Free The Satan Bug by Alistair MacLean Page B

Someone pretty important, I suppose, a police inspector or one of those MI.6 chaps. But I can tell you this. Say that to me just once again and I’ll knock your bloody head clean off."
    "I believe you would, too." Hardanger was suddenly smiling. He turned to me. "Not guilty, eh?"
    " He could hardly be that good," I agreed.
    " I hardly think so. Forgive me, Norris. I had to find out something, and I had to find out fast. I'm investigating a murder. Murder isn't a nice business and sometimes I've got to use tactics that aren't very nice either. Understand?"
    "Yes, sir," Norris said uncertainly. He was slightly mollified, but only slightly. "Dr. Baxter. How—I mean, who-----?"
    "Never mind that just now," Hardanger said briskly. " You checked him out. In this book here. Eighteen thirty-two hours, it says. That right?"
    " If the book says so, sir. That time stamp's automatic."
    " You took his security tag from him—this one?" He held it up.
    " Yes, sir."
    "Didn't happen to speak to him, did you?"
    "As a matter of fact, sir, yes."
    "About what?"
    "Just the weather and the like, sir. He was always very friendly to us chaps. And his cold. About his cold. He'd a pretty bad one. Coughing and blowing his nose all the time."
    "You saw him clearly?"
    " 'Course I did. I've been guard here for eighteen months and I know Dr. Baxter as well as my own mother. Dressed in his usual—checked ulster, trilby and those heavy horn glasses of his."
    " You'd swear to it in court? That it was Dr. Baxter, I mean?"
    He hesitated, then said, " I'd swear to it. And both my mates on duty saw him also. You can check with them."
    We checked, then left to return to the administrative block. I said, "Did you really think Baxter stayed behind last night?"
    " No," Hardanger admitted. " He left all right—and came back with his pliers. Either alone or with someone else. Which on the face of it, would appear to make Baxter a bad 'un. But it seems that an even badder 'un disposed of him. When thieves fall out, perhaps."
    " You thought the signature genuine?"
    " As genuine as any signature can ever be. No one ever signs his signature the same way twice. I think I'll get on to the General in London straight away. An all-out check on Baxter might turn up something very interesting. Especially past contacts."
    " You'll be wasting your time. From the point of view of security Baxter was sitting in the hottest seat in Europe— boss of number one lab in Mordon Every step he's taken from the day he learnt to walk, every word he's said since, every person he's met—they would have checked and re-checked a hundred times. Baxter's clean. He's just too big a fish to get through the security mesh."
    " So were a number of other characters who are now either in jail or Moscow," Hardanger said grimly. " I'm phoning London now. Then checking with Wylie to see if they've turned up anything on that Bedford that was used as a getaway car. Then I'm going to see how Martin and the fingerprint boys are getting on. Coming?"
    " No. I'd like to check with the internal guards who were on duty last night and mooch around on my own a little."
    He shrugged. " I've no jurisdiction over you, Cavell. But if anything turns up—you'll let me know?" he added suspiciously.
    " Think I'm crazy? With a guy walking around with the Satan Bug in his vest pocket do you think I'm going to start a one-man war?"
    He nodded, still a little suspiciously, and left me. I spent the next hour checking with the six internal guards who had been on duty before midnight the previous night and learnt what I had expected to learn—
    nothing. All of them were well-known to me, which was probably the real reason why Hardanger had wanted me down in Mordon, and all of them had been on duty in Mordon for at least three years. All of their stories tallied and none of it helped at all. With two guards I made a minute check of all windows and the entire roof area of " E " block and I was just wasting my time.
    No one had