Bond 03 - Moonraker (7 page)

Half an hour later the cards had completed the circle.

‘My deal,’ said Drax with authority. ‘Game all and we have a satisfactory inflation above the line. Now then, Max, see if you can’t pick up a few aces. I’m tired of doing all the work.’ He dealt smoothly and slowly round the table, keeping up a running fire of rather heavy-handed banter with the company. ‘Long rubber,’ he said to M. who was sitting smoking his pipe between Drax and Basildon. ‘Sorry to have kept you out so long. How about a challenge after dinner? Max and I’ll take on you and Commander Thingummy. What did you say his name was? Good player?’

‘Bond,’ said M. ‘James Bond. Yes, I think we’d like that very much. What do you say, James?’

Bond’s eyes were glued to the bent head and slowly moving hands of the dealer. Yes, that was it! Got you, you bastard. A Shiner. A simple, bloody Shiner that wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in a pro’s game. M. saw the glint of assurance in Bond’s eyes as they met across the table.

‘Fine,’ said Bond cheerfully. ‘Couldn’t be better.’

He made an imperceptible movement of the head. ‘How about showing me the Betting Book before dinner? You always say it’ll amuse me.’

M. nodded. ‘Yes. Come along. It’s in the Secretary’s office. Then Basildon can come down and give us a cocktail and tell us the result of this death-struggle.’ He got up.

‘Order what you want,’ said Basildon with a sharp glance at M. ‘I’ll be down directly we’ve polished them off.’

‘Around nine then,’ said Drax, glancing from M. to Bond. ‘Show him the bet about the girl in the balloon.’ He picked up his hand. ‘Looks like I shall have the Casino’s money to play with,’ he said after a rapid glance at his cards. ‘Three No Trumps.’ He shot a triumphant glance at Basildon. ‘Put that in your pipe and smoke it.’

Bond, following M. out of the room, missed Basildon’s reply.

They walked down the stairs and along to the Secretary’s office in silence. The room was in darkness. M. switched on the light and went and sat down in the swivel chair in front of the busy-looking desk. He turned the chair to face Bond who had walked over to the empty fireplace and was taking out a cigarette.

‘Any luck?’ he asked looking up at him.

‘Yes,’ said Bond. ‘He cheats all right.’

‘Ah,’ said M. unemotionally. ‘How does he do it?’

‘Only on the deal,’ said Bond. ‘You know that silver cigarette-case he has in front of him, with his lighter? He never takes cigarettes from it. Doesn’t want to get fingermarks on the surface. It’s plain silver and very highly polished. When he deals, it’s almost concealed by the cards and his big hands. And he doesn’t move his hands away from it. Deals four piles quite close to him. Every card is reflected in the top of the case. It’s just as good as a mirror although it looks perfectly innocent lying there. As he’s such a good businessman it would be normal for him to have a first-class memory. You remember I told you about “Shiners”? Well, that’s just a version of one. No wonder he brings off these miraculous finesses every once in a while. That double we watched was easy. He knew his partner had the guarded queen. With his two aces the double was a certainty. The rest of the time he just plays his average game. But knowing all the cards on every fourth deal is a terrific edge. It’s not surprising he always shows a profit.’

‘But one doesn’t notice him doing it,’ protested M.

‘It’s quite natural to look down when one’s dealing,’ said Bond. ‘Everybody does. And he covers up with a lot of banter, much more than he produces when someone else is dealing. I expect he’s got very good peripheral vision – the thing they mark us so highly for when we take our medical for the Service. Very wide angle of sight.’

The door opened and Basildon came in. He was bristling. He shut the door behind him. ‘That dam’ shut-out bid of Drax’s,’ he exploded. ‘Tommy and I could have made four hearts if we could have got around to bidding it. Between them they had the ace of hearts, six club tricks, and the ace, king of diamonds and a bare guard in spades. Made nine tricks straight off. How he had the face to open Three No Trumps I can’t imagine.’ He calmed down a little. ‘Well, Miles,’ he said, ‘has your friend got the answer?’

M. gestured to Bond, who repeated what he had told M.

Lord Basildon’s face got angrier as Bond talked.

‘Damn the man,’ he exploded when Bond had finished. ‘What the hell does he want to do that for? Bloody millionaire. Rolling in money. Fine scandal we’re in for. I’ll simply have to tell the Committee. Haven’t had a cheating case since the ’fourteen-eighteen war.’ He paced up and down the room. The club was quickly forgotten as he remembered the significance of Drax himself. ‘And they say this rocket of his is going to be ready before long. Only comes up here once or twice a week for a bit of relaxation. Why, the man’s a public hero! This is terrible.’

Basildon’s anger was chilled by the thought of his responsibility. He turned to M. for help. ‘Now, Miles, what am I to do? He’s won thousands of pounds in this club and others have lost it. Take this evening. It doesn’t matter about my losses, of course. But what about Dangerfield? I happen to know he’s been having a bad time on the stock market lately. I don’t see how I can avoid telling the Committee. Can’t shirk it – whoever Drax is. And you know what that’ll mean. There are ten on the Committee. Bound to be a leak. And then look at the scandal. They tell me the Moonraker can’t exist without Drax and the papers say the whole future of the country depends on the thing. This is a damned serious business.’ He paused and shot a hopeful glance at M. and then at Bond. ‘Is there any alternative?’

Bond stubbed out his cigarette. ‘He could be stopped,’ he said quietly. ‘That is,’ he added with a thin smile, ‘if you don’t mind paying him out in his own coin.’

‘Do anything you bloody well like,’ said Basildon emphatically. ‘What are you thinking of?’ Hope dawned in his eyes at Bond’s assurance.

‘Well,’ said Bond. ‘I could show him I’d spotted him and at the same time flay the hide off him at his own game. Of course Meyer’d get hurt in the process. Might lose a lot of money as Drax’s partner. Would that matter?’

‘Serve him right,’ said Basildon, overcome with relief and ready to grasp at any solution. ‘He’s been riding along on Drax’s back. Making plenty of money playing with him. You don’t think … ’

‘No,’ said Bond. ‘I’m sure he doesn’t know what’s going on. Although some of Drax’s bids must come as a bit of a shock. Well,’ he turned to M., ‘is it all right with you, sir?’

M. reflected. He looked at Basildon. There was no doubt of his view.

He looked at Bond. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘What must be, must be. Don’t like the idea, but I can see Basildon’s point. So long as you can bring it off and,’ he smiled, ‘as long as you don’t want me to palm any cards or anything of that sort. No talent for it.’

‘No,’ said Bond. He put his hands in his coat pockets and touched the two silk handkerchiefs. ‘And I think it should work. All I need is a couple of packs of used cards, one of each colour, and ten minutes in here alone.’

I
T WAS
eight o’clock as Bond followed M. through the tall doors, across the well of the staircase from the card room, that opened into the beautiful white and gold Regency dining-room of Blades.

M. chose not to hear a call from Basildon who was presiding over the big centre table where there were still two places vacant. Instead, he walked firmly across the room to the end one of a row of six smaller tables, waved Bond into the comfortable armed chair that faced outwards into the room, and himself took the one on Bond’s left so that his back was to the company.

The head steward was already behind Bond’s chair. He placed a broad menu card beside his plate and handed another to M. ‘Blades’ was written in fine gold script across the top. Below there was a forest of print.

‘Don’t bother to read through all that,’ said M., unless you’ve got no ideas. One of the first rules of the club, and one of the best, was that any member may speak for any dish, cheap or dear, but he must pay for it. The same’s true today, only the odds are one doesn’t have to pay for it. Just order what you feel like.’ He looked up at the steward. ‘Any of that Beluga caviar left, Porterfield?’

‘Yes, sir. There was a new delivery last week.’

‘Well,’ said M. ‘Caviar for me. Devilled kidney and a slice of your excellent bacon. Peas and new potatoes. Strawberries in kirsch. What about you, James?’

‘I’ve got a mania for really good smoked salmon,’ said Bond. Then he pointed down the menu. ‘Lamb cutlets. The same vegetables as you, as it’s May. Asparagus with Bearnaise sauce sounds wonderful. And perhaps a slice of pineapple.’ He sat back and pushed the menu away.

‘Thank heaven for a man who makes up his mind,’ said M. He looked up at the steward. ‘Have you got all that, Porterfield?’

‘Yes, sir.’ The steward smiled. ‘You wouldn’t care for a marrow bone after the strawberries, sir? We got half a dozen in today from the country, and I’d specially kept one in case you came in.’

‘Of course. You know I can’t resist them. Bad for me but it can’t be helped. God knows what I’m celebrating this evening. But it doesn’t often happen. Ask Grimley to come over, would you.’

‘He’s here now, sir,’ said the steward, making way for the wine-waiter.

‘Ah, Grimley, some Vodka, please.’ He turned to Bond. ‘Not the stuff you had in your cocktail. This is real pre-war Wolfschmidt from Riga. Like some with your smoked salmon?’

‘Very much,’ said Bond.

‘Then what?’ asked M. ‘Champagne? Personally I’m going to have a half-bottle of claret. The Mouton Rothschild ’34, please, Grimley. But don’t pay any attention to me, James. I’m an old man. Champagne’s no good for me. We’ve got some good champagnes, haven’t we, Grimley? None of that stuff you’re always telling me about, I’m afraid, James. Don’t often see it in England. Taittinger, wasn’t it?’

Bond smiled at M.’s memory. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘but it’s only a fad of mine. As a matter of fact, for various reasons I believe I would like to drink champagne this evening. Perhaps I could leave it to Grimley.’

The wine-waiter was pleased. ‘If I may suggest it, sir, the Dom Perignon ’46. I understand that France only sells it for dollars, sir, so you don’t often see it in London. I believe it was a gift from the Regency Club in New York, sir. I have some on ice at the moment. It’s the Chairman’s favourite and he’s told me to have it ready every evening in case he needs it.’

Bond smiled his agreement.

‘So be it, Grimley,’ said M. ‘The Dom Perignon. Bring it straight away, would you?’

A waitress appeared and put racks of fresh toast on the table and a silver dish of Jersey butter. As she bent over the table her black skirt brushed Bond’s arm and he looked up into two pert, sparkling eyes under a soft fringe of hair. The eyes held his for a fraction of a second and then she whisked away. Bond’s eyes followed the white bow at her waist and the starched collar and cuffs of her uniform as she went down the long room. His eyes narrowed. He recalled a pre-war establishment in Paris where the girls were dressed with the same exciting severity. Until they turned round and showed their backs.

He smiled to himself. The
Marthe Richards
law had changed all that.

M. turned from studying their neighbours behind him. ‘Why were you so cryptic about drinking champagne?’

‘Well, if you don’t mind, sir,’ Bond explained, ‘I’ve got to get a bit tight tonight. I’ll have to seem very drunk when the time comes. It’s not an easy thing to act unless you do it with a good deal of conviction. I hope you won’t get worried if I seem to get frayed at the edges later on.’

M. shrugged his shoulders. ‘You’ve got a head like a rock, James,’ he said. ‘Drink as much as you like if it’s going to help. Ah, here’s the Vodka.’

When M. poured him three fingers from the frosted carafe Bond took a pinch of black pepper and dropped it on the surface of the vodka. The pepper slowly settled to the bottom of the glass leaving a few grains on the surface which Bond dabbed up with the tip of a finger. Then he tossed the cold liquor well to the back of his throat and put his glass, with the dregs of the pepper at the bottom, back on the table.

M. gave him a glance of rather ironical inquiry.

‘It’s a trick the Russians taught me that time you attached me to the Embassy in Moscow,’ apologized Bond. ‘There’s often quite a lot of fusel oil on the surface of this stuff – at least there used to be when it was badly distilled. Poisonous. In Russia, where you get a lot of bath-tub liquor, it’s an understood thing to sprinkle a little pepper in your glass. It takes the fusel oil to the bottom. I got to like the taste and now it’s a habit. But I shouldn’t have insulted the club Wolfschmidt,’ he added with a grin.

M. grunted. ‘So long as you don’t put pepper in Basildon’s favourite champagne,’ he said drily.

A harsh bray of laughter came from a table at the far end of the room. M. looked over his shoulder and then turned back to his caviar.

‘What do you think of this man Drax?’ he said through a mouthful of buttered toast.

Bond helped himself to another slice of smoked salmon from the silver dish beside him. It had the delicate glutinous texture only achieved by Highland curers – very different from the desiccated products of Scandinavia. He rolled a wafer-thin slice of brown bread-and-butter into a cylinder and contemplated it thoughtfully.

‘One can’t like his manner much. At first I was rather surprised that you tolerate him here.’ He glanced at M., who shrugged his shoulders. ‘But that’s none of my business and anyway clubs would be very dull without a sprinkling of eccentrics. And in any case he’s a national hero and a millionaire and obviously an adequate card-player. Even when he isn’t helping himself to the odds,’ he added. ‘But I can see he’s the sort of man I always imagined. Full-blooded, ruthless, shrewd. Plenty of guts. I’m not surprised he’s managed to get where he is. What I don’t understand is why he should be quite happy to throw it all away. This cheating of his. It’s really beyond belief. What’s he trying to prove with it? That he can beat everyone at everything? He seems to put so much passion into his cards – as if it wasn’t a game at all, but some sort of trial of strength. You’ve only got to look at his fingernails. Bitten to the quick. And he sweats too much. There’s a lot of tension there somewhere. It comes out in those ghastly jokes of his. They’re harsh. There’s no light touch about them. He seemed to want to squash Basildon like a fly. Hope I shall be able to keep my temper. That manner of his is pretty riling. He even treats his partner as if he was muck. He hasn’t quite got under my skin, but I shan’t at all mind sticking a very sharp pin in him tonight.’ He smiled at M. ‘If it comes off, that is.’