alistairmaclean.bearisland-第53章

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　〃There's　nothing　you　can　have　to　say　to　Charles　that　you　can't　say　to　all　of　us。〃
　〃How　do　you　know？〃　I　brushed　roughly　by　him　and　closed　the　door　when　Conrad　entered　the　cubicle。　I　said：　I　don't　want　you　to　e　for　two　reasons。　If　our　friends　arrive；　they　may　miss　me　down　at　the　jetty　and　e　straight　here…I'd　like　You　in　that　case　to　tell　them　where　I　am。　More　importantly；　I'd　like　you　to　keep　an　eye　on　Jungbeck。　If　he　tries　to　leave；　try　to　reason　with　him。　If　he　won't　listen　to　reason；　let　him　go…about　three　feel？。　If　you　can　kind　of　naturally　happen　to　have　a　full　bottle　of　Scotch　or　suchlike　in　your　hand　at　the　time　then　clobber　him　with　all　you　have。　Not　on　the　head…that　would　kill　him。　On　the　shoulder；　close　in　to　the　neck。　You'll　probably　break　the　odd　bone：　in　any　event　it　will　surely　incapacitate　him。〃　
　Conrad　didn't　as　much　as　raise　an　eyebrow。　He　said：　I　can　see　why　you　don't　bother　with　guns。〃
　〃Socially　and　otherwise；〃　I　said；　〃a　bottle　of　Scotch　is　a　great　leveller。〃　
　I'd　taken　a　Coleman　storm　lantern　along　with　me　and　now　hung　it　on　a　rung　of　the　vertical　iron　ladder　leading　down　from　the　conning　tower　to　the　interior　of　the　submarine　mock…up：　its　harsh　glare　threw　that　icily　dank　metallic　tomb　into　a　weirdly　heterogeneous　melange　of　dazzling　white　and　inkily　black　geometrical　patterns。　While　the　others　watched　me　in　a　far　from　friendly　silence　I　unscrewed　one　of　the　wooden　floor　battens　；　lifted　and　placed　a　ballast　bar　on　top　of　the　pressor　and　scraped　at　the　surface　with　the　blade　of　my　knife；　
　〃You　will　observe；〃　I　said　to　Otto；　〃that　I　am　not　making　a　production　of　this。　Prologues　dispensed　with；　we　arrive　at　the　point　without　waste　of　time。〃　I　closed　my　knife　and　inspected　the　handiwork　it　had　wrought。
　〃All　that　glitters　is　not　gold。　But　does　this　look　like　toffee　to　you？〃
　I　looked　at　them　each　in　turn。　Clearly；　it　didn't　look　like　toffee　to　any　of　them。
　〃A　total　lack　of　reaction；　a　total　lack　of　surprise。〃　I　put　my　knife　back　in　my　pocket　and　smiled　at　the　stiffening　attitudes　of　three　out　of　the　four　of　them。　〃Scout's　honour；　we　civil　servants　never　carry　guns。　And　why　should　there　be　surprise　even　at　the　fact　of　my　knowledge…all　four　of　you　have　been　perfectly　well　aware　for　some　time　that　I　am　not　what　I　was　engaged　to　be。　And　why　should　any　of　you　express　surprise　at　the　sight　of　this　gold…after　all；　that　was　the　only　reason　for　your　ing　to　Bear　Island　in　the　first　place。〃
　They　said　nothing。　Curiously　enough；　they　weren't　even　looking　at　me；　they　were　all　looking　at　the　gold　ingot　as　if　it　were　vastly　more　important　than　I　was；　which；　from　their　point　of　view；　was　probably　a　perfectly　understandable　priority　preference。
　〃Dear　me；　dear　me；〃　I　said。　〃Where　are　all　the　instant　denials；　the　holier　than…thou　clutching　of　the　hearts；　the　outraged　cries　of　〃What　in　God's　name　are　you　talking　about'？　I　would　think；　wouldn't　you；　that　the　unbiassed　observer　would　find　this　negative　reaction　every　bit　as　incriminating　as　a　written　confession？〃　I　looked　at　them　with　what　might　have　been　interpreted　as　an　encouraging　expression　but　again…apart　from　Heissman's　apparently　finding　it　necessary　to　lubricate　his　lower　lip　with　the　tip　of　his　tongue…I　elicited　no　response；　so　I　went　on：　〃It　was；　as　even　your　defending　counsel　will　have　to　admit　in　court；　a　clever　and　well…thoughtout　scheme。　Would　any　of　you　care　to　tell　me　what　the　scheme　was？〃
　It　is　my　opinion；　Dr。　Marlowe；〃　Otto　said　magisterially；　〃that　the　strain　of　the　past　few　days　has　made　you　mentally　unbalanced。〃
　〃Not　a　bad　reaction　at　all；〃　I　said　approvingly。　〃Unfortunately；　you're　about　two　minutes　too　late　in　ing　up　with　it。　No　volunteers　to　set　the　scene；　then？　Do　we　suffer　from　an　excess　of　modesty　or　just　a　lack　of　cooperation？　Wouldn't　you；　for　instance；　Mr。　Goin；　care　to　say　a　few　words？
　After　all；　you　are　in　my　debt。　Without　me；　without　our　dramatic　little　confrontation；　you'd　have　been　dead　before　the　week　was　out。〃
　I　think　Mr。　Gerran　is　right；〃　Goin　said　in　that　measured　voice　he　knew　so　well　how　to　use。　〃Me？　About　to　die？〃　He　shook　his　head。　〃The　strain　for　you　must　have　been　intolerable。　Under　such　circumstances；　as　a　medical　man；　you　should　know　that　a　person's　imagination　can　easily…〃
　〃Imagination？　Am　I　imagining　this　forty…pound　gold　ingot？〃　I　pointed　to　the　ballast　bars　below　the　battens。　〃Am　I　imagining　those　other　fifteen　ingots　there？　Am　I　imagining　the　hundred…odd　ingots　piled　in　a　rock　shelf　inside　the　Perleporten？　Am　I　imagining　the　fact　that　your　total　lack　of　reaction　to　the　word　Perleporten　demonstrates　beyond　question　that　you　all　know　what　Perleporten　is；　where　it　is；　and　what　its　significance　is？　Am　I　imagining　the　scores　of　other　lead…sheathed　ingots　still　under　water　in　the　Perleporten？　Let's　stop　playing　silly　little　games　for　your　own　game　is　up。　As　I　say；　quite　a　clever　little　game　while　it　lasted。　What　better　cover　for　a　bullion…recovery　trip　to　the　Arctic　than　a　film　unit…after　all；　film　people　are　widely　regarded　as　being　eccentric　to　the　extent　of　being　lunatic　so　that　even　their　most　ludicrous　behaviour　is　accepted　as　being　normal　within　its　own　abnormal　context？　What　better　time　to　set　out　to　achieve　the　recovery　of　this　bullion　than　when　there　are　only　a　few　hours〃　daylight　so　that　the　recovery　operation　can　be　carried　out　through　the　long　hours　of　darkness？　What　better　way　of　bringing　the　bullion　back　to　Britain　than　by　switching　it　with　this　vessel's　ballast　so　that　it　can　be　slipped　into　the　country　under　the　eyes　of　the　Customs　authorities？〃　I　surveyed　the　ballast。　〃Four　tons；　according　to　this　splendid　brochure　that　Mr。　Heissman　wrote。　I'd　put　it　nearer　five。　Say　ten　million　dollars；　justifies　a　trip　to　even　an　out…of…the…way　resort　like　Bear　Island；　I'd　say。　Wouldn't　you？〃
　They　wouldn't　say　anything。
　〃By　and　by；〃　I　went　on；　〃you'd　probably　have　manufactured　some　excuse　for　towing　this　vessel　down　to　Perleporten　so　as　to　make　the　transshipment　of　the　gold　all　that　easier。　And　then　heigh…ho　for　Merry　England　and　the　just　enjoyment　of　the　fruits　of　your　labours。　Could　I　he　wrong？〃
　〃No。〃　Otto　was　very　calm。　〃You're　right。　But　I　think　you'd　find　it　very　hard　to　make　a　criminal　case　out　of　this。　What　could　we　possibly　be　charged　with？　Theft？　Ridiculous。　Finders；　keepers。〃
　〃Finders；　keepers？　A　few　miserable　tons　of　gold？　Your　ambitions　are　only　paltry；　you're　only　swimming　the　surface　of　the　available　loot。　Isn't　that　so；　Heissman？〃
　They　all　looked　at　Heissman。　Heissman；　in　turn；　didn't　appear　particularly　anxious　to　look　at　anyone。
　〃Why　do　you　silly　people　think　I'm　here？〃　I　said。　〃Why　do　you　think　that；　in　spite　of　the　elaborate　smoke　screen　you　set　up；　that　the　British　Government　not　only　knew　that　you　were　going　to　Bear　Island　but　also　knew　that　your　purpose　in　going　there　was　not　as　advertised？　Don't　you　know　that；　in　certain　matters；　European　governments　co…operate　very　closely？　Don't　you　know　that　most　of　them　share　a　keen　interest　in　the　activities　of　Johann　Heissman？　For　what　you　don't　know　is　that　most　of　them　know　a　great　deal　more　about　Johann　Heissman　than　you　do。　Perhaps；　Heissman；　you'd　like　to　tell　them　yourself…starting；　shall　we　say；　with　the　thirty…odd　years　you've　been　working　for　the　Soviet　Government？〃
　Otto　stared　at　Heissman；　his　huge　jowls　seeming　to　fall　apart。　Goin's　facial　muscles　tightened　until　the　habitual　smooth　blandness　had　vanished　from　his　face。　The　Count's　expression　didn't　change；　he　just　nodded　slowly　as　if　understanding　at　last　the　solution　of　a　long…standing　problem。　Heissman　looked　acutely　unhappy。
　〃Well；　〃；　I　said；　〃as　Heissman　doesn't　appear　to　have　any　intention　of　telling　anyone　anything；　I　suppose　that　leaves　it　up　to　me。　Heissman；　here；　is　a　remarkably　gifted　specialist　in　an　extremely　specialised　field。　He　is；　purely　and　simply；　a　treasure…hunter　and　there's　no　one　in　the　business　who　can　hold　a　candle　to　him。　But　he　doesn't　just　hunt　for　the　type　of　treasure　that　you　people　think　he　does：　I　fear　he　may　have　been　deceiving　you　on　this　point；　as；　indeed；　he　has　been　deceiving　you　on　another。　I　refer　to　the　fact　that　a　precondition　of　his　cutting　you　into　a　share　of　the　loot　was　that　his　niece；　Mary　Stuart；　be　employed　by　Olympus　Productions。　Having　the　nasty　and　suspicious　minds　that　you　do；　you　probably　and　rapidly　arrived　at　the　conclusion　that　she　wasn't　his　niece　at　all…which　she　isn't…and　was　along　for　some　other　purposes；　which　she　is。　But　not　for　the　purposes　which　your　nasty　and　suspicious　minds　attributed　to　her。　For　Heissman；　Miss　Stuart　was　essential　for　the　achievement　of　an　entirely　different　purpose　which　he　kind　of　forgot　to　tell　you　about。
　〃Miss　Stuart's　father；　you　have　to　understand；　was　just　as　unscrupulous　and　unprincipled　a　rogue　as　any　of　you。　He　held　very　senior　positions　in　both　the　German　Navy　and　the　Nazi　Party　and；　like　others　similarly　placed；　used　his　power　to　feather　his　own　nest…just　as　Hermann　Goering　did…when　the　war　was　seen　to　be　lost；　although　he　was　smarter　than　Goering　and　managed　to　get　out　from　under　before　the　war　criminal　roundup。　The　gold；　although　this　will　probably　never　be　proved；　almost　certainly　came　from　the　vaults　of　Norwegian　banks　and　a　man　with　all　the　resources　of　the　German　Navy　behind　him　would　have　had　no　trouble　in　choosing　such　a　splendidly　isolated　spot　as　Perleporten　in　Bear　Island　and　having　the　stuff　transferred　there。　Probably　by　submarine。　Not　that　it　matters。　〃But　it　wasn't　just　the　gold　that　was　transported　to　Perleporten；　which　is　why　Mary　Stuart　is　here。　Feathers　weren't　enough　for　Dad's　nest；　nothing　less　than　swansdown　would　do。　The　swansdown　almost　certainly　took　the　form　of　either　bank　bonds　or　securities；　probably　obtained…I　wouldn't　say　purchased…in　the　late　〃30s…　Such　securities　are　perfectly　redeemable　even　today。　An　attempt　was　recently　made　to　sell　30；000；000　worth　of　such　securities　through　foreign　exchanges　but　the　West　German　Federal　Bank　wouldn't　play　ball　because　proper　owner　identification　was　lacking。　But　there　wouldn't　be　any　problem　about　owner　identification　this　time；　would　there；　Heissman？〃
　Heissman　didn't　say　whether　there　would　or　there　wouldn't。　〃And　where　are　they？〃　I　said。　〃Nicely　welded　up　on　a　dummy　steel　in　got。〃　As　he　still　wasn't　being　very　forthing　I　went　on：　〃No　matter；　we'll　have　them。　And　then　you're　never　going　to　have　the　pleasure　of　seeing　Mary　Stuart's　father　put　his　signature　and　fingerprints　on　those　documents　and　of　checking　that　they　match　up。　You're　sure　of　that？〃　Heissman　said。　He　bad　recovered　his　normal　degree　of　posure　which　meant　that　he　was　very　posed　indeed。　〃In　a　changing　world　like　ours　who　can　be　sure　of　anything。　But　with　that　proviso；　yes。　I　think　you've　overlooked　something。〃
　〃I　have？〃
　〃Yes。　We　have　Admiral　Hanneman。〃
　〃That's　Miss　Stuart's　father's　true　name？〃
　〃You　didn't　even　know　that？〃
　〃No。　It's　of　no　relevance。　And　no；　I　haven't　overlooked　that　fact。　I　shall　attend　to　that　matter　shortly。　After　I　have　attended　to　your　friends。　Maybe　that's　the　wrong　word；　maybe　they're　not　your　friends　any　more。　I　mean；　they　don't　look　particularly　friendly；　do　they？〃
　〃Monstrous！〃　Otto　shouted。　〃Absolutely　monstrous。　Unforgivable！　Diabolical！　Our　own　partner！〃
　He　spluttered　into　an　outrage