alive.’
'It's all we can do at the moment,’ said Kathleen.
'So now we play it by ear,’ said Avedissian.
Jarvis nodded and said, 'I think we should be getting back to the Plaza. Time's passing.’
There was very little to listen to on the recorder in Jarvis's room. The kidnappers had not been back in touch with Innes, and Roker had left shortly after hearing the details of the exchange. There had been a brief conversation between Innes and Roker about who would be present at the exchange. Roker had said that Shelby would definitely want to be present. Innes had asked why. ‘To see what we have paid twenty-five million for,’ Roker had replied. Innes had agreed but asked that Roker keep the numbers to a minimum. As the tape went silent Jarvis switched off the machine and re-set it. 'Now we just wait,’ he said.
Kathleen had been quiet for some time. She sat on one of the chairs, rubbing her forehead gently with the back of her right hand. 'Are you all right?' Avedissian asked her gently.
'Just a headache,’ she replied.
‘I’ll nip down and get you some aspirins from reception,’ said Avedissian.
'No, I'll go,’ said Kathleen getting up. 'I could do with the walk. It's stuffy in here.’ She got up and collected her handbag. 'Won't be long,’ she said as she closed the door.
Avedissian watched Jarvis clean and check a gun and then fit a silencer to it. 'Please God you don't need that,’ he said.
'Amen to that,’ replied Jarvis.
They were both startled when the tape recorder suddenly switched itself on. 'Someone is phoning Innes,’ said Jarvis, putting down the gun and picking up a headset. He placed it over his ears and sat concentrating on the floor while he listened. Kathleen returned while he was still monitoring the conversation and Avedissian put his finger to his lips when he saw her come into the room. A few moments later Jarvis took off the earphones and said, 'That was Roker. He and Shelby will be here in an hour. They've made arrangements to fly the boy out of the Downtown Airport in a private plane after the exchange.’
'The Downtown Airport?'
'Kansas City has two airports, the one you arrived at and a smaller one nearer the city. They plan to fly the boy out in a small aircraft and pick up a scheduled flight out of Los Angeles.’
Before either Kathleen or Avedissian had time to say anything a knock came at the door and all three froze. Jarvis got up quietly and hid the recording equipment out of sight then, picking up his gun, he walked over to the door and asked, 'Who is it?'
'Bellboy, sir,’ came the reply.
'What do you want? I'm busy.’
'I have some keys, sir.’
Jarvis put the gun away and opened the door. He accepted a brown, Manila envelope and signed the paper that was held out to him. 'Just a moment,’ he said and brought out some change from his pocket.
Thank you, sir.’
Jarvis closed the door and said, The car keys. The cars are in place.’ He examined the paper that had been in the envelope and checked the numbers on the keys, then he put one set in his pocket and gave the other to Avedissian saying, 'You hang on to these. It's a white series 3 BMW with a blue triangle stuck in the windscreen.'
Avedissian put them in his pocket and said, 'Now you know where they're going after the exchange, are you going to make a rescue attempt?'
'We'll still have to play it by ear. We know what they plan to do but we don't know how many men are involved. That's the next big question.'
Innes checked his watch. Roker and Shelby would be arriving in thirty minutes. Providing these clowns didn't do anything stupid he was now only hours away from pulling off Kell's greatest coup. He checked his wallet to see that the contents were in order. Money, credit cards, plane ticket. He felt in the inside pocket of his jacket for his passport and found it. His travel bag sat on the floor beside the bed, already packed and waiting to be zipped.
He went to the bathroom and collected his toilet things, packing them into a brown leather case before adding it to his travel bag.
All that was left beside the basin was a slim plastic wallet which Innes now unrolled. From its pockets he removed a scalpel, tweezers, artery forceps, a syringe and a small glass bottle with an applicator. He left a series of needles, including two long hat pins, in their holder and gave a grunt of satisfaction. He had everything he needed. That just left the gun. He returned to the room and opened his brief-case to take out an automatic pistol. He removed the clip, checked it and reinserted it with a satisfying click, then screwed a silencer into the muzzle before looking along the barrel. 'Clumsy things,' he muttered under his breath.
Roker and Shelby arrived on time. Shelby, in particular, seemed excited for he was sweating profusely. Innes could see the wetness seeping through his jacket near the armpits. Innes invited them to sit but Shelby could not settle. He fidgeted constantly and finally got up to pace about the room. 'I can hardly believe it,' he murmured.
'Believe what?'
'That a child, a British royal child, is going to walk through that door in less than half an hour.'
'You'll believe it when it happens,' said Innes.
‘This is a moment in history,' said Shelby. 'We are going to go down in history as the patriots who brought freedom to Ireland.'
'Providing nothing goes wrong,' said Roker.
'What's to go wrong?' asked Shelby. 'We're playing it straight from here on in.'
'Glad to hear it,’ said Innes dryly.
'Don't you have anything to drink?' Shelby asked.
'Afterwards,' said Innes.
Fragmentary conversation died away completely as the time grew near. There was silence in the room when a knock came to the door at three minutes past eleven. Innes, Roker and Shelby got to their feet before Innes said, 'Come in.'
The door opened and a little boy stood there accompanied by a man wearing a light raincoat. The man prompted the boy with a hand at his back and the child stepped unsurely into the room. The man followed and closed the door behind him. He waited with his back against it while Shelby moved towards the boy and stooped down to touch him almost reverently on the shoulder. 'Hello,' he said gently. The boy remained silent.
Shelby turned to the others and said, 'Hell, I don't know what to say to a royal boy. What do you say?'
'The boy has had a shock,' said the man at the door. He has temporarily lost his voice.' 'What the hell do you mean?' demanded Shelby.
'It's not uncommon and it won't last long,’ said the man evenly.
Shelby ran his hands over the boy and was impressed that he did not shy away. He turned again and said with a half laugh, ‘I’ll say this for him. He's got dignity, yes sir real class. Haven't you, little feller?'
The child did not flinch but continued to stare at Shelby.
Shelby stood up and turned to Roker and Innes. 'I suppose this is the right boy?' he asked with an embarrassed grin. 'It's crazy but it keeps occurring to me that none of us has ever seen him before… in the flesh, I mean… it's crazy when you think about it… pictures are OK but…' Shelby reached inside his jacket and pulled out a revolver. He levelled it at the man standing by the door and said triumphantly, 1 see you changed your mind about the explosive device. The boy is clean. I just frisked him.'
The stony expression on the face of the man at the door did not change. He shook his head slowly and said, There was no change of mind. The boy is wired.'
Shelby was embarrassed. 'What the hell do you mean?' he demanded weakly.
'May I?' asked the man, gesturing to the child.
'Go ahead.'
The man bared the left side of the boy's neck and pointed to a very recent scar. 'He has an implant.' He checked his watch. 'If I do not return within twenty-five minutes, you can scrape him off the wall.'
The sweat was pouring down Shelby's face. He dabbed at it angrily with a handkerchief. 'Well,' he mumbled. 'You can't blame a guy for trying.'
The man said nothing.
