فصل 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Hilary awoke suddenly the next night and sat up, listening. ‘Tom, do you hear that?’

‘Yes. It’s a plane, flying low. It happens now and then.’

‘I wondered…’ She did not finish her sentence.

Hilary lay awake, thinking about her strange interview with Mr Aristides. She had not told Tom about it. The old man liked her. Could she somehow use that to escape?

‘A message, at last,’ said Leblanc with excitement. ‘One of our pilots has been flying over the High Atlas mountains, and he saw a signal being flashed in Morse code.’

He showed Jessop the message.

C-O-G-L-E-P-R-O-S-I-E-S-L

‘We can ignore the COG and SL,’ he said, crossing these letters out. ‘They’re our codes. This is the real message.’

LEPROSIE

Leblanc looked at it doubtfully. ‘What can that mean?’

‘Leprosy?’ said Jessop. ‘Are there any leper colonies in that area?’

Leblanc looked at a large map on the wall. ‘Here,’ he pointed, ‘is where the pilot was flying. Let me think.’ He paused for a few moments. ‘Yes, I believe there is an important medical research hospital somewhere in this area. They are researching and treating leprosy there. But surely that can’t be the place we want? It has an excellent reputation - the President of Morocco himself supports it.’

‘A clever idea, then,’ said Jessop. ‘No one will expect that a respectable hospital is hiding the world’s leading scientists. And only doctors are interested in a leper colony - no one else will want to visit it. Who owns and pays for the hospital?’

Leblanc left the room and came back a few minutes later with an official-looking book in his hand. ‘The money comes from a group of wealthy people,’ he said, ‘but most of the money is supplied by charities run by Mr Aristides.’

‘So, the hospital is paid for by Mr Aristides,’ said Jessop thoughtfully. And he was in Fez at the same time as Olive Betterton.’

‘But, my friend, this is unbelievable!’ exclaimed Leblanc. Aristides is so rich, so powerful! He is involved in everything - banks, factories, weapons, transport - everything! He sits in his castle in Spain and controls governments!’

‘Then it isn’t really so surprising that Aristides is involved,’ said Jessop calmly. As you say, Leblanc, he is a man of enormous power and influence. We were stupid not to think of him before. The question is,’ he added, ‘what are we going to do about it?’

‘It won’t be easy,’ said Leblanc, calming down. And if we are wrong - I don’t dare think of it! Even if we are right, we still have to prove that we are right. And if we investigate, we could be told to stop - by some powerful and important people. No, my friend, it won’t be easy…’ He paused. ‘But we will do it.’