Shaw nodded, slowly. “Where’s the link with Kosyenko?” he asked.
“I was coming to that, Shaw. It’s all in the report. By profession Conroy’s a construction man — or was, at any rate — and he specialized in dam building. Kosyenko’s career was similar until he entered politics via the Party, though in fact he’s a much older man than Conroy, as you know. And now here’s the real link: The two of them worked together for a time, Conroy as a junior, years ago before the war, on a construction job in Northern Persia, right on the Soviet border. There’s nothing on the file to say what it was, or how a Russian and a British national came to be working together, but the fact remains they did.”
“So?” Shaw frowned, his eyes searching Treece’s face.
Treece said testily, “Conroy’s going to kill the man, according to your contact. It’s a reasonable assumption, therefore, that he loathes his guts — wouldn’t you think? So they could have fallen out on the job. And if that’s the case, then all this boils down to a personal vendetta.”
“Rather a long drawn out one.” Shaw muttered sceptically.
Treece shrugged. “Possibly. Anyway, that’s all we know — the rest is guesswork. From 1939 on, Conroy vanishes.” Treece picked at a nostril. “Quite simply vanishes, and we’ve never heard a whisper of him until last night when your chief rang. So all our information is very much out of date. I’ve already,” he added, “been on the line to Washington to have a check made on their records, but there’s nothing through yet and frankly I doubt if there will be.”
“Are you asking for American help?”
Treece frowned and said. “No, not directly — if you mean in actually finding Conroy physically. Unless it turns out he has taken American nationality, of course, in which case I suppose we hand over to them. It was considered advisable, in view of the fact he was last heard of as having gone to the States, to warn Washington on the closed line of the nature of the enquiry.”
“What puzzles me,” Shaw said, “is why the US Government wasn’t warned at the time that a known Communist was believed to have gone to America.”
Treece shrugged and pursed his lips. “They may have been,” he said, “but there’s nothing on the file either way. I confess it’s not as complete as it might be.” He worried his moustache. “Don’t forget, the Americans didn’t get quite so steamed-up about Communists in those far-off days. It was long before Senator McCarthy and the heyday of anti-Communism. Roosevelt used to take a different view of it. On the other hand, let’s face it, someone this end may have slipped up on his job. Meanwhile I’ve got something for you to read.” He fished in his drawer and brought out a typewritten sheet of heavy expensive paper which he passed to Shaw. “This came in from the Cabinet Office by special messenger just before you arrived. You can see,” he added meaningly, “who it’s from.”
Shaw took it and glanced at the signature. His eyebrows lifted; this was certainly top-level stuff. He read:
1. It is no doubt unnecessary to emphasize the potential dangers to East-West relations if Conroy is allowed to proceed with his plans. The assassination of anyone so close to the Soviet leadership as is Kosyenko could and would have the widest possible repercussions as matters stand today. It must be borne in mind that Kosyenko is extremely popular and is, indeed, a father-figure in the USSR.
2. Kosyenko himself is known to hold very extreme views but the actual leadership in the Soviet Union is, as we know, still moderate. This can change quickly. Kosyenko’s extremist element is pressing hard and being kept in check only with the greatest difficulty. This is a known fact. (Query: Why should dog kill dog? Kosyenko’s views appear to be identical with those of Conroy, or at any rate those held by Conroy immediately before his disappearance. Has Conroy recanted?)
3. These extreme elements are being strongly backed by China and they have also a great deal of popular support inside the Soviet Union itself. Kosyenko is personally on excellent terms with the Pekin regime and its leaders.
4. If Kosyenko should be assassinated by a national of any Western country, the moderates must have their hands forced and, indeed, it is considered likely they may fall altogether as a government, in which case Russia will come under the most violent and dangerous regime since Stalin.
5. This will lead without doubt to an immediate breaking-off of all current negotiations on the banning of underground atomic tests, disarmament in general, the non-aggression pact discussions, and all trade agreements. All attempts by the Soviet Union to establish some really lasting formula for peaceful co-existence would be abandoned. With China in the background, the whole world climate would become most dangerous and uncertain.
6. Following upon this it is considered that if Conroy were to succeed, a full-scale conflict between East and West would shortly become unavoidable.
7. The Deputy Head of Security Services is hereby ordered to locate and inhibit Conroy in whatever country he may be found and is given absolute discretion to use whatever means may be necessary to this end.
The last section had been underlined in red.
Shaw looked up. Treece asked, “Well?”
“I’ve got the message. This is being taken seriously from the start by the top brass — a somewhat unusual state of affairs!"
“Quite,” Treece agreed with a nod. “Now — the bit about ‘whatever means may be necessary’ refers to you, Shaw.”
“Me?” Shaw stretched out his legs. “Why me?"
Treece said, “We don’t want to put the clock back, that’s the short answer! You’re going to stop it happening, and you’re not going to let me down. There’s something that didn’t appear in that memo, and it’s this.” Treece leaned forward heavily and jabbed his fingers towards Shaw in an almost Latymer-like gesture of pugnacity. “The mood of the country after last night’s censure motion is — well, let’s say it’s pretty taut. We can’t possibly risk another security ball-up. If there is one, heads are going to roll and mine’ll be among the first. I’m too old to start life afresh, and too young to retire on a niggardly pension. I’m relying on you absolutely. Your Chief has already agreed, with some reluctance I’ll admit, to release you to me for temporary duty overseas. You have many advantages, Commander. You speak Russian fluently, you were on that job up in the Kola Peninsula not so long ago, you’ve had many opportunities of studying the Russian set-up over the years — and what’s equally important you’re available here and now. The right man in the right place at the right time. Also, you made the first contact and I’d prefer you to see it through rather than brief another man fully. As it is, on our side only two people below my level know about this. One’s you and the other’s dead.”
Shaw nodded. “What I fail to see,” he objected, “is why the coach can’t be ordered to turn back with her passengers?”
Treece said harshly, “The coach is already on the Continent. Any such order would start a leak. It’d be a scoop for the world’s Press — they’d be around like vultures — and there’s no guarantee we’d isolate Conroy in any case. If we didn’t he’d soon find another opportunity — or, more likely, skip the party pronto, change his alias and appearance, and slip across the frontier some other way.” He shrugged. “You might also ask, I suppose, why the Russian Government, or Kosyenko himself, can’t be alerted…”