by Ray Saunders
I thought for a moment. “If I can keep up the pretence for a couple of days, maybe I could work something out. The trouble is I can’t tackle them alone. These guys will do anything to get what they want.”
She took my hand. “I guess you have no choice but to hand them over,” she said.
“That sounds simple enough, but remember that once they have them, they won’t leave Christine or me to stay around. They know that if we blow the whistle, we can identify them, and then the authorities would go after them.”
I looked at my watch. “Steve should still be at the consulate, I’ll ring him now, and fill him in. I think it’s time that I came clean with him.”
“Do you think he will help?”
“I won’t know till I ring him, I won’t be long.”
Steve was still there. “What is it, Matt?” he asked.
“There’s been a new development,” I said. “It concerns Christine.”
“How’d you mean?”
“Look, I can’t explain it over the phone. If you wait there, I’ll drive along and explain it to you.”
“I was just preparing to take my wife out to dinner with friends. Can’t you just tell me now?” he grumbled.
“No, it’s too complicated.”
“How long will you be?”
“I’ll leave now and meet you in fifty minutes.”
“Okay, if you must, but don’t keep me waiting too long,” he answered.
I hung up and went back to Kim.
“I’ve decided to go to Geneva and tell Steve everything,” I told her.
“Do you think that will solve anything?”
“If I can enlist his help, then maybe we can come up with something,” I said.
“What would you like me to do?” she asked.
“You’d best stay here till I get back, and I’ll catch up with you later. I’m sorry about this, Kim.”
She kissed me. “Don’t worry, Matt, in our business things never go smoothly.”
With that I left.
Taking the motorway, the little Alpine cruised comfortably at ninety, and I reached the consulate in good time.
“This better be good,” Steve said as he greeted me. “I’ve already made plans for this evening.”
“This won’t take long,” I said.
“What’s this about Christine?” he asked.
“She came back to me and brought the diamonds,” I said.
He raised his eyebrows “That’s great but couldn’t you have waited till tomorrow to tell me.?”
“No. She’s being held by the Triads.”
“What! You mean that she’s not with you now? How did that happen?”
“They’ve been trailing us since we came here, and when she was alone, they must have moved in and grabbed her,” I said.
“What about the diamonds?” he asked.
“I’ve got them,” I said.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“They want me to hand them over in exchange for her.”
“Then what’s stopping you?” he asked.
“Once I hand over the diamonds, they won’t leave me and her around to identify them. Can’t you see that both our lives are in danger? These people play for keeps.”
He calmed down. “I think you’re over-reacting, Matt,” he said.
“Well, I don’t, they’ve already killed one man to get what they want.”
“But you knew there were dangers when you got into this business. You were fully briefed, and you have a weapon if it comes to defending yourself.”
“It’s not so much me that I’m concerned about, it’s Christine.”
He walked across and sat down at his desk. “Look, Matt, she chose to take off with the diamonds in the first place, so it’s her own fault.”
I walked across and looked down at him. “I know that, but I feel responsible for her.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “She accepted the job, and now she must take her chances,” he said.
My anger rose. “She’s not much more than a kid,” I argued. “From what she’s told me, our people tricked her into it.”
“She was sleeping with a cabinet minister and a Russian, for Christ’s sake. We offered her a deal to keep her out of prison.”
“Well maybe she was, but I’m not going to abandon her to the mercy of these Chinese bastards, and I want to finish this for good.”
“So, what are you expecting me to do about it?” he asked.
“Give me some back up so that we can put an end to this gang. There must be some other agents around who could help in this situation.”
I could see that he was not impressed. “You were recruited for this job precisely because we didn’t want to get our people involved,” he said.
“I know that but if you won’t give me some help, when I get back, I’ll blow this operation to the press. That will have repercussions your department won’t welcome.”
“That wouldn’t be wise,” he countered.
“I don’t give a damn, either you help me, or I’ll go public.”
“Don’t forget that you signed the Official Secrets Act.”
“Sod the Official Secrets Act, I’m not going to give up on her,” I fumed.
He could see that I was serious, and it was obvious that this worried him He got up and came around to me. “Okay,” he said, “leave it with me, and I’ll see what I can do. Go back to Vevey, and I’ll ring you as soon as I’ve arranged something.”
I turned to leave.
“What about the car she ran off with?” he asked.
“I’ve got it,” I answered.
“Good, at least that’s something. Try not to dent it, Matt.”
“Arseholes!” I replied and left.
Chapter 11
Kim was waiting when I got back, and she had not eaten so we went to dinner.
We sat down, and I ordered some drinks.
“What happened with Steve?” she asked.
“He’s going to try and arrange something, and he’ll let me know shortly.”
Our drinks came, and we toasted each other.
“While you were gone, I phoned my contact in Bern,” she said. “We have an agent there who is coming to help us.” Then she went on. “He’s a good man in this sort of tight spot.”
“Christ!” I exclaimed. “This is getting to be like a bloody merry go round lottery.”
“Well, that shouldn’t surprise you. We’ve lost the scientists, so it’s natural our lot want to retrieve something from this.” She replied.
“I suppose so. But it’s Christine’s rescue that I’m concerned about,” I said.
“You seem to be very attached to her, Matt. Are you sure that there’s nothing going on between you?”
“I’ve already told you why I’m concerned about her, and it’s nothing to do with any other feelings for her,” I said.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she answered.
***
We had finished dinner when Steve rang me back. “I’ve done my best, Matt, but there isn’t anyone hereabouts that we can use to help you.”
“You mean they don’t want to,” I said.
“Be reasonable, Matt, we can’t just pull someone out of the hat.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I’d be no good to you, Matt. I’m not a field man, I just work in the consulate.”
I began to realise that it was no use blaming him, he was only acting as the go between.
“All right, I’ll do it alone but if things go wrong, I want your word that if I need your help with anything afterwards, you’ll back me up,” I told him.
“Yes, I’ll do that. Keep me posted with what you decide, and I will do whatever I can. Good luck.”
There was nothing left to be said so I hung up.
“What’s happening?” Kim asked.
“We’re on our own,” I said.
I ordered some more drinks, and it was getting late by the time we had finished them
. The Triads hadn’t rung me so there was nothing more I could do tonight.
We went up to our rooms, and neither of us felt in a romantic mood, so we kissed goodnight and turned in.
***
I woke early and took a shower. I felt on edge about what to do when the Triads contacted me. I knew that once I gave them the diamonds, my life and Christine’s would not be worth a nickel if I couldn’t think of something.
I was still wondering what to do when Kim came through to me.
“When my guy gets here, Matt, I think that we should try and stall the Triads until we can come up with a plan. We managed to work out a successful outcome the last time we were in a fix together.”
I turned to her. “You’re right,” I said. “But this time I’m at a loss to find a way.”
“Well, if they want the diamonds, they will have to meet us, and maybe we can trick them into thinking you’ll take the diamonds to them, and then jump them before you hand them over.”
“That won’t be easy, and I don’t want to put Christine’s life in danger,” I replied.
“We’ll have to risk it. You said yourself that neither of you would be safe once they got their hands on the stones.”
She was right. We would have to take a chance on making a move when we met up with them.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s have breakfast and wait till we hear from them.
Shortly after breakfast I was called to the phone and the Triad spoke to me. “You know that we have your girl, and if you want to see her again, you’ll bring us the diamonds.”
“How do I know you’re not bluffing?” I replied. “And she’s not my girl.”
“Well, she was with you, and you know that she’s missing, so don’t play games with me,” he said.
“Then let me speak to her.”
I waited, then Christine came on. “Hello, Matt, I’m sorry but they made me tell them about you having the diamonds,” she said.
“Don’t worry about that, kid,” I told her. “Are you, all right?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
“Have they hurt you?”
Before she could answer, he cut her off, and came on again.
“Now you know that I wasn’t lying to you, so stop stalling. You told me that you haven’t got the stones, but I know you’re lying.”
“I was telling you the truth,” I said.
“Then, where are they?” he persisted.
“Somewhere safe.”
“Well, you’d better get them, I’m losing patience.”
“I can’t get them till tomorrow,” I said.
There was a pause.
“I’ll ring you tomorrow morning. If you haven’t got them by then you know the consequences, and I’m not joking,” he said.
With that he hung up.
I had managed to gain some time, and I went to Kim and told her the news.
“When our man gets here, we can work out a plan, and meanwhile you’d better get the stones,” she said.
“Okay, as soon as my bank opens, I’ll get them, then we’ll plan what to do tomorrow,” I told her.
***
I went to the bank and collected my gun and the diamonds from the security box, then returned to the hotel. Kim’s man had not arrived so there was nothing to do but wait for him. We sat in my room, and the conversation turned to my future plans.
“When you get back to England, do you really think that you’ll be able to get that place in the country and have your horses there?” she asked.
“If I can afford it, then I will certainly go ahead. I’m wanting to enjoy a life doing what I’ve always wanted, but it wouldn’t be complete without you,” I said.
“You shouldn’t get too set on that, Matt. I’ve told you it is difficult for me.”
I looked at her. “I know that you have things to sort out in South Africa,” I said, “but when that’s sorted, you’ll have no ties to prevent you coming. You know how I feel about you, and you’ve said that you feel the same.”
“I do, Matt, but I’m an American, and the CIA won’t forget that I double crossed them. They could make my life difficult.”
I took her hand. “Look, if we can pull this off, our people will have Zola Peterson, and Linstead will be in the States with his daughter, so they’ll have no reason to rebuke you. I’m sure they won’t want to make a fuss and cause an investigation. Everything they do is undercover, and they’ll want to keep it that way,” I said.
She smiled. “You make it sound so plausible I hope you’re right.”
We embraced and kissed. I was thinking how we might pass the time when we were interrupted by her guy from Bern arriving.
Kim knew him and introduced me. “This is Oscar Villiers.”
We shook hands. “Pleased to see you,” I said.
He looked like the sort of guy that would be helpful in a tight spot, and I took heart.
A discussion followed, and I finished telling him our predicament.
When I had finished talking, he turned to me. “We have many Chinese in South Africa now, exploiting our resources, and the Triad gangs operate in order to secure their interests,” he said.
“I don’t doubt it,” I replied.
“Believe me they are ruthless, and our murder rate is high wherever they operate,” he said.
“I don’t doubt that either,” I said.
“From what you’ve told me these guys are intent on getting the diamonds and will stop at nothing. Also, they always make sure that they eliminate anyone who witnesses their activities.”
“Thanks for being frank,” I said, “but it doesn’t exactly boost my confidence in getting a successful outcome and living to tell the tale.”
He laughed. “Well foretold is forearmed,” he said.
Kim spoke. “What do you think we should do, Oscar?”
“We’ll have to wait until he contacts you again. Once you tell him that you have the diamonds, he will tell you what to do next. My guess is that they will want you to meet them and exchange the stones for the girl. The location of the rendezvous is of the utmost importance, as it must not be where they can score an advantage over you. Remember that when the French and South African authorities begin investigating Peter Borgmann’s’ murder, this guy won’t want to leave you and Christine Turner around to name him. He knows that both you and she can identify him as the killer.”
“Right, so what next?”
“He’s bound to give you a time and place, so don’t agree the time if it doesn’t allow us enough time to check it out beforehand and work out our plan,” he said.
“Won’t that endanger Christine?” I asked.
“Not at this point, they will need to negotiate to be sure you’ll meet them with the stones.”
“That makes sense,” Kim agreed.
“All right, Oscar, you know more about them than I do. We’ll wait and see what they come up with,” I told him.
We did not have to wait long before it came, and I took the call.
“Do you have them?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then listen carefully. Take the road along the lake to Aigle, then turn right towards Vionnaz. After five kilometres there’s a railway bridge over the road. It’s close to where the trains enter a tunnel. There is a slip road there towards the tunnel, and I will meet you there. Have you got that?”
I repeated it back. “When do we meet?” I asked.
“It should only take you about an hour to get there, so be there in one and a half hours from now.”
I looked at my watch. It was eleven-thirty.
“That’s no good,” I said. “I blew a tyre yesterday, and they’re fitting a new one. It won’t be ready till after lunch. I can’t get there until four-thirty.”
There was a pause as he considered it. “Meet me there at four-thirty, and no tricks. Remember, I have the girl, so don’t do anything that you’ll regret,” he said.
“I’ll be there,” I said and hung up.
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br /> Oscar had been listening, and I gave him the full details.
“That gives me time to go there and see what the layout is,” he said. “I’ll leave now, and I should be back by around two o’clock. Once we know the layout, we can sort out a plan.”
He turned to Kim. “You’d best come with me so that you know the set up.”
They took his car and went off to view where we would be meeting to make the exchange.
I began to wonder how this would work out, but there was nothing I could do right now. I thought about ringing Steve and telling him about this latest development but decided against it. There was nothing to do, so I settled down to wait.
When they returned, Oscar began telling me our plan. “We found the road where they want to meet you, and it’s a wide unsurfaced track that leads down to the tunnel. It’s obviously used as a place for keeping railway equipment for maintenance. There are piles of sleepers and other large items, and an electric sub-station there.”
“Sounds pretty remote,” I said.
He nodded and went on. “It’s wooded on each side, and there’s good cover for us to hide. We’ll get there early, and Kim and me will hide the car and wait for them to come.”
“What then?”
“You need to get there late, so we’re sure that they’ll be there first. When you arrive stop your car some distance away from them to give us a chance to see what’s going on.”
“Okay,” I said. “What happens next?”
“We’ll have to play it by ear, Matt. When you’re both out of the cars we’ll have to try and jump them.”
I looked at them both. “It’s not ideal, but then I can’t think of anything better,” I said. “What do you think about it, Kim?”
She smiled at me. “I think it’s the best chance we have,” she said.
“That’s it then,” I told them. “I have my gun, and there’s a Luger in the Alpine. You’d better take it, Kim.” I turned to Oscar. “I take it you’re armed.”
“Yes, I came prepared,” he said.
The time came for them to leave, and we wished each other luck.
Kim kissed me. “Don’t worry, Matt, we’ll come through all right.”
“You know me. Always the optimist,” I told her, and with that they were gone.
