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‘Can you come up? M. wants you.’ It was the Chief of Staff, speaking urgently.
‘Coming,’ said Bond, suddenly alert. ‘Any clue?’
‘Search me,’ said the Chief of Staff. ‘Hasn’t touched his signals yet. Been over at the Yard and the Ministry of Supply all the morning.’
He rang off.
9 | TAKE IT FROM HERE
A few minutes later Bond was walking through the familiar door and the green light had gone on over the entrance.
M. looked sharply at him. ‘You look pretty dreadful, 007,’ he said. ‘Sit down.’
It’s business, thought Bond, his pulse quickening. No Christian names today. He sat down. M. was studying some pencilled notes on a scratch-pad. He looked up. His eyes were no longer interested in Bond.
‘Trouble down at Drax’s plant last night,’ he said. ‘Double killing. Police tried to get hold of Drax. Didn’t think of Blades apparently. Caught up with him when he got back to the Ritz about half-past one this morning. Two men from the Moonraker got shot in a public house near the plant. Both dead. Drax told the police he couldn’t care less and then hung up. Typical of the man. He’s down there now. Taking the thing a bit more seriously, I gather.’
‘Curious coincidence,’ said Bond thoughtfully. ‘But where do we come in, sir? Isn’t it a police job?’
‘Partly,’ said M., ‘but it happens that we’re responsible for a lot of the key perso
Pack of cards and a joker, reflected Bond.
‘Fifty of these are Germans,’ continued M. ‘More or less all the guided missile experts the Russians didn’t get. Drax paid for them to come over here and work on the Moonraker. Nobody was very happy with the arrangement but there was no alternative. The Ministry of Supply couldn’t spare any of their experts from Woomera. Drax had to find his men where he could. To strengthen the R.A.F. security people, the Ministry of Supply appointed their own security officer to live on the site. Man called Major Tallon.’
M. paused and looked up at the ceiling.
‘He was one of the two who got killed last night. Shot by one of the Germans, who then shot himself.’
M. lowered his eyes and looked at Bond. Bond said nothing, waiting for the rest of the story.
‘It happened in a public house near the site. Plenty of witnesses. Apparently it’s an i
‘Very curious, sir,’ said Bond, still waiting.
‘And there’s one more thing,’ concluded M. ‘And this is the real reason why I’ve let myself get involved instead of keeping clear of the whole business. This has got to take priority over everything.’ M.’s voice was very quiet. ‘They’re going to fire the Moonraker on Friday. Less than four days’ time. Practice shoot.’
M. paused and reached for his pipe and busied himself lighting it.
Bond said nothing. He still couldn’t see what all this had to do with the Secret Service whose jurisdiction runs only outside the United Kingdom. It seemed a job for the Special Branch of Scotland Yard, or conceivably for M.I.5. He waited. He looked at his watch. It was noon.
M. got his pipe going and continued.
‘But quite apart from that,’ said M., ‘I got interested because last night I got interested in Drax.’
‘So did I, sir,’ said Bond.
‘So when I read the log,’ said M., ignoring Bond’s comment, ‘I telephoned Vallance at the Yard and asked him what it was all about. He was rather worried and asked me to come over. I said I didn’t want to tread on Five’s corns but he said he had already spoken to them. They maintained it was a matter between my department and the police since it was we who had cleared the German who did the killing. So I went along.’
M. paused and looked down at his notes.
‘The place is on the coast about three miles north of Dover,’ he said. ‘There’s this i
‘What a ghastly business,’ said Bond. He could see every detail of the shambles in the crowded taproom of a typical English public house. ‘Who’s the girl?’
‘That’s another complication,’ said M. ‘She’s an agent of the Special Branch. Bilingual in German. One of Vallance’s best girls. She and Tallon were the only two non-Germans Drax had with him on the site. Vallance is a suspicious chap. Has to be. This Moonraker plan is obviously the most important thing happening in England. Without telling anyone and acting more or less on instinct, he planted this Brand girl on Drax and somehow fixed for her to be taken on as his private secretary. Been on the site since the begi
‘What do his friends say about all this?’ asked Bond.
‘The man who shared his room with him backs up Bartsch. Says he was madly in love with the Brand woman and put his whole lack of success down to “The Englishman”. He says Bartsch had been getting very moody and reserved lately and that he wasn’t a bit surprised to hear of the shooting.’
‘Sounds pretty corroborative,’ said Bond. ‘Somehow one can see the picture. One of those highly strung nervous chaps with the usual German chip on the shoulder. What does Vallance think?’
‘He’s not sure,’ said M. ‘He’s mainly concerned with protecting his girl from the Press and seeing that her cover doesn’t get blown. All the papers are on to it, of course. It’ll be in the midday editions. And they’re all howling for a picture of the girl. Vallance is having one cooked up and got down to her that’ll look more or less like any girl, but just sufficiently like her. She’ll send it out this evening. Fortunately the reporters can’t get near the place. She’s refusing to talk and Vallance is praying that some friend or relation won’t blow the gaff. They’re holding the inquest today and Vallance is hoping that the case will be officially closed by this evening and that the papers will have to let it die for lack of material.’