Circus

by Alistair MacLean

  ‘My dear Wrinfield, I never dreamed it would be. I know it isn’t. Now I know it isn’t. But I had to hear it a second time to make sure. When a man speaks in that hurried and distressed fashion, his voice takes on abnormal overtones. A piece of silk stretched across the mouthpiece is a great help. I don’t blame poor Fawcett for being fooled, especially when he had only the one thing on his mind at the time. But it’s a damned good imitation all the same.’ The admiral paused, ruminated, then looked at Wrinfield consideringly. ‘To the best of my knowledge and belief, and to yours, you don’t know and never have talked to any of my men. Right?’ Wrinfield nodded. ‘So I put it to you that this call was made by someone who knew your voice intimately and had studied it.’

  ‘That’s preposterous. If you’re suggesting – ’

  ‘Precisely what I am suggesting, I’m afraid. Look, man, if our organization can be infiltrated don’t you think your damned circus can be too? After all, you’ve got twenty-five nationalities working for you: I’ve got only one.’

  ‘You’re the CIA. Everyone would want to infiltrate the CIA. Who’d want to infiltrate a harmless circus?’

  ‘Nobody. But in the eyes of the ungodly you’re not a harmless circus, you’re an affiliate of the CIA and therefore ripe for infiltration. Don’t let blind loyalty blind your intelligence. Let’s hear that recording again. Only this time don’t listen for your own voice, listen for someone else’s. I should imagine you know the voice of every man in your employment. And to narrow the field, remember that most of your men speak with fairly heavy foreign accents. This is an Anglo-Saxon voice, probably American, although I can’t be sure.’

  They played the recording through four more times and at the end Wrinfield shook his head. ‘It’s no good. The distortion is far too heavy.’

  ‘Thank you, officer, you may leave.’ The sergeant snapped the case shut and left. Briefly the admiral paced up and down the full length of the office – three steps in either direction – then shook his head in the reluctant acceptance of the inevitable. ‘What a charming thought. A link up between my lot and yours.’

  ‘You’re terribly certain.’

  ‘I’m terribly certain of one thing and that’s this. There isn’t one man in my lot who wouldn’t give up his pension rather than open the door of a tiger’s cage.’

  Wrinfield nodded with an equally reluctant acceptance. ‘I suppose it’s my turn to say that I should have thought of that.’

  ‘That’s unimportant. Point is, what are we going to do? You’re under hostile surveillance, my career’s on that.’ He paused in momentary gloom. ‘Whatever my career’s going to be worth when all this is over.’

  ‘I thought we’d settled all that.’ The now accustomed touch of asperity was back in Wrinfield’s voice. ‘You heard what I said back in the circus. You heard what Bruno said. We go.’ The admiral regarded him thoughtfully. ‘A marked change of attitude since last night. Or, more properly, a marked hardening in attitude.’

  ‘I don’t think you quite understand, sir.’ Wrinfield was being patient. ‘This is my life, my whole life. Touch me, touch my circus. Or vice versa. We have one major card in the hole.’

  ‘I’ve missed it.’

  ‘Bruno’s still in the clear.’

  ‘I hadn’t missed it and it’s because I want him to stay that way that I’d like you to take this girl of ours into your employ. Her name is Maria Hopkins and although I don’t know her all that well Dr Harper assures me she is a very bright operative and that her loyalty is beyond question. She’s to fall in love with Bruno and he with her. Nothing more natural.’ The admiral put on his sad smile. ‘If I were twenty years younger I’d say there was nothing easier. She’s really rather beautiful. That way she can liaise with Bruno, yourself, Dr Harper – and, up to the time of your departure, with myself – without raising any eyebrows. As an equestrienne, perhaps? That was Fawcett’s idea.’

  ‘No perhaps. She may think she’s good, she may actually be good, but there’s no place for amateurs in the circus. Besides, there’s not a man or woman on my performing staff who wouldn’t spot immediately that she’s not a trained circus equestrienne: you couldn’t devise a surer way of calling attention to her.’

  ‘Suggestions?’

  ‘Yes. Fawcett mentioned this possibility in this dreadful bordello place he took us to and I’ve given the matter some thought. Didn’t require much, really. My secretary is getting married in a few weeks to a very strange fellow who doesn’t like circuses: so she’s leaving. This is common knowledge. Let Maria be my new secretary. Every reason for her to be in constant contact with me, and through me your doctor and Bruno without any questions being asked.’

  ‘Couldn’t be better. Now, I’d like you to put a large box advert in the papers tomorrow for a doctor to accompany the circus to Europe. I know this isn’t the way one normally recruits a medical man but we’ve no time to wait to use the more professional channels. This must be made clear in the advert. Besides it will make it perfectly clear that you are seeking a doctor with no one in mind and that your choice will essentially be a random one. You may have quite a few replies – it would make a nice holiday for someone who has just, say, finished his internship – but you will, of course, choose Dr Harper.

  ‘He hasn’t practised medicine for years, although I dare say he’d find an aspirin if you twisted his arm. That’s irrelevant. What matters is that he is an outstanding intelligence agent.’

  ‘So, I was led to believe, was Pilgrim. And Fawcett.’

  The admiral made a quick gesture of irritation. ‘Things don’t always happen in threes. Fortunes turn. Those two men knew the risks. So does Harper. Anyway, no suspicion attaches to him. There’s no connection between him and the circus.’

  ‘Has it occurred to you that “they” may check on his background?’

  ‘Has it occurred to you that I might make a better owner and managing director of a circus than you are?’

  ‘Touché. I asked for that.’

  ‘Yes, you did. Two things. There’s no more reason why they should check on him than any of your hundreds of employees. His background is impeccable: he’s a consultant at the Belvedere and this is his way of spending part of his sabbatical at someone else’s expense. Much higher qualifications and much more experienced than any of the other applicants you’ll have. A natural choice. You’re lucky to have him.’

  ‘But he hasn’t practised – ’

  ‘He has consulting rooms in the hospital. One of our branch offices.’

  ‘Is nothing sacred to you people?’

  ‘Not much. How soon are you prepared to leave?’

  ‘Leave?’

  ‘For Europe.’

  ‘I have a number of alternative dates and places pencilled in for there. That’s not the problem. Three more days here then we have three more engagements on the east coast.’

  ‘Cancel them.’

  ‘Cancel them? We never cancel – I mean, we have all arrangements made, theatres booked, saturation advertising, thousands of tickets sold in advance – ’

  ‘Compensation, Mr Wrinfield, will be on a princely scale. Think of a suitable figure and it will be lodged in your bank tomorrow.’

  Wrinfield was not much given to wringing his hands but he looked as if he would have liked to indulge in just a little right then. ‘We are an annual institution in those places. We have a tremendous amount of goodwill – ’

  ‘Double the figure you first thought of. Cancel. Your sea transport will be ready in New York in one week. When you sign up Dr Harper, he’ll organize vaccinations and inoculations. If you have any visa problems, we’ll do a little leaning. Not that I expect any trouble from the east European embassies or consulates – their countries are just dying to have you. I will be around tonight for the evening performance. So will the ravishing Miss Hopkins – but not with me. Have someone show her around, but not you.’

  ‘I have a very bright nephew – ’

  ‘Fine. Tell hi
m nothing. Have him give her a thorough guided tour, the new secretary getting acquainted with the physical background of her new job. Have her introduced to some of your top performers. Especially, of course, to Bruno. Let Bruno know the score in advance.’

  Henry Wrinfield looked a great deal more like Tesco Wrinfield’s son than a nephew had any right to look, although he undoubtedly was his nephew. He had the same dark eyes, the same lean studious face, the same quick intelligence; and if he wasn’t quite in the same cerebral league as his uncle, he was, as his uncle had said, a very bright young fellow indeed, or at least bright enough to find no hardship in the chore of escorting Maria Hopkins round the back-stage of the circus. For an hour or so he completely forgot the blue-stockinged Ivy Leaguer to whom he was engaged and was slightly surprised that, when he remembered her about an hour later – he rarely spent ten minutes without thinking about her – he experienced no twinges of conscience.

  Few men would have found cause for complaint in the performance of such a task as had been entrusted to Henry, and those only misogynists in an irretrievably advanced state. She was a petite figure, although clearly not suffering from malnutrition, with long dark hair, rather splendid liquid dark eyes and an extraordinarily infectious smile and laugh. Her resemblance to the popular concept of an intelligence agent was non-existent, which may have been one of the reasons why Dr Harper reportedly held her in such high regard.

  Henry, quite unnecessarily guiding her by the upper arm, showed her round the tethered and caged animals and introduced her to Malthius and Neubauer, who were putting the big cats through their last-minute paces. Malthius was charming and graceful and wished her a very pleasant stay: Neubauer, though civil enough, didn’t know how to be charming and wished her nothing.

  Henry then led her through to the raucous blare of the fairground. Kan Dahn was there, toying with an enormous bar-bell and looking more impressively powerful than ever: he took her small hand carefully in his own gigantic one, smiled widely, announced that she was the best recruit to arrive at the circus since he himself had joined it years ago and altogether gave her a welcome so courteous it bordered on the effusive. Kan Dahn was always in high humour, although nobody was quite sure whether it stemmed from an innate good nature or because he had discovered quite some time ago that it was unnecessary for him to be unpleasant to anyone. Manuelo, the Mexican genius with the knife, was standing behind the counter of a booth, benevolently watching considerable numbers of the young and not so young throwing rubber-tipped knives at moving targets. Occasionally he would come round to the front of his booth and, throwing double-handed, would knock down six targets in half that number of seconds, just to show his customers that there was really nothing to it. He welcomed Maria with a great deal of Latin enthusiasm, putting himself entirely at her service during her stay in the circus. A little farther on, Ron Roebuck, the lasso specialist, gave her a grave but friendly welcome: as she walked away from him she was astonished and then delighted to see a shimmering whirling circle of rope drop down over her, barely touch the ground, then effortlessly rise and disappear without once touching her clothes. She turned and gave Roebuck a wide smile and he no longer looked grave.

  Bruno emerged from his little performing hall as Henry and Maria approached it. He was clad in the same Mandarin robe as previously and, also as before, looked anything but impressive. Henry made the introductions and Bruno looked at her with a kind of inoffensive appraisal. As usual, it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking, and then he smiled, a rare gesture for Bruno but one that transformed his face.

  He said: ‘Welcome to the circus. I hope your stay is a long and happy one.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She smiled in turn. ‘This is an honour. You – you are the star of the circus?’

  Bruno pointed skywards. ‘All the stars are up there, Miss Hopkins. Down here there are only performers. We all do what we can. Some of us are lucky in that we have acts more spectacular than others, that’s all. Excuse me. I must hurry.’

  Maria, thoughtful, watched him go. Henry said in amusement: ‘Not quite what you expected?’

  ‘Well, no.’

  ‘Disappointed?’

  ‘A little, I suppose.’

  ‘You won’t be tonight. Nobody ever is, not when they watch the impossible.’

  ‘Is it true that he and his brothers are completely blindfolded up there? They can’t see at all?’

  ‘No faking. They are in total darkness. But you’ll notice that it’s Bruno that conducts the orchestra. He’s the co-ordinator and catcher. Maybe the three brothers share some telepathic gift. I don’t know. Nobody else seems to know either. And if Bruno and his brothers know they’re not saying.’

  ‘Maybe it’s something else.’ She indicated the legend ‘The Great Mentalist’. ‘A photographic memory, they say, and can read people’s minds.’

  ‘I hope he didn’t read yours tonight.’

  ‘Please. And he can read the contents of sealed envelopes. If he can see through paper why can’t he see through a blindfold?’

  He looked at her in genuine surprise. He said: ‘Miss Hopkins, you’re not just a pretty face. Do you know, I’d never thought of that.’ He pondered for a moment, then gave up. ‘Let’s go take our seats for the show. Like it, so far?’

  ‘Very much.’

  ‘Anything special?’

  ‘Yes. Everybody’s so terribly nice and polite.’

  Henry smiled. ‘We’re not all just down from the trees.’ He took her arm and guided her towards the arena. His blue-stocking fiancée wasn’t even a cloud on his rose-coloured horizon.

  There was someone in the circus at that moment who was not being terribly nice and polite, but then the admiral was not a member of the circus and he certainly was not accustomed to having his will thwarted. Further, he’d had a long, tiring and very frustrating day and his normal amiability had deserted him.

  ‘I don’t think you heard me properly,’ the admiral said with ominous restraint.

  ‘You heard me, all right.’ Because the back-stage entrance to the circus was ill-lit, because it was very dark and still raining outside and because his faded eyes no longer saw too well, Johnny, the night watchman, had failed to identify the admiral. ‘The entrance for the public is farther along there. Get going!’

  ‘You’re under arrest,’ the admiral said without preamble. He turned to a shadowy figure behind him. ‘Take this fellow to the nearest station. Have him charged with obstructing the course of justice.’

  ‘Easy, now, easy.’ Johnny’s tone had undergone a marked change. ‘There’s no need –’ He leaned forward and peered up at the admiral. ‘Aren’t you the gentleman who was here when we had this bit of bother this morning?’

  ‘If by a bit of bother you mean murder, yes. Take me to Mr Wrinfield!’

  ‘Sorry, sir. I’m on duty here.’

  ‘Johnny, isn’t it? You still want to be on duty tomorrow, Johnny?’

  Johnny took the admiral to Mr Wrinfield.

  The admiral’s interview with Wrinfield was brief. He said: ‘You’re clear for Europe. There’ll be no trouble with visas.’

  ‘Twenty-five different nationalities? In one day?’

  ‘I have a staff of four hundred, amongst some of whom the eagle-eyed may detect some glimmering of intelligence. Dr Harper will be here at ten in the morning. Be here please. He will begin immediately. Our personal investigations and police enquiries into the murders of Pilgrim and Fawcett have turned up nothing. I don’t expect they will. Future events may.’

  ‘What kind of events?’

  ‘I don’t know. Fairly drastic in nature, I should imagine. Next, I’ve just put a scare into Johnny, your night watchman. That was to ensure his co-operation. He’s truculent and a bit dim but I suppose reliable.’

  ‘I’d trust him with my life.’

  ‘We put different values on our lives. I’m putting six men on to patrol the sleeping quarters of the train at night. They’re not from our o
rganization, so you need have no worries on that score. They will be here nightly until you leave – which, incidentally, will be in five days’ time.’

  ‘Why the patrol? I’m not sure I like that.’

  ‘Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not.’ The admiral smiled, albeit tiredly, to rob the words of offence. ‘From the moment you accepted this assignment, you’re under government orders. It’s for security. I want Johnny to act as a guide-dog.’

  ‘Whose security?’

  ‘Bruno’s, Maria’s, Harper’s – and yours.’

  ‘Mine? I’m in danger?’

  ‘Quite candidly, I’m sure you’re not, if for no other reason than if anything happened to you the trip would be cancelled – which wouldn’t suit our friends at all. But I’m not taking the ghost of a chance.’

  ‘And you think this patrol will help?’

  ‘Yes. In a closed community like this their presence will be common knowledge within the hour. Put it about that the police have received threats against unspecified members of your staff. If you have any bogey-men among your crew members, this news will make them lie very low indeed.’

  ‘As you say, you don’t take many chances, do you?’

  The admiral said drily: ‘I think the shadows of Pilgrim and Fawcett would entirely approve. Have Bruno and Maria met yet?’ Wrinfield nodded. ‘Reactions?’

  ‘Bruno hasn’t got any. If he has, he never shows them. As for Maria, well, Henry said she didn’t exactly fall about.’

  ‘Unimpressed, one might say?’

  ‘One might.’

  ‘She’s watching the show?’

  ‘Yes. With Henry.’

  ‘I wonder if she’s still unimpressed.’

  ‘Still unimpressed?’ Henry asked. He clearly wasn’t, but then he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

  Maria didn’t answer immediately. She was staring, as if hypnotized – as ten thousand other people were doing – as The Blind Eagles went through their unbelievable and seemingly suicidal aerial routine. At the end of the performance she released her breath in a long soundless sigh.