H.M.S. Unseen

southwest corner of the Isle of Skye.”

The admiral then pointed out the progression of his thoughts — the lost fishing boat, the missing soldiers on St. Kilda, the Zodiac suddenly turning up in Mallaig. “I believe,” he said, “that our man got off Unseen at 09.40 West, made his way to St. Kilda for petrol, then got to Mallaig. I have no idea what he is doing — but today a man turned up at my former son-in-law’s house looking for Laura. The description fitted Adnam as I remember him. But he claimed to have met her in Cairo. And I know that she and Adnam once went there together. No one was supposed to know, and no one but he could have known. It was him all right, and he’s on the loose here.”

“Did he give an indication how long he was staying in Scotland?”

“No. But my idiot ex-son-in-law did tell him Laura was expected at the end of Easter, so I imagine he’ll stay around here for a couple of weeks. But you could never be sure. For all I know he’s going to get back on the submarine and hit something else…but I thought I’d better keep you up to speed.”

“Iain, I don’t need to tell you I’m delighted that you did call. I’m just wondering if there are any further checks we ought to make. Where are Bill and Laura now?”

“They’re here, I think, for another five days.”

“Let’s get ’em the hell out. Back to Kansas. And I think I’d better get a general alert out to watch for Adnam at all airport entry points in the United States. I cannot imagine that he would come here, where he is most wanted as an international criminal. But, now he knows she has gone off with an American, he might try to get to her in the States. Wish we knew what name he was traveling under.”

“Douglas — the ex — son-in-law — had a name but forgot it.”

“Don’t forget to congratulate him for me on that.”

“I won’t. Do you have a decent picture of Adnam for your checkpoints?”

“I’m not sure…but I think I can get one from David Gavron.”

“Okay, Arnold. I won’t keep you any longer. If you don’t have any luck with the Mossad, we have a good picture of him when he was here…eighteen years ago, but it might help.”

“Good. We’ll talk later.”

Commander Adnam drove north, his mind churning. Laura was coming to Scotland, but what good would that do him? She would be at MacLean’s house, and the admiral would recognize him instantly. He could not keep the white mansion under surveillance, and she might only be there for a couple of days. No, if he wanted to talk to Laura, and her husband, the place to go, perhaps in the next week, was Kansas, their permanent home.

The United States of America was also, he believed, the only place to which he could go, the one country whose natural self-interest might just make him too valuable to kill, if he played his many high cards correctly. Because Benjamin Adnam was not merely the most wanted man in the world, he was also one of the most knowledgeable. He knew many Naval and military secrets of Israel, Iraq, and Iran. He understood their attitudes, hopes, and fears. With him, Benjamin Adnam, on its side, the United States would have a supreme, strategic asset. Just so long as he could convince them of this before they took him out.

He knew he had to go in at the highest possible level, and that might not be too simple. He had not a single contact in the U.S.A. Unless — and the thought struck him suddenly — Mr. Baldridge took him there. The man entrusted with running to ground the perpetrator of the Thomas Jefferson disaster would be a man in touch with the highest members of the current Republican administration in Washington.

The sheer simplicity of this trail to a new life struck Ben as so utterly convenient it must be impossible. But the logic was as straight as a line of longitude. If he could find Laura, he would find Baldridge, and if he found him, he might be able to swing some kind of a deal. Either way, the former U.S. Navy officer would most likely prefer to put the great Iraqi terrorist in front of some very senior people, rather than the local sheriff.

The main problem was, surely, how to get into the United States of America without being apprehended by the immigration authorities and swiftly handed over to the merciless agents of the CIA. He believed the straight London — New York, or London — Washington was very tight at the immigration desks. And he decided to find another, quieter route into the customs halls of the Great Satan.

As he drove back past the rolling hills of Lammermuir, Commander Adnam weighed up the factors that ranged against him: the fact that Lieutenant Commander Baldridge had spent time with the MacLeans meant they all knew who he was; he felt reasonably sure Douglas Anderson would have alerted the admiral that someone had been inquiring for Laura; knowing the mind of old MacLean, Ben was prepared for anything. My Teacher will remain consistent, missing nothing, not then, not now.

In Ben’s view, he had to get out of Scotland and into another country without his British passport being freshly stamped. From there he would try to make his way unobtrusively into the United States. There was only one country from which he could pull off such a move…Ireland, because he would not need a passport to get in. Not from England or Scotland. If MacLean had alerted his American friends, they would be keeping a rigid watch on passengers coming in from London, Manchester, Edinburgh, or Glasgow. But perhaps not quite so stringently from Shannon.

Bill, Laura, and the girls arrived back from Edinburgh shortly after 1900. Laura had signed a stack of legal papers in her solicitor’s office, and Bill had countersigned several as well. It was beginning to look as if she would be granted full custody and that Douglas would have the girls for vacations only. Admiral MacLean’s powerful intervention with the judge had worked a miracle, and it seemed increasingly likely that they would ultimately attend their new stepgrandmother’s alma mater, Wellesley College, outside Boston, Massachusetts.

The admiral met the Range Rover as it drove in, with Laura at the wheel. He told Mary and Flora to run along to the kitchen, where their grandma and Angus had their supper ready. He then suggested that Laura and Bill join him in the drawing room for a drink before dinner because there was something he needed to discuss.

They could both see the concern on his face, and they both noticed he was silent as he poured three glasses of whiskey and soda. The admiral wasted no time beating about the bush.

He mentioned that he hoped Bill liked the Scotch, a single malt distilled locally, but that the subject he wanted to discuss was very pressing.

“Ben Adnam showed up this afternoon at Douglas Anderson’s house,” he said. “He was looking for Laura, who he apparently thought was still in residence. Douglas called to let me know — the description fitted, and he told Douglas that he and his wife met you in Cairo…the Mena House Hotel actually…bit close to the bone, eh?”

“God, Daddy. I didn’t know even you knew that.”

“Well, I didn’t until about two years after the event. But I tend to come stumbling along a bit behind the rest of the world. Nonetheless, the Cairo clue was decisive. It had to be Ben.”

“Correct. It had to be Ben. And you say he was looking for me?”

“According to Douglas, he was.”

“But why?”

“Oh, it’s hard to know really. But chaps in his line of country lead very strange, lonely lives. And when they finish their various projects, it’s nearly impossible for them to return to anything normal.”

“Yes. I suppose so. Do you think I’m in any danger?”

“Possibly. I mean when a chap has already killed several thousand people, you don’t quite know what his state of mind may be. Especially if he’s been fired, or, for some reason, feels unwanted. All kinds of odd thoughts can pop into such a disturbed mind. I mean, it’s not completely beyond the realm of possibility that he might have gone to the house intending to kill Douglas and kidnap you. Let’s face it, he might be planning to kill Bill right now, and kidnap you. Either way, we are going to be very careful indeed until he is caught. I’ve had a talk with Arnold Morgan, who is concerned for your safety. He thinks you should leave Scotland immediately and return to Kansas… that’s the morning flight to Chicago tomorrow.”

“You think it’s that serious, Iain?” asked Bill.

“Actually, no. But you can’t be too careful with this man. So it is serious enough for me to have changed your reservations, and organized a Navy car and escort to get you into the airport with the girls by 0900 tomorrow.”

“Does Adnam know where we live in the States?” asked Laura.

“I don’t think so. He did not, after all, even know you were not married to Douglas anymore. But I’d better bloody ask. I should have thought of that when he rang. Must be getting old.”

“What’s Admiral Morgan doing?”

“Stepping up security at all airport points of entry, looking for Adnam, in case he should try to enter the U.S.A. If I know Arnold, it’ll be quiet but thorough. I just called him back. He’s organizing a Navy helicopter to run