Len Deighton Spy 04 Spy Hook

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it would be the best and most secret way to supply funds to enemy agents
wouldn t it? She was calmer now that she was smoking the cigarette.
But if you have found out about it, how secret is that? She had an answer.
Because Fiona defected. That upset everything.
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And you are saying that Jim went to Washington because Fiona defected? That
Jim was a KGB agent?
Maybe. That was the weakest link: I could see that in her face. I keep
thinking about it. I really don t know. Not Jim. Of all the people, not Jim.
And even if you were right, why the hell would he run to America, the
heartland of capitalism?
I only said maybe. More probably Fiona fooled everyone into thinking it was
official. How could they guess it was money for the KGBF But the money is
missing, I pointed out.
They can t find the account, she said. The whole damned account. And they
are only guessing at how much might be in it: one estimate said four million
pounds. No one in the FO or the Department will admit to knowing anything
about it. The cashier knows the money is missing but that s all.
That only means that he doesn t have the right piece of paper with an
appropriate signature on it. That s what the cashier means by money missing.
This was real money, Bernard, and someone got their hands on it.
I shook my head. It was beyond me. Did you get aft this from our man in
Bekne ? I said, referring to the Baxters. They re old friends. He knows his
way around but he hasn t got anywhere so far.
But there must be a departmental record of who was named as the account
holder.
Yes, Jim
And who else?
She shrugged. We don t even know where the account is, she said and blew
smokehard through pursed lips. I m not going to let it go, Bernard.
What will you do?
What do you suggest?
The Deputy D-G is very energetic these days, I offered.
You might find some way of talking to him.
How can we be sure it doesn t go up that far? For a moment I didn t follow
her. Then I did. Working for the KGB? The Deputy? Sir Percy Babcock? No
need to shout, Bernard. Yes, the Deputy. You read the newspapers. You know the
score.
If I know the score it s not because I read the newspapers, I said.
No one is above suspicion these days.
You re going to talk to Five? And already I was wondering whether it was
better to jump out of the window or ring for an ambulance.
She was horrified at the idea. MI5? The Home Office? No, no, no. They d know
nothing about our Central Funding. And I work for the Foreign Office. That
would be more than my job s worth, Bernard.
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So what else can you do? You re not thinking of trying to lobby the Cabinet
Office are you?
Are you saying that you won t help?
So that was it. I drank some of my whisky, took a deep breath and said, What
do you want me to do, Cindy? We ve got to go through the files and find the
orders that created the account.
You said you ve tried that already, I pointed out But not in the Data
Centre, she said.
The Yellow Submarine? Jesus Christ, Cindy! You re not serious. And anyway
you re not allowed there. I could have bitten my tongue off.
No, she said. But you are, Bernard. You re always in and out of there.
I d walked right into it. I took a good mouthful of booze and swallowed it
quickly.
Cindy ...
Hurriedly she explained her theory. The computer will have it in
cross-reference. That s how computers work, isn t it? Instead of me rummaging
through hundreds of files, we d only have to give the computer one hard fact
to access everything. And what hard fact could we give it?
Jim. Jim was a trustee or a signature or something. Key him into the
computer and we ll get everything we need. So this was why I d been invited
along. And Creepy was there to reassure me that Cindy had friends at court,
just in case. Well, wait a minute, Cindy, I said as the full awful
implications of it hit me.
She said, We must see who else had access to it before they are murdered
too.
It was then that I began to think Jim s death had deranged her. You think
Jim was murdered because he was a signatory to the bank account?
Yes. That s exactly what I think, Bernard, she said. I watched her as she
lit a cigarette. I ll see what I can find out, I promised. Maybe there s
another way. The Data Centre is our only chance, said Cindy. We could both
be fired, Cindy. Are you sure it s worth it? I asked. Having been warned off
by Dicky I wanted to see if she had an explanation.
But she was like a woman possessed. There s something damned odd going on,
she said. Everything to do with this bloody bank account is so damned well
covered. I ve handled some sensitive material Bernard but I ve never heard of
anything buried as deep as this one. There is no paper: no files on it, no
memos, no records. No one knows anything. Don t know or won t tell? It might
just have a very high clearance.
Someone is damned scared. Someone in the Department, I mean. Someone is so
damned scared that they had Jim murdered.
We re not sure of that.
I m sure, she said. And no one is going to shut me up..
Cindy, I said, and paused wondering how to put it to her.
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Don t be offended. But there s something you must tell me.
Truly.
Spit it out, Bernard.
You re not just putting this pressure on to the Department as a way to get [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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