doesn’t hide behind his agents, you know.”
Corridon suddenly felt uncomfortable. He had been thinking entirely of himself up to now. It hadn’t crossed his mind that Ritchie was more likely to get shot at than he.
“Well, he shouldn’t have picked on me,” he said irritably. “I didn’t ask to handle the job.”
“You were the best man he had,” Marian said. “He admires you.”
“Me?” Corridon said, startled. “Oh, rot! He picked on me because I have an unsavoury reputation. He’ll break a blood vessel when he hears what’s happened.”
“He chose you because this is the most important and vital job we have on our hands at the moment,” Marian said seriously. “He told me himself he was relying on you. Of course, he admires you.”
“Let’s agree to disagree,” Corridon said, finishing the whisky. “That was just what I needed. Better put the bottle away. He disapproves of agents who drink!” While she put the whisky and syphon in a cupboard, he went on, “And by the way, I don’t think this is the sort of setup you should get mixed up with. The two blokes who are shadowing me are dangerous.”
She smiled.
“I’ve seen them. The short one is Carl Bruger. He was in charge of an execution squad in Poland. The tall one is Ivan Yevski who was responsible for removing the gold fillings from many Jewish mouths. Of the two, I would say he is the more dangerous. But if you want to make an omelette you must be prepared to break a few eggs.”
Corridon shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, if you know what you’re walking into, that’s all right. I just mentioned it, although I knew I should be wasting my breath. Ritchie seems to have the happy knack of picking mugs who don’t know what’s bad for them.”
She laughed.
“It’s not as bad as that, and thank you for thinking of me. I do wish you wouldn’t be quite so bitter about Colonel Ritchie. He is only doing his job.”
“I know,” Corridon stubbed out his cigarette and reached for another. “But he should leave women out of it.”
The front door bell rang sharply.
“Make sure that’s him,” Corridon said, getting to his feet. “They may have spotted me coming here.”
She went out of the room.
Corridon waited, his ears cocked, but he relaxed when he heard Ritchie’s calm voice as he greeted Marian. The door pushed open, and Ritchie came in.
The two men looked at each other while Marian disappeared unobtrusively to another room.
“Well, you’ve started something this time,” Ritchie said curtly. He looked tired, and his eyes were angry. “What in the name of glory have you been up to?”
“They set a trap and I walked into it,” Corridon said. “I have only myself to blame. As I think you know, I had a date with Lorene Feydak on Sunday. Her brother and a man who calls himself Joseph Diestl were at her flat. Diestl offered me two hundred and fifty pounds to steal letters from a woman who was supposed to be blackmailing one of his clients. I jumped to the conclusion this was a test. If I agreed and pulled the job off, I thought Diestl would then let me into the organization. Instead, it was a trap, and they’ve used me as a cat’s paw for Lestrange’s murder.”
“You met Diestl on Sunday?”
Corridon nodded.
“Why didn’t you report to Marian? Suppose you had been killed? I shouldn’t have heard of Diestl. Surely you can see information like that is vital?”
“I spent the night with Lorene Feydak,” Corridon said. “At the time I didn’t think the information was very important.”
Ritchie stared hard at him, then went over to the settee and sat down.
“If you had told Marian what was in the wind, I would have had someone watch you. You would then have had a witness. It’s not like you to play the fool.”
“All right,” Corridon said savagely. “I’m slipping, but I didn’t want this damned job. You pushed it on to me. I know I should have reported to Marian, but at the time it didn’t
Corridon suddenly felt uncomfortable. He had been thinking entirely of himself up to now. It hadn’t crossed his mind that Ritchie was more likely to get shot at than he.
“Well, he shouldn’t have picked on me,” he said irritably. “I didn’t ask to handle the job.”
“You were the best man he had,” Marian said. “He admires you.”
“Me?” Corridon said, startled. “Oh, rot! He picked on me because I have an unsavoury reputation. He’ll break a blood vessel when he hears what’s happened.”
“He chose you because this is the most important and vital job we have on our hands at the moment,” Marian said seriously. “He told me himself he was relying on you. Of course, he admires you.”
“Let’s agree to disagree,” Corridon said, finishing the whisky. “That was just what I needed. Better put the bottle away. He disapproves of agents who drink!” While she put the whisky and syphon in a cupboard, he went on, “And by the way, I don’t think this is the sort of setup you should get mixed up with. The two blokes who are shadowing me are dangerous.”
She smiled.
“I’ve seen them. The short one is Carl Bruger. He was in charge of an execution squad in Poland. The tall one is Ivan Yevski who was responsible for removing the gold fillings from many Jewish mouths. Of the two, I would say he is the more dangerous. But if you want to make an omelette you must be prepared to break a few eggs.”
Corridon shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, if you know what you’re walking into, that’s all right. I just mentioned it, although I knew I should be wasting my breath. Ritchie seems to have the happy knack of picking mugs who don’t know what’s bad for them.”
She laughed.
“It’s not as bad as that, and thank you for thinking of me. I do wish you wouldn’t be quite so bitter about Colonel Ritchie. He is only doing his job.”
“I know,” Corridon stubbed out his cigarette and reached for another. “But he should leave women out of it.”
The front door bell rang sharply.
“Make sure that’s him,” Corridon said, getting to his feet. “They may have spotted me coming here.”
She went out of the room.
Corridon waited, his ears cocked, but he relaxed when he heard Ritchie’s calm voice as he greeted Marian. The door pushed open, and Ritchie came in.
The two men looked at each other while Marian disappeared unobtrusively to another room.
“Well, you’ve started something this time,” Ritchie said curtly. He looked tired, and his eyes were angry. “What in the name of glory have you been up to?”
“They set a trap and I walked into it,” Corridon said. “I have only myself to blame. As I think you know, I had a date with Lorene Feydak on Sunday. Her brother and a man who calls himself Joseph Diestl were at her flat. Diestl offered me two hundred and fifty pounds to steal letters from a woman who was supposed to be blackmailing one of his clients. I jumped to the conclusion this was a test. If I agreed and pulled the job off, I thought Diestl would then let me into the organization. Instead, it was a trap, and they’ve used me as a cat’s paw for Lestrange’s murder.”
“You met Diestl on Sunday?”
Corridon nodded.
“Why didn’t you report to Marian? Suppose you had been killed? I shouldn’t have heard of Diestl. Surely you can see information like that is vital?”
“I spent the night with Lorene Feydak,” Corridon said. “At the time I didn’t think the information was very important.”
Ritchie stared hard at him, then went over to the settee and sat down.
“If you had told Marian what was in the wind, I would have had someone watch you. You would then have had a witness. It’s not like you to play the fool.”
“All right,” Corridon said savagely. “I’m slipping, but I didn’t want this damned job. You pushed it on to me. I know I should have reported to Marian, but at the time it didn’t
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