«Not a thing, pal. She didn’t have much time to talk, and the connection was rotten. It was out of Mexico. Anybody mind telling me what’s going on?»
Holcroft shook his head as if Buonoventura were in the room facing him. «Sorry, Sam. Perhaps someday. I owe you.»
«I think maybe you do. We’ll cut a deck for it. Take care of yourself. You got a real nice mother. Be good to her.»
Holcroft hung up. Buonoventura was a good friend to have. As good a friend as the well-dressed man was to Helden, he thought. He wondered what she meant when she asked the Verwünschte Kind if she were covered. Covered for what? By whom?
«My mother’s on her way to Geneva,» he said.
Helden turned. «I heard you. You sounded upset.»
«I am. A man followed her to Mexico. Miles had him picked up at the airport; he took a cyanide capsule before they could find out who he was or where he came from.»
«‘Kill me, another will take my place. Kill him, another his.’ Weren’t those the words?»
«Yes. I was thinking about them on the way up.»
«Does Johann know?»
«I told him everything.»
«What does he think?»
«He doesn’t know what to think. The key was Beaumont. I don’t know where we go now, except to Geneva, with the hope that no one stops us.»
Helden came toward him. «Tell me something. What can they—whoever they are—really do? Once the three of you present yourselves to the bank in Geneva, each of you in agreement, all reasonable men, it’s over. So what can they actually do?»
«You said it last night.»
«What?»
«They can kill us.»
The telephone rang. Holcroft reached for it. «Yes?»
«It’s John Tennyson.» The voice was strained.
«Your sister wants to talk to you,» said Holcroft.
«In a moment,» replied Tennyson. «We must speak first. Does she know?»
«Yes. Obviously you do, too.»
«My paper called me with the news. The night editor knew how close Gretchen and I were. It’s horrible.»
«I wish there was something I could say.»
«I couldn’t help you when you told me about your stepfather. We have to live with these things by ourselves. There’s nothing anyone can do or say when they happen. Helden understands.»
«Then you don’t believe the story that was given out? About the boat and the storm?»
«That they went out in a boat and never came back? Yes, I believe it. That he was responsible? Of course not. It’s not even plausible. Whatever else he was, Beaumont was a superb sailor. He could smell a storm twenty miles away. If he was in a small craft, he’d have it in shore before any weather struck.»
«Who then?»
«Come, my friend, we both know the answer. That someone else who hired him also killed him. They made him follow you to Rio. You spotted him; his usefulness had come to an end.» Tennyson paused. «It was as if they’d known we were to leave for Saint-Tropez. The unpardonable act was to kill Gretchen as well. For appearances.»
«I’m sorry. God, I feel responsible.»
«It was totally out of your control.»
«Could it have been the British?» asked Holcroft. «I told Kessler about Beaumont. He said he was going to work through channels. Bonn to London. Maybe an ODESSA agent commanding one of those reconnaissance ships was too much of an embarrassment.»
«The temptation might be there, but no one in authority would grant permission. The English would put him into isolation and break him on a rack if they had to get information, but they wouldn’t kill him. They had him. He and Gretchen were killed by someone who could be damaged by what he knew, not by anyone who could benefit.»
Tennyson’s reasoning was persuasive. «You’re right. The British wouldn’t gain anything. They’d keep him under wraps.»
«Exactly. And there’s another factor, a moral one. I think MI Six is riddled with self-seekers, but I don’t believe they kill to avoid embarrassment. It’s not in their nature. But they’ll go to extraordinary lengths to maintain a reputation. Or revive it. And I pray to God I’m right about that.»
«What do you mean?»
«I’m flying to London tonight. In the morning I’ll contact Payton-Jones at MI Five. I’ve an exchange to offer him, one I think he’ll find difficult to resist. I may be able to give him a ground-dwelling bird that moves rapidly from one place to another, its feathers blending in with the environment.»
Holcroft was as surprised as he was bewildered. «I thought you said you couldn’t work with them.»
«Him. Only Payton-Jones, no one else. He must give me his assurance of that, or we go no farther.»
«Do you think he will?»
«He really has no choice. That ground-dwelling bird has become an MI obsession.»
«Suppose you do? What do you get in return?»
«Access to classified material. The British have thousands of secret files. They concern the last years of the war and are embarrassing to a lot of people. But somewhere in those files is our answer. A man, a group of men, a band of fanatics—I don’t know who or what, but it’s there. Someone who had a connection with the Finanzministerium thirty years ago, or with our fathers; someone they trusted and to whom they gave responsibility. It could even be a Loch Torridon infiltration.»
«A what?»
«Loch Torridon. It was an espionage and sabotage operation mounted by the British from ’forty-one to ’forty-four. Hundreds of former nationals were sent back to Germany and Italy to work in factories and railroads and government offices everywhere. It’s common knowledge there were Loch Torridon personnel in the Finanzministerium… The answer is in the archives.»
«From those thousands of files, you expect to find one identity? Even if it’s there, it could take months.»
«Not really. I know precisely what to look for: people who may have been associated with our fathers.»
Tennyson spoke so rapidly, with such assurance, that Noel found it difficult to keep up with him. «Why are you so convinced the information is there to begin with?»
«Because it has to be. You made that clear to me this afternoon. The man who called you in New York, the one who was killed—»
«Peter Baldwin?»
«Yes. MI Six. He knew about Geneva. We start with him; he’s our key now.»
«Then go to the file called ‘Wolfsschanze,’» said Holcroft. «‘Code Wolfsschanze.’ That may be it!»
Tennyson did not reply at first. He was either thinking or startled; Noel could not tell which. «Where did you hear that?» he asked. «You never mentioned it. Neither did Helden.»
«Then we both forgot,» Holcroft told him.
«We should be careful,» said Tennyson, when Noel had finished. «If the name ‘Wolfsschanze’ is tied to Geneva, we must be extremely careful. The British can’t learn about Geneva. It would be disastrous.»
«I agree. But what reason will you give Payton-Jones for wanting access to the archives?»
«Part of the truth,» answered Tennyson. «I want Gretchen’s killer.»
«And for that you’re willing to give up the … ground-dwelling bird you’ve been tracking for six years?»
«For that and for Geneva. With all my heart.»
Noel was touched. «Do you want me to talk to Payton-Jones?»
«No!» Tennyson shouted; then he lowered his voice. «I mean, it would be far too dangerous. Trust me. Do as I ask you, please. You and Helden must stay out of sight. Completely. Until I contact you, Helden must not return to work. She must stay with you, and you both must remain invisible.»
Holcroft looked at Helden. «I don’t know if she’ll agree to that.»
«I’ll convince her. Let me speak with her. You and I have finished our talk.»