The List of Adrian Messenger

Get along, Miss Sixpence.

Damn good hunt.

By the way, congratulations, sir,

getting the brush.

First brush grandfather's given

away all season. l envy you.

l like to see a thruster

in the field.

Ginger's up a whole hunt.

You earned it.

Thanks.

As l recall, you were in at

the kill when l rode up.

A master's job to

stay with his hounds.

The day l can't,

I'll let him there take over.

l can't grandfather,

before my voice changes.

Hounds won't obey.

-Are you really off next week, Adrian?

-I'm afraid so.

l saw that in the Times this morning.

Didn't know you were a celebrity.

Adrian doesn't write his books

for you and you only, Derek.

-Sorry, mother.

-Damn silly time to be going away.

Three good months

of hunting left.

l get to find what father considers

a good time to go away.

Everything one wants, right here.

Where are you off to?

-America, sir.

-What on earth for?

You know what they do out there?

Follow a drag, actually.

-What's a drag?

-An abomination.

-What's an abomination?

-Something damnable like a drag.

Blighters douse some rags with

some stink, drag it on the ground.

Poor damned hounds follow it!

Ruins their noses!

-Call that hunting!

-But what's the object?

-Sham!

-'Bomination.

l had a brother went to America once,

Canada actually.

Before the first German War.

He should be dead by now.

Almost everyone is.

-Dinner at 8.

-Sherry at 7.30.

Extraordinary how alike they are.

And like Ian.

To me, he's always

standing between them.

My, l am stiff!

My first hunt of the season.

l can do with a hot tub.

-Anthony.

-Yes?

-Give me five minutes, will you?

-Of course l will.

lf you don't mind my asking,

you're not still Ml6 are you?

No. thoroughly retired.

Pension and all that.

The Minister may ask me to come in

now and again for trivial assignments.

-That won't interfere with this.

-Well, what is this?

Just the most tremendous favor

you could do me if you would.

So that's why l was invited

down here for the weekend.

My dear fellow, you know how

devoted the family is to you.

Go on, old man.

Well, it's rather difficult really.

It involves your doing

something without knowing why. So,...

don't hesitate to say no.

Ten names.

Ten probable occupations.

Ten addresses.

Scattered all over the kingdom.

So, what do l do?

Ask about them.

-What do you mean, ''ask about them''?

-Just that.

l don't want their

families bothered by policemen.

Ill put it this way.

Are those 10 men still

living at those addresses?

l think that should do it.

Suppose they've moved,

do you want to know where?

lf you like.

Well, Ill do this, of course,

you knew that in advance.

l flatter myself. l know you well

enough, there must be good reason.

-Am l right?

-Absolutely.

Let me give you a suggestion.

I've been watching you lately.

And underneath that admirably

calm exterior of yours, you're...

wound up.

Why don't you tell me about it?

No.

No, it's...

so preposterous, l can't believe

my suspicions make any sense.

Im counting on you to

prove that they don't.

When do you need this information?

It'll be difficult to collect.

Especially the way you want it.

Well, l...

Ill be back in England in about

a fortnight, is that too soon?

Should be about right.

It's no good theorizing, Anthony.

You'll only come to some

wildly improbable conclusions.

Like, what you're thinking now.

That Ive uncovered some fascist or

anarchist or communist conspiracy.

Believe me,

there's nary a conspiracy.

lf Im right about this,

it's a far older sin than politics.

-Good evening, sir.

-Good evening.

-Just one bag?

-That's all.

-Passport control is upstairs.

-Thank you very much.

Your ticket please.

-And your passport.

-l do hope Im not overweight.

-Im afraid you are, six pounds.

-Dear, l was afraid of that.

-Wasn't l underweight?

-Yes, you were.

Average it out.

We're traveling together.

-A white lie.

-Uncommonly polite.

-Haven't we met?

-l don't think so.

My name's Atlee. Im

a vicar at Plumpton-on-Coot, Herts.

Im sorry,

my imagination.

-Your ticket and your baggage check.

-Thank you.

-Good evening, Mr. LeBorg.

-Good evening.

Attention, please.

Anglo-Canadian airlines Flight 21

for Montreal is now loading.

A-C-A Flight 21 for Montreal

is now loading.

Will the Reverend Mr. Atlee

please report to Immigration?

Reverend Mr. Atlee, please.

Reverend Mr. Atlee

please report to passport control

A-C-A Flight 21 for Montreal

is now leaving.

Messenger, Messenger...

Jocelyn. Got me, to tell. Jocelyn.

Got me, to tell.

Photograph.

Photograph.

George... Emma's...

George... Emma's...

All the brooms.

Clean sweep.

Only one broom left.

Clean, sweep.

Clean, sweep.

It was sabotage,

pure and simple.

Communication with Shannon

was cut off in mid-sentence.

There was a hell of an explosion.

You can listen for yourself,

the recording from Shannon.

l shall with the greatest interest.

Yes, by all means!

-Come in my dear fellow.

-You'll forgive me, Sir Wilfred.

-You know Sir Robert Carstairs?

-How do you do, sir.

These two chaps l know you know.

Good morning, Pike.

Good morning, Flood.

Just digging into this

ghastly aircraft business.

Sir Robert's

convinced it was sabotage.

Actually we've got

corroborative evidence of a sort.

This chap that was fished out of

the water swears he smelt cordite.

Of course that could be imagination

on the part of this fellow.

LeBorg, a Frenchman, by the way.

Raoul LeBorg.

I don't know a better man to I.D.

the smell of cordite.

There you are.

Exactly.

-Do you know him?

-The name struck a cord.

l looked up some old files.

During the war,

your friend blew up 31 bridges,...

11 power stations,

two marshaling yards...

and five ammo dumps.

A thorn, it would seem, in

the side of the German Occupation.

Yes, Seymour, what is it?

We searched the Clerical Lists.

Not an Atlee on any of them.

We didn't think there would be.

But Mr. Atlee was prepared to

invest 173 pounds just to place a bag...

on that plane.

Any word of unusual amount of

insurance on any of the passengers?

Not so far, sir.

-It wasn't done for insurance.

-There had to be a motive.

Definitely.

Take a look at this list, will you?

What's it supposed to be? A

cross section of Humus Brittanicus?

-Where did it come from?

-Adrian Messenger gave it to me.

Messenger? There was

a Messenger on that passenger list.

Same chap.

l was to find out if those names

were still living at those addresses.

So far, Ive learned that six of

the ten aren't.

The reason being,

they aren't living at all.

You'll find

the dates of death in this column.

The causes of death in that one.

All accidental and covering

a period of roughly five years.

The last one, Dr. Devitt

killed in a lift accident...

-four months ago.

-l think not.

l think

the last one was 12 hours ago.

Its my feeling that Messenger's

name belongs on that list too.

Check those other names, will you?

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