He paused uncertainly. Then he said quietly, ‘He and I are both in Intelligence still. He’s waiting in Milan now for me to—’
‘In Milan?’ I had a sudden, awful vision of our meeting face to face. I’d have to miss out Milan. Somehow I’d have to persuade my firm…. But Maxwell had caught hold of my arm. ‘Pull yourself together, Dick. I’m trying to tell you something. I need your help. Listen. You represent B. & H. Evans, machine tool manufacturers of Manchester. That gives you an excuse to visit any of the big industrialists in this town. Jan Tucek is here in Pilsen. Remember Jan Tucek, who commanded the Czech squadron at Biggin Hill in 1940?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I saw him this afternoon.’
‘You saw him this afternoon?’ He cursed softly. ‘Then you’ll have to see him again. I daren’t go there. And I daren’t go to his home either. He’s too closely watched. My contacts are with Czech air force men. But I’ve got to get a message to him. As soon as I heard you were—’
Tunny,’ I said. ‘He gave me a message for you.’
Maxwell was suddenly tense. ‘What was the message?’ he asked quickly.
‘I was to tell you — Saturday night,’ I answered.
He nodded. ‘The trouble is that that isn’t soon enough. It’s got to be tomorrow night. You’ve got to see him and tell him that. Tomorrow night — understand? Thursday night.’ He was leaning forward, drumming it into me as though he thought I was too drunk to understand what he was saying. ‘Can you see him first thing tomorrow morning? It’s urgent, Dick — very, very, urgent. Do you understand?’
I nodded.
‘Can you see him tomorrow morning?’