Fragment of Fear Page #6

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retrieving the bits. I didn't see you. If you'd seen me, mr Brett,

so would they. We're after bigger fish.

I had to wait. I must say, it's lucky we met. Oh, luck had nothing

to do with it, mr Brett. Your very civil apology

merely precipitated a meeting that I'd already been

instructed to arrange. Do you mind if I telephone

my superior? No. No, not at all. Major reckitt set a luncheon date. Let's see if he can't

squeeze you in before then. Quite confidentially, keeping people

under surveillance in a restaurant is a bloody awful job. You mustn't arrive

at the same time as they do, but you have to finish your meal

by the time they finish theirs. If they go after

the coffee and Brandy, it looks a bit conspicuous if you

call for the bill after the soup. I wasn't really put off

by your behaviour last night. It's just that pretending to be angry

gave me a good cover for leaving. If that's of any comfort to you. Thank you. Tosselli's "serenade".

Usually followed by "mon bijou". I know the whole

damned repertoire, from a reduction of the

"William tell overture", to a dreadful thing called

"tirr0ulirouli" by scotto. -L've never heard of scotto.

- Don't, especially his "tirr0ulir0uli". You know, of course,

that some foreign governments use blackmail

for espionage purposes? That blackmail is an aid

to spy recruitment? Well, you don't think that

Lucy Dawson was a spy? Oh, good heavens, no. Well, what do you think,

major ricketts? I believe your theory

about mrs Dawson. The one nugent heard you

bawling to your fiance. - Do you?

- Up to a point. - Up to what point?

- Ah, there you are. "Mon bijou". Up to what point, major ricketts? Up to the point that she had a

blackmail list as long as your arm. Up to the point that,

after her husband's death, she was obsessed with the idea of

hitting back at the criminal classes. But when it came,

as my department believes it did, to hitting at her own country, when attempts were made

to bribe or threaten her into handing over a complete list of her

blackmail victims to a bunch of foreigners, she said no.

"Over my dead body." Hence, her dead body. Well, I mean,

where did I come into all this? Well, I think you're in

a very delicate position, mr Brett. And I think these

incidents were laid on, so that if you

discovered anything awkward, neither the police nor anyone else

would take you seriously. Your reputation would be that

of a mentally unstable person. Thank you. They certainly succeeded there,

didn't they? Hmm. Thank you, my dear. Thank you, sir. But surely, it would have been

simpler to have killed me? I mean... Simpler, perhaps.

Safer, no. These people don't kill much,

not if they can avoid it. But they will if they must. That's the view

of my department, anyway. So if you'd like to

fade gracefully from the case, for your own self-protection... Well, I mean,

i don't want to do that, not just as long

as I can be of some help. Well, it's hard to see how. Well, I mean, I've brought them

out into the open once. Surely I can do it again?

I mean... And to hell with the consequences? Well, if you can protect us

at the church, -there wouldn't be any consequences.

- Ah, I was hoping it would be you who suggested that.

Yes, of course we can protect you, both inside and outside the church. Provided that, until then,

you protect yourself. H ow? By genuinely taking no further

active interest in the Dawson case. No contact of any sort with the police,

except through us, through nugent. And then only in an emergency

and not on your own phone. Have you told your fiancee

about the threat to her person? No, I mean...

I didn't want to scare her. Then don't.

She'll be in no danger now. I'm the one who's in danger. Why are you? I have to lunch with a prissy old nit

from the foreign office, who's being a lot less

cooperative than you are. I shall be in danger

of losing my temper. Well, I'll continue to cooperate

by not keeping you. Thank you, major ricketts. Good luck, mr Brett. Mr Brett! Ts k-ts k-ts k-tsk. Matthews! Hello?

Er... is that mr nugent? Yes, it is. Oh, thank god. I thought you'd

probably be having your lunch. Lam. Who is it? Ah, where are you calling from? Good. Now, tell me. Did you get the car number? Wait a minute while I find a pencil. I want to get that down. Now...

Right, I've got that. We'll circulate that number,

of course. But, in the meantime, please

continue to act as instructed. I don't think that'll

be very difficult. Bye. Er, yeah.

Goodbye, mr nugent. Did you get the new hat? Ooh, yes. Nine Bob less

than what you give me for it. Well, put it on.

I want to see it. Ooh, not until we're in the church. Nervous, ain't you? A bit, yes. So was baird. Good luck, mr Tim. Ooh! Gawd help the bride! Amen to that. I've left you just a token

in the drawing room with a card. Thank you, mrs baird. See you in church, eh? Hello? No, look, listen.

You win. I don't care if the whole bloody world

thinks I'm mad. I'll pack it in.

I'll lay off the Lucy Dawson... This is a recorded announcement. Your friend,

major ricketts, was right. Lucy Dawson possessed

a private blackmail list, which is now in our possession,

and could be of use to our cause. We therefore demand that you

immediately signal your intention to withdraw from the Dawson case,

once and for all. Listen carefully, mr Brett. Our observers have noted

that you keep a red geranium. I repeat, a red geranium,

in your sitting room window. Lf you place this plant

upon the outer window sill, where you feed your pigeon, it will instantly be noted

as a sign of your cooperation and your wedding ceremony

will proceed without incident. But the geranium's absence

from the window sill, or its substitution

by some other object, will be taken as a sign

that you refuse to cooperate. In that case,

we can no longer be responsible for the safety of your future wife,

in church, this morning. Grandad, can we go

to the zoo now? What? Can we go to the zoo now? No, no, of course not. Your glasses. Put on your glasses. Put your glasses on. Put your glasses on. Put your glasses on! Listen!

Listen to me! Listen to me! There are police in this church. Mrs gray, you were not

invited to this wedding. Now I have reason to believe

that you intend to harm my wife. Now, on instructions

from major ricketts, I would like you arrested

at this minute. Major ricketts? You are desecrating

god's house, mr Brett. Mr copsey wrote to me

of your marriage and I came for dear Lucy's sake. - Tim, no, let go. No. Don't.

- Colonel ricketts! Let go. Darling, please.

These are our friends. Our friends! Are you mad? Mr Brett, do you wish

to continue with this ceremony? Dearly beloved, we are gathered

together here, in the sight of god and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man

and this woman in holy matrimony, which is an honourable estate, instituted of god

in the time of man's innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt

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