‘Mainly London and the south east counties, I still have friends and relatives.’
‘You have many relatives there?’
‘No, not many, an uncle and cousin in Surrey and a good friend in the Midlands,’ Wallace said. ‘I usually stay with them when I am there.’
‘You have nothing anywhere else?’
‘Maybe Manchester, insurance industry contacts, but nowhere else.’
That wasn’t entirely true, but suddenly Wallace began to feel uneasy about telling Kalim too much, after all, he hardly knew the man and after recent experiences perhaps it was unwise to say too much. Maybe he had said too much already.
‘Interesting, I may be in England myself some time this year, mainly London, you say? Did you say the Midlands?’
‘I’d say so, yes,’ Wallace had already said as much so he wasn’t giving any more away.
They sat and talked for hours, it was nearly ten o’clock when they moved into the bar and sat at another table. Wallace was beginning to feel light headed when Kalim looked at his watch, checked it with the clock over the bar and then announced that he would have to go as he had to be up early in the morning.
They slowly made their way to the lifts and went up to their floor. They solemnly shook hands in the corridor, tentatively agreed to see each other in the dining room for breakfast and then parted.
Wallace entered his room cautiously, flinging the door open and switching on the light and staying on the threshold, he even peered through the crack in the door in case anyone was lurking behind it. He half expected to see brawny Indonesian secret policemen lurking behind every item of furniture but the room was empty and, so far as he could see, nobody had been in the room.
He had previously photographed all the items on the dressing table top with the digital camera he had just purchased but nothing appeared to have been moved. Maybe Lincoln was right, once the computer drive had been delivered nobody was interested any more. Nevertheless, he made sure that the door was locked and the chain was secured.
They did meet at breakfast, Wallace was down first. He thought he would like to see Kalim before he left, he was apparently heading for Bandung by an early flight and was returning that evening…by which time Wallace hoped to have landed in Australia.
Kalim was talking to someone in the lobby before he came in and saw Wallace sitting at the table.
‘That was one of my colleagues,’ he explained. He eyed Wallace keenly as he sat down and asked if he had a hangover. Wallace said he had and he grinned broadly. They had their breakfast and then finally said their farewells.
‘I may possibly be in Europe, and London, in about six months,’ Kalim said. ‘I’ll look you up maybe, what hotel do you normally use?’
Wallace didn’t have a normal hotel as it happened, but he named one that Clive Passay said that he frequently stayed in. Wallace didn’t know where it was, nor did he want to. He felt he had said too much already and he wasn’t going to give away any possible hotels where he may stay.
‘Very well – au revoir,’ Kalim said as he picked up his brief case.
‘You have an early flight?’
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I think I have enough time. Goodbye, Mr Wallace.’
Wallace watched him enter the cab outside and then returned to go to his room. Life would be dull without Kalim for the next few hours, but Wallace would be very relieved when he was on the midday flight to Sydney.
Wallace picked up the telephone, it was late morning.
‘Your car for the airport has arrived, Mr Wallace,’ said a voice.
Wallace arrived in the foyer; it was Alex Miller the Commercial Attaché from the embassy. Miller was sitting in one of the seats idly scanning one of the English language newspapers that lay about. He rose to his feet as Wallace arrived.
‘G’day,’ he said which would have proved to anyone that he was an Australian. He indicated the cases. ‘Shall I take this one?’
They carried the cases to the car which was outside the main entrance; it was an ordinary vehicle, not an embassy limousine. After Wallace had settled outstanding accounts for some odd phone calls and drinks with reception the car set off for the airport. It occurred to Wallace as he paid the bill that his telephone had been reconnected without any fuss, maybe that was the way to go, just feign complete indifference and they’ll try it on with somebody else.
The sun was high in the sky as they set off in the crowded city streets. As they turned right at the second intersection he glanced through the window and gave a double take that would have done credit to a Hollywood comedy. He saw Kalim who was standing on the pavement talking to two other men. As the embassy car approached them the other two entered a car standing by the kerb. The car drew away after the embassy car had passed them and as it entered the traffic stream it followed them briefly. Kalim then entered the building behind him. It was one with an impressive facade and was probably built during the days of Dutch colonisation. As he entered the building several men came out all wearing police uniforms.
Wallace sat back in puzzlement, he was sure Kalim had told him he was leaving the hotel to catch a flight, what was he doing there? Then he dismissed it, he knew more than anyone else that plans could change, maybe Kalim had to register with the police before taking a flight to another island. Wallace watched the car containing the two men but it was left behind when they passed through traffic lights and a car coming from the right jumped the gun and prevented anyone else in the nearside lane coming through.
The embassy vehicle reached the airport without mishap. Wallace enjoyed the journey, from what he had seen of Alex Miller he quite liked him, Miller was a pleasant fellow and they had much in common. They exchanged farewells at the Qantas desk and then Wallace sat in the departure lounge. He could not dismiss feelings of unease and was immensely relieved when the call came to board.
The sweetest sight that he had seen, for what seemed like an eternity, was the coastline of Australia when it appeared below. For some time the landscape below was unhospitable, being brownish desert style terrain, but what the hell, it was home. On arrival at the airport in Sydney Wallace was ecstatic, he entered the first bar he could find and promptly ordered himself a beer. He was home!
Chapter 6
'Alan, I understand you are to be part of the Foreign Minister’s entourage next months when he attends that conference in London.’
‘That’s correct,’ Alan Kelsey replied. ‘I’m part of the security detail. Apparently there is a security scare in London at the present time, what with terror threats and fears of another London bombing.’
‘Yes, that is so,’ Francis Burton nodded in agreement. ‘In addition there are to be discussions with the British Government on the question of naval frigates or destroyers, some of our vessels are near to their use by date and will eventually have to be replaced.’
‘Yes, I had heard that was on the agenda.’
‘This is one of the reasons why I suggested you be included, with your experience in the R.A.N. we shall be killing two birds, security
