Microbes of Power (Wallace of the Secret Service Series) (12 page)

‘If you are going to take me into your confidence, Miss Ictinos,’ he suggested, ‘perhaps you will come to the point. It is getting late.’

She removed the cigarette from the holder; crushed it into the ashtray he had placed by her side.

‘I have a profession now,’ she told him quietly. ‘It is like yours. My life, Captain Shannon, is devoted to my country, as your life is devoted to the service of England. I am in the Secret Service of Greece!’

He looked at her with incredulous eyes.

‘Are you serious?’ he demanded. ‘You are not joking?’

‘On the contrary, m’sieu, I am in very deep earnest. When my father died, I offered myself. I thought that my knowledge of people and languages would be of use to Greece. I was correct. My offer was accepted. For some months I was on – what do you call it?’

‘Probation?’

‘Yes; I was on probation, but now I have been entrusted with a task of importance very great.’

In his astonishment he almost gave his knowledge away.

‘I thought you were—’ he began; stopped abruptly as he was about to add, ‘a lady’s companion.’

‘You thought I was what?’ she asked curiously. He recovered himself admirably.

‘I thought you were engaged to the gentleman with whom I saw you tonight. His attentions rather suggested—’

She laughed scornfully.

‘Oh, Captain Shannon!’ she protested. ‘You do not flatter me. Do you think I would have a lover so old? I am only twenty-three; he, I think, is nearly sixty.’

‘Stranger things have happened,’ he murmured.

‘Perhaps, but not with me. Possibly some day I will love, but it will not be an old man. You do not by chance know the man with whom I sat?’ Shannon shook his head. ‘That, my friend, was General Radoloff. He is a Bulgarian who has much power. He is with the people I have been told to watch. You see how I am trusting you.’

Shannon had great difficulty in preventing the interest he felt from showing in his face.

‘Why are you telling me this?’ he asked. ‘It is hardly usual for the Secret Service agent of one country to announce herself so openly to an officer of another country.’

‘I know,’ she nodded, her beautiful eyes fixed on his with an expression in them which had nothing of duplicity in it. On the contrary, she looked utterly frank, almost childlike in her eagerness, as she went on. ‘But, you see, m’sieu, as I have already tried to
explain, I am beginning to fear that my work is too great for me. When I saw you in this hotel tonight, it was as if my prayer for guidance had been answered by the good God. I knew that if I could obtain your help all would be well. I must be quite candid with you – Captain Shannon, I am afraid!’

‘Afraid!’ he echoed. ‘Of what?’

‘Listen! As you put it in English, I am placing all my cards on the table. At the end of last year, two very clever countrymen of mine who had, at one time, been in power, made a most desperate bid – I think that is the correct word, no?’ He assured her that it was, and she continued: ‘They made a bid to overthrow the government, and obtain once more the power. You may perhaps know of their – bid? I am talking of Messieurs Plasiras and Bikelas.’

‘Yes,’ he replied; ‘they came rather a bad cropper.’

The music of her silvery laugh filled the room for a moment.

‘The word cropper is amusing,’ she declared, ‘but it is very much apt like all English and American slang. You are quite correct, mon ami; they came a bad cropper. Their followers were destroyed, and they only escaped very narrowly. But it seems they were not satisfied. Information came that again they were plotting. Then it became known that Madame Bikelas wished for a companion. I knew her well. My father was at one time a friend of her husband. But she and Monsieur did not know I was now of the Greek Secret Service. Nobody knows that but the head and one or two others of the department, and now you. You, of course, understand that such things are kept very much confidential. I have much money, but I go to Madame Bikelas, and tell her I am very lonely and have nothing to do. I ask her if she will have me for her companion. She is delighted. She thinks to herself: “this is someone we know. She will be reliable.” Her husband thinks the same thing, and I am
engaged. But I go to her to find out what it is Messieurs Bikelas and Plasiras are doing, and to keep my chief informed. Alas! Since February I have been with them. Now April is nearly finished, but I have not found out very much. With them is General Radoloff, of whom we have spoken. There is also Monsieur Doreff who, like the general, is a Bulgarian, and Signor and Signora Bruno who are Italian. With them also are Messieurs Michalis and Kyprianos who belong to Cyprus. Always they behave with great secrecy. They lock themselves often in a room, and talk together for hours. There is a great plot going on, of that I am certain, but I have not been able to find out what it is.’

She paused, and looked at Shannon anxiously.

‘Go on,’ he urged.

‘You are interested?’

‘Very; though I must confess that I do not understand yet why you are telling me all this.’

‘It is because I am in need of help or, at least, advice. First we met General Radoloff, Signor Bruno and Monsieur Doreff in Smyrna. Afterwards we all went together to Nicosia in Cyprus, where we stayed in the house of Paul Michalis. There Monsieur Kyprianos came often secretly to the house, and there were long private discussions. I tried very hard to find out what they were about, but always I met with failure. Kyprianos is a strange man whom I do not like at all. He looks at me sometimes in a manner very strange.’

‘Perhaps he is in love with you.’

She shook her head.

‘No; one cannot mistake the eyes of love. Often I have seen the look which tells me men desire me, but he does not look at me like that. I am afraid of him. I wonder if he suspects me, though I am
sure there is no reason why he should. In Nicosia, when we arrived, there was much excitement. The people gave a great welcome to Messieurs Bikelas and Plasiras, which angered them greatly. It was then, for the first time, that they put aside the mask. They blamed Monsieur Michalis for the greeting they received. In his house they spoke in great indignation, and said their plans would be wrecked. He told them that he did not know anything about the welcome; he even swore that he had only mentioned their coming to Monsieur Kyprianos. When Kyprianos arrived, they asked him if it was he who had arranged the welcome. He said “Yes”. Then they became angry with him. He also grew angry. He told them he would not help them, if they behaved to him in such a manner. My friend, it was strange how quickly they changed after that. It was like many nurses trying to soothe and comfort a crying child. I could not hear more of their conversation, for they took him away into the private room of Monsieur Michalis; the door was shut, and outside stood the secretary of Bikelas. It is always the same. When they hold their meetings, the secretary of Bikelas, or the secretary of Plasiras, stands on guard. I am always – baulked – is that the right word, Monsieur Shannon?’

‘Yes, I think so,’ nodded the Englishman. ‘Then you think this Kyprianos holds the key to the situation?’

‘I think he does. They do not dare to anger him. There is just one thing I have discovered, though at present it does not seem to me of importance. Kyprianos is a scientist; he has a reputation as a man of much skill with chemicals. Madame Bikelas told me that her husband and Monsieur Plasiras were expecting great help from him in order one day to return and regain their power in Greece.’

‘Ah!’ Shannon was unable altogether to suppress the exclamation, though he succeeded in rendering it fairly moderate. He had been
given an item of information which he felt was of the utmost importance, if indeed it were genuine. Still very much on his guard, he kept the possibility in mind that everything he was being told was said with the purpose of entrapping him in some way. ‘It certainly appears,’ he agreed, ‘that you are correct in assuming that there is some plot afoot against the present government of Greece. Have you been unable to pump Madame Bikelas? I mean to say,’ he added with a smile, ‘women talk confidentially to their companions, and I should have thought she could have told you a great deal.’

‘Mon Dieu!’ cried the girl in exasperated tones. ‘I have squeezed her as one squeezes a lemon, but she knows nothing. Of that I am convinced. Her husband tells her nothing. We are said to be on a tour of pleasure. I suppose Signora Bruno and Madame Bikelas are with the party for the purpose of giving such an impression. They believe it, poor dears. I could not be a wife of that type, Captain Shannon. If I had a husband who treated me in the manner one treats a doll, I should leave him. I would wish to be a real companion to him, and in his confidence. I know there must come times when a husband cannot confide altogether in his wife, but to be kept, as a man might keep a mistress, just for pleasure and for no other reason is, I think, degrading. Do you not agree?’

He smiled.

‘To a certain extent, yes. When did you arrive in Rome?’

He watched her keenly, as he asked the question, alert for any sign that she was aware he already knew. But she returned his regard quite frankly, and replied at once.

‘Only today. It was said that we were to stay in Cyprus for some weeks, but we left suddenly, as though there had been a happening which made it necessary to leave the island at once. There was much
agitation to be seen on the faces of the men, but I could not find out what it was that caused it. We all left with much abruptness on the Messageries Maritimes ship which was going to Marseilles. Kyprianos pretended that he was not of the party. He travelled separately to the port of Famagusta, and joined the rest of us on the boat. Our tickets were for Marseilles, but we disembarked at Naples early this morning, and came here by train. Is it not significant that we had tickets for one place, and landed at another?’

‘It certainly would seem so. What hotel are you residing at?’

‘We are not in a hotel, m’sieu. Signor Bruno possesses a very luxurious flat in the Ludovisi quarter. On our arrival in Rome we drove to the agent, who came with us. Through him we have engaged three flats in the same building. There are many vacant. Monsieur and Madame Bikelas, his secretary, and I are in one flat; Messieurs Doreff, and Plasiras and his secretary are in another; the third is occupied by General Radoloff, Messieurs Michalis and Kyprianos.’

‘They are to remain in Rome for at least a month then?’

‘It would seem to be the case. There is now anxiety because the customs at Naples would not let through a box belonging to Kyprianos. I heard him say that without it he could do nothing.’

‘Do you know what is in the case?’

‘It contains many bottles and jars filled with liquids. There are also measures and retorts.’

‘I see. It appears that he is engaged on some chemical experiments in which they are all interested.’ She nodded. ‘How can those experiments be connected with your theory that Plasiras and Bikelas are plotting against Greece?’

‘I do not know, and I—’ she paused, and looked up at him with eyes in which seemed to lurk the shadow of a great fear. ‘Monsieur
Shannon,’ she cried impulsively, ‘I am in much anxiety. I am afraid to permit myself to think, for it is in my mind that Kyprianos has devised some terrible poison gas which it is intended to use in order to obtain great power.’

A similar theory had been vaguely exercising Shannon’s mind all day, ever since he had observed the anxiety with which Kyprianos and his companions had regarded the refusal of the customs authorities at Naples to pass the case. Her frankness seemed to him proof positive that she was genuinely seeking his advice. There may have been reason of a treacherous nature for divulging her other items of information, but there could be no object antagonistic to him in the betrayal of a secret that she and her companions would wish to remain hidden under all circumstances. She may, of course, have been purposely misleading him suggesting an explanation of Kyprianos’ connection to his mind in order to divert it from any possibility of hitting on the correct reason. Shannon was worried. If he felt he could rely on this girl, he would have a helper whose position in the household would render her a most valuable assistant in his investigations. She had apparently been so honest with him that he was by that time more than half inclined to trust her. Everything she had told him coincided with his own knowledge. There had not been one item which had, in any way, clashed with the information he had acquired. Yet the memory of her father, of her own part in the events of a year before, persisted. He, like his colleagues, had formed his opinion of her then. It seemed to him that, in order to believe in her now, he must accept the incredible fact that there had been a complete
volte-face
in her character. She startled him by putting his thoughts into words.

‘You are thinking,’ she declared, ‘that it is impossible to alter the opinion of me you had formed, is it not so? You are wondering
how it can be that I, whom you judged so wicked a woman, could be now any different, and if there is any motive antagonistic to you in my visit. Oh, Captain Shannon, why cannot you try, at least, to believe in me? What possible purpose could I have in coming thus to you at risk so great to myself and confiding these things to you? Even if they are untrue, as perhaps you think, what object can be behind lies so useless? You are not fair to me, mon ami. You have no right to judge by the circumstances in which you first met me. I was then not my own mistress. I was under the influence of a man who though, as you say, a scoundrel was, after all, my father. You say in English that blood is thicker than water. Perhaps I was not very reluctant to be with him, for there is no doubt a cruel streak in my nature – I do not try to deny it, though I think I have suppressed it – and I love the excitement. But, when he died, it was as though I had been released from captivity. Since then I have striven to lead the life which my mother would have approved. Now I am happy in working for my country’s welfare in the same way as you are working for England. Will you not give me the chance to prove myself? Will you not try to trust me?’