Blood Is a Stranger (21 page)

The machine whirred off above them. Cardinal switched on the light.

‘Still think it wasn't co-ordinated?' she asked, distressed.

‘I don't know,' he said. The sound of the machine had died away. It was out of sight. They sat silently for several moments.

Cardinal looked at his watch. ‘It's three thirty. We better try to sleep.'

Rhonda kissed him on the cheek. ‘Thank you for staying,'
she said and slipped into her bedroom. She left the door open and called him to make sure he could hear her.

Cardinal took off his shoes and socks and hung his feet over one arm of the sofa. He began to relax and drifted off until the room's stillness was shattered by the sound of the phone.

‘I'll get it!' he said. Cardinal picked up the receiver. He could hear a telex machine chattering in the background and muffled voices.

‘Miss Mills?' a male voice said. ‘We know you are there, Miss Mills. Just checking to remind you not to leave the hotel.'

Cardinal could see Rhonda holding the phone in the bedroom.

‘Miss Mills?'

Cardinal waved his hand. The caller rang off. Cardinal left the receiver off the hook and walked to the door.

‘They can't get through again,' he said.

‘What if they come here?'

He took her to the bedroom window and pointed at the market. ‘It's four. Nearly dawn. You can see those guys opening up their stalls and barrows. No one's going to come calling at this hour.' He put his arms around her.

‘Stay in here with me,' she said, her voice trembling. ‘I've never been so scared.'

Cardinal held her close, reached over and switched off the light.

‘Are you scared?' she asked as they got into bed.

‘More sleepy than scared, but yes, a little nervous.'

Cardinal touched her affectionately.

‘Look, I feel the electricity,' she said, ‘but I want to remain unplugged at the moment.'

‘I understand.'

‘I do want you near.'

Cardinal eased his arm from around her shoulders and lay on his back. He drifted off to sleep but was awakened by the grip of Rhonda's fingers on his forearm.

‘Ken . . .' she said, ‘I heard something. I think someone is in the other room.'

They both listened. There was an intermittent clicking sound. Cardinal eased himself out of the bed, pulled on his trousers and edged to the bedroom door. He caught a glimpse of moving shadows under the door to the hallway. He crept to the peephole. He could see the distorted faces of two men. One wore dark glasses. They both looked down the hallway and began to move off. Cardinal threw back the security chain, fumbled with the lock and rushed into the corridor just as the lift door closed. Cardinal returned to the room, and rang security. An officer promised to search the hotel.

‘If they detain you tomorrow night,' he said, returning to the bed, ‘you better check out of here. Either stay with me or Perdonny.' Rhonda snuggled close. They both lay in silence, alert to any noises in and out of the room. The airconditioner began making noises like a stifled cough. Rhonda started a couple of times. Then she settled down.

Cardinal turned to her, gently pushed hair from around the nape of her neck and kissed her. This time she responded more. They kissed and became lost to the terror that had brought them close.

‘Burra, I believe you.'

O'Laughlin got up from behind his desk and walked around to face him. The Aborigine had driven to Darwin for a meeting.

‘What are you going to do about it?!' Burra demanded.

‘I have already been onto Canberra,' O'Laughlin said. ‘They are going to send a government inspector to the mine to check Richardson's inventory and stocks.'

‘So he claims it never happened?!'

‘He's more subtle than that. He says no uranium left the mine. His public relations people have been lobbying on his behalf in Canberra.'

‘Then where did the Hercules come from and go to?'

‘Darwin airport.'

‘Bullshit!'

‘Look, Burra!' O'Laughlin said, ‘the bloody thing is there. It's at the hangar. One of my blokes inspected it at dawn today. Do you want to go with me now?'

Burra's eyes searched O'Laughlin's creased face. He trusted him but didn't believe Richardson's story. Burra had to see for himself.

‘It's a con trick!' Burra grumbled as O'Laughlin showed him the Hercules in Richardson's hangar at Darwin airport. The plane was empty except for mail bags.

‘It's a sting,' Burra added angrily.

‘Well, you tell me how,' O'Laughlin said, ‘and I'll do something about it.'

‘I'm certain it was flown out of the country!' Burra said. ‘My son and three other Bididgees watched those forklift trucks getting yellowcake barrels into the plane!'

‘If we had proof that he smuggled yellowcake out of Australia, Richardson would be up to his arse in crocodiles.'

‘Have you checked with Radar?'

‘This is supposed to have happened on Saturday night, right?' he said.

Burra nodded.

‘Well, I hate to tell you, mate, but the coast guard and the army don't run the radar stations on the weekend up this way . . .'

Rhonda awoke with instant memories of the night's fears and a tumble of mixed emotions livened her face.

She looked at the puffiness and black barnacles under Cardinal's eyes.

‘It's nearly nine,' he said. ‘You got some good sleep after all.'

‘Did you?'

‘Some. At least I didn't dream.'

‘You've had bad dreams?'

‘Since I heard about Harry. Hadn't you better call the Australian Embassy?'

‘I should,' Rhonda said sitting up. She rang and scribbled notes during a brief conversation with the ambassador's secretary.

‘They're letting me go!' she said. ‘A flight this afternoon at four. Why don't you come?'

‘Not until after that Soviet party, if Perdonny can get me to it.' He smiled at her. ‘You've plenty of time if your plane leaves at four.' Cardinal moved close and held her.

Rhonda searched his face. ‘Why did you come on to me last night?'

‘I don't know,' he said, ‘it was the moment.' He smiled. ‘Don't underestimate how much you attract me.'

‘Wasn't it just an opportunity?'

‘Sure.' Cardinal shrugged. ‘But it happens that I felt something very strong from the first time we met at the ferry.'

‘That's what they all say at the ferry.'

‘You don't believe me?'

‘You didn't show it.'

‘I wasn't feeling too confident then.'

‘I understood that,' she said, touching his hand. ‘You did flirt with me at that first lunch.'

‘I have been pre-occupied with this business. You know that.'

He eyed her closely. ‘I don't think I understand you.'

‘Not many people do. Just about everyone I meet thinks I'm a freak.'

‘The fat lady at the circus!'

Rhonda pulled his hair. ‘Yes! Just like that! People don't know how to approach me.'

‘I didn't know you from Eve when we met.'

‘You have never seen me on the box?'

‘Never,' he said, looking closely at her. ‘Have you worked out of New York?'

‘No. So far I've had postings to Jakarta, Tokyo and London.'

‘New York or Paris would suit you.' Cardinal leaned over and kissed her.

‘Are you teasing me?' she asked.

‘About New York? It would be much richer if you were there. Have you been married?'

‘Seven years. We split two years ago. There were a lot of problems.'

‘Children?'

‘That was a problem. He wanted kids. I wasn't ready to break my career.'

‘What does he do?'

‘That was another problem. He used to be my producer. We work at the same network.'

‘You see him every day?'

‘Not now. He sits at the right hand of the network god on the board, and as an adviser.'

Cardinal began to caress her back and neck. ‘I want to be inside you . . .'

Perdonny used a magnifying glass to examine the six aerial photos laid out on his desk before looking up at Myrta, his young Sumatran assistant. She was dark and thin, and had lost an arm in a Jakarta train accident.

‘It's a Hercules,' Perdonny said. He leant back in a swivel chair. ‘It has the same markings as the one we saw a few days ago at Ujung Pandang. Where did it come from?'

The girl swept her black hair from her face and sat for-ward. ‘We have a definitive report from our people on Timor.' She tapped one of the photos. ‘It landed there the night before last and was camouflaged at a military airfield. As soon as it was dark last night it took off again and landed at Ujung Pandang.'

‘But where had it come from originally – before it
arrived in Timor?'

The girl shrugged. ‘All we know is that it came in from a southerly direction, which indicates Australia.'

‘Has anything relevant been reported from there?'

‘Not publicly. We're checking it.'

‘Do you think the plane was used for a hijack?'

‘A radio report from Australia says Aborigines in Arnhem Land believe yellowcake was airlifted out of there secretly.'

Perdonny shot forward. ‘That has to be it. A secret deal between Canberra and Utun to supply yellowcake!'

Myrta shook her head. ‘Australia would be just as paranoid about Utun getting fuel for nuclear weapons as we would.'

‘What about a secret deal between Richardson and Utun?'

‘More likely. Utun's got the people to make bombs, now Van der Holland is in the country. All he needed was the sort of high-grade yellowcake Richardson could supply.'

‘Has there been any reaction from Chan at the Cambodian Embassy?'

‘Our plant says there was great excitement at the Embassy yesterday over a telex from Ujung Pandang. He could not get hold of it but thinks Chan may be flying there soon.'

Perdonny congratulated the girl. ‘There is some connection between Blundell, Utun and Chan over the yellowcake and Van der Holland,' he said. ‘Could you get people working on that?'

‘Are you sure there is a three-way connection? You did see Chan and Blundell meet at the docks. Obviously they didn't want Utun to know.'

‘Concentrate on the three-way link for a start.'

Myrta nodded. She handed Perdonny a letter. ‘From the Soviet ambassador, an invitation for Ken Cardinal to the Soviet party.'

‘Did they manage to get a reply from Hartina Van der Holland?'

‘Not yet. They couldn't even tell me if her mother, Tien, was coming. But they expect her. She hasn't missed a Soviet revolution party for a decade.'

‘So Mrs Rich-bitch is a Marxist at heart?'

Myrta nodded. ‘Especially when she makes such big aluminium sales to the Soviets.'

Perdonny's grin evaporated. He stood up to his full height and looked out of his office to the villa's pool.