“We’ve found each other, darling. That’s all thatmatters.” There was a knock on the door, the politeknock of a waiter. “That’ll be the coffee. Go use mytoothbrush.”
They sat across from each other at the smallmarble table in front of the window. It was time,and they both knew it. Joel placed a sheet of hotelstationery beside his coffee and a hotel pen on top.
“I still can’t get over my aunt!” said Valsuddenly. “How could I have done it? How could Inot have known?”
“A couple of times I asked myself the samequestion.” Converse smiled gently. “About you, Imean.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t throw me out of the cablecar.”
“Only crossed my mind twice.”
“God, I was stupid!”
“No, you were desperate, ” corrected Joel. “Justas she was desperate. You were grasping atpossibilities, for help. She was desperately trying togo back to the only meaningful days of her life. Aperson can be terribly convincing feeling like that.She had the proper words, all those esoteric phrasesyou’d heard all your life. You believed her. I wouldhave believed her too.”
“You’re devastating when you’re kind, darling.Go easy, it’s morning.”
“Tell me about Sam Abbott,” he said.
“Yes, of course, but before I do, I want you toknow we’re not alone. There’s a man in Paris, aninspector from the Surete, who knows you didn’t killRene and you couldn’t have killed the one theycalled a chauffeur at the George Cinq.”
Startled, Joel leaned forward over his coffee.“But I did kill that man. God knows I didn’t meanto I thought he was reaching for a gun, not aradio but I fought him, I smashed his head intothe wall; he died from a cranial something-or-other.”
“No, he didn’t. He was killed in the hospital. Hewas suffocated; his lungs were collapsed bysuffocation. It was unrelated to his injuries, that’swhat Prudhomme said. As he put it, if you didn’tkill the driver and you didn’t kill Rene, how manyothers didn’t you kill? He thinks you’ve been set up,he doesn’t know why any more than he canunderstand why evidence has been suppressed, orsuddenly found when it should have been foundearlier if it existed in this case your finger
prints in Mattilon’s office. He wants to help; he gaveme a telephone number where we can reach him.”
“Can we trust him?” asked Joel, writing a note onthe stationery.
“I think so. He did something remarkable thismorning, but I’ll get to that.”
“ The man at the George Cinq,” said Conversesoftly. “Bertholdier’s aide. It’s where the runningbegan. It’s as though the moment was suddenlyseized upon, someone recognizing a possible strategy,not wanting to let the opportunity slip away. ”Brandhim a killer now, maybe we can use it, build on it.All it costs is a life.’lesus!”Joel struck a match and lita cigarette. “Go on, " he continued. “Go back. Whatabout Sam?”
She told him everything, starting with themadness at the St. Regis in New York thefrightening telephone call that led to an intenseyoung man racing up the steps and an Army officerrunning after her down the street.
“The odd thing here,” interrupted Converse, “isthat those men, that call, might have beenlegitimate.”
“What? How? The first one looked like a Hitleryouth, and the other was in uniform!”
"Most people in uniform would be the first onesto want the generals of Aquitaine cut loose in atyphoon. Remember, Fitzpatrick said those fourdossiers came from way down deep in official vaults,and judging from much of the material, Connalthought there was heavy military input. Maybe mysilent partners in Washington are beginning to crawlout of their sewers. Sorry. Go on.”
She told him of meeting Sam at the diner in LasVegas the married Sam, Sam the father of twoyoung girls. Wincing, Joel listened, all his antennaerevolving, catching every turn of phrase, everymeaning that might have more than one meaning,trying desperately to find a clue, a wayffomething,anything they might use or act upon. And then heheld up his hand, signaling Val to stop.
“The three of you were going to Washington?”
“Yes.”
“You and Sam and this third person he was goingto see, going to talk to the one he said would knowwhat to do.”
“Yes. The man who had Sam killed. He was theonly one Sam talked to.”
“But Abbott said he trusted him. With "his life,’I think you said.”
“Sam said,” corrected Valerie. “He was wrong.”
“Not necessarily. Sam was easygoing but noteasily conned. He chose his friends carefully; hedidn’t have too many because he knew his rank wasvulnerable.”
“But he didn’t talk with anyone else_”
“I’m sure he didn’t, but this other man had to. Iknow something about crisis conferences inWashington and that’s exactly what Sam meantwhen he said you were going there. Those meetingsdon’t just happen; some strong words are used tocut a path through the bureaucratic mess. CertainlySam’s name would be put forward first he had thestatus and the rank and just possibly my name, oryours, or even Delavane’s, any of which would havebeen enough.” Converse picked up the pen. “Whatwas his name?”
“Oh, Lord,” said Val, closing her eyes, herfingers massaging her forehead. “Let me think….Alan, the first name was Alan…. Alan Metzger?Metland… ?”
“Was there a rank, a title of some kind?”
“No. Metcalf! Alan Metcalf, that was it.”
Joel wrote down the name. “Okay, let’s get toParis, the man from the Surete.”
She began with the odd behavior of theimmigration officials, which led to the strangemeeting with the weary, rumpled Prudhomme. Shereached the end of the Frenchman’s startlingrevelations, repeating herself but filling in all the de-tails she had omitted previously. When she finished,Converse held up his palm for the second time, hismouth open in astonishment, his eyes wide andalive.
“The Taffana family?” he asked incredulously.“Are you certain?”
“Completely. I asked him again this morning.”
“This morning? Yes, you said he did somethingremarkable this morning. What happened?”
“He stayed up all night outside the hotel in hiscar, and when I left in a taxi shortly after the sunwas up he crashed and I mean crashed into thecar behind us. I was being followed. He told me tohurry up and get out of there. That’s when I askedhim to repeat the name. It was Tatiana.”
“That was the name Rene told me to use withCort Thorbecke in Amsterdam. “Say you’re amember of the Tatiana family. Those were hisinstructions. ”
THE AQUITAINE
PROGRESSION 589“What does it meant”
“Rene didn’t go into it too deeply, but I got thedrift. Ap“arently it means some kind of trust, alitmus test that clears omeone for a level ofinformation that would be withheld rom ninety-ninepercent of the people wanting it. ”
“Why?”
“It sounds crazy, but Mattilon said it was becausewho"ver was part of Tatiana was trusted by themost suspicious eople on earth men who couldn’tafford to make a mis:ake.”
“My God, who?”
“Russians. Commissars in the Kremlin who floatmoney ut to brokers in the West who invest it.”
“You’re right,” said Val. “It’s crazy.”
“But it works, don’t you see? Decent men who forone reason or another found themselves in a worldthey probably rated, never knowing whom they couldtrust, figured out a rode among themselves. To be amember of the Tahanas is some kind of clearance.It’s not only a signal of emergency it’s more thanthat. It means that whoever sends that signal is allright in spite of what he may have to do. I’ll bet it’sone hell of a small circle. Rene, this Prudhomme,they’d fit into it. And for us it’s a key, we can trustit.”
“You’re in court, aren’t you?” said the now andformer Mrs. Converse, reaching across the table forhis free hand.
“I don’t know any other way to do it. Facts,names, tactics; somewhere there’s a crack, a road wecan take we have to take. Quickly.”
“I�
��d start with Prudhomme,” said Val.
“We’ll call in his hand but maybe not first. Let’stake things in sequence. Are there two phones inhere? A certain ex-wife had me too preoccupied tonotice last night.”
“She’s probably pregnant.”
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“Down, boy. Yes, there’s another phone. It’s inthe bathroom.”
“I want you to call this Metcalf, Alan Metcalf, inLas Vegas. We’ll get the number from information.I’ll listen.”
“What do I say?”
“What name did you and Sam use?”
“The one I told you. Parquette.”
“Say that’s who’s calling, nothing else. Let him makethe
first move. If it’s wrong, I’ll know we’ll bothknow and I’ll hang up. You’ll hear me and youhang up, too.”
“Suppose he’s not there? Suppose I get a wife ora girl friend or a child?”
“Leave your name quickly and say you’ll callback m an hour.”
Peter Stone sat on the sofa, his feet up on thecoffee table. Across, in two armchairs, were theArmy captain out of uniform and the young Navylieutenant, also in street clothes.
“We agree, then,” said Stone. “We try thisMetcalf and hope for the best. If we’re wrong ifI’m wrong we could be traced, and don’t foolyourselves, you’ve been seen here, you could beidentified. But as I told you before, there comes atime when you have to take a risk you’d rather nottake. You’re out of safe territory and you hope toChrist you get through it fast. I can’t promise thatyou will. This phone is tapped into another number,a hotel across town, so any trace would be delayed,but only delayed while everyone registered ischecked, every room checked. Once that’s over with,any experienced telephone repairman could godown in the cellars and find the intercept.”
“How much time would that give us?” asked theArmy of ficer.
“It’s one of the largest hotels in New York,”replied the civilian. “With luck, twenty-four tothirty-six hours.”
“Go for it!” ordered the Navy man.
".Oh, for God’s sake,” said the captain, runninghis hand through his hair. “Yes, of course, try it, tryhim. But I’m still not sure why.”
“Scat patterns. It was routine information andeasy to get. Abbott wrote out his schedules everyday and he was preciseabout them. There was apreponderance of lunches alone with Metcalf, anddinners with both families at either the Abbott orthe Metcalf home. I think he trusted the man, andas a longtime intelligence officer Metcalf was thelogical one to go to. Also, there’s something else.Along with Converse, all three were prisoners ofwar in Vietnam.”
“Go for it!” cried the Navy lieutenant.
“For Christ’s sake, find another phrase,” said thecaptain.
“It’s an answering machine!” shouted Val,gripping the mouthpiece of the telephone.
Joel came out of the bathroom. “One hour,” hewhis"ered.
“One hour,” she said. “Miss Parquette will callback in n hour.” She hung up.
“And every hour after that,” added Converse,staring town at the phone. “I don’t like this. It’s oneo’clock in the Horning back there, and if there’s awife or children aroumd, omeone should have beenthere.”
“Sam didn’t mention a wife or children, except hisown.”
“No reason why he would.”
“There could be a dozen explanations, Joel.”
“I just hope it’s not the one I keep thinking about.”
“Let me call Prudhomme,” said Valerie. “Let’suse this atiana family.”
“Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“We need something else he needs somethingelse.’ ;uddenly, Converse’s gaze fell on the thickenvelope adlressed to Nathan Simon. It was on thebureau, his false pass"ort on top. “My God, wemay have it,” he said quietly. “It’s een right there allthe time and I didn’t see it.”
Val followed his eyes. “The analysis you wrote forNahan?”
“I called it the best brief I ever wrote, but ofcourse it’s lot a brief at all. It doesn’t address pointsof law except in the videst, most abstract sense,without acceptable evidence to upport theaccusations. What it does address is the pervertedmbitions of powerful men who want to change thelaws, alering governments, supplanting them withraw military conrols, all in the name of maintainingthe law and preserving he order they themselves willbe called upon to maintain and “reserve. And if”compromise’ means killing if they intend nountingwholesale assassinations they can do it.”
“What’s your point, Joel?”
“If I’m going to build a case, I’d better do it theonly way know how from premise to conclusionbased on affidavits, repositions starting with myown and ending with pretrial xaminahons.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
" The law, Mrs. Converse,” said Joel, picking upthe enveope. “And what it’s meant to do. I can usemost of what’s in ere just in a different form.Naturally, I’ll want other coroborating depositions,the farther afield the better. That’s
when you’ll call this Prudhomme and join theTatiana family. Then hopefully we’ll reach Sam’sfriend, Metcalf goddamn it, he’ll have something togive us…. Finally, I’m going to want to examine atleast two of the alleged defendants oral-ly Leifhelm, for one, and probably Abrahms,maybe Delavane himself.”
“You’re mad! " cried Valerie.
“No, I’m not,” said Converse simply. “I’ll needhelp, I know that. But I’ve got enough money tohire a couple of squads of miscreants and oncePrudhomme understands, I have an Idea he’ll knowwhere the union hall is. We’ve got a lot of work todo, Val. All courts like immaculate menu”
scripts. “
“For Christ’s sake, Joel, speak English.”
“You’re a romantic, Mrs. Converse,” he saidapproaching her. These are the nuts and bolts youdon’t find in seascapes. “
T eydo have to be sketched, my darling. Andbalanced or unbalanced, the colorsdeliberate What are you talking
“A stenographer a legal secretary, if you canfind one Someone who’s willing to stay here all dayand half the night; if need be. Offer three times thegoing rate.”
“Say I find one,” said Val. " What in heaven’sname are you going to tell her? Or him?”
Joel frowned as he crossed aimlessly to thewindow. "A novel,” he said, turning. “We’re writinga novel. The first twenty or thirty pages are to beread as an upcoming court case, a trial.”
"Based on real people, men everyone’s read about?”
It’s a new kind of fiction, but it’s only a novel.That’s all
Morning came to New York and Stone wasalone again. The Navy lieutenant and the Armycaptain were back at their desks in Washington. Itwas better this way; they could not help him, andthe less they were seen around the apartment themore likely they might escape detection if thehammer came down. And the hammer could comedown, Stone knew It. It was as clear as the fact thatColonel Alan Metcalf was the chord they needed tostart the music. “Without him,” as Johnny Reb mighthave said in the old days, “the tune ain’t gonna getout of the fiddle no stompin’ unless he shows up.”But could he show up? wondered the formeroperations offi
cer for Central Intelligence. To all intents andpurposes he had disappeared, that was the wordfrom Nellis, and the investigating unit did notpretend to understand or appreciate his absence.That, too, was the word and it was delivered harshly.
But Stone understood. Metcalf now knew whathe knew what they knew and the colonel wouldnot play by any rules written in the regulations, notif he was any good. Not if he was alive. And theex-agent also understood something else when itcame to telephone answering machines andintelligence personnel. The equipment was adaptableand sophisticated, courtesy of the American taxpayerand, considering the extraordinary waste, one of hisbetter investments. Metcalf would play it well if hewas alive and any good. He would use a remote,programming it and reprogramming it, hearing whathe wanted to hear, erasing what he wa
nted to erase,and leaving in certain information, preferablymisleading. There would also be a code, probablychanged daily, that if not inserted accurately wouldmelt the tape with a ten-second burst ofmicrowaves all standard. If he was any good. If hewas alive.
Stone counted on both that the colonel wasgood and that he was alive. There was no point inthinking otherwise; that only led to staying in JohnnyReb’s hammock or " gain’ fishin’,” doing whateverone did as a robot. Which was why Stone had left amessage on MetcalPs machine an hour ago atsix-thirty-five. He had chosen a name Converse’swife former wife would have to have relayed tothe dead Samuel Abbott. Marcus Aurelius ascending.Respond and erase, please. Then Stone had given thetelephone number at the apartment, which, if traced,would lead the tracers to the Hilton Hotel onFifty-third Street.
There was only one other person in the worldStone wished he could reach, but that man was “onholiday we have no means of getting in touch.” Thewords were patently a lie, but to challenge that liewould mean that Peter would have to say more thanhe wanted to say. The man was Derek Belamy, chiefof Clandestine Operations for Britain’s M.1.6 andone of the only real friends Stone had ever had in allhis years with the Central Intelligence Agency.Belamy was such a good friend that when Peter wasstation chief in London, the Englishman had toldhim bluntly to get out for a while before the whiskytook over altogether and his ass was nailed to analcoholic cross: “”I have a doctor who’ll certify aminor
breakdown, Peter. I’ve a guest cottage on thegrounds in Kent. Stay there, get well, old boy. "
Stone had refused, and it was the mostdestructive decision he had ever made. The rest wasthe drunken nightmare Belamy had predicted.
But it was not Derek’s concern for a friend thatmade Peter want to reach him. It was Belamy’sbrilliance, his perceptiveness, quietly concealedbehind a pleasant, even prosaic exterior. And theknowledge that Derek Belamy had the pulse ofEurope in his head, and given the most basicinformation, could smell out a Delavane operation.And, in fact, thought Stone hopefully, he wassmelling them out now in Ireland certainly wherehe was now. Sooner or later preferablysooner Belamy would return his call. When he did,a munitions shipment from Beloit, Wisconsin, wouldbe described in full. Derek Belamy loathed theDelavanes of this world. His old friend wouldbecome an ally against the generals.
The Aquaintaine Progession Page 69