Genghis Khan, Charlemagne, Lord Nelson, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra -I could go on. They go for macho men or beautiful women, everything that they're not. Anyway, Julius Caesar.'
Van Effen said: 'And that's all you know? No indications as to what kind of lead it was?'
'No.' She pursed her lips. 'That's not to say that he didn't know.' 'An odd comment to make,' de Graaf said. 'What do you mean?' 'Nothing. I just don't know whether he knows or not.' 'Lieu me.' De Graaf studied her quizzically. 'You don't trust your fellow officer?'
'He doesn't trust me.'
'Well, once again, dear me. This does make for a happy relationship in the field.'
Van Effen said: 'Sergeant Westenbrink doesn't distrust her. It's just that three years working under-cover tends to make you secretive, a loner.' 'Westenbrink, is it. I thought I knew all my sergeants.'
'He's from Utrecht, sir.'
'You cast a wide net. Lieutenant van Effen, Annemarie, works on the same principle as Vasco, whose name, I feel quite certain, is not Vasco. The need to know. How can you be hurt when you see me being treated in this cavalier fashion?'
George entered, apologised, picked up a phone set from a side table and placed it in front of Annemarie. She lifted the receiver, listened to the crackling voice for all of two minutes, said: 'Thank you. Five minutes,' and hung up.
Van Effen said: 'The Hunter's Horn, I presume. What's the message from Vasco?'
'The Hunter's Horn.' De Graaf frowned. 'I trust that's not the Hunter's Horn that -'
'There's only one - ah - establishment of that name in Amsterdam. Beggars can't be choosers. Apart from La Caracha it's our only safe house in Amsterdam. A private connection, Colonel. The fair name of the Amsterdam police department remains unbesmirched.'
'Not to know,' de Graaf muttered. 'Not to know.'
'You're half right,' Annemarie said, almost reluctantly. 'It was the Hunter's Horn. But it wasn't Vasco.'
'Never said it was. I said "What's the message from Vasco?" It was Henri, Henri, sit, is the owner. Vasco is under observation but whoever is tailing him didn't know, wasn't to know, that it's virtually impossible to follow Vasco without Vasco being aware of it. So he couldn't come here. The person or persons following him would have raised their eyebrows if they saw you here: they'd have gone into shock if they'd found me, which would have been a small disaster for us and the end of the usefulness of both Vasco and yourself. So the only place left for Vasco was the Hunter's Horn. Even there he couldn't use the telephone for he would still be being watched. So he wrote a small note for Henri who did the telephoning. You're to ask me a question and you're to give Henri my answer inside five minutes.'
Annemarie sighed. 'Did you have to spoil it for me?' Then she brightened. 'But you didn't get it all, did you?'
'I'm brilliant at deducing the obvious. I'm not clairvoyant.
The rest, what I didn't get, can wait, including the reasons why Vasco is going to call me back.'
'I didn't say that?'
'Henri did. The message.'
She made a moue. 'It went like this. Two tails. Understand can't ditch. Meet two-'
De Graaf interrupted. 'What was that meant to mean?' 'Westenbrink's shorthand, I imagine,' van Effen said. 'Only two ways of getting rid of his tails. He could throw them into the nearest canal, which he's perfectly capable of doing or he could easily have lost them which he is again perfectly capable of doing. Either course of action would have ended any connection he's succeeded in making.' Annemarie went on: 'Meet two, three men four-thirty Hunter's Horn.' She pushed across a piece of paper.
'Stephan Danilov,' van Effen read. 'Pole. Radom. Explosives expert. Oil well fires. Texas. Clear enough. Interesting, sir?' 'It is indeed. How do you feel about blowing up banks?' , Should be interesting to see the law from the other side. They'll bring along a Polish speaker, of course.'
Annemarie said: 'You think this is a Polish criminal group.'
Van Effen said: 'And that's all you know? No indications as to what kind of lead it was?'
'No.' She pursed her lips. 'That's not to say that he didn't know.' 'An odd comment to make,' de Graaf said. 'What do you mean?' 'Nothing. I just don't know whether he knows or not.' 'Lieu me.' De Graaf studied her quizzically. 'You don't trust your fellow officer?'
'He doesn't trust me.'
'Well, once again, dear me. This does make for a happy relationship in the field.'
Van Effen said: 'Sergeant Westenbrink doesn't distrust her. It's just that three years working under-cover tends to make you secretive, a loner.' 'Westenbrink, is it. I thought I knew all my sergeants.'
'He's from Utrecht, sir.'
'You cast a wide net. Lieutenant van Effen, Annemarie, works on the same principle as Vasco, whose name, I feel quite certain, is not Vasco. The need to know. How can you be hurt when you see me being treated in this cavalier fashion?'
George entered, apologised, picked up a phone set from a side table and placed it in front of Annemarie. She lifted the receiver, listened to the crackling voice for all of two minutes, said: 'Thank you. Five minutes,' and hung up.
Van Effen said: 'The Hunter's Horn, I presume. What's the message from Vasco?'
'The Hunter's Horn.' De Graaf frowned. 'I trust that's not the Hunter's Horn that -'
'There's only one - ah - establishment of that name in Amsterdam. Beggars can't be choosers. Apart from La Caracha it's our only safe house in Amsterdam. A private connection, Colonel. The fair name of the Amsterdam police department remains unbesmirched.'
'Not to know,' de Graaf muttered. 'Not to know.'
'You're half right,' Annemarie said, almost reluctantly. 'It was the Hunter's Horn. But it wasn't Vasco.'
'Never said it was. I said "What's the message from Vasco?" It was Henri, Henri, sit, is the owner. Vasco is under observation but whoever is tailing him didn't know, wasn't to know, that it's virtually impossible to follow Vasco without Vasco being aware of it. So he couldn't come here. The person or persons following him would have raised their eyebrows if they saw you here: they'd have gone into shock if they'd found me, which would have been a small disaster for us and the end of the usefulness of both Vasco and yourself. So the only place left for Vasco was the Hunter's Horn. Even there he couldn't use the telephone for he would still be being watched. So he wrote a small note for Henri who did the telephoning. You're to ask me a question and you're to give Henri my answer inside five minutes.'
Annemarie sighed. 'Did you have to spoil it for me?' Then she brightened. 'But you didn't get it all, did you?'
'I'm brilliant at deducing the obvious. I'm not clairvoyant.
The rest, what I didn't get, can wait, including the reasons why Vasco is going to call me back.'
'I didn't say that?'
'Henri did. The message.'
She made a moue. 'It went like this. Two tails. Understand can't ditch. Meet two-'
De Graaf interrupted. 'What was that meant to mean?' 'Westenbrink's shorthand, I imagine,' van Effen said. 'Only two ways of getting rid of his tails. He could throw them into the nearest canal, which he's perfectly capable of doing or he could easily have lost them which he is again perfectly capable of doing. Either course of action would have ended any connection he's succeeded in making.' Annemarie went on: 'Meet two, three men four-thirty Hunter's Horn.' She pushed across a piece of paper.
'Stephan Danilov,' van Effen read. 'Pole. Radom. Explosives expert. Oil well fires. Texas. Clear enough. Interesting, sir?' 'It is indeed. How do you feel about blowing up banks?' , Should be interesting to see the law from the other side. They'll bring along a Polish speaker, of course.'
Annemarie said: 'You think this is a Polish criminal group.'
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