The wind from the south-east brought the dust across from Talamanca, swirling it along the Avenida Ignacio Wallis, clutching at left-over newspapers in the racks outside the news agency, picking up discarded wrappings and dead leaves, rustling them along the side walk, whirling itself into a vortex which rattled the windows of the tired looking building, scattering red dust in the big office where Capitan Calvi was making his early morning report.
The Comisario interrupted him. ‘Close that window, please, Capitan.’
Calvi shut the window, picked up the papers which had blown on to the floor, and sat down again.
‘You were saying,’ said the Comisario, ‘that the arrests were made at midnight. You mentioned Rosetta. Who is he?’
‘A cleaner in the funeral parlour. The procession met the Barcelona steamer yesterday morning. Padre Dominco officiated. Family and friends were there of course. The funeral is to take place this afternoon. Last night the coffin was left in the funeral parlour. We kept it under observation. At nine o’clock Rosetta was seen to go in through a back entrance. From a little-used lane. Capitan Sura’s men went in ten minutes later. Rosetta had already opened the coffin. They caught him lifting out the drugs. Heroin, cocaine, opium, LSD, cannabis.’
The Comisario leant forward. ‘Madre de Dios! Was there a body in the coffin?’
‘Yes. The drugs were packed round it.’
‘Incredible. Are the family—any members of the church—involved?’
‘No, no,’ said Calvi deprecatingly, shocked at the other’s suggestion. ‘They are entirely innocent.’
The Comisario eyed him keenly. ‘So this was the special item of cargo?’
‘Yes, señor Comisario.’
‘How did you get on to this?’
‘There is much detail I will not trouble you with.’ Calvi examined his fingernails with studied preoccupation. ‘But I can say that the agent of the U.S. Narcotics Bureau was invaluable.’
‘Who was this agent?’
Calvi hesitated. Even now he would have preferred not to divulge it, but circumstances were such that he must. ‘Señorita Valez,’ he said in a subdued voice.
The Comisario’s cigar dropped as his mouth opened involuntarily, the deep-set eyes mirroring his astonishment. ‘This agent is a young woman?’
‘Yes,’ said Calvi.
‘Well I must confess I am surprised. You spoke to me the other day of arresting her with the others.’
The Capitan smiled apologetically. ‘It was necessary, señor Comisario, to go to exceptional lengths to protect her.’
The older man ran a hand across his iron grey hair. ‘You must remind me to acknowledge our indebtedness to her in the report to Madrid. They will convey appropriate messages to the people in the United States. Well, I must say this is a surprise. Now … about Kyriakou. She was close to him, of course. Is it as you suspected?’
‘In every way,’ said Calvi. ‘He manages the drug ring. The caretaker became co-operative in the early hours of this morning. Made a full confession. We have arrested Kyriakou, Tino Costa and some of the pushers. Those involved at the Barcelona end have also been arrested. The evidence is complete. The racket is broken.’
‘Splendid, Calvi.’ The Comisario tipped the ash from the cigar into the glass ashtray. ‘And what of the Englishman, Charles Black?’
‘I am coming to that.’ Calvi paused, frowning at his thoughts. ‘There have been extraordinary developments.’
For some time the Comisario listened while Calvi reported the night’s events: the abduction of van Biljon and Manuela Valez, and the escape of Black and his companions in the Snowgoose. Calvi told him, too, how the housekeeper had driven the Land-Rover down from Altomonte and tipped off the police at the road junction, and of the chase which had followed but petered out.
Later, the farmer and his son had reported the truck hold-up to the police at San José. At much the same time a courting couple who had been in a car parked behind bushes at Cabo Negret had driven into San José to report what they had observed: men on the beach with a woman, a man being carried, torch signals from the beach answered from seaward; the entire party embarking in a boat of some sort, it was too dark to see, and abandoning the farm truck.
‘Extraordinario!’ The Comisario sat back in his chair, his head sunk on his chest, deep in thought. Then, as if he suddenly remembered where he was, he jerked upright, dusted the cigar ash from his tunic and said, ‘What action have you taken?’
‘Van Biljon’s boat—the Nordwind—put to sea soon after two o’clock this morning. It is the fastest craft in harbour. His crew are on board, with three of our men, all armed. I reported at once to Palma and Madrid. A naval aircraft from Valencia, carrying out a search exercise off Alicante, was diverted and made a sighting at about half past three this morning which may be the Snowgoose. The vessel behaved suspiciously, reversing her course. Unfortunately the aircraft was low on fuel and couldn’t stay in the vicinity, but the pilot radioed the position to the Nordwind. We hope that with her superior speed, and radar, she will make contact soon.’
The Comisario shook his head, his eyes reflecting his bewilderment. ‘What d’you make of this, Capitan? Is it any way connected with the drug smuggling?’
‘No. Definitely not. I thought at first that they might be a gang of international art thieves. But only one picture was taken from the gallery. A valuable one admittedly. But if that had been the object, there were many others, some more valuable. It looks to me more like kidnapping. Van Biljon is a rich man. We expect a demand for ransom. They are probably making for Oran or Algiers.’
‘Tell me. Why did you have the police at the foot of the Altomonte road last night?’
‘For two reasons, señor Comisario. We thought van Biljon’s servants might be involved in the drug running. We wished to watch their movements at the critical time. Secondly, Señorita Valez had told me that she was going to Altomonte with Black, to dine with van Biljon. This was unusual because, as you know, he does not permit visitors. It suited us well to have Señorita Valez out of town while the arrests were taking place, and to have Black under her direct observation. So I agreed to her going. But she did not know that the police car on duty at the road junction had orders to call at Altomonte if they had not observed her make the return journey by midnight. Unfortunately our efforts to protect her were insufficient.’
The Comisario walked across to the window and looked down on the Avenida Ignacio Wallis and then across to Talamanca where the first faint streaks of daylight were showing in the eastern sky.
‘This is extremely serious, Capitan,’ he said. ‘If she comes to any harm we are accountable to the U.S. authorities.’
‘I am aware of that, señor Comisario. I feel personally responsible. She worked with me. Took considerable risks. It was not easy or agreeable for her.’
‘Will she reveal her identity to these people?’
Calvi shook his head. ‘Under no circumstances. She could never be used as an agent again, if she did. Also, she has no means of knowing that the operation has been successfully completed: the arrests made, the ring broken. These agents make many enemies. If they reveal their identity they endanger their lives.’
The desk telephone rang. The Comisario picked it up. ‘Hallo. Yes, he’s here.’ He passed the instrument to Calvi. ‘For you,’ he said.
Calvi spoke in monosyllables, grunting approval. He put the phone down. ‘It is the harbourmaster’s office. There is a radio signal from Nordwind. She has sighted a schooner which she believes to be the Snowgoose.’