‘And the only tiling that could hold the Russians up, while the Western Allies captured as much of Europe as was left to them, was the mighty German Army. And without oil we know that the German Army would have been finished by the summer of 1944. A few months, even weeks later the Russians would have been eating chips in Boulogne. At least ABCO did their bit there.’
Hawn said: ‘Are you repeating what the Big Boys told you to say back there in Mexico? Or do you really believe all this?’
‘That’s something I need not answer. Instead, let me ask you a question. How many hours did it take you to fly today from Berlin — from a hundred miles behind the Russian lines to London? Just over two hours — barely enough for a couple of drinks, a frozen lunch, and coffee. But that time and distance could have been a great deal shorter. It might not have existed at all. Just remember that.’
‘Who killed Norman French?’ said Hawn.
‘I honestly don’t know. But I can make a few intelligent guesses — which is no more than the police have been able to do. Young French had made himself very unpopular with a lot of people. Mostly in America, and mostly in ABCO. But ABCO has a long arm, and an even longer memory. Normally they go after the big fish, not worms. Perhaps it was just unfortunate for French that he’d already got himself involved with your investigations.’
‘Robak?’
‘Robak — Schlobak.’ Shanklin heaved his shoulders in a dismissive sigh; then got up, crossed the room and picked up the shotgun from where he had placed it against the wall. Deftly, in a single movement, he swung it up until it pointed at the wall above Hawn’s head. Then, very deliberately, he cracked the gun open, and lowering it a few inches, squinted down each barrel. ‘Don Robak was in Brazil, I understand. You’ve got contacts in the police. You can check.’
He blew hard, first down one barrel, then the other. ‘Or it could have been any number of stockholders whom young Norman French had torn off, even ruined. There we are — clean as a whistle!’ He replaced the gun and came back to his chair. He was smiling at them both indulgently: ‘Anything else either of you want to know?’
‘Who is Hanak?’ Hawn said.
‘Ah yes. Hanak. Rare bird. One in a million. Not out of the usual Secret Service mould — all Burton suits and rounds of bitter in the local in Horseferry Road. Oh no, Hanak’s special. It was something of a privilege having him sent in to work with you. I hear he hurt his thumb, by the way?’
‘Who the hell is he?’ said Hawn.
‘One of our brighter lads attached to the Ministry of Defence, as it is euphemistically put. Jewish, of course. Rather a nice irony there, I think — one that would appeal to your newshound’s sense of the absurd. Only I forget, of course — you won’t be able to write it, will you?’
‘And who’s going to stop me?’
‘You will. Or rather, your self-restraint. Your wisdom and better judgement.’
‘Inspired by your honeyed words, Shanklin? By your sweet reason, combined with your appreciation of recent history? Perhaps that’s why you and Robak’s boys never tried to buy us off? No, Anna and I are satisfied to leave the bribing — what I call petty ex’s — to that evil genius, Pol. God let him rot in an East German jail.’
Shanklin nodded. ‘That was the one mistake the East Germans made — they underrated Pol. They didn’t trust him either, of course, or they wouldn’t have sent a platoon of troops to the lake this morning. But they didn’t expect him and his mercenary thugs to start a shootout and kill their star witness.’
Hawn stared at him. ‘How the hell do you know about it so quickly?’
‘Little machine called the telephone. Plus a telex to their Security in Alexanderplatz, East Berlin.’
‘You and ABCO and Pol had the East Germans eating out of your hand. How come? They’re nobody’s saints — and they’re certainly not blind kittens, either.’
‘Menes par le bout du nez,’ Shanklin said, with a rarefied accent: “‘Led by the nose”, as your chum Pol would have said.’
‘Used!’ Anna broke in bitterly. ‘That’s what we were — used by you and Robak and Pol — even by British Intelligence. And what the hell was in it for them?’
Hawn gave a savage laugh. ‘That would be a good story — connivance between MI6 and the boys over the Wall. I wouldn’t like to jump to any false conclusions there.’ Shanklin blew his nose. ‘I can’t answer every little question, you know. It all boils down really to a matter of priorities and common interests. When our interests and those of the East Germans happen to coincide, hoopla! — you almost hear wedding bells in the air. But seriously. You have to look at it not only from the East German point of view, but also from Whitehall’s. The Communist Krauts are busy doing a deal with ABCO — ergo, ABCO suddenly has a lot of lead to swing behind the Iron Curtain. The East Germans are very anxious that their deal goes through. And — through a certain Colonel Kardich, of their Security Police — they are persuaded to go along with ABCO’s plan, whatever that is.
‘And Kardich appears to have agreed, but on two conditions. Firstly — you and your girlfriend cannot be allowed to run around loose on their patch. Secondly, when