London Match

'Of course not. I wanted you to read it. There might be developments.'

'Was this to do with Erich Sti

'Yes,' I said. 'It was his information.'

She nodded and poured herself more coffee. It was difficult to believe that not so long ago she'd been in love with Erich Sti

But Zena was young; and romantic. For both of those reasons, her passions could be of short duration. And for both those reasons, it could well be that she had never been in love with him, but merely in love with the idea of herself in love.

Werner seemed not to notice the mention of Erich Sti

Some people said that Werner was the sort of masochist who got a perverse pleasure from the knowledge that his wife had gone off to live with Frank, but I knew Werner too well to go in for that sort of instant psychology. Werner was a tough guy who played the game by his own rules. Maybe some of his rules were flexible, but God help anyone who overstepped the line that Werner drew. Werner was an Old Testament man, and his wrath and vengeance could be terrible. I know, and Werner knows I know. That's what makes us so close that nothing can come between us, not even the cu

'I've seen that Miller woman somewhere,' said Werner. 'I never forget a face.' He watched the wasp. It was sleepy, crawling slowly up the wall. Werner reached for Zena's newspaper, but the wasp, sensing danger, flew away.

Zena was still thinking of Erich Sti

Zena grabbed some paper towels and, standing well back from the coffee flowing onto the tiled floor, dabbed them around. 'I put it down too hard,' she said when the mess was cleared away.

'I think you did, Zena,' I said.

'It was already cracked,' said Werner. Then he brought the rolled newspaper down on the wasp and killed it.

2

It was eight o'clock that evening in London when I finally delivered my report to my immediate boss, Dicky Cruyer, Controller German Stations. I'd attached a complete translation too, as I knew Dicky wasn't exactly bilingual.

'Congratulations,' he said. 'One up to Comrade Sti

'No one in Bo

'They have all the evidence they need,' said Dicky with a sniff.

'I was on the phone to Berlin an hour ago,' I said. He's pulling all the strings that can be pulled.'

'What does his boss say?'

'He's spending his Christmas vacation in Egypt. No one can find him,' I said.

'What a sensible man,' said Dicky with admiration that was both sincere and undisguised. 'Was he informed of the impending arrest of his secretary?'

'Not by us, but that would be the regular BfV procedure.'

'Have you phoned Bo

'Better we stay out of it, Dicky.'

Dicky looked at me while he thought about this and then, deciding I was right, tried another aspect of the same problem. 'Have you seen Sti

'I gather the current policy is to keep me away from him.'

'Come along,' said Dicky, smiling to humour me in my state of paranoia. 'You're not saying you're still suspect?' He stood up from behind the rosewood table that he used instead of a desk and got a transparent plastic folding chair for me.

'My wife defected.' I sat down. Dicky had removed his visitors' chairs on the pretext of making more space. His actual motive was to provide an excuse for him to use the conference rooms along the corridor. Dicky liked to use the conference rooms; it made him feel important and it meant that his name was exhibited in little plastic letters on the notice board opposite the top-floor lifts.

His folding chairs were the most uncomfortable seats in the building, but Dicky didn't worry about this as he never sat in them. And anyway, I didn't want to sit chatting with him. There was still work to clear up before I could go home.

'That's all past history,' said Dicky, ru

I'd always suspected that Dicky would be more comfortable with his hair cut short and brushed, and in the dark suits, white shirts and old school ties that were de rigueur for senior staff. But he persisted in being the only one of us who wore faded denim, cowboy boots, coloured neckerchiefs, and black leather because he thought it would help to identify him as an infant prodigy. But perhaps I had it the wrong way round; perhaps Dicky would have been happier to keep the trendy garb and be 'creative' in an advertising agency.

He zipped the front of his jacket up and down again and said, 'You're the local hero. You are the one who brought Sti

'Is that what they were saying? I wish I'd known. The way I heard it, a lot of people were saying I did everything to avoid bringing him in because I was frightened his debriefing would drop me into it.'

'Well, anyone who was spreading that sort of story is now looking pretty damned stupid.'

'I'm not in the clear yet, Dicky. You know it and I know it, so let's stop all this bullshit.'

He held up his hand as if to ward off a blow. 'You're still not clear on paper,' said Dicky. 'On paper… and you know why?'

'No, I don't know why. Tell me.'

Dicky sighed. 'For the simple but obvious reason that this Department needs an excuse to hold Sti

'Who's in charge of the Sti

'Don't look at me, old friend. Sti

'Things could change,' I said. 'If Sti