See Charlie Run by Brian Freemantle Page A

won’t come in, to scare him away, until I get the signal from you.’
    Fredericks controlled any expression of satisfaction. It would mean that he would be present throughout the entire encounter: that the son-of-a-bitch couldn’t try anything smart. ‘You won’t go ahead, without a meeting?’ said Fredericks, as if the agreement were being forced reluctantly from him.
    â€˜Definitely not,’ said Charlie, positively.
    â€˜I’ll do it,’ said Fredericks. ‘It’ll take a day or two.’
    â€˜So there’ll be time for you fully to brief me, on everything that’s happened so far?’ said Charlie.
    Fredericks just succeeded in biting back the go-to-hell refusal that came automatically to mind. ‘Sure,’ he said, instead.
    Later, back at the tower block window and looking out over the now lit-up Tokyo, Charlie decided it hadn’t been bad, after all. Not as good as it should have been, of course, but still not bad. He’d made a good enough recovery and recognized sufficiently early that Fredericks was over-confident and been able to use it, against the man. There was always the danger that Fredericks would review everything that had been said and promised and realize the mistakes he’d made, but Charlie didn’t think so. The American attitude at how he’d screwed their director was inevitable, Charlie supposed. It had been another mistake of Fredericks, making it as obvious as he had. It meant, reflected Charlie, that he’d had good early warning. Which was always a bonus.
    â€˜You were lucky, Charlie: bloody lucky,’ he said, to his own flop-haired, loose-tied reflection. He hoped he stayed that way.
    â€˜I don’t believe it!’ exploded Levine, when Fredericks finished the account to the assembled CIA team. ‘What the hell does he think he’s doing, running the operation!’
    It hadn’t been posed as that sort of question, but Fredericks paused before responding and then said: ‘Yes. I guess that’s exactly what he thinks. Or wants to do.’
    â€˜Tell him to go kiss ass,’ said Elliott. ‘This thing is going to fuck up and it’s going to fuck up over Charlie Muffin.’
    â€˜I’d have argued the same way as he did, in the same circumstances,’ said Yamada, more reasonably. ‘I wouldn’t take second string in a British set-up, not without trying to make some sort of independent assessment.’
    â€˜From the sloppy way he behaved when he arrived today, I’m surprised he thought of it,’ said Levine.
    â€˜Sloppy is a good word,’ said Fish, who had been the airport surveillance. ‘I’ve seen bag women on 42nd Street in better shape than he’s in.’
    â€˜Think he meant it, about pulling out?’ asked Dale. ‘We’d be in bad shape if he did. Don’t forget what Kozlov said.’
    Fredericks looked irritably at the man, not needing any reminder. ‘I think he meant it,’ he said. ‘What I don’t know is if he’s got the authority. Which is why I’m checking. Be great, to slap the cocky bastard into line.’
    Harkness handed the Director the enquiry that had come from Langley and said: ‘That’s directly contrary to what you insisted. There had to be communication between us, before he considered an abort. He hasn’t even been in contact with our embassy. I’ve checked.’
    â€˜I know what I said,’ smiled Wilson. That morning he’d brought some Anne Cocker floribunda from the garden in Hampshire. He took one of the roses from the vase on his desk, sniffing it reflectively. ‘Charlie’s only been in Tokyo a matter of hours,’ he said. ‘That’s not enough time for anyone to decide whether to abort or nor. He’s bargaining.’
    â€˜He should have made contact,’ insisted Harkness.
    â€˜Maybe the circumstances didn’t allow