Call for the Dead - 1

by John le Carré

  Smiley sat very still. ‘I wonder,’ he said; ‘I wonder if he’ll come.’

  ‘I caught up with Mendel at the Sheridan,’ said Guillam. ‘He saw her into the café and then rang me. After that he went in after her.’

  ‘Felt like a coffee myself,’ Mendel went on. ‘Mr Guillam joined me. I left him there when I joined the ticket queue, and he drifted out of the café a bit later. It was a decent job and no worries. She’s rattled, I’m sure. But not suspicious.’

  ‘What did she do after that?’ asked Smiley.

  ‘Went straight back to Victoria. We left her to it.’

  They were silent for a moment, then Mendel said:

  ‘What do we do now?’

  Smiley blinked and gazed earnestly into Mendel’s grey face.

  ‘Book tickets for Thursday’s performance at the Sheridan.’

  They were gone and he was alone again. He still had not begun to cope with the quantity of mail which had accumulated in his absence. Circulars, catalogues from Blackwells, bills and the usual collection of soap vouchers, frozen pea coupons, football pool forms and a few private letters still lay unopened on the hall table. He took them into the drawing-room, settled in an armchair

  and began opening the personal letters first. There was one

  from Maston, and he read it with something approaching embarrassment.

  My dear George,

  I was so sorry to hear from Guillam about your accident, and I do hope that by now you have made a full recovery.

  You may recall that in the heat of the moment you wrote me a letter of resignation before your misfortune, and I just wanted to let you know that I am not, of course, taking this seriously. Sometimes when events crowd in upon us our sense of perspective suffers. But old campaigners like ourselves, George, are not so easily put off the scent. I look forward to seeing you with us again as soon as you are strong enough, and in the meantime we continue to regard you as an old and loyal member of the staff.

  Smiley put this on one side and turned to the next letter. Just for a moment he did not recognize the handwriting; just for a moment he looked bleakly at the Swiss stamp and the expensive hotel writing paper. Suddenly he felt slightly sick, his vision blurred and there was scarcely strength enough in his fingers to tear open the envelope. What did she want? If money, she could have all he possessed. The money was his own, to spend as he wished; if it gave him pleasure to squander it on Ann, he would do so. There was nothing else he had to give her – she had taken it long ago. Taken his courage, his love, his compassion, carried them jauntily away in her little jewel case to fondle occasionally on odd afternoons when the time hung heavy in the Cuban sun, to dangle them perhaps before the eyes of her newest lover, to compare them even with similar trinkets which others before or since had brought her.

  My darling George,

  I want to make you an offer which no gentleman could accept. I want to come back to you.

  I’m staying at the Baur-au-Lac at Zurich till the end of the month. Let me know.

  Ann

  Smiley picked up the envelope and looked at the back of it: ‘Madame Juan Alvida’. No, no gentleman could accept that offer. No dream could survive the daylight of Ann’s departure with her saccharine Latin and his orange-peel grin. Smiley had once seen a news film of Alvida winning some race in Monte Carlo. The most repellent thing about him, he remembered, had been the hair on his arms. With his goggles and the motor oil and that ludicrous laurel-wreath he had looked exactly like an anthropoid ape fallen from a tree. He was wearing a white tennis shirt with short sleeves, which had somehow remained spotlessly clean throughout the race, setting off those black monkey arms with repulsive clarity.

  That was Ann: Let me know. Redeem your life, see whether it can be lived again and let me know. I have wearied my lover, my lover has wearied me, let me shatter your world again: my own bores me. I want to come back to you … I want, I want …

  Smiley got up, the letter still in his hand, and stood again before the porcelain group. He remained there several minutes, gazing at the little shepherdess. She was so beautiful.

  15

  The Last Act

  The Sheridan’s three-act production of Edward II was playing to a full house. Guillam and Mendel sat in adjacent seats at the extreme end of the circle, which formed a wide U facing the stage. The left-hand end of the circle afforded a view of the rear stalls, which were otherwise concealed. An empty seat separated Guillam from a party of young students buzzing with anticipation.

  They looked down thoughtfully on a restless sea of bobbing heads and fluttering programmes, stirring in sudden waves as later arrivals took their places. The scene reminded Guillam of an Oriental dance, where the tiny gestures of hand and foot animate a motionless body. Occasionally he would glance towards the rear stalls, but there was still no sign of Elsa Fennan or her guest.

  Just as the recorded overture was ending he looked again briefly towards the two empty stalls in the back row and his heart gave a sudden leap as he saw the slight figure of Elsa Fennan sitting straight and motionless, staring fixedly down the auditorium like a child learning deportment. The seat on her right, nearest the gangway, was still empty.

  Outside in the street taxis were drawing up hastily at the theatre entrance and an agreeable selection of the established and the disestablished hurriedly over-tipped their cabmen and spent five minutes looking for their tickets. Smiley’s taxi took him past the theatre and deposited him at the Clarendon Hotel, where he went straight downstairs to the dining-room and bar.

  ‘I’m expecting a call any moment,’ he said. ‘My name’s Savage. You’ll let me know, won’t you?’

  The barman turned to the telephone behind him and spoke to the receptionist.

  ‘And a small whisky and soda, please; will you have one yourself?’

  ‘Thank you sir, I never touch it.’

  The curtain rose on a dimly lit stage and Guillam, peering towards the back of the auditorium, tried at first without success to penetrate the sudden darkness. Gradually his eyes accustomed themselves to the faint glow cast by the emergency lamps, until he could just discern Elsa in the half-light; and still the empty seat beside her.

  Only a low partition separated the rear stalls from the gangway which ran along the back of the auditorium, and behind it were several doors leading to the foyer, bar and cloakrooms. For a brief moment one of these opened and an oblique shaft of light was cast as if by design upon Elsa Fennan, illuminating with a thin line one side of her face, making its hollows black by contrast. She inclined her head slightly, as if listening to something behind her, half rose in her seat, then sat down again, deceived, and resumed her former attitude.

  Guillam felt Mendel’s hand on his arm, turned, and saw his lean face thrust forward, looking past him. Following Mendel’s gaze, he peered down into the well of the theatre, where a tall figure was slowly making his way towards the back of the stalls; he was an impressive sight, erect and handsome, a lock of black hair tumbling over his brow. It was he whom Mendel watched with such fascination, this elegant giant limping up the gangway. There was something different about him, something arresting and disturbing. Through his glasses Guillam watched his slow and deliberate progress, admired the grace and measure of his uneven walk. He was a man apart, a man you remember, a man who strikes a chord deep in your experience, a man with the gift of universal familiarity: to Guillam he was a living component of all our romantic dreams, he stood at the mast with Conrad, sought the lost Greece with Byron, and with Goethe visited the shades of classical and medieval hells.

  As he walked, thrusting his good leg forward, there was a defiance, a command, that could not go unheeded. Guillam noticed how heads turned in the audience, and eyes followed him obediently.

  Pushing past Mendel, Guillam stepped quickly through the emergency exit into the corridor behind. He followed the corridor down some steps and arrived at last at the foyer. The box office had closed down, but the girl was still pori
ng hopelessly over a page of laboriously compiled figures, covered with alterations and erasions.

  ‘Excuse me,’ said Guillam; ‘but I must use your telephone – it’s urgent, do you mind?’

  ‘Ssh!’ She waved her pencil at him impatiently, without looking up. Her hair was mousy, her oily skin glistened from the fatigue of late nights and a diet of chipped potatoes. Guillam waited a moment, wondering how long it would be before she found a solution to that tangle of spidery numerals which would match the pile of notes and silver in the open cash box beside her.

  ‘Listen,’ he urged; ‘I’m a police officer – there’s a couple of heroes upstairs who are after your cash. Now will you let me use that telephone?’

  ‘Oh Lord,’ she said in a tired voice, and looked at him for the first time. She wore glasses and was very plain. She was neither alarmed nor impressed. ‘I wish they’d perishing well take the money. It sends me up the wall.’ Pushing her accounts to one side she opened a door beside the little kiosk and Guillam squeezed in.

  ‘Hardly decent, is it?’ the girl said with a grin. Her voice was nearly cultured – probably a London undergraduate earning pin-money, thought Guillam. He rang the Clarendon and asked for Mr Savage. Almost immediately he heard Smiley’s voice.

  ‘He’s here,’ said Guillam, ‘been here all the time. Must have bought an extra ticket; he was sitting in the front stalls. Mendel suddenly spotted him limping up the aisle.’

  ‘Limping?’

  ‘Yes, it’s not Mundt. It’s the other one, Dieter.’

  Smiley did not reply and after a moment Guillam said: ‘George – are you there?’

  ‘We’ve had it, I’m afraid, Peter. We’ve got nothing against Frey. Call the men off, they won’t find Mundt tonight. Is the first act over yet?’

  ‘Must be just coming up for the interval.’

  ‘I’ll be round in twenty minutes. Hang on to Elsa like grim death – if they leave and separate Mendel’s to stick to Dieter. You stay in the foyer for the last act in case they leave early.’

  Guillam replaced the receiver and turned to the girl. ‘Thanks,’ he said, and put four pennies on her desk. She hastily gathered them together and pressed them firmly into his hand.

  ‘For God’s sake,’ she said, ‘don’t add to my troubles.’

  He went outside into the street and spoke to a plain-clothes man loitering on the pavement. Then he hurried back and rejoined Mendel as the curtain fell on the first act.

  Elsa and Dieter were sitting side by side. They were talking happily together, Dieter laughing, Elsa animated and articulate like a puppet brought to life by her master. Mendel watched them in fascination. She laughed at something Dieter said, leant forward and put her hand on his arm. He saw her thin fingers against his dinner jacket, saw Dieter incline his head and whisper something to her, so that she laughed again. As Mendel watched, the theatre lights dimmed and the noise of conversation subsided as the audience quickly prepared for the second act.

  Smiley left the Clarendon and walked slowly along the pavement towards the theatre. Thinking about it now, he realized that it was logical enough that Dieter should come, that it would have been madness to send Mundt. He wondered how long it could be before Elsa and Dieter discovered that it was not Dieter who had summoned her, not Dieter who had sent the postcard by a trusted courier. That, he reflected, should be an interesting moment. All he prayed for now was the opportunity of one more interview with Elsa Fennan.

  A few minutes later he slipped quietly into the empty seat beside Guillam. It was a long time since he had seen Dieter.

  He had not changed. He was the same improbable romantic with the magic of a charlatan; the same unforgettable figure which had struggled over the ruins of Germany, implacable of purpose, satanic in fulfilment, dark and swift like the Gods of the North. Smiley had lied to them that night in his club; Dieter was out of proportion, his cunning, his conceit, his strength and his dream – all were larger than life, undiminished by the moderating influence of experience. He was a man who thought and acted in absolute terms, without patience or compromise.

  Memories returned to Smiley that night as he sat in the dark theatre and watched Dieter across a mass of motionless faces, memories of dangers shared, of mutual trust when each had held in his hand the life of the other … Just for a second Smiley wondered whether Dieter had seen him, had the feeling that Dieter’s eyes were upon him, watching him in the dim half-light.

  Smiley got up as the second half drew to a close; as the curtain fell he made quickly for the side exit and waited discreetly in the corridor until the bell rang for the last act. Mendel joined him shortly before the end of the interval, and Guillam slipped past them to take up his post in the foyer.

  ‘There’s trouble,’ Mendel said. ‘They’re arguing. She looks frightened. She keeps on saying something and he just shakes his head. She’s panicking, I think, and Dieter looks worried. He’s started looking round the theatre as if he was trapped, getting the measure of the place, making plans. He glanced up to where you’d been sitting.’

  ‘He won’t let her leave alone,’ said Smiley. ‘He’ll wait and get out with the crowd. They won’t leave before the end. He probably reckons he’s surrounded: he’ll bargain on flustering us by parting from her suddenly in the middle of a crowd – just losing her.’

  ‘What’s our game? Why can’t we go down there and get them?’

  ‘We just wait; I don’t know what for. We’ve no proof. No proof of murder and none of espionage until Maston decides to do something. But remember this: Dieter doesn’t know that. If Elsa’s jumpy and Dieter’s worried, they’ll do something – that’s certain. So long as they think the game is up, we’ve a chance. Let them bolt, panic, anything. So long as they do something …’

  It was dark in the theatre again, but out of the corner of his eye Smiley saw Dieter leaning over Elsa whispering to her. His left hand held her arm, his whole attitude was one of urgent persuasion and reassurance.

  The play dragged on, the shouts of soldiers and the screams of the demented king filled the theatre, until the dreadful climax of his foul death, when an audible sigh rose from the stalls beneath them. Dieter had his arm round Elsa’s shoulders now, he had gathered the folds of her thin wrap about her neck and protected her as if she were a sleeping child. They remained like this until the final curtain. Neither applauded, Dieter looked about for Elsa’s handbag, said something reassuring to her and put it on her lap. She nodded very slightly. A warning roll of the drums brought the audience to its feet for the national anthem – Smiley rose instinctively and noticed to his surprise that Mendel had vanished. Dieter slowly stood up and as he did so Smiley realized that something had happened. Elsa was still sitting and though Dieter gently prevailed on her to rise, she made no answering sign. There was something oddly dislocated in the way she sat, in the way her head lolled forward on her shoulders …

  The last line of the anthem was beginning as Smiley rushed to the door, ran down the corridor, down the stone stairs to the foyer. He was just too late – he was met by the first crowd of anxious theatre-goers hastening towards the street in search of taxis. He looked wildly among the crowd for Dieter and knew it was hopeless – that Dieter had done what he himself would have done, had chosen one of the dozen emergency exits which led to the street and safety. He pushed his bulky frame gradually through the middle of the crowd towards the entrance to the stalls. As he twisted this way and that, forcing himself between oncoming bodies, he caught sight of Guillam at the edge of the stream searching hopelessly for Dieter and Elsa. He shouted to him, and Guillam turned quickly.

  Struggling on, Smiley at last found himself against the low partition and he could see Elsa Fennan sitting motionless as all around her men stood up and women felt for their coats and handbags. Then he heard the scream. It was sudden, short and utterly expressive of horror and disgust. A girl was standing in the gangway looking at Elsa. She was young and very pretty, the fingers of her right hand
were raised to her mouth, her face was deathly white. Her father, a tall cadaverous man, stood behind her. He grasped her shoulders quickly and drew her back as he caught sight of the dreadful thing before him.

  Elsa’s wrap had slipped from her shoulders and her head was lolling on to her chest.

  Smiley had been right. ‘Let them bolt, panic, anything … so long as they do something …’ And this was what they had done: this broken, wretched body was witness to their panic.

  ‘You’d better get the police, Peter. I’m going home. Keep me out of it, if you can. You know where to find me.’ He nodded, as if to himself; ‘I’m going home.’

  It was foggy, and a fine rain was falling as Mendel quickly darted across the Fulham Palace Road in pursuit of Dieter. The headlights of cars came suddenly out of the wet mist twenty yards from him; the noise of traffic was high-pitched and nervous as it groped its uncertain way.

  He had no choice but to keep close on Dieter’s heels, never more than a dozen paces behind him. The pubs and cinemas had closed but the coffee bars and dance halls still attracted noisy groups crowding the pavements. As Dieter limped ahead of him Mendel staged his progression by the street lamps, watching his silhouette suddenly clarify each time it entered the next cone of light.

  Dieter was walking swiftly despite his limp. As his stride lengthened his limp became more pronounced, so that he seemed to swing his left leg forward by a sudden effort of his broad shoulders.

  There was a curious expression on Mendel’s face, not of hatred or iron purpose but of frank distaste. To Mendel, the frills of Dieter’s profession meant nothing. He saw in his quarry only the squalor of a criminal, the cowardice of a man who paid others to do his killing. When Dieter had gently disengaged himself from the audience and moved towards the side exit, Mendel saw what he had been waiting for: the stealthy act of a common criminal. It was something he expected and understood. To Mendel there was only one criminal class, from pickpocket and sneak-thief to the big operator tampering with company law; they were outside the law and it was his distasteful but necessary vocation to remove them to safe keeping. This one happened to be German.