Goodbye California - Alistair [102]
‘“The treaty is designed, in the words of the communiqué, to prevent artificial induction by the military of such phenomena as earthquakes –”’
‘Earthquakes!’ Ryder seemed jolted.
‘Yes, earthquakes. He goes on: ‘Tidal waves –’
‘Tidal waves?’ It was almost as if Ryder was beginning to comprehend something.
‘That’s what it says here. There’s some more: “ecological imbalance, alteration of weather and climate and changes in ocean currents, in the state of the ozone layer and the ionosphere, that is, the Appleton and Kennelly-Heaviside layers.” Then he goes on to say that the United States delegate at Geneva, one Mr Joseph Martin, believed that it would be a treaty amounting to a very strong practical inhibition against the hostile use of environmental modification techniques. He further comments that Mr Martin appears to have forgotten or ignored the fact that the only effect of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks was to encourage the Russians, in the sacred name of détente, to embark on a new and massive programme of building a bigger and better generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles.’ Delage appeared to run his eye down the page. ‘He does run on a bit more, but I’m afraid his scientific detachment gives way to a certain irony and bitterness. I would say that’s about all: Miss Ivanhoe’s rather vague ramblings in a coherent form.’
‘Switch on that TV,’ Dunne said. ‘A minute or so. Your sixty-seconds’-worth of observations, Sergeant Ryder?’
‘Poppycock. Or if you want it in plain language –’
‘That’s plain enough. No Reds under the bed?’ Dunne had a very disbelieving right eyebrow.
‘I didn’t say that. Neither do I say I disbelieve this story – theory, if you like – about blowing a hole through the ozone layer. I’m no scientist. All I’m saying is that I don’t believe in its relevance in those circumstances. Russian secret codes.’ On the rare occasions that Ryder expressed contempt he came across very strongly. ‘You think the Russians anyone – would use a young innocent, a marsh-mallow guaranteed to crack under the pressure of a fingertip, to decode a message or supposed secret that’s been in the public domain for two years? The idea’s preposterous.’
‘Laying a false scent, you would think?’
‘Yes. No.’
‘You’ve forgotten “perhaps”.’
‘“Perhaps” is what I mean. Morro’s intention may lie elsewhere. On the other hand, it may not. Maybe he thinks the idea’s so ridiculous that we’ll dismiss it out of hand and go ahead and use that idea. Or not. Maybe the Russians are involved. Again, or not. It’s the old story. Three ranchers are chasing a rustler who’s disappeared up a canyon. Half-way up this canyon there’s a branch canyon. Rancher A figures the rustler has gone hell for leather for the end of the canyon. Rancher B thinks he’s smarter than A and that the rustler, figuring that’s the way his pursuers will think, has taken the branch. C reckons that he’s smarter than both A and B, that the rustler will figure what B has figured and go to the end. No end to how long we could keep on outsmarting ourselves.’
He paused. ‘There could, of course, be a second branch canyon that we know nothing about. Just as we know nothing about the first.’
‘It’s a rare privilege,’ Dunne said, ‘to see a detective’s mind at work.’
Ryder might not have heard him. ‘Another interesting thing. This expert from ERDA. A nuclear physicist, I assume. About blasting a hole through the ozone layer. If the Russians – or whoever – had carried out any such experiments with God knows how many hydrogen bombs we or one of our allies would have been bound to know of it. It would have made headlines – big, big headlines – throughout the world. But there haven’t been any. Have there?’
No one said whether there had or hadn’t.
‘Well, so no experiments. Maybe the Russians – or again, whoever – are as scared