jamesclavell.noblehouse-第40章

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　〃No　sir。〃
　〃Why；　may　I　ask？〃
　〃They　talk　too　much；　sir；　you　can't　trust　them　with　any　secrets　…　they're　loud；　and　I　find　them　stupid。〃
　Crosse　smiled　with　his　mouth。　〃That's　no　reason　not　to　have　good　relations　with　them；　Brian。　Perhaps　you're　the　stupid　one。〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃They're　not　all　stupid；　oh　dear　no。〃　The　director　closed　the　file　but　left　it　facing　them。　Both　men　stared　at　it；　mesmerized。
　〃Did　the　Americans　say　how　they　found　out　about　the　file；　sir？〃　Armstrong　asked　without　thinking。
　〃Robert；　I　really　do　believe　your　sinecure　in　Kowloon　has　addled　your　brain。　Shall　I　remend　you　for　a　medical　retirement？〃
　The　big　man　winced。　〃No　sir；　thank　you　sir。〃
　〃Would　we　reveal　our　sources　to　them？〃
　〃No　sir。〃
　〃Would　they　have　told　me　if　I'd　been　so　crass　as　to　ask　them？〃
　〃No　sir。〃
　〃This　whole　business　is　very　tedious　and　filled　with　loss　of　face。　Mine。　Don't　you　agree；　Robert？〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃Good；　that's　something。〃　Crosse　leaned　back　in　his　chair；　rocking　it。　His　eyes　ground　into　them。　Both　men　were　wondering　who　the　tipster　was；　and　why。
　Can't　be　the　CIA；　Brian　Kwok　was　thinking。　They'd　have　done　the　intercept　themselves；　they　don't　need　SI　to　do　their　dirty　work　for　them。　Those　crazy　bastards'll　do　anything；　tread　on　any　toes；　he　thought　disgustedly。　If　not　them；　who？
　Who？
　Must　be　someone　who's　in　Intelligence　but　who　can't；　or　couldn't　do　the　intercept；　who's　on　good　terms；　safe　terms　with　Crosse。　A　consular　official？　Possible。　Johnny　Mishauer；　Naval　Intelligence？　Out　of　his　channel。　Who？　There's　not　many　。。。　Ah；　the　FBI　man；　Crosse's　protégé！　Ed　Langan。　Now；　how　would　Langan　know　about　this　file？　Information　from　London？　Possible；　but　the　FBI　doesn't　have　an　office　there。　If　the　tip　came　from　London；　probably　MI…5　or　…6　would　know　it　first　and　they'd've　arranged　to　get　the　material　at　the　source　and　would　have　telexed　it　to　us；　and　given　us　hell　for　being　inept　in　our　own　backyard。　Did　the　courier's　aircraft　land　at　Lebanon？　There's　an　FBI　man　there　I　seem　to　recall。　If　not　from　London　or　Lebanon；　the　information　must　have　e　from　the　aircraft　itself。　Ah；　an　acpanying　friendly　informer　who　saw　the　file；　or　the　cover？　Crew？　Ayeeyah！　Was　the　aircraft　TWA　or　Pan　Am？　The　FBI　has　all　sorts　of　links；　close　links　…　with　all　sorts　of　ordinary　businesses；　rightly　so。　Oh　yes。　Is　there　a　Sunday　flight？　Yes。　Pan　Am；　ETA　2030。　Too　late　for　a　night　delivery　by　the　time　you've　got　to　the　hotel。　Perfect。
　〃Strange　that　the　courier　came　Pan　Am　and　not　BOAC　…　it's　a　much　better　flight；〃　he　said；　pleased　with　the　oblique　way　his　mind　worked。
　〃Yes。　I　thought　the　same；〃　Crosse　said　as　evenly。　〃Terribly　un…British　of　him。　Of　course；　Pan　Am　does　land　on　time　whereas　you　never　know　with　poor　old　BOAC　these　days　…　〃　He　nodded　at　Brian　agreeably。　〃Full　marks　again。　Go　to　the　head　of　the　class。〃
　〃Thank　you　sir。〃
　〃What　else　do　you　deduce？〃
　After　a　pause　Brian　Kwok　said；　〃In　return　for　the　tip；　you　agreed　to　provide　Langan　with　an　exact　copy　of　the　file。〃
　〃And？〃
　〃And　you　regret　having　honored　that。〃
　Crosse　sighed。　〃Why？〃
　〃I'll　know　only　after　I've　read　the　file。〃
　〃Brian；　you　really　are　surpassing　yourself　this　afternoon。　Good。〃　Absently　the　director　fingered　the　file　and　both　men　knew　he　was　titillating　them；　deliberately；　but　neither　knew　why。　〃There　are　one　or　two　very　curious　coincidences　in　other　sections　of　this。　Names　like　Vincenzo　Banastasio　。。。　meeting　places　like　Sinclair　Towers　。。。　Does　Nelson　Trading　mean　anything　to　either　of　you？〃
　They　both　shook　their　heads。
　〃All　very　curious。　mies　to　the　right　of　us；　mies　to　the　left　。。。〃　His　eyes　became　even　stonier。　〃It　seems　we　even　have　a　nasty　in　our　own　ranks；　possibly　at　superintendent　level。〃
　〃Impossible！〃　Armstrong　said　involuntarily。
　〃How　long　were　you　with　us　in　SI；　dear　boy？〃
　Armstrong　almost　flinched。　〃Two　tours；　almost　five　years　sir。〃
　〃The　spy　Sorge　was　impossible　…　Kim　Philby　was　impossible　…　dear　God　Philby！〃　The　sudden　defection　to　Soviet　Russia　in　January　this　year　by　this　Englishman；　this　onetime　top　agent　of　MI…6　…　British　military　intelligence　for　overseas　espionage　and　counter…espionage　…　had　sent　shock　waves　throughout　the　Western　world；　particularly　as；　until　recently；　Philby　had　been　first　secretary　at　the　British　Embassy　in　Washington；　responsible　for　liaison　with　U。S。　Defense；　State；　and　the　CIA　on　all　security　matters　at　the　highest　level。　〃How　in　the　name　of　all　that's　holy　he　could　have　been　a　Soviet　agent　for　all　those　years　and　remain　undetected　is　impossible；　isn't　it；　Robert？〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃And　yet　he　was；　and　privy　to　our　innermost　secrets　for　years。　Certainly　from　'42　to　'58。　And　where　did　he　start　spying？　God　save　us；　at　Cambridge　in　1931。　Recruited　into　the　Party　by　the　other　arch…traitor；　Burgess；　also　of　Cambridge；　and　his　friend　Maclean；　may　they　both　toast　in　hell　for　all　eternity。〃　Some　years　ago　these　two　highly　placed　Foreign　Office　diplomats　…　both　of　whom　had　also　been　in　Intelligence　during　the　war　…　had　abruptly　fled　to　Russia　only　seconds　ahead　of　British　counterespionage　agents　and　the　ensuing　scandal　had　rocked　Britain　and　the　whole　of　NATO。　〃Who　else　did　they　recruit？〃
　〃I　don't　know；　sir；〃　Armstrong　said　carefully。　〃But　you　can　bet　that　now　they're　all　VIP's　in　government；　the　Foreign　Office；　education；　the　press；　particularly　the　press　…　and；　like　Philby；　all　burrowed　very　bloody　deep。〃
　〃With　people　nothing's　impossible。　Nothing。　People　are　really　very　dreadful。〃　Crosse　sighed　and　straightened　the　file　slightly。　〃Yes。　But　it's　a　privilege　to　be　in　SI；　isn't　it；　Robert？〃
　〃Yes　sir。〃
　〃You　have　to　be　invited　in；　don't　you？　You　can't　volunteer；　can　you？〃
　〃No　sir。〃
　〃I　never　did　ask　why　you　didn't　stay　with　us；　did　I？〃
　〃No　sir。〃
　〃Well？〃
　Armstrong　groaned　inwardly　and　took　a　deep　breath。　〃It's　because　I　like　being　a　policeman；　sir；　not　a　cloak…and…dagger　man。　I　like　being　in　CID。　I　like　pitting　your　wits　against　the　villain；　the　chase　and　the　capture　and　then　the　proving　it　in　court；　according　to　rules　…　to　the　law；　sir。〃
　〃Ah　but　in　SI　we　don't；　eh？　We're　not　concerned　with　courts　or　laws　or　anything；　only　results？〃
　〃SI　and　SB　have　different　rules；　sir；〃　Armstrong　said　carefully。　〃Without　them　the　Colony'd　be　up　the　creek　without　a　paddle。〃
　〃Yes。　Yes　it　would。　People　are　dreadful　and　fanatics　multiply　like　maggots　in　a　corpse。　You　were　a　good　undercover　man。　Now　it　seems　to　me　it's　time　to　repay　all　the　hours　and　months　of　careful　training　you've　had　at　Her　Majesty's　expense。〃
　Armstrong's　heart　missed　twice　but　he　said　nothing；　just　held　his　breath　and　thanked　God　that　even　Crosse　couldn't　transfer　him　out　of　CID　against　his　will。　He　had　hated　his　tours　in　SI　…　in　the　beginning　it　had　been　exciting　and　to　be　chosen　was　a　great　vote　of　confidence；　but　quickly　it　had　palled　…　the　sudden　swoop　on　the　villain　in　the　dark　hours；　hearings　in　camera；　no　worry　about　exact　proof；　just　results　and　a　quick；　secret　deportation　order　signed　by　the　governor；　then　off　to　the　border　at　once；　or　onto　a　junk　to　Taiwan；　with　no　appeal　and　no　return。　Ever。
　〃It's　not　the　British　way；　Brian；〃　he　had　always　said　to　his　friend。　〃I'm　for　a　fair；　open　trial。〃
　〃What's　it　matter？　Be　practical；　Robert。　You　know　the　bastards're　all　guilty　…　that　they're　the　enemy；　mie　enemy　agents　who　twist　our　rules　to　stay　here；　to　destroy　us　and　our　society　…　aided　and　abetted　by　a　few　bastard　lawyers　who'd　do　anything　for　thirty　pieces　of　silver；　or　less。　The　same　in　Canada。　Christ；　we　had　the　hell　of　a　time　in　the　RCMP；　our　own　lawyers　and　politicians　were　the　enemy　…　and　recent　Canadians　…　curiously　always　British　…　all　socialist　trades　unionists　who　were　always　in　the　forefront　of　any　agitation。　What　does　it　matter　so　long　as　you　get　rid　of　the　parasites？〃
　〃It　matters；　that's　what　I　think。　And　they're　not　all　mie　villains　here。　There's　a　lot　of　Nationalist　villains　who　want　to…　〃
　〃The　Nationalists　want　mies　out　of　Hong　Kong；　that's　all。〃
　〃Balls！　Chiang　Kai…shek　wanted　to　grab　the　Colony　after　the　war。　It　was　only　the　British　navy　that　stopped　him　after　the　Americans　gave　us　away。　He　still　wants　sovereignty　over　us。　In　that　he's　no　different　from　Mao　Tse…