironic. 'To date he has only been responsible for the deaths of fourteen of our sailors and an airman. I shudder to think of the carnage if he ever became a combatant. And he killed Kiseki's son.'
'He didn't. Siran will bear that out.'
'Let him explain that to the colonel,' Yamata said indifferently. He sheathed his sword. 'We quibble, and uselessly. Come, let us go. Our truck should be here shortly.'
'Truck?' Van Effen queried.
'We left it almost a mile away.' Yamata grinned. 'We did not wish to disturb your sleep. What's the matter, Mr. Nicolson?' he finished sharply.
'Nothing,' Nicolson answered shortly. He had been staring out through the open doorway and in spite of himself a flicker of excitement had crossed his face, but he knew that his eyes had been safely away before Yamata had caught his expression. 'The truck isn't here yet. I would like to ask Van Effen one or two questions.' He hoped his voice sounded casual.
'We have a minute or two,' Yamata nodded. 'It might amuse me. But be quick.'
'Thank you.' He looked at Van Effen. 'As a matter of interest, who gave Miss Plenderleith the diamonds ? and the plans?'
'What does it matter now?' Van Effen's voice was heavy, remote. 'It's all past and done with now.'
'Please,' Nicolson persisted. It had suddenly become essential to stall for time. 'I really would like to know.'
'Very well.' Van Effen looked at him curiously. 'I'll tell you. Farnholme had them both ? and he had them nearly all the time. That should have been obvious to you from the fact that Miss Plenderleith had them. Where the plans came from I've told you I don't know: the diamonds were given him by the Dutch authorities in Borneo.'
'They must have had a great deal of faith in him,' Nicolson said dryly.
'They had. They had every reason to. Farnholme was utterly reliable. He was an infinitely resourceful and clever man, and knew the East ? especially the islands ? as well as any man alive. We know for a fact that he spoke at least fourteen Asiatic languages.'
'You seem to have known a great deal about him.' 'We did. It was our business ? and very much to our interest ? to find out all we could. Farnholme was one of our archenemies. To the best of our knowledge he had been a member of your Secret Service for just over thirty years.'
There were one or two stifled gasps of surprise and the sudden low murmur of voices. Even Yamata had sat down again and was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, his keen dark face alight with interest.
'Secret Service!' Nicolson let his breath go in a long, soundless whistle of surprise, rubbed a hand across his forehead in a gesture of disbelief and wonderment. He had guessed as much five minutes ago. Under the protective cover of his hand his eyes flickered sideways for a split second, glanced through the open door of the council house, then looked at Van Effen. 'But ? but Miss Plenderleith said he commanded a regiment in Malaya, some years ago.'
'That's right, he did.' Van Effen smiled. 'At least, he appeared to.'
'Go on, go on.' It was Captain Findhorn who urged him. 'Not much to go on with. The Japanese and myself knew of the missing plans, within hours of their being stolen. I was after them with official Japanese backing. We hadn't reckoned on Farnholme having made arrangements to take the diamonds with him also ? a stroke of genius on Farnholme's part. It served a double purpose. If anyone penetrated his disguise as an alcoholic beachcomber on the run, he could buy his way out of trouble. Or if anyone were still suspicious of him and discovered the diamonds they would be sure to think that that accounted for his disguise and odd behaviour and let it go at that. And, in the last resort, if the Japanese discovered on what ship he was, he hoped that cupidity or their natural desire to recover such a valuable wartime merchandise would make them think twice about sinking the ship, in the hope that they
