“Where does all this leave us with Kilinski, sir?”
“Good question, Sergeant. Obviously we have to speak to the Countess. There is, however, a slight problem. The A.C. has been on to me. The Polish Legation have insisted that the Countess be left in peace to come to terms with her loss. I told the A.C. that I would try and be understanding, but that I would need to see her as soon as possible. The A.C. asked me to put any interview off for a day, but I said I didn’t think I could do that.” Merlin paused. “That was not very popular.”
“When can we see her then, sir?”
“I’ll leave it until this afternoon. There’s one other person we should speak to and that’s Kubicki. Do we know if he’s still in the hospital, Sergeant?”
“He checked out this morning. Went back to base.”
“Very well. Another trip out to Northolt, I think. You come with me, Robinson. Sergeant, you’d better stay here, fend Grishin off and tidy up any loose ends from yesterday. Peter, you and Cole generated an excellent looting lead, but it looks like the big fish in this particular case have copped it.”
“Not to worry, sir. The small fry may reappear and there are plenty of others out there. We’ll get back on the job with Stewart as soon as Cole is able—”
“I am able now, sir.”
“That’s the spirit, Cole, but I think you’d better wait until that sling is off, eh?”
“Yes, sir.”
*
Miro Kubicki was seething and his head was throbbing. The staff at the hospital had not been keen for him to leave, but he had insisted.
When he arrived at the base, he went straight to Kowalski’s hut. Jerzy was by his bed, putting his final bit of kit on as the squadron was due in the air imminently.
Kubicki’s first action was to throw a punch, but he was weak and Kowalski easily deflected it. “What the hell, Miro, what are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”
Miro fell onto the bed and put his head in his hands. “Ty draniu, Kowalski, you bastard. You took me off on what was very nearly a suicide mission yesterday. I was almost killed and then you left me for dead with those bastards and ran off. Then you ask what is wrong.”
“Look. I’m sorry. It would have been better if you had kept calm, but—”
“You are a bastard, Jerzy. I fought like a man at least. What have you really been up to with those people, the Count and everyone?”
Kowalski shrugged, smiled enigmatically and disappeared through the door.
An hour later when the policeman arrived to see him with the pretty girl, Kubicki was lying on his bed with a wet towel on his forehead. Physically he was feeling a little better, but his anger had not subsided. He told them everything about what had happened the day before. They were, of course, previously unaware of Kowalski’s participation in events. He had no compunction about telling them.
“He seemed very close to these people, the Count and Countess. You should speak to the Countess about him. Where was all this gold from? He wouldn’t tell me. He drags me along to help without telling me that there were some mad Russians prepared to go to war for this gold. What was he thinking?”
“Where is he now?”
“In the air, Inspector. Up above, free as a bird.”
*