The Alamut Ambush

The flare of irrational rage died down, dowsed by the knowledge that it was dangerous – that hot emotional involvement was always to be avoided because it betrayed both men and judgment. Only cold, professional anger was permitted, and not too much of that.

Razzak had had one chance of incriminating himself. Now he could be given another.

'Oh, they missed him all right.' Not too casually, now; that would spoil it. 'They killed some poor devil of a technician who was checking out his car, though.'

Again Razzak fell silent, giving away nothing this time.

'It was a bomb in the car?'

That was another good feel line. It would be worth finding out just what sort of job the Egyptian could make of throwing them off the scent of Hassan and on to that of the Israelis.

'They used T.P.D.X.'

Razzak whistled softly. 'Ah – now I see why you were so quick off the mark back there at your car. It's tricky stuff, that T.P.D.X. – I don't blame you being nervous! A very little goes a long way.'

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'And you know who might use it?'

The Egyptian shrugged. 'The Russians flew in a load of it to Amman a few months ago, the idiots. By now every fedayeen group between there and Mount Hermon has some. You aren't going to learn anything from that.'

There was a note of exasperated contempt in Razzak's voice which embraced both the Russians and the fedayeen. And he was being damnably slow off the mark.

'And the Israelis?'

The Israelis?' Razzak seemed mystified. 'So what about them?'

'They've got some too.'

'Got some?' Another shrug. 'Probably they have – the thieving swine have got plenty of other people's property these days. You're not going to tell me – ' he stared at Roskill in the flickering light of the passing shopfronts' – my dear Squadron Leader Roskill –

you're not going to tell me the Israelis fixed that car?'

'It happens that Colonel Shapiro was damn well-placed to get it done.'

'Shapiro?' Razzak exclaimed incredulously. 'You must be joking!'

He continued to stare at Roskill in evident disbelief. 'But you're not, are you!'

'He had the opportunity,' Roskill said defensively. This wasn't how the fat man was meant to react.

Razzak shook his head. 'I think you're being less than frank with me. If Shapiro had the opportunity – if that's what you really believe – you can discount him. Whatever he is, he's not a fool.

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And if he wanted to do it he wouldn't make such a goddman mess

– it would be done properly while he was lying on the beach at Tel Aviv.'

That familiar tune! It was reassuring to have Audley's assessment confirmed – but disconcerting to have the confirmation from this source.

Unless Razzak was on the level. Unless, unless, unless – there were too many snakes in this game, and not nearly enough ladders ...

'Then if not Shapiro, who do you favour?'

There was a bump and the painful hiss of tyres rubbed callously against the kerb. Roskill glimpsed the bulk of St. Paul's ahead.

'You weren't looking for Colonel Shapiro at the reception this evening, Roskill. Who were you looking out for?' Razzak turned the question back to Roskill.

'I thought we made a deal just now, Colonel. Who were you looking for?'

'I wasn't looking for anyone in particular. I was — how shall I put it – showing my face. Showing it where it isn't often seen. Showing it where I wished it to be seen.'

Razzak paused, then touched Roskill's arm and pointed across the street. 'Who do you see over there, just on the corner?'

'The policeman?'

'The policeman. He isn't doing anything. He's not hunting anyone.

But if there are any criminals walking in the street they can see dummy2

him, and he is saying to them "I am here. I've got my eye on you.

So don't try anything!" He doesn't have to say a word, but they can hear him just as well as if he shouted.

'And he is just an ordinary bobby. I am a lot more than an ordinary bobby, my friend. For those I wish to be seen by – I am a Scotland Yard chief of detectives.'

'And who would that be?'

'The fools, Roskill – the fools! The ones who throw the grenades and shoot up school buses. The ones who try to play soldiers in the dark while it is safe and then run away before the sun rises. The ones who kill the wrong people at the wrong time.'

'You don't approve of the liberation movement?'

'Liberation my arse!' Razzak snorted contemptuously. 'They couldn't liberate the skin off a rice pudding. They can't even agree what they want to liberate for more than ten minutes, never mind how it's to be done.'

He shook his head vehemently. 'I know what you're thinking too –

that we Egyptians aren't liberators either, because; the Zionists have kicked our backsides three times since '47.' Razzak pounded his knee. 'But it doesn't matter how many times we get beaten by them – we are still their real enemy and they'll still have to come to terms with us. Not the Syrians or the Iraqis or the Jordanians – and not the Liberation Front.'

'You don't rate guerrilla warfare at all?'

'When it works inside a country – yes! In Vietnam – or the way the Zionists fixed you British in Palestine. But not hit and run from dummy2

across a border. And not by stupid terrorism in foreign countries –

that just makes things worse for us. That's what ruined us in '67.

The bloody Syrians called the tune, and we did all the dancing!

Next time we're going to call the tune!'

And maybe they would at that, thought Roskill – with the Russians committed and the Americans weary of pulling chestnuts out of the fire. Llewelyn seemed to think there was a chance, anyway – even if Audley was as cynical as ever.

But that wouldn't extract payment for Alan – and by God someone was going to dance for that! The high bloody politicians could pursue their high bloody policies to their hearts' content. Only this once he had his own private score to settle.

'If you wanted to nip trouble in the bud, you've started too late, Colonel,' he said harshly.

'But they didn't get Llewelyn.'

'Not this time they didn't.'

'There won't be a next time, Squadron Leader. I'll see to that'

'No good. This isn't the Gaza Strip, and they don't get one free shot here. We want these chaps, Colonel – and if you won't give 'em to us we're going to get them ourselves, no matter who they are.

Whatever you may hear, that's how it's going to be.'

'I see.' Razzak considered Roskill''s angry words in silence for a moment. 'Well, I can tell you this, Squadron Leader: there is a – a new group that may be mixed up with the Ryle Foundation. I didn't know they had reached London, but if they have this might be their work. If you can hold off for forty-eight hours I could probably dummy2

pinpoint them. But you must hold off.'

'Hold off?'

'That's right. Do nothing – and whatever you do, don't phone me at the embassy, or I shall have someone like Majid breathing down my neck and getting in the way. You can phone Jahein at his flat –

he can stay home and watch television – he'll either have a message, or he'll know how to get to me.' He fished a crumpled envelope from his pocket and laboriously wrote a number on it.

'Phone him there. But whatever you do, don't start stirring things up in the wrong places.'

Roskill took the envelope. Either Razzak had been scared into making a genuine offer, or he was simply trying to buy time.

'And just what are the wrong places?'

Razzak looked at him steadily. 'The Ryle Foundation for a start.

And I don't want the Israelis breathing down my neck either – don't start chasing them. It's bad enough having to put up with Majid.'

'That's asking one hell of a lot, Colonel – you're asking me to sit twiddling rny thumbs. I'm not sure I can do that without knowing exactly what you are supposed to be doing.'

The Egyptian took a deep breath. 'Does the name Hassan mean anything to you?'

Roskill cocked his head – it had to be the right note of interest now, with no hint of the surprise which tightened his guts.

'Hassan who?'

'Hassan will do for now — it doesn't matter whether it's a real man or just a murderous bloody-minded idea. But that's what I'm after, dummy2

Roskill – that's what I'm after.'

'And if you find him you'll give him to us.'

'Give him to you?' Razzak growled. 'If I find him, you can rely on that. And just you make sure of him, by God. Because if it was Hassan who bombed Llewelyn's car and he finds me sniffing around, he'll put my name to the top of his list!'