‘Tell me about it,’ she said in as dulcet tones as she could feign.

‘All the employees’ records have been stolen.’

The prissiness of his way of speaking did not distract Blanche from appreciating the implications of this event.

‘I have no accurate way of checking who actually works for me anymore, and so many of them look alike to me.’ He moved in small, negative jerks as he spoke. ‘Odd men have arrived from time to time and I’m told tales about them having been on leave. Other families have left in the night — just gone.’

‘Who tells you these tales and which families have gone?’ The prissiness almost became a pout as he admitted, ‘The girl, Li Min. Then they have parties, drunken parties.’

Blanche was steely-eyed with attention now. ‘Li Min! And the families that have gone?’

‘I’ve been checking and it’s all the relatives of Mr Harfield’s former headman, Rasa — his sons and their families. All good workers at first.’

‘Rasa’s family,’ she said slowly. ‘George had great faith in them all. They would know who worked at the mine.’

Blanche waited; there was more than this, she was sure from his manner. He had some other humiliation locked up and battling to come out.

‘George came to believe he had harboured some fanatical communists, the girl one of them — but proving it?’ It was her turn to move a little uneasily as she went on, ‘I have no proof of what I am about to say, but I never liked the cook at Bukit Kinta, Li Kim.’ She paused to give an ironic laugh. ‘It may be, of course, only because his name is so like the girl’s, Li Min.’

‘He above anyone would know my movements for the day,’ Ira pondered. ‘That could explain a lot. He also seems to know when to take messages — I mean, he seemed to know when I didn’t wish to be disturbed.’

There was a curious change of tense there. So he didn’t mind being disturbed now. What had he given up?

‘I think, Mr Cook, if you want my help you had better tell me everything.’

He seemed to screw his hat and himself into a tense round ball, bending so low his forehead nearly touched his knees. ‘When didn’t you want to be disturbed?’

His shoulders gave a convulsive shudder.

‘Ira!’ she demanded. ‘When didn’t you want to be disturbed?’

He mumbled something.

‘When?’ she demanded.

‘When I was with Li Min.’

Ah! Now we have it, she thought. So your gallantry and politeness have dug you in deep. What a baby you are!

‘And I caught a full house!’

There was a moment’s silence while Blanche recalled what the phrase meant: he had both syphilis and gonorrhoea.

She thought her first impression of him had been right — a very dishevelled cockerel indeed! She could have extracted some humour from this ... if she had had anyone to share it with.

‘You’ve been to — ’ She was going to say ‘the hospital’, but he interrupted.

‘Rose Cottage — yes.’

‘Yes,’ she repeated, thinking he seemed to know all the right slang expressions but hadn’t the sense to avoid the diseases.

‘So you want me to ask George to make a list of all his former employees?’

‘I do. I’m going to do my darnedest to root these commies out.’ He looked up at her now. He had told all, kept the tears at bay, and there was a resolution in his tormented face which made her understand perhaps why he had been appointed manager at Bukit Kinta.

‘Right.’ She sat down opposite him, businesslike, on his level, offering partnership. ‘But we have to be careful. We mustn’t do anything to make them suspicious. Above all, we want them to stay at Bukit Kinta, make them feel secure until we’ve organised a pounce.’

‘OK,’ he agreed. ‘Shall I ring ... ?’

‘No, I will. As soon as I have the list I’ll ring you just casually and you ask me over for a meal. The day I’m coming, you immediately send Li Kim to the market with as long a list as you can think of. I’ll come over while Li Kim’s out of the way to tell you what has been arranged, and I’ll bring George’s list.’

‘OK, then we take it from there,’ he said, standing up, taller and shoulders squarer than when he had entered. ‘I don’t suppose you feel like shaking my hand?’

‘My dear boy,’ Blanche exclaimed, shooting out her hand, ‘to err is human, to tackle it takes courage.’

‘I’d value your friendship,’ he said.

‘You have it,’ she confirmed.

George was solemn when she told him. Any glimmer of humour in the situation would, she supposed, hardly be seen by a man who was imprisoned at the hands of the same girl. He was silent, brooding. She thought of Joan with a sense of loss, yearning for someone with whom she could share the joke.

‘You don’t suppose not having either syphilis or gonorrhoea would be considered grounds for an appeal?’ he said after some time.

She laughed gratefully wanting to throw her arms around his neck. ‘My dear, dear man!’

‘She must have just about eaten that boy alive. He came straight from the New York office, you know. Poor little sod! He’s been to — ’

‘Rose Cottage,’ she interrupted.

A twinkle showed in his eye as he asked, ‘And what do you know about such expressions?’

‘Neville often talked to me as if I was one of the boys when he was on leave from the navy. I knew all about “band in the box”, “cold in the dong”, “horse and trap”.’

‘Do you mind, woman! I’m beginning to feel either embarrassed or educated, not sure which.’

‘Yes, all right, sorry!’ But she rejoiced in the spark of real laughter that had come to his eyes. ‘About Neville, promise me you’ll never mind me talking about him. He was my first, but now my past love ... ’ She paused and stretched out her hand to his. ‘You are my love now.’

‘And he loved her as he never loved before.’ The spirit in the beginning of the sentence did not last until the end; his eyes slid away from her as he added bitterly, ‘Of course, he may be too old to love at all by the time he gets out of here.’

‘If that’s how it is to be, OK, we’ll take it. It’s not so much longer than many women waited for their men through the war. At least I know you’re safe in here!’

‘Safe and sound.’ His voice rang with deep irony.

‘Having Ira Cook on our side might, just might, bring some kind of breakthrough. Do the list, George. I’ll ask for special permission to come and collect it — not wait for the next visiting day. And if you can think of anything else we can do … ’

‘It can’t be long before Robbo comes back,’ he said.

‘But the Dyak tracker we found murdered?’

‘Not worried about that! Robbo’s good in the jungle. If a message could be sent to him so he and the police could lay siege to Bukit Kinta before anyone knew he was back ... ’ He bit his lip as he thought the idea through. ‘If word gets out that he’s back in the area, particularly with the girl Lee as a witness, every CT in the area will go to ground.’

She nodded solemn agreement.

‘Robbo could be maintaining radio silence ... ’ He looked across at her, his eyes full of speculation. ‘But if there’s any information about where he might be, Chemor could be sent in. He’ll find them if anyone can, and divert them straight to Bukit Kinta — the whole shebang of them — that way there’ll not be time for rumours to fly.’

George’s face was grim now, the muscles in his cheeks flexing and unflexing as he clenched his teeth. ‘If only I were out of this place so I could be some use!’

‘You still don’t realise, do you?’ Blanche leaned forwards over the table.

‘What’ve I missed?’ His eyes searched her face for answers.

‘Me!’ she told him in a forceful whisper. ‘Me!’ She shook her head at him in exasperation. ‘The use you’ve been to me!’ Her voice rose high and wavered. ‘For God’s sake George, don’t you see, you’re all I’ve got to hang on to!’

‘Don’t upset yourself, love.’

‘I want to upset myself!’ She pulled a handkerchief from her dress pocket. ‘And don’t call me bloody love!’