Flyaway

Paul, of course, was dead broke – he hadn't a penny – and that suited me fine because I wanted him immobilized. I didn't give him any money, but said, 'Paul, stay here until I get back. If you want anything, order it – it's on the house. But don't leave the hotel.'

'Where are you going?'

'I have things to do,' I said uninformatively.

I went down to the lobby, cashed a sheaf of travellers cheques, picked up the driver, and gave him an address in Marlow. As we left the hotel-studded environs of Heathrow I reflected that the Post House was the ideal sort of anonymous caravanserai to hide Paul; I didn't want his presence in England known yet, nor mine, either.

The car pulled up outside Jack Ellis's house and I walked up and rang the doorbell. Judy Ellis opened it, looked at me uncertainly, and said, 'Yes?' interrogatively.

I had met Jack's wife only three or four times. Stafford Security Consultants Ltd was not the kind of firm that drew wives into the business orbit; we had other ways of ensuring company loyalty, such as good pay. I said, 'Is Jack in? I'm Max Stafford.'

'Oh, I didn't recognize you. Yes, he's just got back. Come in.' She held the door wide and let me into the hall while making all the usual excuses wives make when the boss drops in on an unexpected visit. The place didn't look all that untidy to me. 'Jack,' she called. 'Mr Stafford's here.'

As I stood in the doorway of the living-room Ellis rose from an armchair, laying aside a newspaper. He looked at me questioningly. 'Max?'

I was suddenly aware of the beard – now neatly trimmed by a barber Hesther, had brought in, the light-coloured suit of a decidedly foreign cut, and the black silk sling which cradled my left arm. I suppose that to Jack it was a disguise. 'Hello, Jack.'

'Well, for God's sake! Come in.' He seemed glad to see me.

I was aware of Judy hovering in the background. 'Er… this isn't a social call, Jack. I want to talk to you.'

'I hope to God it isn't,' he said. 'And I want to talk to you. Where have you been? Come into my study.'

He hustled me away and I smiled pleasantly at Judy hi passing. In the study he offered me a chair. 'What's wrong with the arm?'

'Just broken,' I smiled. 'It only hurts when I laugh.'

'God, I'm glad to see you. You just disappeared, and I didn't know where to look. All hell's been breaking loose.'

'I've not been away long – just over a month,' I said mildly. 'You haven't lost your grip in so short a time?'

'If you want to put it that way, I suppose I have.' His voice was grim. 'But I never had much grip to begin with, did I?'

It was evident that something was griping him so I said, 'Give me a drink, sit down and tell me all about it.'

He took a deep breath, then said, 'Sorry.' He left the room and returned with a tray on which were bottles and glasses. 'Scotch okay?' I nodded, and as he poured the drinks he said, 'As soon as you left the whole character of the company changed.'

'In what way?'

'Well, as a minor example, we're now letting dogs out without handlers.' He handed me a glass.

'Starting with Electronomics,' I suggested.

He looked at me in surprise. 'How did you know that?'

'Never mind. Go on.'

He sat down and looked broodingly into the glass which he held cradled in his hands. 'The big thing is that we're now up to our necks in industrial espionage. You've been away six weeks and I'm already running three penetration exercises.'

'Are you, by God? On whose authority?'

'Charlie Malleson twisted my arm.'

I stared at him. 'Jack, you're not there to take instructions from Charlie. He's just the bloody accountant – a number juggler. You're supposed to be standing in for me – running the operational side – and that doesn't mean penetration operations. We're in security; that's what the name of the firm means. Now, how did Charlie twist your arm?'

Ellis shrugged. 'He just told me to do it'

'Didn't you squawk?'

'Of course I bloody well squawked.' His ire was rising. 'But what the hell could I do? I'm not a shareholder, and he brought Brinton in to back him up, and when the bosses say "Do!", you do. Max, this last week I've been on the verge of quitting, but I held on in the hope that you'd come back. He stuck his finger out at me. 'Any moment from now I'm going to get instructions to penetrate one of our own clients. That would be a laugh, wouldn't it? Playing both ends against the middle. But it's not what I joined the firm for.'

'Not very ethical,' I agreed. 'Take it easy, Jack; we'll sort this out You say Charlie brought in Lord Brinton?'

The old bastard is in and out all the time now.' Jack caught himself. 'Sorry. I forgot he's a friend of yours.'

'Not particularly. You say he comes to the office frequently?'

'Two or three times a week. He has himself driven two whole blocks in his Rolls-Royce.'

'Does he have access to files?'

Jack shrugged. 'Not through me. I don't know about Charlie.'