The Cauldron (14 page)

'Well...' Buchanan paused again, then took the plunge. "The Commissioner ordered me down here.'

Again, without showing it, Tweed was taken aback. A top-flight man like the Commissioner. That meant he had probably consulted the PM immediately. It was not only in Washington that panic was spreading.

'You haven't told me how you got here so quickly,' Tweed reminded him.

'Police car with sirens screaming to Heathrow. A plane laid on to fly me to Newquay airport. Another police car waiting there to bring me here - that is, first to the scene of the crime while the Yard had a team of men phoning up to check hotel registers. They hit Nansidwell and I find you and your lot here.'

'So what is the connection between the murdered Penkastle and this Moloch - if there is one?'

'We don't know - yet. What I'm going to say is confidential.' He looked round the table and smiled without humour. 'I believe I can trust the discretion of everyone here.'

'We can't have our hands tied in our present mission in any way.' Tweed warned. 'So we cannot regard whatever you propose saying as confidential.'

'I see.' It was Buchanan's turn to be taken aback. He said nothing for almost a minute, then shrugged. 'What I can tell you is we know certain people residing in this part of Cornwall form part of an intelligence service for Moloch. I can't under the circumstances give your names - but that is why a murder committed in this area interests us.'

It was then that Tweed caught on. The so-called drinking partner of Penkastle's, who had found the body, was Maurice Prendergast. This explained the news reaching London so swiftly. Prendergast would immediately have informed his superiors at Special Branch. They had passed on the news to the Commissioner. Typically, Special Branch had wanted to stay in the background.

I wonder if it was Maurice who reported Paula's presence in the area, Tweed thought. I'll ask him point-blank as soon as I can see him again.

'If you'll excuse us.' he said aloud, 'I think we would all like to get to bed.'

'As you wish, but I may want to ask Miss Grey a few more questions at a later date. On her own.'

'Certainly not.' snapped Tweed. 'If you attempt a ploy like that I'll be in touch with the PM in minutes.'

'She was at the scene of the crime ...'

'She damned well was not.' Paula burst out. 'She merely encountered a drunken man and tried to save him from drowning in the creek.'

'I won't put up with false accusations of that sort.' Tweed rapped back.

'Perhaps you misunderstood what I said ...' Buchanan began.

Tweed was already on his feet, in a pretended rage. He gestured to the others.

'We've had enough of this. We're going to get some sleep. Good night...'

Paula and Newman followed Tweed out of the dining room. Outside, in the small deserted hallway by a compact bar, Newman took Tweed by the arm, led him halfway up the staircase, checked to see they were alone.

'If you agree, I propose to go back and give Buchanan Joel Brand's name discreetly.'

'Good idea. That will stir up more trouble for VB ...'

Newman returned to the dining room to find Buchanan still sitting at the table by himself. He had a

brooding look, as though trying to solve something which bothered him. He looked up, greeted Newman amiably.

'Back again, Bob. Would you please tell Tweed I apologize to Paula Grey for what I said? I've been up twenty-four hours nonstop.'

'I will do that.' Newman leaned on the table opposite the detective, lowered his voice. 'We can give you one name you ought to investigate. Joel Brand. He's probably aboard the
Venetia
standing out there off Falmouth harbour.'

'What about him?'

'I'm just giving you a name...'

Newman left the room, letting Buchanan digest the name.

Aboard the
Venetia
Joel Brand was pacing his stateroom. He only looked more cheerful when he heard the chopper coming in to land on the helipad. It had already transported Moloch to Newquay airport. Picking up his case, he turned to Gene Lessinger, who had earlier thrown the sheath which had contained the murder knife into the sea after weighting it.

'Gene, I'm leaving now in the chopper. It's flying me to Plymouth airport. I'll catch the first available ferry to Roscoff in Brittany.'

'Does our French organization know you're coming?'

"The top man over there does. He's arranging for a car to wait for me. I'll be driven to Paris. Once there I'll board the first Air France flight to the States. VB sent me his instructions from the jet after it took off from Newquay airport.'

'I have a job to do here first.' Gene reminded him.

To deal with Maurice Prendergast, supposedly retired from Special Branch.'

I'll use the same method you did with that drunk, Adrian?'

'Why not? It is a good trademark to put the wind up anyone tracking us. Be careful with Prendergast. He's a pro.'

'I've worked that out. Then I leave the country?' 'Yes, by the same route I'm taking. I'll get off now.

My instinct tells me trouble is on the way...'

When Brand was sitting in the chopper as it took off he saw a police boat approaching the
Venetia
. He gave it a casual wave and laughed coarsely.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit Maurice,' Tweed told his team, assembled in Paula's large room. Marler had joined them after making himself scarce when he saw the police cars arriving.

'Something funny about that ship,
Venetia.'
called out Paula, standing by the window with the binoculars Marler had loaned her. 'It looks so jolly and inviting with all its lights sparkling. Like a cruise ship.'

'What's funny about it?' asked Newman as she handed him the binoculars.

'Focus on the foredeck. There are some pretty large objects covered in canvas. Strikes me they're something VB doesn't want anyone to know he's got aboard.'

'You're right.' Newman agreed after studying the vessel. 'I can't imagine what they could be, yet they remind me of something.'

He lowered the glasses, frowning, then recalled Tweed's remark.

'If you're going to visit Prendergast I suggest an armed team comes with you.'

'I wanted to make it a quiet visit,' Tweed objected. 'I'll phone him before I go. I memorized his number when we were inside his house.'

'An armed team is coming with you.' Newman insisted.

"That poor little man, Adrian Penkastle.' Paula mused. 'He was such a harmless person. Just drank far too much.'

'Which is probably why he's dead.' Newman said grimly.

'Well, let's hope we find Maurice Prendergast alive.' Marler commented.

9

It was going to be a long night. Tweed was restless, had taken a bath, then got dressed again. He was pacing up and down his room when he heard a tapping on the door. He opened it cautiously, his foot against it. Two in the morning was a curious time for anyone to come calling.

'Can I come in? I saw the light under your door.' Paula said.

'Of course.' After letting her in he relocked the door. Paula was wearing a navy blue suit. 'Why aren't you in bed and asleep?' he asked.

'I might ask you the same question.' she told him as she sat down in a chair.

Too much to puzzle over.'

'I thought so - from your faraway expression when you went up to bed. What's troubling you?'

"The mystery of the same woman coming ashore near Monterey in distant California - the same woman who came ashore here. And in both cases the
Venetia
was nearby out at sea.'

'I suppose it was the same woman? I did feel sure it was.'

'I checked Newman's pictures of the one he tried to rescue here with the Identikit picture you helped create of the Monterey woman. They looked exactly the same to me.'

'Nice to know I'm not going barmy.'

'That remark is nonsense - although I could understand it.'

Tweed stood up, began pacing again as he spoke. Walking always helped him to keep his brain in high gear.

"The same woman comes ashore on the coasts of two different continents. At an interval of several weeks, which is the time it took the
Venetia
to sail from Monterey to Falmouth. So the only answer is we're not thinking clearly. It can't be the same woman...'

He suddenly paused. Watching him, Paula saw a certain look cross his face. She recognized it. An idea which had been swimming deep in his mind had surfaced. He swung round and stared at her.

'Twins! That explains the extraordinary likeness between the two women...'

Paula sat dumbfounded. She was wondering why the idea had never occurred to her. She shook her head to clear it, stared again as Tweed went on talking.

"That's what we should be looking for - on both sides of the Atlantic. Twins. It narrows the field enormously. We'll let Cord know when we can. And Monica can start checking over here.'

'Checking in what way?'

'To see if twin women were associated with VB in any way at any time. Just a minute, when the
Venetia
docked at Monterey, then left quickly, we know VB wasn't aboard. That drunken harbour master told you that.'

'What's the significance of that?'

'Joel Brand was aboard - you saw him come ashore with a team of thugs at Octopus Cove. And VB was probably at Mullion Towers when Newman found the woman who swam in to the cove below us. Brand could have been aboard again. Which fits in with another bizarre theory I've pondered.'

'What's that?'

"The disappearance of seven of VB's close girl friends who have never been found.'

'I don't quite follow that.'

'I won't bother to explain now -1 could be wrong.'

'Do you know.' Paula said with a smile, 'that when you go mysterious with me you can be the most irritating of men?'

But Tweed hardly heard her. He went on talking, his brain racing.

"The next urgent problem is Maurice Prendergast. I'm sure he is the new target - after Penkastle. I'm going to call him now, tell him we're on our way to see him.'

'At this hour? It's nearly two in the morning.'

'Like me, Maurice works through the night when he has to. He'll be up ...'

Tweed was careful not to use names when he got through to Prendergast, but the latter recognized his voice. He was indeed up working and said he'd be very glad to see them. He used the phrase, 'Yourself and your right arm, presumably? Good ...'

'Newman will be furious,' Paula warned. 'He said that you needed an armed escort.'

'I don't want one. Bob will be fast asleep. We'll slip out quietly through the back way. I know how to unlock the door. I checked it earlier...'

They drove off quietly up the drive, heading for Mawnan Smith and the 'rabbit warren' lane which led down to Forth Navas. They had just left when another car took off after them. The police cars had driven away earlier.

Gene Lessinger was on his way by car to Forth Navas. He had decided to deal with Prendergast. While aboard the
Venetia
he had grown nervous with Brand gone, safely on his way. The police launch which had put men on to the ship had given up the search for Joel Brand, convinced he had escaped in the helicopter they had seen leaving the vessel before their arrival.

But having police on the ship had made Gene feel that he'd better get on with the job, then fly to Plymouth to wait for the ferry to Roscoff. Before leaving the ship he had sent a message to France, warning them he was coming. Going ashore to the wharf where two cars were always standing by, he used the key he had taken with him to start up one of them.

He was well on his way to Forth Navas, using a map Brand had left him. He drove slowly down the narrow road which led to his destination. He didn't like the narrowness of the road, particularly at night. Following Brand's detailed instructions, he parked the car at the bottom of the hill, started walking along the road perched above the creek.

In a sheath strapped to his belt he carried a fresh stiletto knife. In his right hand he was holding a small container from which he had removed the lid as soon as he had parked his car.