Bennett stared. ‘What about the police?’
‘The civil police don’t come into this until I’ve seen my chief. That’s one reason why I don’t want to send a plain-language message. And Captain… I’d like to make one point clear. I don’t know yet what all this is about any more than you do, but the whole thing stinks to heaven. For the time being, at any rate, I’m putting a security screen on it — and so I’m going to ask you, and these other gentlemen…’ he looked round, his eyes suddenly hard ‘… not to mention a word about anything you’ve seen aboard the dock, not to anyone at all, pending further word from my people — except, of course, that you can make any report you like as to the actual collision and the seaworthiness of the dock. Is that all right, Captain Bennett?’
‘Just as you say. I’ll rely on you to expedite matters, though. I’ve got my job to do as well as you, Shaw.’ Bennett mopped at his face, which was streaked with sweat despite that cold and rising wind gusting about them. ‘What about the dock itself, meanwhile?’
Shaw said, ‘I’m going to suggest it’s taken in tow by the tugs you’ve got in company, and brought into the Thames for handing over to the naval authorities. I’ll advise a berth later and see that a guard is put on it after arrival. If the proper owners do ask questions, they’ll be told it’s been moved to prevent its becoming a hazard to navigation off the Goodwins, as well as for its own safety. That’s good, sound common sense anyway as you’ll agree. From that point on,’ he added grimly, ‘we stall! All right, Captain?’
‘I suppose so,’ Bennett said reluctantly. He kept looking down, as they all did, at that pathetic body lying stiffly in the biting wind. ‘Sooner we get cracking, the better I’ll like it. I’ll not be too keen on a tow into the Thames if this wind freshens much more. This dock’s got a sight too much sheer area for catching the wind. She’ll be a bitch to handle.’
Ninety minutes later Shaw, his reports made, was once again aboard the recalled helicopter, this time with the body of the unknown girl, which had been wrapped in blankets provided by the Trinity House vessel. As the machine lifted them clear of the dock, Shaw could see the water boiling up below the counters of the tugs as, under orders of Captain Bennett, they manoeuvred into position to start the tow; and then, as they came once more over the North Goodwin lightship, he looked back and fancied he could see the great dock turning on its course for the London River. He hoped she would make it all right. As Exhibit A, she was rather too valuable to lose now.
Touching down at R.A.F Ashenden, Shaw found an ambulance laid on in accordance with his signalled request; and he accompanied the corpse in its makeshift shroud into London, to a certain unpublicized mortuary, with the Admiralty car following behind. At the mortuary he was met by a photographer and shots were taken of the body from all angles; and when this had been done a plain-clothes guard was at once posted on the mortuary. The environs were nicely anonymous, and if anyone had been told that the building was a mortuary, however seldom used, they would have been very surprised indeed.
With the prints of the photographs in his pocket, Shaw got into the waiting car and was driven fast for Whitehall and the office of the Chief of Special Services, Naval Intelligence Division.
Latymer’s scarred face was extremely worried; the livid tissue of the skin grafts — result of the bomb attack on his Eaton Square flat years before — could be seen plainly as a shaft of sunlight came through the big windows overlooking the Horse Guards, glinting on the opulent furnishings, the high polish of old mahogany, and the shagreen surface of the huge desk behind which he sat. The Chief of Special Services was rolling his heavy ebony ruler in his hands… it was like a sceptre, Shaw thought fancifully — and in simple truth it could have been a sceptre of a kind. For within the sphere of Intelligence this man, ‘Mr Latymer,’ who had once been a sea-going vice-admiral, was almost a king in his own autocratic right. It was said in high circles in the Admiralty that even the toilet-paper had to be given a rating as classified material before Latymer would sanction its distribution.
When Shaw had made his full report on the floating dock and on the action taken, Latymer said abruptly, ‘Right, Shaw. We’ll proceed from there, and like you, I’m going to assume there’s a good deal more behind this than meets the eye — I mean in a security sense — though I confess I have no very special reason for doing so at the moment.’ He paused. ‘I can tell you one thing: I’ve made a frontal attack by telephone, I hasten to add — on the Embassy of the Federal German Republic. They’re still obviously reluctant to say too much, but they’ve had to admit the dock was built in Hamburg, and that it currently belongs to a German firm. Gottlieb Hauser, to be precise. They’re big people, as I dare say you know. Well, one of their directors is in London at the moment, and I’ve had him questioned by a shipping man I know. Discreetly, of the German doesn’t know N.I.D’s taking any interest. Well now — the dock was in transit from Hamburg to the port of Luanda, in Angola, where it was to have been handed over to a subsidiary of Gottlieb Hauser. That’s been checked already and the story’s genuine — or at least, shall we say, it’s been substantiated. By the way,’ he added, ‘there are naval ships being fitted out with radar in Luanda, so that could check with your report about the spares the dock’s carrying.’
‘Perhaps. But Angola…’ Shaw frowned. ‘I wonder what that means, sir?’
‘Possibly no more than it appears to mean,’ Latymer pointed out testily. ‘In itself, it’s not especially sinister.’
‘Perhaps not, sir, but Captain Bennett talked about the dock having rather the appearance of being strengthened for ice. There’s not much of that around Angola way… and then there’s the fact that the towing ships did a bunk. That might be because of the body, I’d agree, but I’ve a feeling there’s more behind it than that. A valuable floating dock left loose in the Strait of Dover raises quite a few questions.’
‘Exactly — as I agreed before. The Embassy hadn’t anything to say about that, and frankly I don’t blame them for not talking till they get their own reports in and some instructions from Bonn. But the Gottlieb Hauser boss had something to say all right! He said plenty to my man. He’s in a tizzy — he just can’t understand it. Very upset and going off the deep end. Or is pretending to.’
‘Pretending to?’ Shaw’s eyes narrowed. ‘Don’t you think he’s genuine, sir?’
Latymer shrugged. ‘Frankly, I’ve no idea, yet. Something may emerge before long, though. Meanwhile I’m treating him with reserve.’
‘Quite, sir. So it seems the towing ships haven’t returned to Hamburg, or reported from elsewhere?’
‘I gather not, and also no one else seems to have spotted them so far.’
Shaw said, ‘That’s odd, sir, isn’t it? I mean, something must have been heard of them somewhere, surely? I’d say it’s most likely they turned and headed north again — because if they’d held a southerly course for the Downs, they’d have been picked up.’ He cocked an eye at Latymer, sardonically. ‘Assuming there’s an alert out for them, of course?’
‘Quite. There is.’ Latymer’s tone was cold. ‘I’d worked all that out for myself, as a matter of fact, my dear Shaw. I agree they would go north if they meant to disappear. The Gottlieb Hauser man may have been lying, which is what you’re suggesting, but on the other hand the ships could have made for the Netherlands for all we know.’
Shaw looked blank. ‘Any reason why they should, sir, or why the Netherlands authorities shouldn’t admit it if they had?’