See Charlie Run (21 page)

‘Don't forget how I feel about losing people, will you?'

‘No,' promised Charlie. ‘I won't forget.'

Cartright drove and as they left the embassy Charlie identified the waiting Nissan and said: ‘The Director called them bastards.'

‘Still difficult to believe,' said Cartright. The Nissan started to follow and the man added: ‘They'll know it's the airport.'

‘I want them to,' said Charlie. He told the other man how he wanted them stopped and Cartright said: ‘Christ, you're going to start a war.'

‘We've already got one,' said Charlie. ‘They started it.'

‘There's nothing more I can do?' The satisfaction, at involvement at last, was obvious in Cartright's voice.

‘We're not sure yet if Irena Kozlov is even in Hong Kong,' said Charlie. ‘You got Harry Lu's number?'

Cartright nodded and said: ‘There was an instruction not to use him, you know?'

‘It's been changed,' said Charlie. ‘Everything's been changed.'

Cartright looked across the car and said: ‘It was Harkness's order. I got another one, about you.'

‘I guessed,' said Charlie.

‘There was nothing to report,' assured the man.

‘Thanks for telling me,' said Charlie.

‘I didn't like the position it put me in.'

‘Harkness is a bloody old woman,' said Charlie, with feeling.

They passed a road sign indicating the airport and Charlie said: ‘You'll have to be quick.'

Cartright looked in his mirror and said: ‘They're quite a long way back.'

‘Got the names?'

‘Levine and Elliott,' recited Cartright.

There are security barriers and obstructions permanently in place at Haneda airport, but there were additional precautions after the earlier plane explosion, extra personnel at each checkpoint examining every car. As the search started on their vehicle, Charlie said: ‘This should hold them, which will help.'

From where they sat the two men could still see the smoke-blackened hull of the British plane. The blaze that followed the explosion had been extinguished, but the wreckage still smouldered and fire engines and rescue vehicles remained grouped around it.

‘Wilson was right,' said Charlie, as they were waved on. ‘They are bastards, to do that.'

‘Good luck,' said Cartright, automatically, as they parted at the airport entrance, Charlie for departures, Cartright heading for the telephone bank.

‘Yeah,' said Charlie, sourly.

Cartright stayed by the telephone after making the call, watching the car stop and identifying the Americans as they left it. Levine and Elliott hurried in and were halfway across the concourse towards the departure gates when the security men, who also used the Nissan to isolate the two, swooped in a coordinated, encircling movement. The Japanese had their guns unslung and the demands, in English and by name, for the two men to halt were amplified through bullhorns. Levine and Elliott jerked to a stop, bewildered, and momentarily Cartright thought Levine was going to try to run. There was another amplified shout and hesitantly both men obeyed, raising their arms in surrender.

Irena Kozlov emerged hesitantly from the Arrivals section at Hong Kong, looking around her. At first she did not recognize the name Rose Adams written on the piece of card, and when she did frowned up at the Chinese holding it. She stopped completely, uncertain, then at last approached the man.

‘Anthony Sampson?' she said, curiously.

‘Yes,' lied Harry Lu, for expediency.

He hurried her away as quickly as possible. He thought she was alone but it was always difficult to tell, in a place as crowded as an airport.

Chapter Fifteen

The Japanese Interior Ministry followed the strictest protocol, approaching the American embassy through their Foreign Ministry, which meant the involvement of the full US diplomatic staff, including the ambassador. A career diplomat only five years away from retirement and a $200,000 a year consultancy as an expert in Asian affairs at a Georgetown research institute, the ambassador ordered immediate discussion with Washington. The initial hesitation from the CIA headquarters at Langley, simply to gain time and seek clarification from Fredericks in Tokyo, was misinterpreted as indicating guilt by the enquiring US State Department. Anticipating a major crisis, State played politics, directing a second and independent enquiry to the White House, where the Chief of Staff had the same reaction as State and alerted the President. That lead to a direct what-the-hell-is-going-on call from the President to the CIA Director, who made the same demand, in a signed cable, to Fredericks. As well as responding to that, Fredericks was subjected to detailed questioning from the still-doubtful ambassador and after that had to go out to Haneda personally to sign for the release of Levine and Elliott. It was midnight before he returned to the embassy and the waiting, remaining, CIA group.

‘What!' erupted Harry Fish, before Fredericks completed the explanation.

‘The British escape plane, sabotaged at the airport,' elaborated Fredericks. ‘There was an anonymous call from within the airport itself, claiming Levine and Elliott were responsible.'

‘How were they identified?' demanded Yamada.

‘The car,' said the Resident. ‘Described in detail, right down to the registration plate. Even witnesses who remembered it around the military section this morning.'

‘Jesus Christ!' said Dale. ‘You satisfy everybody?'

‘I've got them released, but the ambassador isn't convinced,' said Fredericks. ‘Langley is demanding a fuller explanation in the diplomatic pouch, so they're clearly taking out insurance … would you believe the President himself is riding shotgun, insisting we prove ourselves squeaky clean! Only people not demanding explanations and assurances at the moment are the office cleaners!'

‘Jesus!' said Dale, again.

‘What did you tell Langley about Kozlov?' queried Fish.

‘That he didn't show.'

‘Just that?' questioned Fish, doubtfully.

‘What do you want me to do!' demanded Fredericks, venting the anger and frustrations of the evening. ‘Admit we've been completely suckered by a guy who's screwed the Agency once already; someone we were warned about!'

‘OK! OK!' said the other American, retreating.

‘All because of Charlie Muffin!' said Dale, disbelievingly.

‘So now it's recovery time,' said Fredericks, positively. ‘We've lost him and we've lost Kozlov and we've lost the woman. Right now, all of us together, we're not worth a bucket of spit.'

‘He'll be halfway back to England by now!' protested Yamada.

‘He isn't,' said Fredericks. ‘Hank got a positive make on him, from a Cathay Pacific ticket clerk at the airport. He caught a flight to Hong Kong, forty-five minutes after their arrest …' Fredericks looked at the desk clock. ‘Their own plane left two hours ago …' He smiled an expression bereft of humour. ‘They want him,' he said. ‘They want Charlie Muffin so bad you can feel it.'

‘Just Levine and Elliott?' queried Fish.

‘All of us,' insisted Fredericks. ‘We're going down tonight on that C-130 and we're to shake Hong Kong until all the fruit falls out of the trees.'

‘What if we get him?' said Dale.

‘We've
got
to get him,' insisted Fredericks. ‘And we will. We've checked the civil flights: there aren't any more tonight out to Europe, so he's stuck there, until tomorrow. I've activated every informant and person-in-place we've ever used and said they can name their own price: earn their pension in a day. Levine and Elliott aren't moving from the airport until we get there. And our military can monitor any Air Force flight. Hong Kong is
sealed
.'

‘OK,' corrected Dale.
‘When
we get him. What then?'

‘The Kozlovs first,' ordered Fredericks. ‘I don't know how he did it, but I'm sure Charlie Muffin got the goddamned man and the woman to go over to him, together. We've got to get them back, through him.'

‘Then?' said Yamada.

‘And then we blow him away,' said Fredericks, simply. That guy's made his last smart-assed move. Ever.'

Olga Balan used her own key to enter the Shinbashi apartment, stopped immediately inside the door by the look on Kozlov's face.

‘Darling!' she said. ‘What is it?'

‘She's still alive,' said Kozlov.

‘But the plane …' she said. ‘I heard the reports …'

‘She wasn't on it,' said Kozlov. He was white with anger.

‘How …?' she stumbled.

Kozlov indicated the telephone. ‘She kept to the arrangement …' In his frustration, Kozlov punched one fist into the palm of the other. ‘It was the Englishman,' he said. ‘It was all planned so perfectly and Charlie Muffin did something I hadn't expected …'

‘What are we going to do!'

‘Find them,' said Kozlov, simply. ‘And this time make sure she dies.' He paused and said: The Englishman, too: he's definitely got to be killed.'

Chapter Sixteen

The vodka had been for a celebration of their freedom, but they drank it now for a different reason, needing its support. Kozlov walked aimlessly about the apartment, glass in hand, movement necessary to ease his frustration.

‘Everything was perfect!' he said again. ‘Everything!'

‘Tell me from the beginning,' said Olga, confused and trying to understand.

Kozlov halted by the window, gazing out over the gardens, still gripped by anger. Instead of replying directly, he said: ‘I should have
known!
I thought the photograph was to identify her: I should have guessed a passport!'

‘From the beginning,' prompted Olga again.

‘Hayashi alerted me as soon as the military planes arrived,' began Kozlov. ‘It was easy, that late at night, to get on to the apron: he knows the airport very well. The British aircraft was locked, of course, so I put the explosive into two different engine cowlings. Pressure activated …' He stopped, drinking deeply from his glass. ‘For the meeting I went through the usual routine: ran the Americans all over town, choosing the place. Then insisted that I be left alone, with the Englishman …' Kozlov paused again, halted by a thought. ‘He
was
clever: knew things about the KGB that surprised me: somehow he had linked me with McFairlane …' He shook his head. ‘I wasn't careful enough. I'd confused the Americans and I thought I'd confused him: didn't imagine anything could go wrong.'

‘He didn't query the separate crossings?' asked the woman.

‘Of course he queried them,' said Kozlov. ‘He seemed satisfied, by what I said. We arranged how he was to contact Irena and afterwards I took her through it … everything was going just as I'd planned …!'

‘How did you learn it had gone wrong?'

‘After she left this morning I came here. Heard the news reports of the explosion and thought it had all worked …' He drank heavily again. ‘You know the precautions … this place and this telephone …'

‘This was supposed to be our place,' she interrupted.

Kozlov was suddenly aware of her need. He crossed to her, cupping her face into his hands, and kissed her, gently. ‘It is,' he said. ‘And it's going to be.'

‘Why did she have to know?'

Kozlov frowned at the question. ‘You know why! There
had
to be a telephone point between us, away from the embassy which would have made her suspicious. Don't forget the British and the Americans intended trying to get us both; the Englishman openly admitted it to me! This was the failsafe, to stop the Americans interfering. I told her I would not cross to Fredericks until I had heard positively from her. She was to tell the Americans, if they intercepted, that I wouldn't cross at all until they'd released her and let the arrangements remain as they were supposed to be. That way I could guarantee her being on the British aircraft. This place was the last part of the perfect murder.'

‘And she called?'

Kozlov nodded, adding more vodka to both their glasses. ‘I thought it was you! She actually guessed something, from my voice; asked me what was wrong!'

‘What did you say?'

‘Difficult to say anything, at first. Told her she was imagining it and that maybe I was nervous.'

‘Where was she?'

‘Osaka airport. About to take off for Hong Kong.'

‘So why did you let her leave!' demanded Olga.

‘There has to be proveable contact with a foreign intelligence organization,' insisted Kozlov. ‘All your interrogations were geared to show that, on the tapes and films and the involvement of Filiatov … bringing her back to Tokyo would have ruined it all.'

‘But what's to prevent her getting on the next flight to London, from Hong Kong!'

‘Me,' said Kozlov. For the first time he smiled. ‘She'll realize at once that something
has
gone wrong, because the plane isn't going to be there. She'll imagine some disaster here …' He indicated the telephone. ‘She'll call,' he said.

The woman shook her head, doubtfully. ‘I think you've taken a terrible risk.'

‘I didn't have any alternative,' said Kozlov.

‘Darling,' said Olga, slowly, ‘why not just let her go: you tricked her into defecting. Isn't that enough?'

Kozlov wondered if Olga would agree to what he wanted, to make things right. ‘You
know
it isn't enough,' he said. ‘It's all part of the explanation, to satisfy Moscow. That we realized at the last moment what she was doing, establishing the contact: and that I proved my loyalty by stopping her, as she tried to defect. It can't work, any other way. The families of Russian defectors are always interrogated and always remain on the suspect list. In my case, it would be a hundred times worse. I'd be taken back to Moscow under arrest …' Kozlov paused, for the most important fact to register. ‘It would mean the end of it, all that we've planned, so carefully and for so long … the end of us, darling.'