Medusa

He turned back to me, smiling sardonically. ‘You see, I’ve been well briefed on the naval background. Grand Harbour, Mahon, Gibraltar, a string of naval strongholds stretching across the Western Mediterranean. We’ve held them all, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t quite a number of people back home, people who are in a position to influence events, who still hanker after them. So you see — ’ He hesitated. ‘What I’m trying to make you understand, Mike, is that we’re all just pawns — all of us who are here on the spot where it’s happening. Pat included. I don’t know what he gets out of it, but there’s nothing you or I could offer him — ’ He swung round at the sound of the loudspeaker again. ‘Yes?’

‘It is Mr Evans, sir. I’ll send him up, shall I?’

‘Is he on his own?’ Gareth’s voice sounded suddenly nervous.

‘There’s three of them altogether, but he’s the only one who’s come aboard and he’s asking to see you personally.’

‘Then have him sent up right away.’

‘Very good, sir.’

The loudspeaker clicked off, Gareth standing by his desk fiddling with a ruler. Was he scared of the man? The spate of words he had been pouring out to me was in itself a sign of nerves. ‘Better let me do the talking.’ He was on edge and I wondered how much of a hold this half-brother of his had on him. The years at Ganges, then on that houseboat in the mud gut at Felixstowe Ferry. And Evans — he must be very sure of himself, to come on board this ship.

The knock came sooner than I had expected. Gareth sat himself down abruptly at his desk. ‘Come in.’

It was Davison. ‘Mr Evans, sir.’

‘Show him in. Then draw the curtain and wait outside.’

He seemed taller, the face more craggy, and the neck solid as a stone column. He wore no hat, his dark hair rumpled, and his shirt and the camouflage jacket were open at the neck. He was smiling, but no warmth in it, just an indication that he was prepared to be reasonable — or was he nervous, too, was there a certain insecurity under that tough exterior?

‘Come in, Pat.’ Gareth had risen to his feet. ‘Sit down.’ He waved him to a chair. ‘Mike Steele you know.’

‘Yeah, we’ve met before.’ He sat down, smiling at me, his voice low key. ‘How’s the boat behaving?’ But he didn’t expect an answer for he turned to Gareth, the smile gone from his face. ‘Well, when do you leave?’ And he added. ‘It better be soon. Very soon.’

Gareth sat down opposite him. ‘Didn’t they tell you, about the engines?’

‘Don’t give me that crap.’

‘We have condenser trouble.’

‘I said, don’t give me that crap.’ The voice had hardened. ‘The oldest gimmick there is — can’t move because the engines don’t work.’ He laughed, his voice a sneering mockery. ‘Considering why you’re here, it’s hardly likely their fucking Lordships would have let you to sea with engines that were on the blink. So you get your fancy marine engineer on the blower and tell him to start up.’

‘Unfortunately, you’re wrong about the engines.’ The trembling of his lower lip somehow made the statement unconvincing. ‘You should know how mean things can be in the Royal Navy. This is an old ship and she was fitted out in a hurry.’

‘So that you, and the rest of them on board, could be blown to hell. You always were a soft option, boy. You sit here for another two or three hours … Look, the bastards who give the orders, they aren’t going to be here to hold your hand when Fuxá gets the support he’s asked for and all hell breaks loose.’ He leaned suddenly forward, his voice softer, more urgent. ‘Don’t be a sucker. You’re expendable, the whole lot of you. Nobody cares about you. So be sensible. And if you want to stick to that fiction about the engines, then there’s a tug and two other ships waiting out there to give you a tow.’

‘If I go at all I’ll go under my own steam. Not under tow. And what I do depends on my orders.’

There was a long silence after that, the two of them staring at each other, and in that silence I heard my own voice, sounding like a stranger, as I said, ‘And what about my wife?’

There was no answer, both of them apparently locked in their own thoughts.

‘Where is she?’

Evans turned slowly and looked at me. ‘Not far away.’ He said it so reasonably, as though kidnapping a woman was the most ordinary thing in the world. ‘I’ll come to her in a moment.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘It’s nine forty-seven. I’ll give you until ten p.m. to sort your engines out and get under way. Fifteen minutes. Okay?’ He had risen to his feet.

‘And if I don’t?’ Gareth hadn’t moved from his chair and the silence stretched between them as they stared at each other like a pair of gladiators.

‘It’s been a long time,’ Evans said. ‘Must be four years now.’

‘Just on five.’