'Nonsense, Mr Andropulos. You exaggerate. Well, Admiral, we're off. Taking a median estimate on Dr Wick-ram's time limits we should be disposing of this mine in nine hours' time - six a.m. tomorrow. If the wind holds - there's no guarantee that it will, of course -- we'll be well on our way to the Kasos Strait by then.'
Hawkins nodded. 'And with luck -- although I don't see why the factor luck should enter into it -- we should be picking you up in the early afternoon tomorrow. We shall remain with Captain Montgomery until he has finished loading the hydrogen missiles and until the destroyer I've radioed for comes to pick him up and escort him to Thessalonika. That should be between nine and ten in the morning. Then we'll come looking for you.' He turned his head. 'You're off, Mr Andropulos? I should have thought you would have remained to witness this rather historic moment.'
'I intend to do just that. I also intended to record this historic moment. I go to fetch my trusty Leica. Well, Lieutenant Denholm's trusty Leica. He lent it to me less than an hour ago.'
Talbot chatted briefly with Hawkins, said his goodbye, climbed down the gangway, had a brief word with Denholm on the launch and then boarded the Angelina. Van Gelder had already pulled in and coiled the bow rope. Talbot stooped over the cleat on the poop-deck to do the same with the stern rope when he became aware of a certain commotion and exclamations about his head. He straightened and looked up.
Andropulos had made his reappearance not with his trusty Leica but with what was probably an equally trusty and much more unpleasant Navy Colt .44, the muzzle of which was pressed against the temple of a plainly terrified Angelina Wotherspoon. Behind him loomed Alexander and Aristotle, both men similarly armed and both with the muzzles of their pistols similarly pointed at temples, those of Irene Charial and her friend Eugenia, neither of whom looked any happier than Angelina, which was to say that they looked very unhappy indeed. Having a pistol grinding into one's temple is an unpleasant sensation for even the most hardened: for three young ladies whose nearest previous approach to violence must have been the printed page or some of the less-regarded TV psycho-dramas the effect must have been traumatic.
'Don't cast off quite yet, Captain,' Andropulos said. 'We're coming with you.'
'What in God's name is the meaning of this devilry?' Hawkins's expression reflected an equal degree of shock and anger. 'Have you taken leave of your senses?'
'We have not taken leave of our senses. We are just taking leave of you.'
'I don't understand,' Hawkins said. 'I just don't understand. This is the way you repay us for having saved your lives and offered you every hospitality?'
'We thank you both for your care and your kindness. However, we have no wish to overstay our welcome or impose upon you further.' He jabbed Angelina's temple with a force that made her gasp with pain. 'After you, Mrs Wotherspoon.'
The six of them descended the gangway in succession and boarded the Angelina. Andropulos transferred the attention of his Colt from Angelina to Talbot and Van Gelder.
'Nothing rash or heroic or gallant, if you please,' Andropulos said. 'Especially gallant. It could only have the most distressing consequences, both for you and the three young ladies.'
'Is this a joke?' Talbot said.
'Ah! Do I detect a certain loss of composure, a crack in the monolithic calm? If I were you, Captain, I would not take me for a joker.'
'I don't.' Talbot made no attempt to conceal his bitterness. 'I took you for a wealthy businessman and a man of honour. I took you at your face value. I suppose we all learn from our mistakes.'
'You are too late to learn from this mistake. You are correct in one respect - I freely confess to being a wealthy businessman. A very wealthy one. As to the second charge?' He shrugged his indifference. 'Honour is in the eye of the beholder. Let us not waste time. Instruct this young man -- ' Denholm standing in the bows of the launch was less than six feet away ' -- to follow his orders precisely. The orders, I understand, that you have given him, Captain. That is, not to start his engines until we have put three miles away from him and then to circle us, at that same distance, to fend off unwanted intruders.'
'Lieutenant Denholm understands his orders perfectly clearly;'
'In which case, cast off.'
The wind was fresh, but not strong, and it took the Angelina quite some time to overcome its initial inertia and reach a speed of three or four knots. Slowly the Ariadne dropped astern and after fifteen minutes it was at least a mile distant.
'Excellent,' Andropulos said. 'Rather gratifying, is it not, when things go exactly according to plan.' There was no hint of undue satisfaction in his voice. 'Tell me, Commander Talbot, would you believe me when I say that I am genuinely fond, very fond, of my niece and her friend Eugenia and might even come to regard Mrs Wotherspoon in the same light?'
'I don't know why I should believe you and I don't see why it should concern me. It could be.'
'And would you believe me when I say I wouldn't harm a hair of their heads.'
'I'm afraid I do.'
'Afraid?'
'Osiers wouldn't believe it, or wouldn't know whether to believe it or not. Which makes them perfect hostages.'
'Exactly. I don't need to say that they will come to no harm in my hands.' He looked thoughtfully at Talbot. 'You are singularly incurious as to the reasons for my conduct.'
'I am very curious. But one does not become a wealthy businessman by engaging in idle tittle-tattle. If I were to ask you, you would tell me exactly what you wanted to tell me. No more, no less.'
'How very true. Now, a different point entirely. The three young ladies pose absolutely no threat to me. Yo*u and Van Gelder are a very different kettle of fish. My two friends and I regard you as highly dangerous individuals. We think you are capable of concocting devious and cunning plans and using a great deal of violence in putting those plans to the test -- if, that is, you thought there was the slightest chance of success. You will understand, therefore, that we will have to immobilize you. I will remain by the wheel here. You two gentlemen, accompanied by the three ladies, will proceed to the saloon where Aristotle who, as you will readily understand, is very good at knots, will tie you hand and foot, while Alexander, who is every bit as proficient with a gun as Aristotle is with ropes, will ensure that proceedings are conducted in a peaceful fashion.'
Hawkins was bent over Professor Wotherspoon who was lying half propped-up on a sofa in the wardroom. Wotherspoon, dazed and making odd choking noises that were part way between moans and curses, was struggling to open his eyes. Finally, with the aid of his fingers, he managed to do just that.
'What the hell has happened?' The watchers had to strain to catch his words, which were no more than an asthmatic croak. 'Where am I?'
'Take this.' Hawkins put an arm around his shoulders and a glass of brandy to his lips. Wotherspoon sipped, gagged, then drained the contents.
'What has happened?'
'You've been banged over the back of the head,' Grierson said, 'and not lightly, either. "Sapped", I believe, is the current term. By the butt of the revolver, I should guess.'
Wotherspoon struggled to a sitting position. 'Who?'
'Andropulos,' Hawkins said. 'Or one of his criminal friends. Some more brandy is in order, Doctor?'
'Normally, no,' Grierson said. 'In this case, yes. I know the back of your head must hurt badly, Professor, but don't touch it. Bruised, bleeding, puffy but no fracture.'
'Andropulos has hijacked your vessel,' Hawkins said. 'Along, of course, with the atomic mine. He has also taken hostages.'
Wotherspoon nodded and winced at the pain it caused him. 'My wife, of course, is one of them.'
'I am sorry. Along with Irene Charial and her friend Eugenia. There was no way we could stop them.'
'Did you try?'
'Would you have tried if you saw the barrel of a Colt screwing into your wife's temple? And two other guns screwed into the temples of the two other ladies?'
'I hardly think so.' Wotherspoon shook his
head. 'I'm trying to come to terms with the situation. With a head like an over-ripe pumpkin about to burst, it's not,easy. Talbot and Van Gelder. What's happened to them?'
'We don't know, of course. Clapped in irons, handcuffed or some such, I should imagine.'
'Or permanently disposed of. What in God's name is behind all this, Admiral? Do you think this fellow Andropulos has gone off his rocker?'
'By his own standards, he's probably under the impression that he's perfectly sane. We have every reason to believe that he is a,long-term and highly professional criminal operating on a hitherto unprecedented international scale. Terrorism and drugs would appear to be his forte. There is no time to go into that at the moment. The immediate point is that Lieutenant Denholm is very shortly leaving in the launch to follow them. Do you feel up to accompanying him?'
'Follow them? Board and capture them? I should say.'
'As you as much as said yourself, Professor, your mind isn't yet firing on all cylinders. If the launch were to go within a couple of miles of the Angelina its engine beat would probably detonate the atomic mine.'
'As you say, I'm not at my best. But if you have any spare rifles or pistols there would be no harm in taking them along. Just in case,'
'There will be no firearms. If there were to be any exchange of fire you know where the first bullet would lodge, don't you?'
'Yes. You do put things so nicely. Less than an hour ago you were prepared to restrain me at all costs. You seem to have changed your mind, Admiral.'
'It's not my mind that has changed. It's the circumstances.'
'A rapid change in circumstances,' the President said, 'does give one a rather more balanced view of life. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I enjoyed that lunch, but then, a couple of hours ago I didn't expect or wish to have any today. Although the memory of the treachery will be with us for a long time one has to admit that the discreet if tragic settlement of the Pentagon question removes a major burden of worry. But that was only a local and, let us confess it, a basically selfish concern.' He waved the paper he held in his hand. 'This, of course, is what matters. The good ship Angelina, with this damned bomb aboard, is heading steadily south-east and with every second that passes it is putting another yard -- or is it two? -- between itself and all the horrors of Santorini. It is not too much to say, gentlemen, that a holocaust of unimaginable proportions has been averted.' He raised his glass. 'I give you a toast, Sir John. The Royal Navy.'
The President had barely returned his glass to the table when a messenger entered. The President glanced at him briefly, looked away, then looked at him again. All traces of satisfaction drained from his face.
'Bad news, Johnson?'
'I'm afraid so, Mr President.'
'The worst? The very worst?'
'Not the very worst. But bad enough.'
The President took the message, read it in silence, then looked up and said: 'I'm afraid our celebrations have been rather premature. The Angelina has been hijacked.'
Nobody repeated the word 'hijacked'. Nobody said anything. There didn't seem to be anything to say.
'Message reads: "Angelina and armed mine hijacked by Andropulos and two criminal associates. Five hostages taken -- Commander Talbot, Lieutenant-Commander Van Gelder and three ladies, one of whom is Andropulos's niece. Physically impossible for Angelina to return to area so major danger no longer exists. Will keep you posted hourly. Our major and only concern now recovery of hostages."'
'Dear me, dear me,' Sir John said. 'This is distressing. Both ominous and confusing. Here we have this madman -- or genius, who knows how much truth there is in the old maxim that they are the two sides of the same coin -- loose in the Levant with an armed atomic mine aboard. Does he know that it's armed? One rather suspects he doesn't. Where have the three ladies suddenly appeared from and what were they doing aboard one of Her Majesty's frigates in the first place? Why, of all improbabilities, should this villain elect to kidnap his own niece? And why, not to mention how, did this same villain kidnap the captain of the frigate and one of his senior officers. And where, in the name of all that's holy, does he hope to sail his ship, cargo and prisoners, when he must know that every ship and plane in NATO will be searching for him? But he does so hope. That is obvious. His long and spectacularly successful criminal career, undetected until now, proves that he is a devious, cunning and brilliant operator. He has another scheme in mind. Not a man, as we have now learnt to our cost and should have known from his record, to be underestimated. A villain, indeed, but a very resourceful villain.'
'Indeed,' the President said. 'One can only hope that Commander Talbot proves to be even more resourceful.'
'I have the uncomfortable feeling,' Sir John said, 'that at the present moment Talbot is in no position to prove anything.'
Chapter 10
On the hour of midnight, Eastern Mediterranean time, Commander Talbot was in no position to prove anything and, judging from his uncomfortable position on a sofa in the Angelina's saloon, with his ankles lashed together and his hands bound behind his back, it didn't seem that he would be in a position to prove anything for quite some time to come. Van Gelder, equally uncomfortable at the other end of the sofa, was in no better case. Aristotle, with a wholly unnecessary pistol held loosely across his knee, was seated very comfortably indeed in a large armchair facing the sofa. The three ladies were in smaller armchairs towards the after end of the saloon and didn't look at all comfortable. They hadn't exchanged a word for upwards of two hours. There didn't seem to be much to talk about and all three, understandably enough, were preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Talbot said: 'Tell Andropulos I want to speak to him.'
'Do you now?' Aristotle lowered the glass from which he had been sipping. 'You are not in a position, Captain, to give orders to anyone.'
'Would you kindly present my compliments to the captain and say I would like to talk to him.'
'That is better.' Aristotle rose, crossed to the short flight of steps leading up to the wheelhouse and said something in Greek. Andropulos appeared almost at once. He, too, was needlessly armed. There was a relaxed and confident, even cheerful, air about him.
'When you were aboard my ship,' Talbot said, 'we catered for your every desire. Whatever you wanted, you had but to ask. J, wish I could say the same for Greek hospitality. Well, your version of it.'
'I think I take your point. It can't be easy for you to lie there and watch Aristotle steadily lowering the level in a bottle of retsina. You are thirsty?'
'Yes.'
'That's easily remedied.'
In very short order, Aristotle had their bonds quickly and skilfully re-arranged, with Talbot's left wrist and Van Gelder's right loosely but securely attached to each other. Their free hands now held a glass apiece.
'I am becoming suspicious, Captain,' Andropulos said. He neither looked nor sounded suspicious. 'You seem totally unconcerned as to the immediate past and the immediate future. I find it very curious indeed."
'There's nothing curious about it. It's your behaviour that I find extraordinarily curious although I have to admit that that is based entirely on my complete ignorance of what is going on. I fail to understand why you, a very wealthy and, I assume, highly respected businessman, should suddenly decide to put yourself outside the bounds of law. I don't have to tell you that, by hijacking the Angelina, you have done just that. I can't even begin to understand why you should jeopardize your career, perhaps even risk a prison sentence, although I have no doubt that with the kind of money you must possess you wouldn't have too much trouble in bending the law in your direction. Most of all, I don't understand how you can possibly hope to get away with it. By six o'clock, possibly seven, tomorrow morning every ship and plane in NATO will be looking for you and you must know that it will take very little time to locate you.'
'You have this famous Royal Navy signal, locate, engage and destroy. Locate, yes. Destroy, no.' Andropulos was quite undisturbed. 'Not with the kind of car
go and very select group of hostages I have on board. As for jeopardizing my career, well, I think the time comes in many people's lives when they should abandon the old ways and strike out in a fresh direction. Don't you, Captain?'
'Not where I'm concerned. And perhaps, where you are concerned, it's not a choice but a necessity. You appear to have taken a fresh step along the road to crime. It's just possible - it's difficult to imagine but it is possible - that many of your past steps have led along that same road and that your past is catching up with you. But that's just empty speculation. I really don't know and, to be honest, I no longer care. Could I have some more wine?'
'What are you going to do with us?' Irene Charial was trying to keep her voice steady but the undercurrent of strain was there. 'What is going to happen to us?'
'Don't be ridiculous, my dear. Nothing is going to happen to you. You heard me saying that to Commander Talbot when we came aboard. Unthinkable that you should come to any harm at my hands.'
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