supposes, of the steady advance of American culture.'
'Crippled?' Annemarie's voice was low, barely above a whisper. 'Crippled for life. How can you - how can you joke about such things.' 'I'm sorry.' Van Effen looked at her, saw that some colour had gone from her face, and pushed her glass closer to her. 'Take some. I'll join you. joking? I can assure you I never felt less funny in my life. And it's not just an American practice, sir: it's become a very popular pastime in Northern Ireland in the past two or three years.'
'So your other tails were almost certainly given the slip and nothing accidental about it.' De Graaf sampled his Bordeaux and the distressing news didn't appear to have upset him unduly for he smacked his lips appreciatively. 'Excellent. Our friends seem to have a considerable expertise in both evasive and direct action. Professionals. And gone to ground. Ah. All is not lost. The Chateaubriand. You said you would share this with me, my dear.' She appeared to give a tiny shudder. 'I know it's trite, silly, but I don't think I could eat a thing.'
'Maybe the moles will come out of their burrows tomorrow,' van Effen said. 'I'm still hoping that they will keep their promise and make contact with me.'
Annemarie stared at him, almost blankly. 'You must be mad,' she said in a low voice. She seemed genuinely puzzled. 'Either they'll come and give you the same treatment, perhaps worse, perhaps dispose of you permanently, or they won't come at all. After they carried out that savage attack on those poor men they could have examined them and found out that they were policemen. They must have been carrying something that would identify them as policemen, even guns. Were they carrying guns?' Van Effen nodded. 'Then they'll know you are a policeman because they'll know you,must have had them followed since they left the Hunter's Horn. You like the idea of suicide?' She reached out and touched de Graaf's wrist. 'You mustn't let him do it, sir. He'll be killed.' 'Your concern does you credit.' It was van Effen who answered and he seemed quite unmoved by her plea. 'But quite uncalled for. The villains don't necessarily know that I set the tails on their tracks. They might not even have noticed them until long after they'd left the Hunter's Horn and would have no reason to connect me with them. That's one thing. The other thing is the fact that though the Colonel is your father's friend that doesn't give the father's daughter the right to advise the Colonel. A fledgling policewoman. A Chief of Police. It would be laughable if it weren't so presumptuous.'
She looked at Win, her eyes hurt as if she had been struck, then lowered her gaze to the tablecloth. De Graaf looked at van Effen, shook his head slightly, then took the girl's hand.
'Your concern does do you credit. It does. But it doesn't give me much credit in your eyes. None. Look at me.' She looked at him, the hazel eyes at once solemn and apprehensive. 'Van Effen is absolutely correct. The foxes have to be flushed from their covers and this, at the moment, seems the only way to do it. So Peter will go - I would never order him to go - and with my consent. Good heavens, girl, do you think I would use him as live bait, a lamb to the slaughter, a Daniel in the lion's den, a tethered goat for the tiger? My word, I do have a way with metaphors. I guarantee, my girl, that, when and if the meeting does take place, both the Hunter's Horn and the surrounding area will be alive with invisible armed men. Invisible to the ungodly. Peter will be as safe as a man in a church.'
'I know. I'm silly. I'm sorry.'
'Pay no attention to the Colonel's comforting words,' van Effen said. 'I shall probably be riddled with bullets. Police bullets. Unless it's pointed out to them that I'm in disguise. Ironic if they shot the wrong man. Same outfit as before. Just let them concentrate on the black glove. That's me.'
A waiter approached their table. 'Sorry, Lieutenant. There's another call
'Crippled?' Annemarie's voice was low, barely above a whisper. 'Crippled for life. How can you - how can you joke about such things.' 'I'm sorry.' Van Effen looked at her, saw that some colour had gone from her face, and pushed her glass closer to her. 'Take some. I'll join you. joking? I can assure you I never felt less funny in my life. And it's not just an American practice, sir: it's become a very popular pastime in Northern Ireland in the past two or three years.'
'So your other tails were almost certainly given the slip and nothing accidental about it.' De Graaf sampled his Bordeaux and the distressing news didn't appear to have upset him unduly for he smacked his lips appreciatively. 'Excellent. Our friends seem to have a considerable expertise in both evasive and direct action. Professionals. And gone to ground. Ah. All is not lost. The Chateaubriand. You said you would share this with me, my dear.' She appeared to give a tiny shudder. 'I know it's trite, silly, but I don't think I could eat a thing.'
'Maybe the moles will come out of their burrows tomorrow,' van Effen said. 'I'm still hoping that they will keep their promise and make contact with me.'
Annemarie stared at him, almost blankly. 'You must be mad,' she said in a low voice. She seemed genuinely puzzled. 'Either they'll come and give you the same treatment, perhaps worse, perhaps dispose of you permanently, or they won't come at all. After they carried out that savage attack on those poor men they could have examined them and found out that they were policemen. They must have been carrying something that would identify them as policemen, even guns. Were they carrying guns?' Van Effen nodded. 'Then they'll know you are a policeman because they'll know you,must have had them followed since they left the Hunter's Horn. You like the idea of suicide?' She reached out and touched de Graaf's wrist. 'You mustn't let him do it, sir. He'll be killed.' 'Your concern does you credit.' It was van Effen who answered and he seemed quite unmoved by her plea. 'But quite uncalled for. The villains don't necessarily know that I set the tails on their tracks. They might not even have noticed them until long after they'd left the Hunter's Horn and would have no reason to connect me with them. That's one thing. The other thing is the fact that though the Colonel is your father's friend that doesn't give the father's daughter the right to advise the Colonel. A fledgling policewoman. A Chief of Police. It would be laughable if it weren't so presumptuous.'
She looked at Win, her eyes hurt as if she had been struck, then lowered her gaze to the tablecloth. De Graaf looked at van Effen, shook his head slightly, then took the girl's hand.
'Your concern does do you credit. It does. But it doesn't give me much credit in your eyes. None. Look at me.' She looked at him, the hazel eyes at once solemn and apprehensive. 'Van Effen is absolutely correct. The foxes have to be flushed from their covers and this, at the moment, seems the only way to do it. So Peter will go - I would never order him to go - and with my consent. Good heavens, girl, do you think I would use him as live bait, a lamb to the slaughter, a Daniel in the lion's den, a tethered goat for the tiger? My word, I do have a way with metaphors. I guarantee, my girl, that, when and if the meeting does take place, both the Hunter's Horn and the surrounding area will be alive with invisible armed men. Invisible to the ungodly. Peter will be as safe as a man in a church.'
'I know. I'm silly. I'm sorry.'
'Pay no attention to the Colonel's comforting words,' van Effen said. 'I shall probably be riddled with bullets. Police bullets. Unless it's pointed out to them that I'm in disguise. Ironic if they shot the wrong man. Same outfit as before. Just let them concentrate on the black glove. That's me.'
A waiter approached their table. 'Sorry, Lieutenant. There's another call
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