Spy and Spy Again

by Ray Saunders

“Right, I’ll see you later.”

  I hung up.

  The flight went smoothly, and Steve was there when I arrived. He drove me to the Movenpick and we discussed the situation.

  “Anything new with the professor?” I asked.

  “He’s still at the US Embassy, but Zola Peterson hasn’t shown up yet. We think he’s trying to set up a deal for them to arrange for him and his daughter to go to the States. She’s at a school in Paris and he’s worried that the Triads might get to her. As you know, she was taken before, and he’s frightened it might happen again.”

  “I can see that. I think there’s a good chance of the Yanks offering them both protection but there’s still Peterson with her half of their research,” I replied.

  “That’s why we’re keen to get to her first,” he said.

  “So, what next?” I asked him.

  “You stay here for now, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I know our next move.”

  “What’ll I do for transport?” I asked.

  “You’d better have my car, and I’ll get the consulate to pick me up.”

  With that we wound it up, and he left.

  ***

  I’d had dinner, and was preparing for bed, when there was a soft knock on the door. Wondering who it could be, I opened it.

  “Hello, Matt,” she said.

  “Christine! What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Can I come in? I’ll explain if you’re prepared to listen.”

  I let her in and closed the door.

  “What’s this all about and how did you get here?” I asked her.

  “I drove back the way that you told me you had taken before, and they just waved me through at the border.”

  I nodded.

  “After I left you, I got to thinking and realised that you would alert the authorities and I would be intercepted when I tried to get back to England.”

  “Good thinking,” I said.

  “What I did, when I took the diamonds, was on the spur of the moment. Later I realised that you were right, and I couldn’t get away with it.” She sounded regretful as she said it.

  “That’s right,” I said, “but you also threatened me with a gun, remember?”

  “I couldn’t have shot you, Matt. I hope you can believe that.”

  “Well, you were pretty damn sure of yourself at the time, and I wasn’t taking any chances.”

  “Believe me, Matt, I couldn’t have used it, I think too much of you for that.”

  I smiled. “That’s nice to know. I take it you still have the gun.”

  “It’s in the car, and I’ve left the car in an all-night underground car park.”

  “What about the diamonds?”

  “I’ve got them here,” she said, as she handed them to me.

  “Well, I’m buggered if I know what to do now,” I told her.

  “Can I stay here with you tonight?”

  It was the same twin- bedded room that we’d shared before, and I hadn’t the heart to refuse her.

  “Is the car park far from here?” I asked.

  “No, it’s just around the corner.”

  “Okay, well go and get your things.”

  “Thanks, Matt, I knew that you would help me.”

  “Don’t count on it, I’ve got enough on my plate as it is.”

  She went off, and I was left thinking about what to do next. I checked the diamonds and they looked to be all there.

  Before she came back, I sent down for some coffee and sandwiches, as she probably hadn’t eaten.

  I was pouring myself a cup when she returned.

  “Want some coffee?”

  “Yes, please. That was thoughtful of you,” she replied.

  “Have you eaten?”

  “No.”

  “Well, here’s some sandwiches. It’s the best I can do.”

  “That’s fine,” she said.

  We did not speak till she’d finished eating, then she looked at me and smiled.

  “You won’t turn me in will you, Matt?”

  “I can’t think of a way not too, at the moment,” I told her.

  “If you were to give them the diamonds, they might overlook my taking them.”

  “That’s not likely,” I said. “They employed you to do a job, and they won’t be pleased about what’s happened. It could have jeopardised the whole operation, and they won’t take kindly to that.”

  “So, what will you do?”

  “I don’t know I’ll have to sleep on it.”

  She nodded. “I assume you won’t let me make it up to you, by sleeping with you tonight.”

  “We’ve already been all through that, and you know how I feel.”

  “Well, if you change your mind, just whistle,” she said impishly.

  With that she went off to the bathroom to prepare for bed.

  I pursed my lips, took in a deep breath, then undressed and got into bed.

  ***

  We both woke early. I thought it best for us to have breakfast in our room, so as not to be seen together in the restaurant. I didn’t know if Steve would show up or have anyone here keeping an eye on me. After we had eaten, she asked me if I had thought of what to do.

  “I think it best that you lay low for the time being, until I’ve rung Steve and found out what’s happening,” I told her.

  “Will you tell him about me being here?”

  “No, well not yet anyway. I’ll try to work something out.”

  With that I left her and went to phone Steve.

  “What’s new?” I asked him.

  “There’s no sign of Peterson yet, I’m beginning to wonder if she’s intent on contacting Linstead,” he answered.

  “Why else would she be here?” I asked.

  “I don’t know but we’re stymied for the moment.”

  “What are my instructions then?”

  “We none of us can do anything all the time the professor is at that embassy, or until we contact Peterson,” he told me.

  “I’ll just hang around then. If there’s any change you know where to find me.”

  “Okay,” he said and hung up.

  When I got back to the room, Christine had gone. I was angry at first but then realised that I could not control her movements. After a while she came back.

  “Where’ve you been?” I asked her.

  “I was bored, so I went out for a walk.”

  “I see.”

  “You sound cross, Matt, you don’t mind, do you?” she asked.

  “No, I’ve got no control over your movements,” I said, rather harshly.

  “Did you know that there’s an International Scientific Conference here?” she asked me.

  “What, here in Geneva?”

  “No, it’s in Lausanne”.

  “Really. How’d you know that?”

  “I saw a poster about it,” she replied.

  “When is it?”

  “It started yesterday, and it’s on for four days.”

  That was it! Zola Peterson had not shown up at the embassy to meet Linstead, because she had come for this conference. Maybe she was going to discuss her research with her fellow scientists, and perhaps offer it to them.

  “Where are they holding the conference?”

  “The Palace Hotel”.

  “Come on, get your things. We’re going,” I said hastily.

  “Where to?”

  “Lausanne.”

  I took Steve’s car, and she followed in the Alpine. We took the motorway above the lake and arrived in Lausanne forty minutes later. There was no accommodation to be had anywhere. They were booked solid for the conference. We drove along to Vevey, and they had rooms at the Le Vieux Pêcheur hotel. It faced the lake, and the name translated to ‘The Old Fisherman’. I had stayed there before on my skiing trips, and always enjoyed their speciality of ‘little fish from the lake’.

  I booked two adjoining rooms, that were rather small and modest, but clean and comfortable. The modest cost would help
, as I would not be able to set it off against my expenses.

  “We’ll eat here, then drive along to the Palace Hotel. We can see if Zola Peterson is at the conference,” I said.

  We dined early, and I enjoyed the speciality of the little fish.

  “Do you think that she’ll be there, Matt? It’ll mean that she never intended to meet Linstead and was going to this conference all along.”

  “Well, it’s my hunch that she’s not keen in getting involved with any deal that Linstead is cooking up. Maybe she’s arranged to meet other scientists there, that could work with her on the research. Anyway, it’s worth a try, and I’ve nothing else to go on,” I said.

  We left the hotel and drove along to the conference. The meeting was over for the day when we arrived, and many of them were at dinner.

  I went to the desk and enquired if Miss Peterson was staying there. She was. The clerk gave me her room number and checking first to make sure that she was not in the restaurant, I decided to go to her room.

  “You best go to the lounge bar and wait there till I come and find you,” I told Christine.

  It was on the fifth floor, so I took the lift and went along the corridor to her room.

  I knocked and waited.

  When she answered, I said, “Good evening Miss Peterson. Remember me?”

  “What are you doing here!” she exclaimed.

  “If you’ll let me in, I’ll explain,” I said.

  At first, I thought she was about to refuse but then just stood back for me to enter.

  “I was about to go to dinner. You’d better make it snappy,” she said.

  “I’ll be brief,” I told her. “Carl Linstead is in the American Embassy in Bern, trying to make a deal for himself and his daughter. I figured that you would be joining him there.”

  “I’ve told Carl that I don’t think our work should be given over to just one nation, it’s far too important for that. I think what we’ve been working on should be shared by many nations,” she said.

  “Is that why you’re here?”

  “Yes. Carl made the first break-through, but I hold the key to its success. I know enough about his work to inform others what to look for, and many eminent scientists here should be capable of unlocking his part.”

  “Would you be willing to bring your work to England, and continue it with our scientists?”

  She nodded thoughtfully. “Providing it was to be made available to everyone, I would of course consider it.”

  That was good to hear and meant that I had at least got one foot on the ladder.

  “We have people in Geneva that will help you obtain your wishes, and I can arrange for you to meet them,” I told her.

  “I shall be leaving here in two days’ time. I could meet them then, I suppose.”

  “Right, I’ll let them know, and set up a meeting.”

  “Perhaps now you’ll let me go to dinner,” she said.

  “I’m sorry to have delayed you,” I replied, then I left to go and find Christine.

  When I reached the bar, Christine was looking anxious.

  “Matt, a man came in, and when he saw me, he left. I think it was the same man that shot the man with the diamonds at the villa.”

  “The Chinese one?”

  “I think so, but I can’t be sure,” she said.

  “It’s funny that he should leave when he saw you. It could be that he’s followed Zola Peterson here.” I thought about it for a moment. “Well, I’ve finished here, so we’ll go back to Vevey now,” I said.

  Another thought sprang to my mind. The Triad would be wanting to get his hands on the diamonds.

  I wondered whether his priority was getting the formula from Peterson, or whether the diamonds were more important to him.

  If it were the diamonds, he would know that Peterson didn’t have them. That left the professor or me. He knew that I was the one that shot at him, and he would rule out Linstead as the one who took them. That meant that I would be his target.

  Driving back to our hotel, Christine followed me in the Alpine.

  I watched to see if we were being followed, but there was quite a lot of traffic and it made it difficult to be sure.

  When I reached Vevey I parked the car opposite our hotel and walked across to the entrance. Christine then parked the Alpine and when she came back, I said goodnight and told her to go on to her room, while I hung around to see if anyone came in.

  After ten minutes I decided that I was being over cautious and went up to bed.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, I left Christine at breakfast and went to phone Steve. He was not there so I decided to try again later. Then I phoned Robert to enquire how he was coping back in the UK. He assured me he was okay, and I did not need to worry about the business, as he was managing without any problems.

  It was a lovely day, so I collected Christine, and asked her what she would like to do. There was nothing I could do for the moment, so we could enjoy the day together.

  I took her hand. “Tell you what,” I told her, “after I’ve spoken to Steve, we’ll drive along to Montreux and there’s a mountain railway there that goes up to the Rochers de Naye. It’s over two thousand metres high and there are wonderful views over the lake. It has a restaurant, and we can have lunch there.”

  Christine looked pleased. “That’ll be great,” she said.

  I stopped to phone Steve again, and this time he was there.

  “Any news about Linstead?” I asked him.

  “No. Our people in Bern are still monitoring the situation.”

  “Well, there’s been a development here,” I said. “I’ve found Zola Peterson. She’s at a conference in Lausanne.”

  “How did you find her?” he asked excitedly.

  “I saw a poster about a scientific meeting and played a hunch that she’d be there.”

  I was not about to tell him about Christine, and that it was her that had spotted it.

  “Have you spoken to her?”

  “Yes, and I think that she’s willing to meet our people if you can set it up,” I told him.

  “I’ll try, but when?”

  “Tomorrow. After that it will be too late, she’ll have left.”

  “Jesus, that doesn’t give me much time, Matt,” he complained.

  I laughed. “Well, you told me to be resourceful, now it’s your turn.”

  “All right,” he said. “Phone me tonight.”

  ***

  I collected Christine and drove to Montreux. Leaving the car in the underground car park, we took the train to the Roche de Naye. Sitting overlooking the lake, Christine began to tell me of her past.

  “Do you know how I became an escort, Matt?”

  “Well, you told me that you enjoy having sex.”

  “I do. But that’s not how I got started. It all began when I needed money to fund my education. I found that there were many older men with money, that would pay highly for the chance to have a young sweetheart.”

  “You mean a sugar daddy.”

  “That’s right. Most of them were very sweet, and gentle.”

  “What about those that weren’t?”

  “I quickly got rid of them.”

  “Not literally, I hope,” I said with a grin.

  “No. You know what I mean.”

  I laughed. “I was only pulling your leg. So, when you finished your education, you decided you’d become a regular escort.”

  “Well, it was such easy money, and I could charge almost anything.”

  “How did you get involved with a prominent member of the government?”

  “I was introduced to him at a party,” she said.

  “But you were also sleeping with someone from the Russian Embassy at the same time.”

  She looked at me across the table. “Yes, I think they set up my meeting with the minister, because after that, I was asked to find out certain things about our government.”

  “And did you?”

  “No. A
s soon as I realised that I was being used by the Russians, I broke it off.”

  I looked at her quizzically. “If you broke it off, why were you threatened with prison?”

  “I think it was made to look like I’d committed a crime against the nation, so they could induce me to work with you.”

  “So, you’re asking me to believe that you were set up by our government and MI6?”

  “Yes. That’s exactly it. And do you?”

  I thought about it. “Well, kid, I have to say that when it comes to dirty tricks for the national interest, our government is no less capable of it than any other.”

  “Then you do take my word for it?”

  “Yes, but does it really matter whether I do or not?”

  “It matters a lot to me, because I genuinely like you,” she said.

  “Flattery will get you nowhere,” I joked.

  We finished lunch and returned to Montreux. I collected the car and we drove back to Vevey.

  Leaving her in her room, I went to phone Steve.

  “Have you fixed up for someone to meet Peterson?” I asked him.

  “Yes. One of our diplomats has phoned her at her hotel and she’s agreed to meet us.”

  “Who’s us?” I asked.

  “Simon Ralph and me.”

  “Who’s he?”

  “You don’t need to worry about him, he knows the score.”

  “Okay, so you’ll be with him?”

  “That’s right, and we want you to be there as well.”

  “Why do you need me?” I questioned.

  “Well, you already know Peterson and it will break the ice.”

  That was not good news and it left me pondering on whether or not to tell him about Christine and the diamonds. For one crazy moment, I thought about skipping off with her and the diamonds and enjoying the chance to have some fun with her. After all, she had made it clear that she liked me.

  Then I came to my senses and pushed the thought out of my mind — well, almost.

  “All right,” I told him. “When and where?”

  “Simon Ralph lives in Bière which is not far from Lausanne and it’s better than her coming here.”

  “Why not use your consulate in Geneva?”

  “Because this is tricky. We don’t want to involve official sources yet in case it goes wrong.”