Free The Doomsday Testament by James Douglas Page A

without violence?’
    The question was delivered softly, but the unspoken threat was clear. The two men nodded.
    ‘Then we’ll say no more for the moment.’
    When they left, he stared at the door for a long time. Not quite sure. It might be better to be safe than to take the chance. He picked up a secure satellite phone from the desk and punched a speed-dial button. It was answered after two rings.
    ‘Well?’
    ‘I think it may have been a mistake not to bring in our own team.’
    The man at the other end gave a faint snort of irritation. ‘We talked about that. The risks outweighed the advantages.’
    ‘Perhaps we are pushing forward too quickly and too hard,’ the pale man persisted. ‘We have waited a long time for this opportunity. What is another few months, even years, when balanced against the possible rewards?’
    They had also talked about that, and he knew bringing up the subject would annoy the other man. Old men were always in a hurry, trying to make up for the time they had wasted in their youth and fearful that their next breath might be their last. Ever ready to snatch at opportunities. He was different. He had been taught patience from the day he was born, groomed to take advantage of the chance that might be about to present itself.
    His listener chose to ignore the question. ‘What are your specific concerns about these men, Frederick?’
    The younger man smiled, amused by the use of his work name. Their dealings were conducted by single-use satellite phones using software that scrambled their voices, but the employment of the name was still a threat and they both knew it. ‘They were recommended to me by a security company on the basis of their local knowledge and past record. I fear their talents may have been exaggerated.’
    ‘They dealt with the old Pole discreetly enough.’
    ‘That is true, but I questioned them again about Saintclair’s grandfather. Campbell claimed it was an accident, but I think there may be more to it than that. They knew how vital he was to the operation. They knew he was an old man. They should have treated him with more caution. Either they were careless or they overstepped the mark. Campbell says he squirmed free as they were taking him upstairs. Perhaps that is true and perhaps it is not, but the fact is it should never have happened.’
    ‘Do you believe lasting damage has been done?’
    ‘No,’ Frederick admitted. ‘The police are treating it as a household accident and are not linking it to the burglary. There is no reason Saintclair should be alerted.’
    ‘But?’
    ‘But perhaps Mr Campbell and Mr McKenzie should be given a demonstration of the consequences of any further mistakes.’
    The shortest of pauses. ‘Arrange it.’ Despite the scrambler, he could hear the grim smile in the other man’s voice. ‘What is your feeling about the journal?’
    Frederick frowned, annoyed by the question. He didn’t deal in feelings. He dealt in facts. That was what made him different from the other man. For the moment, he was the junior, but there was no telling when that might change . ‘If,’ he placed heavy emphasis on the word, ‘the journal exists, then Saintclair is the way to get to it.’
    ‘Very well.’ Were the words followed by a period of hesitation, or merely contemplation? ‘As long as Saintclair is useful to us I want him protected. Once we have what we want, get rid of him.’

IX
    JAMIE’S HEART QUICKENED . He was closing in on Operation Equity.
    I have a great deal of respect for Fitzpatrick. He has led three Jedburgh operations in France and Holland, and I know only too well the kind of strength, physical and mental, that is required to survive that kind of test. Still, it is difficult to describe the loathing I felt for him at that moment
.
    For weeks we have been swanning around Germany in the wake of the Allied spearhead, strong-arming German mayors and interrogating hundreds of suspect men and women. Strange that not one of them