“Look, Charlie, what do you want?”
The breathing at the other end of the line became less intense. “It’s the boy. He hasn’t seen you for a while. Wants to kick a ball with his uncle. Can’t do it with his dad, can he? Can you come around some time? Maybe Saturday?”
“I’ll be there, Charlie. Around lunchtime.” As Merlin replaced the receiver with a sigh, Cole came excitedly into the room.
*
Wyczinski’s book, opened at the relevant page, took up half of Merlin’s desk. Robinson, seated opposite him, was just recovering from a bout of sneezing brought on by the dust accumulated in the book’s ancient pages.
“Teutonic Knights on one hand and Aztec treasure on the other. I am beginning to think we are in a Rider Haggard novel.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Any more on the necklace?”
“Sorry, sir. Edward hasn’t got back to me yet.”
“Strange coincidence that this gold ingot turns out to be Polish, isn’t it?”
Robinson crossed her legs and looked thoughtful. Merlin walked to the window and looked down at the sandbagging lined along the Embankment. It was bright, sunny and warm again. He felt a sudden urge for a Fisherman’s Friend, which he staved off by biting a fingernail. “Most things come down to the basic motives – love, hate, greed, revenge. Assuming Kilinski has been the victim of a crime, I wonder which it is here?”
Robinson uncrossed her legs. Yes, very shapely, Merlin thought. Good job Sonia hadn’t seen Robinson. He had discovered her jealous streak when he had remarked on an attractive girl on the beach the other day. “Too soon to tell yet, sir.”
“You’re right, of course. The fellow might just have fallen down a hole. Find the sergeant and see what else we can discover about Tarkowski. There may be some diplomatic niceties to deal with because of his status, but something about him smells and I’m going to find out what and why. Now I’ve just got to go upstairs and find out what your uncle – sorry, the A.C. – is jumping up and down about.”
*
The A.C. twitched in his chair. “Look, Frank, I said I didn’t mind you looking into this Polish flyer fellow’s case, but I hope it’s not going to take up too much of your time.” The A.C. looked as if he was sucking a particularly sour boiled sweet.
“An investigation is an investigation, sir. I can’t go at it half-cock. If something untoward has happened to Kilinski, I need to pursue all possibilities.”
“Ah, but that’s the thing, Frank, isn’t it? We don’t know that this chap hasn’t just gone on some almighty bender somewhere, do we? Or run off with some floozy.”
“From what his colleagues tell me, I don’t think that’s what happened, but, of course, I can’t rule it out.”
“Hmm.” The A.C. licked his razor thin lips and shifted in his chair. They could hear shouting outside and the A.C. raised an eyebrow at Merlin, who stood and wandered over to the window.
A detachment of British soldiers had stopped on the Embankment just below. A small crowd watched from the pavement as two bedraggled men in the soldiers’ care knelt on the road and drank greedily from water containers. Some young men in the crowd jeered, but the others watched in silence. When they had finished drinking, one of the soldiers helped them to their feet and marched them off towards Charing Cross.
“What is it, Frank?”
“German prisoners being taken somewhere. The Tower maybe.”
“I think not. Unless they’ve got Goering down there. They’re going to the station and then off to one of the camps in the country, I should think. Now come back here and tell me what else is going on.”
*