Rhinoceros

'Not necessary, sir.' Carrington had been told wrongly that as a civil servant it was important to stand up to a Minister. 'Supposing there's an emergency while you're away,' he suggested in a subdued voice.

'An emergency!' Thunder exploded. 'In that case I would have thought your reaction was obvious. Clearly it isn't. You pass it straight to the PM,' he roared. Then his tone became casual. 'If I have any more of your foolish chatter when I return you will be fired. You may be anyway when I get back. Now get out of my room!'

Alone, he unlocked a cupboard, took out his packed case, left the room. He departed by a back entrance, got into the parked modest Ford car waiting for him, drove off.

Aware that his appearance was well-known, due to the many times he had blasted inerviewers out of the water on TV – a popular act with the public – on his way to Heathrow he parked in a deserted side street. It took him only a moment to perch a Jewish skullcap on his head, concealing his hair. He checked his fake passport in the name of Rosen, then strapped a dark patch over his left eye. Checking himself in the rear-view mirror, he decided he was unrecognizable, drove on to the airport.

After passing through the controls he looked at the monitor. His flight would be leaving in fifteen minutes. His flight to Hamburg.

'I saw Marler while I was walking with our host in the park behind the mansion,' Tweed remarked as Newman headed back for the hotel. 'I thought it was a shadow, then, as he was vanishing, I recognized his walk.'

'He takes good care of you,' Paula told him.

'The odd thing was I couldn't see any guards at first. A man like that would have guards, I thought. Then I noticed a couple of gardeners. One of them was bent over and his bolstered gun was exposed.'

'Incidentally,' Newman called out from behind the wheel, 'Marler and Nield are only a little way behind us in the Opel.'

'How did Rondel's partner strike you? 'Paula asked. 'Would you trust him?'

'I can't say that, one way or the other. We were talking about the present state of chaos. He mentioned strong government being needed. I responded by recalling Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin. His reaction was ambiguous.'

'You mean he approved of those three terrible dictators?'

'In one way he seemed to, but I did say he was ambiguous. He wants me to meet him again. He said he had his headquarters in the far north. That could mean north of Hamburg or even further north. Scandinavia.'

'He doesn't tell you much,' she observed.

'He's a very wily man. Oh, Rondel's real name is Blondel – had a French father, a German mother. Milo explained it was vanity, that Blondel is conscious of his blond hair.'

'So,' she mused, 'I'd better be careful if I meet him again. To call him Rondel, not Blondel. Safer if I just use Victor.'

'You rather like him, don't you?' Tweed suggested.

'He's a charmer.'

'I always did mistrust them. Maybe because I lack charm myself.'

***

Tweed had lunch in the Condi with Lisa, Paula and Newman. He sensed that Lisa was ill at ease, although she chattered quite animatedly to Paula. They were having lunch when the Brig appeared. He dragged a chair over to their table.

'Mind if I sit with you?'

'You are doing.' Tweed smiled. 'And welcome too. You do look serious.'

Paula thought Tweed was right. The Brig, clad in khaki drill, looked grim. It seemed to her that his hawk-like face was even larger, more ferocious than when she'd last seen him. They had reached the coffee stage and the Brig said he'd like some too. He remained oddly silent until coffee had been served.

'You've heard there was a fatal shooting outside here late last night?' he said suddenly.

'We have,' said Tweed.

'I saw the body when I was coming back from a walk. I may have been the first person to see the corpse. Head blown clean off.'

'We know,' Tweed said, annoyed at the brutal description when Paula and Lisa were present.

'I called the police.' He paused. 'I thought what was left of him looked like one of your people.'

'It was.'

'Might be wiser if you went back home. Hamburg has become a dangerous place.'

'Coming from you I find that suggestion surprising. Since you were in the Army you must have seen worse in the way of casualties.' Tweed leaned forward. 'Much worse. So why are you so anxious that we should leave Hamburg?'

'Anxious?' The Brig drank some of his coffee. 'I'm never anxious. But what was lying on the pavement did rather hint that Hamburg is – or may be – not a healthy city for any of you.'

'I'm fairly experienced in unhealthy situations,' Tweed said in the same even tone.

'You are. But what about the ladies here?'

'What about them?' snapped Paula. 'I don't wish to sound callous but it goes with the territory.'

'Very dangerous territory,' the Brig told her.

'Just how dangerous?' enquired Tweed. 'Maybe you could tell us, since you seem to be on the inside track?'

'I'm just here on business.' He stood up. 'Must go now…'

Newman had been studying their guest. He waited until he had left the Condi.

'That was very odd. The way he spoke it was almost as though he was giving us orders. I didn't like it.'

'I didn't like him,' Lisa said. 'Back at Barford Hall down in Sussex he was the soul of courtesy. He's like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Today Mr Hyde was in control. I'd been in the lounge when I saw you coming in and joined you for lunch. It's sweltering. I'm going up to my room for a shower. Thank you for the lunch – and your company.. .'

'Changing the subject,' Paula began, 'at least Rondel's partner didn't urge us to leave town. Just the opposite, he suggested you must meet again, didn't he, Tweed?'

'Yes, he did. I'm wondering why Mrs France wants to see me. Milo told me she was his chief accountant.'

'Milo?' Paula queried. 'That's the second time you've used that weird name.'

'It's what Rondel's partner suggested I call him.'

'Sounds Balkan,' Newman commented.

'He did say he was from Slovenia. Remote country.'

'And difficult to check someone out coming from there. You think he could be Rhinoceros?'

'My best bet for Rhinoceros is the Brig,' Paula suggested.

***

Gavin Thunder had arrived inside his suite at the Atlantic. Earlier, after disembarking from the flight, he had slipped into a lavatory, locked himself in a cubicle, and removed the skullcap and eyepatch. He had then walked through Passport Control, had stuffed the skullcap and the eyepatch in a rubbish bin. He had never appeared on German TV, nor had his picture been printed in the newspapers, so recognition was unlikely.

He took a taxi to the Atlantic Hotel, registered as A. Charles, was escorted to his suite. Once alone, he checked the time. His visitor should arrive soon. He poured himself a stiff Scotch from the drinks cabinet, looked round, decided that he would dominate the discussion best if he sat in a high-backed chair behind an antique escritoire.

He then decided he would dress in a more formal lightweight suit to emphasize who was in control. He moved quickly, remembered to attach the reverse letter 'E' symbol to the inside of the jacket's lapel. He had just sat down again when there was a heavy hammering on the door. He called out.

'Come.'

Oskar Vernon entered, wearing an orange shirt and a fawn suit. The fact that he wore his jacket unbuttoned at the front emphasized his weight. Thunder stared at his outfit as his visitor closed the door, then surveyed the suite.

'You're pretty conspicuous in that wild shirt,' Thunder observed critically.

'Ah! It is a double bluff. Staying in a hotel, people see me at first. But soon they get used to the sight and I am hardly noticed. A matter of psychology.'

'Sit down, then. We haven't got all day.'