if.moonraker-第17部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


site　go　there　in　the　evening。　Last　night；　about　seven…thirty；　the　Security　man　from　the　Ministry；　this　man　Tallon；　went　along　there　and　was　having　a　whisky　and　soda　and　chatting　away　with　some　of　the　Germans　when　the　murderer；　if　you　like　to　call　him　that；　came　in　and　walked　straight　up　to　Tallon。　He　pulled　out　a　Luger…no　serial　numbers　by　the　way…out　of　his　shirt　and　said；〃　M。　looked　up；　'〃I　love　Gala　Brand。　You　shall　not　have　her。'　Then　he　shot　Tallon　through　the　heart　and　put　the　smoking　gun　in　his　own　mouth　and　pulled　the　trigger。〃
　〃What　a　ghastly　business；〃　said　Bond。　He　could　see　every　detail　of　the　shambles　in　the　crowded　taproom　of　a　typical　English　public　house。　〃Who's　the　girl？〃
　〃That's　another　plication；〃　said　M。　〃She's　an　agent　of　the　Special　Branch。　Bilingual　in　German。　One　of　Val…lance's　best　girls。　She　and　Tallon　were　the　only　two　non…Germans　Drax　had　with　him　on　the　site。　Vallance　is　a　suspicious　chap。　Has　to　be。　This　Moonraker　plan　is　obviously　the　most　important　thing　happening　in　England。　Without　telling　anyone　and　acting　more　or　less　on　instinct；　he　planted　this　Brand　girl　on　Drax　and　somehow　fixed　for　her　to　be　taken　on　as　his　private　secretary。　Been　on　the　site　since　the　beginning。　She's　had　absolutely　nothing　to　report。　Says　that　Drax　is　an　excellent　chief；　except　for　his　manners；　and　drives　his　men　like　hell。　Apparently　he　started　by　making　passes　at　her；　even　after　she'd　spun　the　usual　yarn　about　being　engaged；　but　after　she'd　shown　she　could　defend　herself；　which　of　course　she　can；　he　gave　up　and　she　says　they're　perfectly　good　friends。　Naturally　she　knew　Tallon；　but　he　was　old　enough　to　be　her　father；　besides　being　happily　married　with　four　children；　and　she　told　Vallance's　man　who　got　a　word　with　her　this　morning　that　he's　taken　her　to　the　cinema　in　a　paternal　sort　of　way　twice　in　eighteen　months。　As　for　the　killer；　man　called　Egon　Bartsch；　he　was　an　electronics　expert　whom　she　barely　knew　by　sight。〃
　〃What　do　his　friends　say　about　all　this？〃　asked　Bond。
　〃The　man　who　shared　his　room　with　him　backs　up　Bartsch。　Says　he　was　madly　in　love　with　the　Brand　woman　and　put　his　whole　lack　of　success　down　to　'The　Englishman'。　He　says　Bartsch　had　been　getting　very　moody　and　reserved　lately　and　that　he　wasn't　a　bit　surprised　to　hear　of　the　shooting。〃
　〃Sounds　pretty　corroborative；〃　said　Bond。　〃Somehow　one　can　see　the　picture。　One　of　those　highly　strung　nervous　chaps　with　the　usual　German　chip　on　the　shoulder。　What　does　Val…lance　think？〃
　〃He's　not　sure；〃　said　M。　〃He's　mainly　concerned　with　protecting　his　girl　from　the　Press　and　seeing　that　her　cover　doesn't　get　blown。　All　the　papers　are　on　to　it；　of　course。　It'll　be　in　the　midday　editions。　And　they're　all　howling　for　a　picture　of　the　girl。　Vallance　is　having　one　cooked　up　and　got　down　to　her　that'll　look　more　or　less　like　any　girl；　but　just　sufficiently　like　her。　She'll　send　it　out　this　evening。　Fortunately　the　reporters　can't　get　near　the　place。　She's　refusing　to　talk　and　Vallance　is　praying　that　some　friend　or　relation　won't　blow　the　gaff。　They're　holding　the　inquest　today　and　Vallance　is　hoping　that　the　case　will　be　officially　closed　by　this　evening　and　that　the　papers　will　have　to　let　it　die　for　lack　of　material。〃
　〃What　about　this　practice　shoot？'　asked　Bond。
　〃They're　sticking　to　the　schedule；〃　said　M。　〃Noon　on　Friday。　They're　using　a　dummy　warhead　and　firing　her　vertically　with　only　three…quarter　tanks。　They're　clearing　about　a　hundred　square　miles　of　the　North　Sea　from　about　Latitude　52　up。　That's　north　of　a　line　joining　The　Hague　and　the　Wash。　Full　details　are　going　to　be　given　out　by　the　PM　on　Thursday　night。〃
　M。　stopped　talking。　He　swivelled　his　chair　round　so　that　he　could　look　out　of　the　window。　Bond　heard　a　distant　clock　chime　the　four　quarters。　One　o'clock。　Was　he　going　to　miss　his　lunch　again？　If　M。　would　stop　ferreting　about　in　the　business　of　other　Departments　he　could　have　a　quick　lunch　and　get　round　to　Bentley's。　Bond　shifted　slightly　in　his　chair。
　M。　turned　back　and　faced　him　again　across　the　desk。
　〃The　people　who　are　most　worried　about　all　this；〃　he　said；　〃are　the　Ministry　of　Supply。　Tallon　was　one　of　their　best　men。　His　reports　had　been　pletely　negative　all　along。　Then　he　suddenly　rang　up　the　Assistant　Under…Secretary　yesterday　afternoon　and　said　he　thought　something　fishy　was　going　on　at　the　site　and　he　asked　to　see　the　Minister　personally　at　ten　o'clock　this　morning。　Wouldn't　say　anything　more　on　the　telephone。　And　a　few　hours　later　he　gets　shot。　Another　funny　coincidence；　wasn't　it？〃
　〃Very　funny；〃　said　Bond。　〃But　why　don't　they　close　down　the　site　and　have　a　wholesale　inquiry？　After　all；　this　thing's　too　big　to　take　a　chance　on。〃
　〃The　cabinet　met　early　this　morning；〃　said　M。；　〃and　the　Prime　Minister　asked　the　obvious　question。　What　evidence　was　there　of　any　attempt；　or　even　of　any　intention；　to　sabotage　the　Moonraker？　The　answer　was　none。　There　were　only　fears　which　had　been　brought　to　the　surface　in　the　last　twenty…four　hours　by　Tallon's　vague　message　and　the　double　murder。　Everyone　agreed　that　unless　there　was　a　grain　of　evidence；　which　so　far　hasn't　turned　up；　both　these　incidents　could　be　put　down　to　the　terrific　nervous　tension　on　the　site。　The　way　things　are　in　the　world　at　the　moment　it　was　decided　that　the　sooner　the　Moonraker　could　give　us　an　independent　say　in　world　affairs　the　better　for　us　and；〃　M。　shrugged　his　shoulders；　〃quite　possibly　for　the　world。　And　it　was　agreed　that　for　a　thousand　reasons　why　the　Moonraker　should　be　fired　the　reasons　against　didn't　stand　up。　The　Minister　of　Supply　had　to　agree；　but　he　knows　as　well　as　you　or　I　that；　whatever　the　facts；　it　would　be　a　colossal　victory　for　the　Russians　to　sabotage　the　Moonraker　on　the　eve　of　her　practice　shoot。　If　they　did　it　well　enough　they　might　easily　get　the　whole　project　shelved。　There　are　fifty　Germans　working　on　the　thing。　Any　one　of　them　could　have　relatives　still　being　held　in　Russia　whose　lives　could　be　used　as　a　lever。〃　M。　paused。　He　looked　up　at　the　ceiling。　Then　his　eyes　came　down　and　rested　thoughtfully　on　Bond。
　〃The　Minister　asked　me　to　go　and　see　him　after　the　Cabinet。　He　said　that　the　least　he　could　do　was　replace　Tallon　at　once。　The　new　man　must　be　bilingual　in　German；　a　sabotage　expert；　and　have　had　plenty　of　experience　of　our
　Russian　friends。　MI5　have　put　up　three　candidates。　They're　all　on　cases　at　the　moment；　but　they　could　be　extricated　in　a　few　hours。　But　then　the　Minister　asked　my　opinion。　I　gave　it。　He　talked　to　the　Prime　Minister　and　a　lot　of　red　tape　got　cut　very　quickly。〃
　Bond　looked　sharply；　resentfully；　into　the　grey；　unpromising　eyes。
　〃So；〃　said　M。　flatly；　〃Sir　Hugo　Drax　has　been　notified　of　your　appointment　and　he　expects　you　down　at　his　headquarters　in　time　for　dinner　this　evening。〃
　
　CHAPTER　X　
　
　SPECIAL　BRANCH　AGENT
　
　AT　six　o'clock　that　Tuesday　evening　towards　the　end　of　May；　James　Bond　was　thrashing　the　big　Bentley　down　the　Dover　road　along　the　straight　stretch　that　runs　into　Maidstone。
　Although　he　was　driving　fast　and　with　concentration；　part　of　his　mind　was　going　back　over　his　movements　since　he　had　left　M。's　office　four　and　a　half　hours　earlier。
　After　giving　a　brief　outline　of　the　case　to　his　secretary　and　eating　a　quick　lunch　at　a　table　to　himself　in　the　canteen；　he　had　told　the　garage　for　God's　sake　to　hurry　up　with　his　car　and　deliver　it；　filled　up；　to　his　flat　not　later　than　four　o'clock。　Then　he　had　taken　a　taxi　down　to　Scotland　Yard　where　he　had　an　appointment　with　Assistant　missioner　Vallance　at　a　quarter　to　three。
　The　courtyards　and　cul…de…sacs　of　the　Yard　had　reminded　him　as　usual　of　a　prison　without　roofs。　The　overhead　strip　lighting　in　the　cold　corridor　took　the　colour　out　of　the　cheeks　of　the　police　sergeant　who　asked　his　business　and　watched　him　sign　the　apple…green　chit。　It　did　the　same　for　the　face　of　the　constable　who　led　him　up　the　short　steps　and　along　the　bleak　passage　between　the　rows　of　anonymous　doors　to　the　waiting…room。
　A　quiet；　middle…aged　woman　with　the　resigned　eyes　of　someone　who　had　seen　everything　came　in　and　said　the　Assistant　missioner　would　be　free　in　five　minutes。　Bond　had　gone　to　the　window　and　had　looked　out　into　the　grey　courtya