Len Deighton by SS-GB

Author:SS-GB [SS-GB]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-06-03T21:49:34+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

“I should have you shot for this,” Huth told him as soon as he’d pressed the scrambler button.

Douglas didn’t reply.

“You go off on your own, without leaving a contact number, or telling me or Sergeant Woods what you are up to. Then you force your way into an army establishment…” Huth stopped, as if at a loss for words. “Those army bastards are always trying to find something wrong with us, and you’ve given them a perfect chance to complain. Do you realize that I’ve spent the last ten minutes apologizing to some bloody little army Colonel… I hate your stupid face, Archer. Why the hell don’t you say something? Have you been struck dumb?”

“I’ve got the signed confession,” said Douglas.

“You stupid pig. I’ve got a thousand men working on this business. I’ve got inquiries in progress from the heavy water plant in Norway to the Curie Laboratory in Paris. Do you think I’m interested in one scribbled confession about one damned murder! When the murderer is already dead!”

“You told me to find the murderer,” said Douglas. “I found him. And the other nine hundred and ninety-nine men you keep telling me about, did not find him. Furthermore I even got a written confession. What the hell more do you want?”

There was a short silence. Then Huth said, “Oh! That’s better. I didn’t know you had it in you. I hadn’t heard you raise your voice before.”

“Well, now I know you like it, I’ll shout all the time.”

“You listen to me, Archer. You’ve made a mess of this investigation. I didn’t want Spode’s corpse. I wanted to find out more about him; what he knew, what he did, whom he spoke with on the phone. And I would have intercepted his mail to get a lead on the rest of this band of outlaws.”

Before Douglas could answer, Huth said, “Did he get it out of his pocket, or was it clipped in his mouth—the cyanide capsule, where did he have it?”

“What difference does it make?”

“I’ll tell you what difference it makes,” said Huth with renewed anger. “If he got it from his pocket I need more efficient arresting officers. If these people have got the technique of plugging the cyanide capsules into teeth, we’ll have to revise all the arrest techniques. And I’d want it on the teleprinters before morning.”

“From his pocket. He crossed himself and said a prayer. He could have put it in his mouth then.”

“And you just stood there and watched him, you dummy?”

“Yes.”

“And this half-witted artillery Captain watched too?”

“Yes,” said Douglas.

“And neither of you saw him do it?”

“No.”

“Any chance that this army officer passed him the capsule?”

“No, sir. Of course not.”

“Don’t give me that no-sir-of-course-not stuff, I’ve heard it all before. I’ve had the Gestapo files in Berlin checked while we’ve been on the phone. Someone’s just put the teleprinter reply on my desk. This Captain Hesse is a Catholic. Did you know that?”

“We didn’t discuss theology.”

“Then I wish you had done,” said Huth. “This Spode is a Catholic too.

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