Here Be Monsters

Othewise, they'll smell a rat.'

What Butler thought was that Audley had covered himself, on both flanks and in the rear.

In fact, both Oliver St John Latimer and David Audley had covered themselves, although in very different ways, even as they had made different mistakes. But that was mere professionalism. Except that there was still one complication, which could not be overlooked.

He could send Audley away, and think of it at leisure. But that was not the way he had once commanded his company in the best days of his life. So it was not something to be fudged now, as though it didn't matter. 'Elizabeth Loftus, David.'

Audley's mouth lifted, one-sided. 'Dear Elizabeth - yes, Jack?'

He underrated her, thought Butler. In the last analysis women were still merely sex-objects dummy2

for David Audley: he was a product of his class and his education, pickled in the aspic of time in spite of his intelligence, when neither Mitchell nor Cable would have made the same mistake. 'She has submitted an interim report, David.'

The corner of the mouth remained contemptuous. "That was her brief. And she's had a couple of days to think about it. So what?'

So Audley was about to learn something, thought Butler. And that must be a lesson for him, too. 'She wants more time, to consult the record, David.'

'I don't bloody wonder! She was rather pitched into the deep end, poor woman!' Audley was still innocent. 'And with me, too. So she was a bit out of her depth, Jack.'

There were times when cruelty was satisfying. 'What do you think of her?'

Audley drew a magisterial sniff. 'She'll do, Jack - she'll do.' He nodded. 'She doesn't panic in adversity. In fact, she's one tough lady… But, you must remember, she's my recommendation… for our obligatory female - ' Much too late, he caught a hint of something hostile in the question. 'What does she say, then?'

Being a little worried was always good for Audley. 'She thinks we perhaps ought to reopen the Debrecen List, David.'

'Oh?' Too late, Audley realized he was too late. 'She lists five possibilities.' Butler recalled Elizabeth Loftus's report easily because it had been impeccably typed, although she had not had time to submit it to Mrs Harlin, never mind the computer. 'But she discounts two of them as unlikely. She merely left them in the margin for me to bear in mind.'

'Uh-huh? Which leaves three. One of which is the reopening of the Debrecen List, presumably.' Audley nodded, but then smiled. 'Well, at least I convinced her about Haddock Thomas, and Peter Barrie, anyway.'

'No. Actually, you didn't.' Butler savoured the change in Audley's expression. 'She thinks we should take another look at the list. With Haddock Thomas and Barrie on the top of it.

The two names she discounted are Latimer's and yours, David.'

Audley stared at him for a moment. 'Ah… Yes, I suppose you could say that we fit quite well, at that.' He pursed his lips. 'The right original date… and I did help to screw up the

'58 inquiry. And Latimer put me in the right place to do it again this time. So that's fair enough, Jack. I'd go along with that, anyway.'

'But she discounted you all the same.'

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'Ye-ess… monstrous decent of her.' Audley was smiling again, but it was a different sort of smile. 'So what does she know about the other two that I don't?'

'Nothing. She says she only knows what you want her to know. And you have a deep subconscious affinity with each of them.'

'I like them both - if that's what she means, Jack.'

'More than that. You see them both as alternative Audleys. People you might have been -

the pure tycoon or the pure scholar-teacher, each a round peg which found its round hole.

Which, of course, you never really have, thinks Miss Elizabeth Loftus.'

Audley took another and longer moment to think about that. 'And what does Colonel Jack Butler think?'

Typical Audley! 'He thinks he'd like to know what Dr David Audley thinks. Which is what Dr David Audley is paid to do.'

Audley nodded slowly. 'He thinks she isn't stupid. '58 - and '57 too - were years of decision for all three of us… Haddock and Peter Barrie and me. Each of us changed directions. But there's no disgrace in that - there was no disgrace.'

'You don't regret it?'

Audley raised an eyebrow. 'That's a funny question from you, Jack. You answer it for yourself before you ask me.'

Wild horses would never tear the word duty out of David Audley, Butler realized: saluting the flag was a public action, but kissing it was a private one, not to be mentioned. And regrets didn't come into it.

'What matters is what I think of Haddock Thomas. And Peter Barrie, Jack.' Audley spoke casually, almost lightly. 'What I still think.'

Butler nodded. 'So you think I should not act on Miss Loftus's recommendations?'

'On the contrary. Indeed, if I were you I'd take up all five, just to be on the safe side.' There was a glint in Audley's eye now. 'With a sixth from me, of course.'

Butler knew the glint. 'Which is?'

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'You must put Elizabeth Loftus in charge.'

'Why her?'

Audley made a face. 'Isn't she the obvious choice?'

'Why her, David?'

Audley looked into space for an instant, then concentrate on Butler with peculiar intentness. 'Back in '58, before started on the Debrecen List, I was on the way to becoming a pretty bloodthirsty character. I'm not at all sure that wasn't why old Fred Clinton put me on it - and kept my nose to the grindstone… to teach me that if there's no different between them and us, then we might as well join 'em and have done with it.' He held Butler's eye without blinking. ' came damn near to resigning. But in the end I decided to rejoin the human race, even if only as a part-time member.'

Butler nodded slowly. 'You want to cut Elizabeth Loftus down to size in the same way?'

'Not quite.' Audley shook his head. 'But there was moment, back in France when we were pushing old Haddock, that Elizabeth began to enjoy what she was doing bit too much.

And she must have already had those recommendations of hers in the back of her mind by then. Which is fair enough… except that we just could have another little monster in the making, I'm thinking.' He shrugged. 'Maybe that was what old Fred thought, back in '58 - I don't know. And maybe she'll prove me wrong, don't know that, either.' He grinned suddenly. 'Although do, actually. Because I was in my prime back in '58 - didn't make mistakes then, like now, Jack… But, either way, she'll know what she is, monster or not, when she finished with Haddock Thomas. And when he's finished with her.'

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