«He wouldn’t break; he was too far gone for drugs.»
«So you put a wire to his throat and threw him to the American. Madness!»
«Not madness,» said Tennyson. «Consistency. Holcroft must be convinced that Wolfsschanze is everywhere. Prodding, threatening, protecting… Let’s go back to what was said. According to Holcroft, the man wasn’t afraid to die. What was it? ‘… I am prepared. We are all prepared. We will stop you. We will stop Geneva. Kill me and another will take my place; kill him, another his.’ The words of a fanatic. But he wasn’t a fanatic; I saw that for myself. He was no ODESSA agent, no Rache revolutionary. He was something else. Holcroft was right about that. Something else.»
«We’re at a dead end.»
«Not entirely. I have a man in Paris checking on the identities of the bodies found in Montereau.»
«La Sûreté?»
«Yes. He’s the best.» Tennyson sighed. «It’s all so incredible. After thirty years, the first overt moves are made, and within two weeks men come out of nowhere. As if they’d been waiting along with us for three decades. Yet they do not come out in the open. Why not? That is the sticking point. Why not?»
«The man said it to Holcroft in the alley. ‘We can put that fortune to use.’ They can’t get it if they expose Geneva’s sources.»
«Too simple; the amount’s too great. If it was money alone, nothing would prevent them from coming to us—to the bank’s directors, for that matter—and negotiating from a position of strength. Nearly eight hundred million; from their point of view, they could demand two thirds. They’d be dead after the fact, but they don’t know that. No, Erich, it’s not the money alone. We must look for something else.»
«We must look at the other crisis!» Kessler shouted. «Whoever that man was, tonight, whoever the two men were in Montereau, they’re secondary to our most immediate concern! Face it, Johann! The British know you’re the Tinamou! Don’t sidetrack that any longer. They know you’re the Tinamou!»
«Correction. They suspect I’m he; they don’t know it. And as Holcroft so correctly put it, they’ll soon be convinced they’re wrong, if they’re not convinced already. Actually, it’s a very advantageous position.»
«You’re mad!» screamed Kessler. «You will jeopardize everything!»
«On the contrary,» said Tennyson calmly. «I will solidify everything. What better ally could we have than MI Five? To be certain, we have men in British Intelligence, but none so high as Payton-Jones.»
«What in the name of God are you talking about?» The scholar was perspiring; the veins in his neck were pronounced.
«Sit down, Erich.»
«No!»
«Sit down!»
Kessler sat. «I won’t tolerate this, Johann.»
«Don’t tolerate anything; just listen.» Tennyson leaned forward. «For a few moments, let’s reverse roles; I’ll be the professor.»
«Don’t push me. We can handle intruders who won’t show themselves; they have something to hide. We can’t handle this. If you’re taken, what’s left?»
«That’s flattering, but you mustn’t think that way. If anything should happen to me, there are the lists, names of our people everywhere. A man can be found among them; the Fourth Reich will have a leader, in any event. But nothing will happen to me. The Tinamou is my shield, my protection. With his capture, I’m not only free of suspicion, I’m held in great respect.»
«You’ve lost your senses! You are the Tinamou!»
Tennyson sat back, smiling. «Let’s examine our assassin, shall we? Ten years ago you agreed he was my finest creation. I believe you said the Tinamou might well turn out to be our most vital weapon.»
«In theory. Only in theory. It was an academic judgment; I also said that!»
«True, you often take refuge high up in your cloistered tower, and that’s how it should be. But you were right, you know. In the last analysis, the millions in Switzerland cannot serve us unless they can be put to use. There are laws everywhere; they must be circumvented. It’s not as simple as it once was to pay for a Reichstag, or a block of seats in Parliament; or to buy an election in America. But for us it is nowhere near as difficult as it would be for others; that was your point ten years ago, and it is more valid today. We are in the position to make extraordinary demands on the most influential men in every major government. They’ve paid the Tinamou to assassinate their adversaries. From Washington to Paris to Cairo; from Athens to Beirut to Madrid; from London to Warsaw and even to Moscow itself. The Tinamou is irresistible. He is our own nuclear bomb.»
«And he can claim us in the fallout!»
«He could,» agreed Tennyson, «but he won’t. Years ago, Erich, we vowed to keep no secrets from each other, and I’ve kept that vow in all matters except one. I won’t apologize; it was, as they say, a decision of rank, and I felt it was necessary.»
«What did you do?» asked Kessler.
«Gave us that most vital weapon you spoke of ten years ago.»
«How?»
«A few moments ago you were quite specific. You raised your voice and said I was the Tinamou.»
«You are!»
«I’m not.»
«What?»
«I’m only half of the Tinamou. To be sure, the better half, but still only half. For years I trained another; he is my alternate in the field. His expertness has been taught, his brilliance acquired; next to the real Tinamou, he’s the best on earth.»
The scholar stared at the blond man in astonishment … and with awe. «He’s one of us? Ein Sonnenkind?»
«Of course not! He’s a paid killer; he knows nothing but an extraordinary life-style in which every need and appetite is gratified by the extraordinary sums he earns. He’s also aware that one day he may have to pay the price for his way of living, and he accepts that. He’s a professional.»
Kessler sank back in the chair and loosened his collar. «I must say, you never cease to amaze me.»
«I’m not finished,» replied Tennyson. «An event is taking place in London shortly, a gathering of heads of state. It’s the perfect opportunity. The Tinamou will be caught.»
«He’ll be what?»
«You heard correctly.» Tennyson smiled. «The Tinamou will be captured, a weapon in his hands, the odd caliber and the bore markings traceable to three previous assassinations. He will be caught and killed by the man who has been tracking him for nearly six years. A man who, for his own protection, wants no credit, wants no mention of his name. Who calls in the intelligence authorities of his adopted country. John Tennyson, European correspodent of the Guardian.»
«My God,» whispered Kessler. «How will you do it?»
«Even you can’t know that. But there’ll be a dividend as powerful as Geneva itself. The word will go out, in print, that the Tinamou kept private records. They haven’t been found, and thus can be presumed to have been stolen by someone. That someone will be ourselves. So, in death, the Tinamou serves us still.»
Kessler shook his head in wonder. «You think exotically; that’s your essential gift.»
«Among others,» said the blond man matter-of-factly. «And our newfound alliance with MI Five may be helpful. Other intelligence services may be more sophisticated, but none are better.» Tennyson slapped the arm of his chair. «Now. Let’s get back to our unknown enemy. His identity is in the words spoken in that alley. I’ve heard them! I know it.»