II
On the day following the inquest Mrs. Blenkensop and Mr. Meadowesmet to compare notes.
“Exit Vanda Polonska and a blank wall as usual,” said Tommy gloomily.
Tuppence nodded.
“Yes, they seal up both ends, don’t they? No papers, no hints of any kindas to where the money came from that she and her cousins had, no recordof whom they had dealings with.”
“Too damned efficient,” said Tommy.
He added: “You know, Tuppence, I don’t like the look of things.”
Tuppence assented¹. The news was indeed far from reassuring².
The French Army was in retreat and it seemed doubtful if the tide couldbe turned. Evacuation from Dunkirk was in progress. It was clearly a mat-ter of a few days only before Paris fell. There was a general dismay at therevelation of lack of equipment and of material for resisting the Germans’
great mechanised units.
Tommy said:
“Is it only our usual muddling³ and slowness? Or has there been deliber-ate engineering behind this?”
“The latter, I think, but they’ll never be able to prove it.”
“No. Our adversaries⁴ are too damned clever for that.”
“We are combing out a lot of the rot now.”
“Oh, yes, we’re rounding up the obvious people, but I don’t believewe’ve got at the brains that are behind it all. Brains, organisation⁵, a wholecarefully thought-out plan—a plan which uses our habits of dilatoriness,and our petty feuds⁶, and our slowness for its own ends.”
Tuppence said:
“That’s what we’re here for—and we haven’t got results.”
“We’ve done something,” Tommy reminded her.
“Carl von Deinim and Vanda Polonska, yes. The small fry.”
“You think they were working together?”
“I think they must have been,” said Tuppence thoughtfully. “RememberI saw them talking.”
“Then Carl von Deinim must have engineered the kidnapping?”

分享到：