jamesclavell.noblehouse-第39章

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　〃No；　but　it's　all　over　Hong　Kong　and　we'll　have　a　red　hot　wind　fanning　our　tails　by　morning。　Mr。　Bloody　Werewolf　Esquire　…　assisted　by　the　pox…ridden；　black…hearted；　uncooperative　Hong　Kong　press　…　will；　I　fear；　cause　us　nothing　but　grief　until　we　catch　the　bastard；　or　bastards。〃
　〃But　catch　him　we　will；　oh　yes；　catch　him　we　will！〃
　〃Yes。　How　about　a　beer　…　or　better；　a　very　large　gin　and　tonic？　I　could　use　one。〃
　〃Good　idea。　Your　stomach　off　again？〃
　〃Yes。　Mary　says　it's　all　the　good　thoughts　I　keep　bottled　up。〃　They　laughed　together　and　headed　for　the　door　and　were　in　the　corridor　when　the　phone　rang。
　〃Leave　the　bloody　thing；　don't　answer　it；　it's　only　trouble；〃　Armstrong　said；　knowing　neither　he　nor　Brian　would　ever　leave　it。
　Brian　Kwok　picked　up　the　phone　and　froze。
　It　was　Roger　Crosse；　senior　superintendent；　director　of　Special　Intelligence。　〃Yes　sir？〃
　〃Brian；　would　you　please　e　up　right　away。〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃Is　Armstrong　with　you？〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃Bring　him　too。〃　The　phone　clicked　off。
　〃Yes　sir。〃　He　replaced　the　receiver　and　felt　the　sweat　on　his　back。
　〃God　wants　us；　on　the　double。〃
　Armstrong's　heart　jumped　a　beat。　〃Eh？　Me？〃　He　caught　up　with　Brian　who　was　heading　for　the　elevator。　〃What　the　hell　does　he　want　me　for？　I'm　not　in　SI　now。〃
　〃Ours　not　to　reason　why；　ours　just　to　shit　when　he　murmurs。〃
　Brian　Kwok　pressed　the　up　button。　〃What's　up？〃
　〃Got　to　be　important。　The　Mainland　perhaps？〃
　〃Chou　En…lai's　ousted　Mao　and　the　moderates're　in　power？〃
　〃Dreamer！　Mao'll　die　in　office　…　the　Godhead　of　China。〃
　〃The　only　good　thing　you　can　say　about　Mao　is　that　he's　Chinese　first　and　mie　second。　God…cursed　mies！〃
　〃Hey；　Brian；　maybe　the　Soviets　are　hotting　up　the　border　again。　Another　incident？〃
　〃Could　be。　Yes。　War's　ing　…　yes；　war's　ing　between　Russia　and　China。　Mao's　right　in　that　too。〃
　〃The　Soviets　aren't　that　stupid。〃
　〃Don't　bet　on　it；　old　chum。　I've　said　it　before　and　I've　said　it　again；　the　Soviets　are　the　world　enemy。　There'll　be　war　…　you'll　soon　owe　me　a　thousand　dollars；　Robert。〃
　〃I　don't　think　I　want　to　pay　that　bet。　The　killing'll　be　hideous。〃
　〃Yes。　But　it'll　still　happen。　Again　Mao's　right　in　that。　It'll　be　hideous　all　right　…　but　not　catastrophic。〃　Irritably　Brian　Kwok　punched　the　elevator　button　again。　He　looked　up　suddenly。　〃You　don't　think　the　invasion　from　Taiwan's　launched　at　long　last？〃
　〃That　old　chestnut？　That　old　pipe　dream？　e　off　it；　Brian！　Chiang　Kai…shek'll　never　get　off　Taiwan。〃
　〃If　he　doesn't　the　whole　world's　in　the　manure　pile。　If　Mao　gets　thirty　years　to　consolidate　。。。　Christ；　you've　no　idea。　A　billion　automatons？　Chiang　was　so　right　to　go　after　the　mie　bastards　…　they're　the　real　enemy　of　China。　They're　the　plague　of　China。　Christ；　if　they　get　time　to　Pavlov　all　the　kids。〃
　Armstrong　said　mildly；　〃Anyone'd　think　you're　a　running　dog　Nationalist。　Simmer　down；　lad；　everything's　lousy　in　the　world　which　is　now　and　ever　shall　be　normal　…　but　you；　capitalist　dog；　you　can　go　racing　Saturday；　hill　climbing　Sunday　and　there're　lots　of　birds　ready　to　be　plucked。　Eh？〃
　〃Sorry。〃　They　got　into　the　elevator。　〃That　little　bastard　Meng　caught　me　off　balance；〃　Brian　said；　stabbing　the　top…floor　button。
　Armstrong　switched　to　Cantonese。　〃Thy　mother　on　your　sorry；　Brother。　〃
　〃And　thine　was　stuffed　by　a　vagrant　monkey　with　one　testicle　in　a　pail　of　pig's　nightsoil。〃
　Armstrong　beamed。　〃That's　not　bad；　Brian；〃　he　said　in　English。　〃Not　bad　at　all。〃
　The　elevator　stopped。　They　walked　along　the　drab　corridor。　At　the　door　they　prepared　themselves。　Brian　knocked　gently。
　〃e　in。〃
　Roger　Crosse　was　in　his　fifties；　a　thin　tall　man　with　pale　blue　eyes　and　fair　thinning　hair　and　small；　long…fingered　hands。　His　desk　was　meticulous；　like　his　civilian　clothes　…　his　office　Spartan。　He　motioned　to　chairs。　They　sat。　He　continued　to　read　a　file。　At　length　he　closed　it　carefully　and　set　it　in　front　of　him。　The　cover　was　drab；　interoffice　and　ordinary。　〃An　American　millionaire　arrives　with　smuggled　guns；　an　ex…drug　peddling；　very　suspect　Shanghainese　millionaire　flees　to　Taiwan；　and　now　a　VIP　kidnapping　with；　God　help　us；　Werewolves　and　a　mutilated　ear。　All　in　nineteen…odd　hours。　Where's　the　connection？〃
　Armstrong　broke　the　silence。　〃Should　there　be　one；　sir？〃
　〃Shouldn't　there？〃
　〃Sorry　sir；　I　don't　know。　Yet。〃
　〃That's　very　boring；　Robert；　very　boring　indeed。〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃Tedious　in　fact；　particularly　as　the　powers　that　be　have　already　begun　to　breathe　heavily　down　my　neck。　And　when　that　happens　。。。〃　He　smiled　at　them　and　both　suppressed　a　shudder。　〃Of　course　Robert；　I　did　warn　you　yesterday　that　important　names　might　be　involved。〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃Now　Brian；　we're　grooming　you　for　high　office。　Don't　you　think　you　could　take　your　mind　off　horse　racing；　car　racing　and　almost　anything　in　skirts　and　apply　some　of　your　undoubted　talents　to　solving　this　modest　conundrum。〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃Please　do。　Very　quickly。　You're　assigned　to　the　case　with　Robert　because　it　might　require　your　expertise　…　for　the　next　few　days。　I　want　this　out　of　the　way　very　very　quickly　indeed　because　we've　a　slight　problem。　One　of　our　American　friends　in　the　consulate　called　me　last　night。　Privately。〃　He　motioned　at　the　file。　〃This　is　the　result。　With　his　tip　we　intercepted　the　original　in　the　bleak　hours　…　of　course　this's　a　copy；　the　original　was　naturally　returned　and　the　。。。〃　He　hesitated；　choosing　the　correct　word；　〃。。。　the　courier；　an　amateur　by　the　way；　left　undisturbed。　It's　a　report；　a　sort　of　newsletter　with　different　headings。　They're　all　rather　interesting。　Yes。　One's　headed；　'The　KGB　in　Asia。'　It　claims　that　they've　a　deep…cover　spy　ring　I've　never　even　heard　of　before；　code　name　'Sevrin；'　with　high…level　hostiles　in　key　positions　in　government；　police；　business　…　at　the　tai…pan　level　…　throughout　Southeast　Asia；　particularly　here　in　Hong　Kong。〃
　The　air　hissed　out　of　Brian　Kwok's　mouth。
　〃Quite；〃　Crosse　said　agreeably。　〃If　it's　true。〃
　〃You　think　it　is；　sir？〃　Armstrong　said。
　〃Really；　Robert；　perhaps　you're　in　need　of　early　retirement　on　medical　grounds：　softening　of　the　brain。　If　I　wasn't　perturbed　do　you　think　I'd　endure　the　unhappy　pleasure　of　having　to　petition　the　assistance　of　the　CID　Kowloon？〃
　〃No　sir；　sorry　sir。〃
　Crosse　turned　the　file　to　face　them　and　opened　it　to　the　title　page。　Both　men　gasped。　It　read；　〃Confidential　to　Ian　Dunross　only。　By　hand；　report　3/1963。　One　copy　only。〃
　〃Yes；〃　he　continued。　〃Yes。　This's　the　first　time　we've　actual　proof　Struan's　have　their　own　intelligence　system。〃　He　smiled　at　them　and　their　flesh　crawled。　〃I'd　certainly　like　to　know　how　tradesmen　manage　to　be　privy　to　all　sorts　of　very　intimate　information　we're　supposed　to　know　ages　before　them。〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃The　report's　obviously　one　of　a　series。　Oh　yes；　and　this　one's　signed　on　behalf　of　Struan's　Research　mittee　16；　by　a　certain　A。　M。　Grant　…　dated　in　London　three　days　ago。〃
　Brian　Kwok　gasped　again。　〃Grant？　Would　that　be　the　Alan　Medford　Grant；　the　associate　of　the　Institute　for　Strategic　Planning　in　London？〃
　〃Full　marks；　Brian；　ten　out　of　ten。　Yes。　Mr。　AMG　himself。　Mr。　VIP；　Mr。　Advisor　to　Her　Majesty's　Government　for　undercover　affairs　who　really　knows　onions　from　leeks。　You　know　him；　Brian？〃
　Brian　Kwok　said；　〃I　met　him　a　couple　of　times　in　England　last　year；　sir；　when　I　was　on　the　Senior　Officers　Course　at　the　General　Staff　College。　He　gave　a　paper　on　advanced　strategic　considerations　for　the　Far　East。　Brilliant。　Quite　brilliant。〃
　〃Fortunately　he's　English　and　on　our　side。　Even　so　。。。〃　Crosse　sighed　again。　〃I　certainly　hope　he's　mistaken　this　time　or　we're　in　the　mire　deeper　than　even　I　imagined。　It　seems　few　of　our　secrets　are　secrets　anymore。　Tiring。　Very。　And　as　to　this；〃　he　touched　the　file　again；　〃I'm　really　quite　shocked。〃
　〃Has　the　original　been　delivered；　sir？〃　Armstrong　asked。
　〃Yes。　To　Dunross　personally　at　4：18　this　afternoon。〃　His　voice　became　even　more　silky。　〃Fortunately；　thank　God；　my　relations　with　our　cousins　across　the　water　are　first　class。　Like　yours；　Robert　…　unlike　yours；　Brian。　You　never　did　like　America；　did　you；　Brian？〃
　〃No　sir。〃
　〃Why；　may　I　ask？〃
　〃They　talk　too　much；　sir；　you　can't　trust　th