The Betrayers Read online

  “We have one man doing what he can from outside, under the name of Bernard Naguki. If he has occasion to call on you, he will say that there are few seabirds on the Islands, to which you will reply, yes, but the landbirds are very numerous.”

  I wondered what great brain had dreamed that one up, and how I was supposed to tell the agents from the ornithologists.

  I said, “You say Naguki is working on it from outside, sir. Do we have an inside agent, too?”

  Mac hesitated. “As a matter of fact, we do. Until we have enough information to act on, Naguki is mainly a distraction, a decoy, as you will be. We do not want Monk to suspect a leak in his own organization. But you will forget I told you this, Eric. It is a very precarious situation, as you can understand, and the agent in question has been promised a free hand and complete anonymity as far as everyone else is concerned. I have given my word on this; I could not have got cooperation otherwise.”

  I made a wry face. “I love these informers who want to get on the winning side without taking any risks.”

  Mac said calmly, “I have given my word, Eric.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He showed me his thin, rare smile. “But you haven’t, have you? What you learn independently and what you do with what you learn are things for which I cannot be held responsible.”

  We looked at each other across the desk. I said, straight-faced, “Yes, sir. That clarifies the situation somewhat.”

  “In theory you will be approached only when you are needed. I will signal that you are coming as soon as I can make contact safely. The identification procedure will be the same.”

  I nodded. “I gather from what you say that the Monk doesn’t know he’s been sold, but does he know we’re onto him even if he doesn’t know how?”

  “I’m afraid he’s begun to suspect it. That is why I ordered Naguki to get over there and make himself conspicuous, to make it look as if he were the one who had turned up the incriminating evidence.”

  “That could be rough on Naguki. The Monk can be pretty ruthless.”

  “Precisely.” Mac’s voice was unruffled. “That is why I am briefing you, so that you can take Naguki’s place if anything should happen to him.”

  I couldn’t help wondering if he had somebody lined up to take my place if anything should happen to me. “Yes, sir,” I said. “Thank you very much, sir.”

  My sarcasm, if that’s what it was, was lost on him. He went on smoothly, “You understand, of course, that officially Monk is still a trusted senior operative to whom no breath of suspicion attaches. In fact, the more I think of it, the more I feel that the person under suspicion should be you.”

  I was careful not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me look startled. “Suspicion of what, sir?”

  “Of indiscreet remarks and unstable behavior, disturbing enough to warrant having you suspended and placed under precautionary surveillance. Yes, I think that will work out very well. Disliking you as he does, Monk will want to believe that you are really in disgrace. Very often even a clever man will wind up believing what he wants to believe.”

  My month’s vacation seemed to be receding farther and farther into an unpredictable future. I asked, “Am I permitted to know what I’m supposed to’ve said indiscreetly?”

  “Of course. You were heard to state, among other things, that turning our back on Russia to get involved in Asia is an idiotic error in world strategy, and any lousy second looie who pulled a boner like that on the battlefield would be courtmartialed. I am, of course, quoting you verbatim.”

  “I see,” I said. “Am I also supposed to weep for poor little communist babies fried in dirty capitalist napalm?”

  “Not unless you can do it very convincingly. As a cynical and experienced operative, I think you will appear more plausible, at least at first, if you base your arguments strictly on military considerations. Of course, if it becomes necessary to gain the confidence of some particular person, you can let your opinions become gradually more extreme. Or you can back off to safer ground if it seems indicated. It will depend on whom you are trying to impress. Research will provide you with some material that’ll give you an idea of the jargon that’s being used in discussing the subject.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “As you describe them, my original statements don’t seem very reprehensible, hardly adequate grounds for suspension and surveillance. So I say that I think Russia is a more dangerous enemy than China, so what?”

  Mac said sternly, “For a soldier to question the decisions of his superiors is always reprehensible, Eric. And for an agent to question the policies of his government where he can be overheard is, to say the least, an error in judgment that throws doubt on his professional qualifications.”

  I said, “Yes, sir. I’m sorry I brought it up, sir.”

  He wasn’t going to let me off that easily. He went on, quoting his own training materials: “An agent is not supposed to attract attention by voicing unpopular opinions, valid or invalid, except as required by a particular assignment. Off duty, an agent is supposed to remain politically inconspicuous, lest he impair his future usefulness. Violation of this principle is sufficient cause for disciplinary action.” Mac looked up and spoke in his normal voice again, “I might add that one of the things that first led us to suspect Monk was that some of his people were reported to be publicly taking sides in this debate without being checked or reprimanded in any way.”

  “I guess I don’t have to ask what side they took. What about them in general? Apart from the inside guy we’re counting on, whoever he may be, what’s the personnel situation out there?”

  Mac looked grim. “Unfortunately, because of the distances involved and the special language qualifications required, our Pacific operation has always been more or less autonomous, almost an independent unit within the organization. You will have to assume, in the absence of strong evidence to the contrary, that our Pacific operatives are all loyal primarily to Monk. Most of them were recruited by him, and all of them are accustomed to report to him or through him, rather than directly to me, as in other areas.” He moved his shoulders ruefully. “An administrative error, I suppose, but one that could hardly be avoided considering the geographical difficulties.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “So he’s actually got a little undercover empire at his command. Very handy for a guy with ambitions.”

  “Yes,” Mac said. “Of course, there is a basic flaw in the structure of an empire. Without an emperor it ceases to function.”

  His voice was soft. I glanced at him and said, “Yes, sir.”

  “Eric.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “I have said that Monk is not officially under suspicion. For the sake of everybody concerned, it would be well if his reputation remained unblemished to the very end.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “To the very end.”

  We regarded each other bleakly for a moment. There didn’t seem to be any more to say. I turned and left the office.

  * * *

  And now I was riding down the Honolulu waterfront followed by what I’d finally identified as a Japanese Datsun sedan. It was driven by a moonfaced, moustached young man whom I recognized as one of ours—well, of Monk’s—code name Francis, currently operating under the alias of Bill Menander. As his crude tailing technique indicated, he was fairly young and inexperienced, or perhaps Monk had instructed him to let me know I was being watched. It would be like the Monk to want to rub it in.

  Behind Francis, off and on, was a light-colored Ford a year or two old. I couldn’t make up my mind whether it was part of the parade or just somebody heading for Waikiki on perfectly innocent business.

  Riding through Honolulu in the fading sunlight, I decided that except for some steep and spectacular mountains behind it, apparently of volcanic origin, the city could easily be mistaken for Los Angeles or Miami Beach. But you’d never mistake it for the gray German cities I’d seen with Monk on that long-ago assignment. We’d both come far since
then, but I guess I’d always been aware that, knowing what I did about him, I’d made a serious, soft-headed error in bringing the guy back alive, and that I’d have to set it straight some day.

  3

  I was pleased by the picturesque, South Seas appearance of the Halekulani Hotel. It was a random group of unpretentious, rather old-fashioned, cottage-type buildings with shingled roofs, surrounded by fantastically lush tropical gardens. I’d been grimly resigned to being filed away by number in a nylon-carpeted cubicle in one of the usual chrome-plated beach skyscrapers, but this place looked reassuringly as if it had been built to accommodate people rather than credit cards.

  The cheerful boys in blue-and-white sport shirts who unloaded my gear from the taxi looked as if they’d just stepped off the nearest surfboard, as did the stocky brown Hawaiian gent behind the desk who signed me in, gave me the compass bearings of the beach, bar, and dining room, and then turned to shuffle through some mail he produced from a pigeonhole behind him.

  “Ah, here we are,” he said, handing me an airmail letter. “I hope you enjoy your stay with us, Mr. Helm. Aloha, as we say here in Hawaii.”

  I said, “I thought aloha meant goodbye.”

  He grinned. “It means hello or goodbye, or just about anything else you like, as long as it’s friendly, Mr. Helm. It is a very useful word.”

  He passed the key to the bellboy. Following the kid upstairs—apparently I was to be domiciled in the main building—I glanced warily at the envelope I’d been given. I’m not used to getting much private mail. In the business, we don’t accumulate many letter-writing friends. We don’t even run up many bills under our own names, and I’d arranged to have mine taken care of.

  Generally, mail means trouble in code or cipher, but this letter didn’t seem to come from an official source. At least I knew of no potential contact masquerading as a firm of San Francisco attorneys. I stuffed it into my pocket as the boy unlocked the door and let me into my room, actually a good-sized suite. Making my arrangements at the last minute, I’d had to take what was available regardless of expense—not a serious financial hardship since, as it turned out, Uncle Sam would be paying the bills.

  It was an impressive layout consisting of a bathroom, a small dressing room, and a big bedroom with twin beds, connecting with a smaller sitting room that was actually a screened sunporch with a view of the gardens below. “Lanai” was the local word for this breezy architectural feature, the bellboy informed me. There was a bouquet of unreal-looking, waxy, bright-red flowers on the lanai table, courtesy of the management. Everything looked pleasantly luxurious without being shriekingly new or modern. I thought that with a little effort I might manage to be comfortable here, as long as the Monk let me.

  I tipped the bellboy, and when the door had closed behind him I pulled off my jacket and tie, got a flask from my suitcase, found ice and glasses ready on the dresser, and made myself a drink so as not to lose the pleasant edge of what I’d been served on the plane. Crossing the Pacific by air is a rather alcoholic experience unless you’re strong enough to fight off the pretty stewardesses, who outnumber you two or three to one. I’m not quite that strong.

  I sat down on the edge of the bed to read my letter. It was from a lawyer named Wilson D. Pratt, of the firm of Prescott, Haverford, and Pratt.

  My dear Mr. Helm:

  As executors of the estate of the late Philip Grant Marner, we have been advised of the tragic death in France of Mrs. Helm, the former Winifred Philippa Marner who, as you are doubtless aware, was one of the two principal legatees under Mr. Marner’s will. Please accept our sincere condolences.

  We would appreciate your contacting us at your earliest convenience.

  Sincerely,

  W. D. Pratt

  I took a drink from my glass, but it didn’t help much. The message still made no sense to me. What confused me, I guess, was the fact that I’d used the matrimonial cover several times in my career as an agent; I’d even had a real wife once. Her maiden name had not been Marner, and we’d been divorced years ago, but it took a second reading of the letter with its reference to France before I realized that this communication did not refer to her, but to my latest pseudo-bride, the one I’d known by the code name Claire.

  Winifred Philippa Marner, I thought. Philippa, for God’s sake! No wonder she’d never told me her real name, although she’d used the Winifred in playing her honeymoon role. And now some San Francisco legal brains wanted to make me rich, maybe, just because we’d signed a few European hotel registers as man and wife. I thought this was a careless assumption for trained lawyers to make, but then, maybe the estate involved didn’t amount to enough to make them careful.

  If it did, I reflected, it was a pity they hadn’t picked on a man with more larceny in his soul, a man who’d have given them a run for their money—well, for Mr. Philip Grant Marner’s money. All kinds of interesting possibilities went through my mind. A little fraud wouldn’t be difficult for a man with my training and experience.

  I sighed regretfully and, being fundamentally honest, at least where money is concerned, I stuck the letter into a hotel envelope with a note addressed to Mac, through channels, asking him to get these people off my neck. Then I sat for a moment debating with myself whether or not, if the letter were intercepted, this action would seem consistent with my cover as an agent being disciplined for shooting off his mouth irresponsibly.

  I decided that such an agent would indeed be careful to appear scrupulously honest, and I went downstairs to buy an airmail stamp and find a mailbox. When I got back to my room, the phone was ringing. I picked it up. There was no sound for a moment except the sound of the wires. Then I heard a man groan with sudden, unbearable pain.

  “Hello,” I said. “Hello, who’s there?”

  A rich baritone voice I recognized from years ago said, “Helm? Your friend Naguki wants to speak to you… Speak to the man, Bernard!”

  I heard another quick gasp of pain. I said irritably, “Go peddle your practical jokes somewhere else, wise guy. I don’t know anybody named Naguki. Goodbye!”

  I slammed down the receiver. The flask of bourbon was still standing on the dresser. It seemed like a good idea, and then it didn’t. I mean, I like a drink when I want to relax, but these were hardly the circumstances for quiet relaxation. The phone rang again, as I’d expected it to. I gave it a little time to jangle before I picked it up.

  “Eric?” It was the same voice.

  I said, “All right, funny fellow, now tell me who you are and where you got hold of that name.”

  “This is Monk, Eric. Remember the Monk? Remember Hofbaden?”

  I said, “For God’s sake! Good old Monk! I thought you’d bit yourself and died of rabies years ago. What the hell are you doing on this Pacific rock?”

  “Watching you, Eric. Orders. You’ve been a bad boy, it seems. You always did talk too much.”

  I said, “Well, I’ll tell you, I thought I was in a democracy, Monk. Free speech and all that jazz. My mistake. I won’t make it again, so don’t get your hopes up.” He didn’t speak, and after a moment I went on, “So Washington’s ordered you to keep an eye on me? Come to think of it, I did notice an incompetent jerk in a motorized roller skate tailing me from the airport. So what else is new?”

  “You’re sure you don’t know anybody named Naguki, Eric?”

  Obviously I didn’t know anybody named Naguki. I couldn’t know anybody named Naguki. If I did know somebody named Naguki—if I had any interest whatever in a man by that name—my flimsy cover story was destroyed, and I was no longer just a suspended agent killing time in Hawaii. This was, of course, exactly what Monk was trying to force me to admit.

  I said, “Go to hell. I don’t know anybody in Honolulu but that ex-Olympic character, Duke Kahanamoku—at least I saw his picture once, somewhere. Don’t try to frame anything on me, amigo. All I did was talk out of turn. Don’t try to build it into something big. I’ll stand for the surveillance bit because you’re
doing it under orders, but don’t dream up any frills of your own, like persuading some lousy little enemy errand boy to swear I sold him state secrets. I know you, Monk, and you know me, so don’t try it. Don’t even think it. Now, what’s this Naguki routine?”

  “If you don’t know him, what do you care?”

  I said, “For Christ’s sake, if you’ve got something to say, say it. If you don’t, get off the damn line and let me go to bed. It’s been a long day and airplanes make me tired.”

  Monk’s voice said heavily, “If you don’t know Naguki, I guess you don’t mind if we kill him a little.”

  I said, “Hell, draw and quarter him if you like. He’s all yours. I give you Naguki, whoever he may be. No charge. Now can I go to sleep?”

  Monk said nothing. He just cut the connection. I replaced the phone gently in its cradle and looked at myself in the mirror of the dresser across the room, but that was a mistake. The guy in the glass looked like a cold-blooded sonofabitch, the kind of callous louse who’d sacrifice a man’s life without turning a hair. I told myself that nothing I could have said would have helped Naguki once the Monk decided to grab him. It was probably the truth but it didn’t make me feel any better.

  I went to bed. After a while I even went to sleep, to awaken suddenly at the sound of somebody nearby crying out a shrill warning. I went into the standard surprised-in-bed routine without stopping to think—if you think about it you often don’t survive to do it—and wound up on the rug six feet away, gun in hand, facing in the direction from which the noise had come. I was surprised to discover that it was morning. There was nobody in sight.

  I had closed the lanai shutters before turning in, since I don’t like sleeping in full view of the outdoors. Why make it easy for a guy with a rifle and telescopic sight? Nothing moved, inside or out. Nobody spoke or screamed. I rose cautiously and backed away and inspected the bathroom and dressing room. Having made sure no danger lurked behind me, I returned to the bedroom and stood there, frowning. Everything was very quiet; then the sharp, hysterical cry that had awakened me came again.