Dark Side of the Street - Jack Higgins [43]
"Janet--Paul here." There was a sudden sharp intake of breath at the other end. "Where is he?"
"Foreign Office--a NATO intelligence conference. Where are you?"
"Shrewsbury and hot on the trail. Ever heard of a place called Phenge?"
"No, but I can soon look it up for you." She was back within a couple of minutes. "Just outside Gloucester."
"That's where we're making for now. The whole thing's going perfectly so far. From now on I must have Mallory standing by. Next time I ring, it could be to give him the news he's been waiting for and I'll probably only have seconds."
"I'll tell him."
"Good girl. I'll have to be off."
"Look after yourself."
"Don't worry about me. I'll challenge the gods and make a date with you for next Wednesday. We'll do a show and go on to the Saddle Room afterwards."
"I'll look forward to that."
He dropped the receiver and hurried along the road through the heavy rain. When he reached the lay-by, the girl was sitting in the van and Youngblood was standing by the truck smoking. He moved to meet Chavasse quickly.
"What happened?"
"Nothing much. She gave me this card."
Youngblood read it and looked up quickly. "Was she on the level?"
"How in the hell would I know?"
"Then we could be walking into trouble."
"Naturally."
Youngblood nodded thoughtfully. "On the other hand they're not going to scream for a copper, are they? That's the last thing they'll want to do."
"Exactly," Chavasse said. "Which makes it a nice private fight."
There was an old A.A. book in the Ford and Youngblood leafed through it quickly. "Phenge is just outside Gloucester," he announced. "That's about seventy-five miles. We could be there in a couple of hours if we used the Ford."
"Just what I was thinking," Chavasse said. "I noticed a gate barring a cart track into a wood a little way back. If we ran the truck in there, it could stand for a day or two before anyone discovered it, especially in this weather."
"Fine," Youngblood said. "I'll handle this. You follow on in the Ford."
He was suddenly like a kid on an outing, cheerful and smiling as he clambered up into the truck and drove away.
"He's certainly pleased with life, isn't he?" Chavasse said as he slid behind the wheel of the Ford.
The girl blushed, looking for a moment almost pretty and he was suddenly reminded of an old Breton saying. Love makes even an ugly woman beautiful... .
My God, as if this business wasn't complicated enough. He sighed heavily as he released the handbrake and drove away.
As the front door closed behind Chavasse, Simon Vaughan stepped from behind the floor length velvet curtain at the window and came towards the table.
"Glad you were sensible, old girl. I think the whole thing went off very well, don't you?"
"That depends entirely on your point of view."
"He was lying of course--about being on his own, I mean. That was quite obvious. I suppose Youngblood was waiting at the end of the lane to see what happened. Do you mind if I use the phone?"
"You used me. How can I stop you using my phone?"
"Now don't be like that." He dialled a number, long distance on STD and cut in the moment he heard a voice at the other end. "Hugo? Just to confirm your two packages are on the way. Yes, the full treatment. I'll see you later."
He put down the telephone, took out his gloves and pulled them on. "I must be off. I'll be seeing you, Rosa."
The Dobermann brushed past him like a dark shadow and nuzzled her hand. She shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Now don't be silly," he said. "You've been living here on a false passport since 1946--on a false identity, which is even worse. A word in the right quarter ..."
"You mistake me," she said. "It isn't that I've grown brave all of a sudden. I'm too old for the kind of courage that would take. I simply meant that you wouldn't be seeing me again."
He was obviously curious. "May I ask why?"
"Because you are going to die," she said simply.
He stared at her, that slight fixed smile firmly in place. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"I have another kind of sight, Mr. Smith or whatever