Another stage pause while Darker considers Marjoram's file. The two men have a peculiar affinity with each other.
"Is Burr's source the one that's been putting out all the hair-raising stuff about the alleged involvement of certain British finance houses in this whole deal, then?" Darker enquires.
"A single source provided that information and has provided much else besides. I do not think it appropriate that we should discuss Burr's sources any further," says Goodhew.
"Sources or single source?"
"I refuse to be drawn."
"Is the single source live?"
"No comment. Live, yes. That's all I'm saying."
"He or she?"
"Pass. Minister, I must object."
"So you're saying that one live source ― he or she ― fingered the deal to Burr, fingered the dope to Burr, fingered the weapons to Burr, the ships, the money laundering and the participation of British finance. Yes?"
"You are missing the point ― I suspect deliberately ― that a great number of technical sources have supplied collateral at almost every turn, and all of it has substantiated the intelligence provided by Burr's live source. Unfortunately, much of the technical product has recently been denied to us. I intend to raise that matter formally in a moment."
"Us meaning Enforcement?"
"In this case, yes."
"Always a problem, you see, when one's handing hot material to these little agencies you're so fond of, to know whether they're secure."
"I would have thought their smallness made them more secure than much larger agencies with questionable connections!"
Marjoram takes over, but it could easily have been Darker speaking still, for Darker's eyes remain fixed on Goodhew's, and Marjoram's voice, though silkier, has the same accusatory tone.
"Nevertheless, there have been times when there has been no collateral," Marjoram suggests, with a tremendously sympathetic smile round the table. "Times when the source has, as you might say, spoken alone. Has given you things that were in effect not checkable. 'Here you are,' as it were. 'Take it or leave it.' And Burr has taken it. And so have you. Yes?"
"Since you deny us so much of the recent collateral, we have learned to make do without it. Minister, is it not in the nature of any source who produces original material that his product will not be provable in every particular?"
"Bit academic, all this, actually," the minister complains. "Can we get on to the gritty, Geoffrey? If I'm shoving this upstairs, I'll have to collar the Cabinet Secretary before Question Time."
Marjoram smiles in assent but does not change his tactic by a whit. "Quite a source, I must say, Rex. And quite a lot of mischief if he's leading you by the nose. Or she is; sorry. Not sure I'd like to take a flier on him if I was advising the PM, all the same. Not without knowing a bit more about him or her. Boundless faith in one's agent's all very fine in the field. Burr had a bit too much of it sometimes, back in the days when he worked for the River House. We had to keep him on a tight rein."
"The little I know of the source convinces me entirely," Goodhew retorts, digging himself deeper into the mire. "The source is loyal and has made immense personal sacrifices for the sake of his or her country. I urge that the source be listened to and believed, and his intelligence acted upon today."
Darker takes back the controls. He looks first at Goodhew's face, then at his hands where they rest on the table. And Goodhew in his increasingly fraught state has the disgusting notion that Darker is thinking it would be amusing to pull out his fingernails.
"Well, that's impartial enough for anyone," Darker says with a glance at the minister to make sure he has heard the witness condemning himself out of his own mouth. "Haven't heard such a resounding declaration of blind love since..." He turns to Marjoram. "What's the man's name again ― the escaped criminal? He's got so many names now I can't remember which is the right one."
"Pine," says Marjoram. "Jonathan Pine. Don't think he's got a middle name. There's been an international warrant out for him for months."
Darker again: "You're not telling me Burr's been listening to this man Pine, are you, Rex? You can't be. No one falls for him. Might as well believe the wino on your street corner when he tells you he's short of the fare home."
For the first time, both Marjoram and Darker are smiling together, a little incredulously, at the thought that somebody as bright as dear old Rex Goodhew could have made such a monumental blunder.
* * *
Goodhew has the sensation of being alone in a great empty hall, awaiting some kind of prolonged public execution. From far away he hears Darker trying to be helpful to him by explaining that it is pretty standard, in a case where action is to be contemplated at the highest level, for intelligence services to come clean about their sources.
"I mean, look at it their way, Rex. Wouldn't you want to know whether Burr has bought the crown jewels or a fabricator's load of old bones? Not as if Goodhew was exactly flush with sources, is it? Probably paid the bloke his whole annual budget in one shot." He turns to the minister. "Among his other skills, this man Pine forges passports. He came to us about eighteen months ago with some story about a shipment of high-tech weaponry for the Iraqis. We checked it out, didn't like it and showed him the door. We thought he might be a bit loco, to be frank. A few months ago he cropped up as some kind of factotum to Dicky Roper's household out in Nassau. Part-time tutor to their difficult son. Tried to peddle anti-Roper stories round the intelligence bazaars in his spare time."
He glances at the open file in order to make sure he is being as fair as possible.
"Got quite a record. Murder, multiple theft, dope-running and illegal possession of various passports. I hope to God he's not going to get into the witness box and say he did it all for British Intelligence."
Marjoram's index finger helpfully points out an entry lower down the page. Darker spots it and gives a nod to show that he is grateful to be reminded.
"Yes, that's an odd little story about him too. While Pine was in Cairo, it seems he ran up against a man called Freddie Hamid, one of the Hamid brothers of evil fame. Pine worked in his hotel. Probably pushed his dope for him as well. Our man Ogilvey out there tells us there are quite strong pointers to suggest that Pine killed Hamid's mistress. Beat her to death, apparently. Took her to Luxor for a weekend, then killed her in a jealous rage." Darker shrugged and closed the file. "We are talking of somebody who is seriously unstable, Minister. I don't think the PM should be asked to authorise drastic action based on Pine's fabrications. I don't think you should either."
Everyone looks at Goodhew, but most look away again in order not to embarrass him. Marjoram particularly seems to feel for him. The minister is talking, but Goodhew is tired. Perhaps that's what evil does to you, he thinks: it tires you.
"Rex, you have to fight your corner on this one," the minister is complaining. "Has Burr done a deal with this man or not? I hope he hasn't had anything to do with his crimes? What have you promised him? Rex, I insist you remain. There have been far too many cases recently of British Intelligence employing criminals on terms. Don't you dare bring him back to this country, that's all. Did Burr tell him who he was working for? Probably gave him my phone number while he was about it. Rex, come back." The door seems an awfully long way off. "Geoffrey says he's been some kind of special soldier. Ireland. About all we need. The Irish will be really grateful. For Christ's sake, Rex, we've hardly started on the agenda. Major decisions to take. Rex, this is very untidy. Not your scene at all. I'm nobody's man, Rex. Goodbye."