Blood Storm (28 page)

'I expect to see you back here soon,' the doctor warned.

'We're businessmen,' Nelson shouted. 'Not doctors who
piddle around for a few hours a day.'

'Not another word,' Benton told him in his quiet voice.

The limo Nelson had called for on his mobile waited for
them outside. A uniformed chauffeur opened the doors.

They had just got in when Nelson gave an abrupt
instruction to the driver.

'We're in a hurry to get to our building. No crawling.'

Near Trafalgar Street the limo was stopped in a solid
motionless wedge of traffic. Noel glanced out of the
window, saw a newspaper stall. He opened his door, dived
out. Behind the wheel the chauffeur raised his eyes to
heaven. He could have started moving while Noel was half
out of the car. At the newspaper stall Noel asked for the latest edition of the Daily Nation, paid, dived back into the limo, began studying the paper.

'Expecting good news?' Benton asked caustically.

'You never know . . .'

He broke off, swearing silently to himself, using the
foulest language.

Newman drove off from her flat first. Paula's car was close
behind him. They were nearly at Park Crescent when she
honked her horn. Newman glanced in his rear-view mirror, saw her parked, running into a newspaper shop. She came out quickly with the Daily Nation, the latest edition, which
the shop's owner told her had just arrived.

She dropped it on the seat, honked again and they drove
on to Park Crescent. As soon as she sat at her desk Paula
began studying the paper, concentrating on Drew
Franklin's column. She smiled, waved her hand in the air in
a victory gesture.

'So what is so exciting?' Tweed asked.

'Three cheers for Philip Garden. Harry, that barge thing off the lie St-Louis. You were going to help Philip do something. What was it?'

'Sounded a tricky idea to me. Philip was giving me a
frogman's suit while he put on his own. Then we were
going to wait until all twenty-five Slovaks from the second
coach had been ferried aboard in small boats from a ramp
on the lie. Waited a bit longer while they were hidden in
the hold. I'd have had two limpet mines with magnetic attachments, Philip one. We'd then have swum out from
the same ramp, unseen underwater. I had to attach two of
the mines either side of the prow while Philip attached his on the stern. Then we'd have swum to the opposite shore.
Philip had a small powerful radio. When he pressed the
button the mines would have detonated. Why are you
asking?'

'Mind if I see that newspaper?' Tweed asked.

Paula ran across. She had folded the paper to the front
page. Drew Franklin's report was very prominent.

IMMIGRAN'I SABOTEURS KILLED ON SEINE

A cunning plan to smuggle Slovak saboteurs into
Britain was foiled yesterday evening in Paris. The ship
bound for Britain was stationary opposite the lie St-
Louis when a huge explosion took out the entire
bottom of the ship, which sank quickly. The French
police report they are still searching the Seine for
bodies.

'So Philip did it by himself,' Tweed commented. 'I really
will have to send him more funds. That eliminates the rest
of Radek's army of killers, remembering the explosion on the bridge outside Aix. No one like Philip.'

Inside the Cabal's HQ, Noel's expression was murderous.
He met the Parrot, who made the mistake of speaking to
him.

'You're looking so much better. I was really worried what
that tear gas would do to you. You're looking great.'

'Am I?' He raged. 'Well if so it's nothing to do with seeing
you of all people as soon as we
arrive. Cow!'

'What did you call me?' she shrieked.

'Cow! Cow! Cow! Get your legs moving. We want a
gallon of coffee.'

He was menacing. His hands were clenched into fists. He
was waving them at her. Hell, she thought, he's going to hit
me. She slipped into the next room, slammed the door
behind her. Nelson was glaring when Noel sat down at the
three-sided table. His voice was a deep rumble.

'That, Noel, in case you've forgotten, is a key member of
our team. She deals with all the paperwork.'

'No, she doesn't,' Noel rapped back. 'She takes it next
door and dumps it on Coral Flenton.'

'Are you contradicting me?' Nelson asked, leaning
forward, his eyes glittering viciously. 'You're not totally
indispensable, you know.'

'Lost my cool,' Noel said, recovering control. 'Apologies
to you, to both of you. Just back from France. I guess I'm
tired.'

'So how did it go in France?' Nelson asked, sneering.

'Partly OK, partly not. You can't win everything.'

'And would this,' Benton asked gently, 'be some of the
partly not?'

He pushed across the table the Drew Franklin column
he'd cut out of the paper. Noel read it again, as though for
the first time. He nodded.

'Someone else handled that. They were going to be the
core of our special squad.' He smiled engagingly. 'The OK
part is Radek is over here. He's brilliant. Tough as granite
but with a subtle brain.'

'You'd better exercise tight control over him,' Benton
suggested. 'I've heard of his reputation.'

'Situations on the Continent are different from over
here.'

Noel had regained his confidence. Time to assert his
position. He smiled at the other two. Then he spoke
emphatically to get his message across.

'I should have said things used to be different on the
Continent. Look at what happened last night. To all of us,
including you, Benton. We were leaving the building when
we were savagely attacked with tear-gas bombs, which put
us in hospital. Who do you think was responsible? Tweed,
of course. So now we pay back. Ruin Tweed's reputation
for ever. Then deal rather more brutally with the rest of his
team. Put them out of action. At the least into hospital for
a long time. Maybe more if they fight back. Agreed?'
'I think you're right,' said Nelson. 'Go ahead.'

23

Tweed was known in security circles for his remarkable
intuition, his ability to foresee what the enemy's next move
would be. He had just listened to Marler's tear-gas exploit
with Harry. Later Marler had checked the hospitals, had
found the whole Cabal was undergoing medical treatment.

'The battle between us and the enemy will accelerate. I'm
sure they won't take what they suffered
lying down. We must prepare for a no-holds-barred counter-attack. So it's vital we strike first. I want those three compromised so
they're thrown out of their positions. Marler, Newman,
work out a strategy. I'm still trying to track down who
slaughtered Viola.'

'I suggest,' said Paula, 'that I visit Coral this evening,
turn her inside out. A woman with another woman can
often do that better than a man. No criticism of you, Pete.'

'Do it,' agreed Tweed. 'Try to find out more about Viola.
What we need is information.'

'What about me?' asked Nield.

'And me?' growled Harry.

'I want you both to guard Paula. Keep in the background
so Coral never sees you. I have a feeling Paula could
become a major target.'

'So could you,' Harry growled again.

Paula jumped up, operated a lever. Outside the large
windows steel blinds were lowered at a slanting angle. They
had been designed to ward off explosive grenades.

'Now we're safer,' she said.

'I should have thought of that before,' admitted
Newman. 'I also think George downstairs should be armed. Heaven knows he can handle a gun. He was in the infantry.'

'Agreed,' said Tweed. 'Now I'm going to contact
Benton. I'm curious as to why he wanted to see me while I
was away.'

An hour later Noel, his head covered with an old peaked
cap, his clothes shabby, his shoes down at heel, was inside
the warehouse. He stood in the large empty room with
Fitch and Radek.

'It's open warfare against Tweed and his whole team,' he
said, using language he'd have toned
down back in
Whitehall. 'The key figures are Tweed and his tart, Paula.'

'Kill them?' suggested Fitch.

'I have a better idea,' interjected Radek. His accent was
pronounced, his command of English perfect. 'We drive
both out of their minds. They end up insane permanently.
That will scare the rest of the team stiff. They'll be
leaderless.'

'An original idea,' Noel agreed with a sadistic smile. 'I
like it. But how are you going to do that?'

Radek opened the large case he had brought with him.
He took out a number of viewing screens, four projectors.
He attached a screen with nails to each of the four wooden walls. His eyes gleamed as he turned round.

'This way whichever way they look they can't avoid what
will appear. We need iron rings inserted into the floor.
Tweed and this Paula will be tied to the rings. It should take
an hour or so before they go out of their minds.'

'I still don't see it,' protested Noel.

'You will. You may feel queasy after only a short demon
stration but that will wear off. Better take these earplugs or
you'll go deaf.'

He set up the projectors so that each screen had one
projected on it. Then he lifted out another machine, laid it
on the floor behind them. They watched as he inserted film
then, lighting a
torch, switched off the overhead lights.

Noel was beginning to get nervous. What fiendish
apparatus was Radek setting up? Radek noticed his
nervousness when he suddenly swung the powerful torch beam straight into Noel's face.

'Turn that bloody thing away from me,' shouted Noel.

Radek grinned. He loved to see a man breaking down. It
was one of the pleasures of life. He shone the beam on the
projectors, bent down, pressed four buttons, switched off
his torch. He stood up to enjoy himself, slipping the
earplugs in place.

Each of the four screens began showing moving pictures.
Noel gazed, eyes glued to what was showing. Up in the
mountains somewhere. Snow on the ground. Thick
wooden posts with a man tied to each, wearing hardly any
clothes. By each post a man holding a huge axe began
swinging it. Noel stared, his face taut.