Solo - Jack Higgins [91]
'Hardly,' she said. 'Brigadier Ferguson had him confined for the night at his flat in Upper Grosvenor Street.'
'Well, he didn't do too good a job of it. Around twenty minutes ago I saw him standing in the exit door of the gangway just below your box and he didn't look too friendly. Mind you, I must say it added a certain edge to the final minutes of my performance.'
She grabbed his arm, pulling him to a halt. 'What are you going to do?'
'Why, join the Greek Ambassador and his party in their box for the second half. The traditional fare. Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, 'Fantasia on British Sea Songs' and at the end, everybody in the damned place standing up for 'Jerusalem' and singing their hearts out. The last night of the Proms, angel. How could I possibly miss that, even for Asa Morgan?'
She turned from him in horror and ran for the nearest exit door. Mikali kept on walking at the tail of the Ambassador's party, dropping back a pace or two, turning quickly into the next corridor exit they came to, standing in the shadows of the landing, waiting until their footsteps had died away.
There was a brief silence and then the orchestra started to play Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstance' March.
He said softly, 'Right, my friend, let's see if we can find you,' and he moved out into the deserted corridor.
16
Harry Baker was talking to a uniformed inspector in the foyer of the rear entrance when Katherine Riley found him. She was obviously considerably distressed and he caught hold of her by the arms.
'Here, what is it?'
'Asa,' she said. 'He's here - somewhere in the building. Mikali knows. He saw him in the Hall just before the interval.'
'God Almighty!' Baker said. 'Where's Mikali now?'
'He joined the Greek Ambassador's party for the second half.'
'He pushed her down into a seat. 'Right, you stay there.'
He had the briefest of conversations with the inspector, then disappeared up the stairs on the run.
Ferguson and Deville were back in the rear seat of the Brigadier's limousine in the car park when a police sergeant appeared from the command-post van and called him out. After a while, Ferguson got back into the car.
'Trouble?' Deville asked.
'You could say that. It seems Asa Morgan's loose somewhere in the building.'
'So, this house arrest you spoke of was obviously not enough to hold him, but then you counted on that, I think?'
Ferguson said, 'The Cretan Lover and John Mikali. All going to come out. Bound to. And what would he get? Not a rope, but life imprisonment, this being the enlightened and liberal age it is. Can you imagine what that would do to a man like him?'
'So, you prefer Morgan to play the hangman for you?'
'Asa always has done rather well as a public executioner. In any case, Mikali alive is of no direct use to us. You are and his untimely going would simplify your own position enormously.'
'Very neat,' Deville said. 'Except for one rather important point you appear to have overlooked.'
'And what would that be?'
'Why, that it's just as likely to be your Colonel Morgan who ends up on his back with a bullet between the eyes in there.'
Harry Baker came down the stairs to the rear entrance foyer. As Katherine stood up, he said, 'No sign of him in the Greek Ambassador's box. I've checked.'
He turned to the inspector and started to talk to him in a low, urgent voice. For the moment, Katherine Riley was forgotten and she went upstairs quietly, starting to run when she had turned the corner and was out of sight.
She paused on the landing below the Prince Consort Room where the reception had been held, not knowing what to do or where to go next.
Faintly, from the direction of the Hall she could hear the stirring strains of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance and then, quite suddenly,