but still we don't see theral Whatever charges we leveled against such conglomerates would be called the ravings of madmen, or worse." "Much worse," said Bray, remembering the voice over the restaurant's telephone. "Traitors. We'd be shot." "Your words have the ring of prophecy. I don't like them." "Neither do 1, but I like.being executed less." "A non sequitur." "Not when coupled with what you just said. 'We've found the Matarese, but still we don't see them,' wasn't that it?" "Yes.
"Suppose we not only found one, but had him. In our hands." "A hostage?" "That's right." "That's insane." "Why? You had the Verachten woman." "In a car. In a farmer's field. At night. I had no delusions of taking her into Essen and setting up a base of operations." Scofield sat down. "The Red Brigades held Aldo Moro eight blocks away from a police headquarters in Rome. Although that's not exactly what I had in mind." Taleniekov leaned forward. "Waverly?" "Yes." "How? The American network is after you, the Matarese nearly trapped you; what did you have in mind? Dropping into the Foreign Office and proffering an invitation for tea?" "Waverly's to be brought here-to this room-at eight o'clock tonight." The Russian whistled. "May I ask how you managed it?" Bray told him about Symonds. "He's doing it because be thinks whatever convinced me to work with you must be strong enough to get me an interview with Waverly." "They have a name for me. Did he tell you?" "Yes. The Serpent." "I suppose I should be flattered, but I'm not. I find it ugly. Does Symonds have any idea that this meeting has a hostile basis? That you suspect Waverly of being something more than England's Foreign Secretary?" "No, the reverse, in fact. When he objected, the last thing I said to him was that I might be trying to save Waverly's life." "Very good," said Taleniekov. "Very frightening. Assassination, like acts of terror, is a spreading commodity. They'll be alone then?" "Yes, I made a point of it. A room at the Connaught; there'd be no reason for Roger to think anything's wrong. And we know the Matarese haven't made the connection between me and the man Waverly is supposedly meeting at the MI-Six offices." "You're certain of that? It strikes me as the weakest part of the strategy. They've got you in London, they know you have the four names from Corsica. Suddenly, from nowhere, Waverly, the consighere, is asked to meet secretly with a man at the office of a British intelligence agent known to have been a friend of Beowulf Agate. The equation seems obvious to me; why would it elude the Matarese?" "A very specific reason. They don't think I ever made contact with Symonds." "They can't be sure you didn't." "The odds are against it. Roger's an experienced field man; he covered himself. He was logged in at the Admiralty and later returned a blind inquiry. I wasn't picked up in the streets and we used a sterile phone. We met an hour outside of London, two changes of vehicle for me, at least four for him. No one followed." "Impressive. Not conclusive." "It's the best I can do. Except for a final qualification." "Qualification7" "Yes. There isn't going to be a meeting tonight. They'll never reach this room." "No meeting? Then what's the purpose of their coming here?" "So we can grab Waverly downstairs before Symonds knows what's happened.
Roger'll be driving; when he gets here, he won't go through the lobby, he'll use a side entrance, I'll find out which one. In the event-and I agree it's possible-that Waverly is followed, you'll be down in the street.
You'll know it; you'll see them. Take them out. I'll be right inside that entrance." "Where they least expect you," broke in the Russian.
"That's right. I'm counting on it. I can take Roger by surprise, hammer lock him and force a pill down his throat. He won't wake up for hours." "It's not enough," said Taleniekov, lowering his voice. "You'll have to kill him. Sacrifices inevitably must be made. Churchill understood that with Coventry and the Ultra; this is no less, Scofield. British Intelligence will mount the most extensive manhunt in England's history.
We've got to get Waverly out of the country. If the death of one man can buy us time-a day perhaps-I submit it's worth it." Bray looked at the Russian, studying him. "You submit too godamn much." "You know I'm right." Silence. Suddenly Scofield