Free The Janus Man by Colin Forbes Page A

have to be eliminated...'
    `God forbid!' Wolf was appalled. 'An intimate of Chancellor Kohl himself? I understood from you the General Secretary warned there must be no incidents — only accidents.'
    'And yet,' Lysenko sneered, turning away from the window, 'you tell me Munzel is an expert on accidents...'
    'Bonn would never believe Kuhlmann had an accident. More than that, Kuhlmann would smell Munzel as coming from the DDR a mile off. Fortunately he has no suspicions in that direction.'
    'And why is Munzel known as The Cripple? He's as fit as a Nazi storm-trooper. Looks a bit like one.'
    `Because he often adopts the guise of a cripple on a mission. Who suspects an apparently blind man? Or a man in a self- propelled wheelchair? It is some such technique he will use when he eventually deals with Tweed. Now, if you don't mind, I'll continue arranging my files...'
    `Ah, the files. Yes, do be sure they are in order,' Lysenko urged in a sarcastic tone.
    For the next week Tweed seemed to Newman to have lost his sense of direction and purpose. They wandered round the island of Lübeck in the sunshine and the heat which had become torrid. Lübeck was full of holidaymakers, which worried Newman. Too many crowds.
    Mostly Germans, they sat at pavement cafés, drinking and chatting. The Jensen was a small, well-run establishment and Tweed's window overlooked the twin towers of the Holstentor across the river. Across the road from the hotel pleasure boats moored and picked up passengers for river cruises. It was a lazy, relaxed atmosphere.
    Tweed spent some time talking with the Jensen's manager, a man who liked the English and was both shrewd and knowledgeable about conditions on both sides of the border. Newman got to know the blonde woman, Diana Chadwick, who wore her hair short and reminded him of pictures he'd seen of girls in the '30s before the war.
    `You simply must come to Travemünde,' she said to him over a drink outside the Jensen as they sat at a pavement table. 'There is the most divine crowd there. Boaty people and tremendous fun. You'll get an idea of what life used to be — when every day we enjoyed ourselves. None of your creepy machines — computers or whatever they're called...'
    `They are called computers...'
    `And if you live in England now they have you all listed in one of their beastly machines. No privacy any more. Just like a police state, I say. Credit cards and all that. Came from America, of course. Everything awful comes from America. I hate the place.'
    `You have been there, then?'
    'Once. New York. Those dreadful canyons. Why go to Arizona — or wherever the Grand Canyon is? New York is full of them. I did have the most marvellous time, actually. Everyone asked me to lots of parties. But I felt I was an exhibit. "Look, we have a Brit. girl. Isn't she quaint? Love to hear her talk — so different from us." ' She finished her Bloody Mary and said yes, she'd love just one more. 'So different from us,' she repeated. 'Thank God, I thought. Who'd want to be like you?' She smiled and studied her companion. 'Bet you think I'm the most awful snob. Which I am, of course...'
    'You mentioned Travemünde,' Newman reminded her. 'Isn't that where Dr Berlin lives?'
    'Only part of the year. He's away at the moment. Expected to join the fun any time...'
    'Where is he then?'
    `God knows. He goes off without telling a soul where. But he has his refugee work. He's bonkers over that. Can't understand why. People must cope on their own. I've always had to...'
    'Where were you born?' Newman lifted his glass to her.
    Diana Chadwick had slim, well-shaped legs, a small waist and a good figure, not over-full. She wore an attractive summer dress with polka dot design, a high neck and a pussy bow. Very feminine. Her bone structure was well-defined, a straight nose above a firm mouth suggesting character, a trait reinforced by the pointed chin.
    Her most striking feature was her sapphire blue eyes which held a hint of wickedness