powers but also great mental resilience. He waited while Paula sat beside her on a chair she'd pulled close.
'I'm feeling much better,' Jennie announced suddenly. 'Thanks to both of you. I suppose I shouldn't have done what I did to that punk, Eddie.'
'I'd have scratched his eyes out,' Paula assured her.
'Feel up to my asking a few questions?' Tweed enquired.
'Fire away!'
'What information were they trying to extract from you?'
They wanted to know about a film and a tape. Seemed to think I knew where they were after my visit to the Chateau Noir. I told them I didn't know what the hell they were talking about, that kidnapping was a capital offence in France if anything happened to the victim. I made that last bit up – but as they were Americans I didn't think they'd know much about Europe. When I kept that up – which is true – that I didn't know what they were talking about, they turned very nasty. I was so lucky you got there just in time.'
'Did they know you'd driven with Gaunt to the chateau?' Tweed asked gently.
'Oh, they knew all right. I didn't tell them.'
'Did they mention Amberg?'
'Not a word. Just kept on about their flaming film and tape.'
'I see…'
Tweed saw more than she realized. To know of Gaunt's visit to Amberg the opposition had to have the Chateau Noir under close surveillance. It was valuable information, but disturbing. It meant the American apparatus had had no trouble tracking Amberg from Zurich to Basle and then to the Vosges.
'Any more questions?' Jennie asked. 'Anything I could help you with?'
'I don't think so,' Tweed replied. 'But you have been very helpful.'
'You're the ones who've been helpful. I'm more grateful than I can tell you. And now, I'm feeling a bit tired. I think a lie-down for a while would help.'
'Flop on the left-hand bed,' Tweed suggested. 'I'll see there's always someone in this room to guard you. If you could take oyer for a start, Paula? Thank you. The bathroom is through that door.'
'Do you think they'll try something else?' whispered Paula as she accompanied him to the door into the corridor.
'Bound to,' he whispered back. 'And next time it's likely to be something pretty diabolical – worse than what they were going to do to Jennie. These aren't just barbaric thugs. They're top professionals.'
'So you two made a real balls-up,' Mencken commented.
It was a deliberately cruel remark in view of the fact that Eddie sat on a bed in Mencken's room, still nursing the injured part of his anatomy. He glared at Mencken, then looked quickly away. Mencken's eyes had all the soul of a python's.
Hank stretched his lanky frame, standing against a wall. He didn't like the remark, he didn't like Mencken. Who did?
'We'd have got it out of her if Tweed's troops hadn't burst in on us,' he protested.
Troops?' Mencken sneered. 'I could strangle Tweed with two fingers. What else had you to deal with? Newman, a tabloid gossip gone to seed. Some broad. And another amateur.' He took out a cigar, lit it slowly, blew smoke in Hank's face. 'You two are straight out of Mickey Mouse. My old mom could have done a better job.'
'Didn't know you ever had one,' blazed Hank.
He regretted the insult the moment the words had left his mouth. Mencken had leapt out of his chair as though propelled by a spring. His skeletal head was inches from Hank's as he held the burning cigar end so close Hank could feel its heat on his face. Mencken projected two long talon-like fingers into Hank's painful Adam's apple.
'You said what?' Mencken asked.
'Sorry, boss.' Hank gulped. 'Sure we made a balls-up. Sure we did. Next time we'll do better,' he croaked.
'If there is a next. time.' Mencken removed his hand, puffed at his cigar as he stood back a couple of feet, the smoke getting into Hank's eyes. The lanky American licked his lips.
'Something we never got time to tell you, boss. There was a third man came into that room. Thought you should know.'
'So now I know.' Mencken continued staring at him, puffing the cigar. 'For Chrissakes, you mishandled it from the start. One of you should have been enough to deal with the twist…' Which was his flattering reference to Jennie Blade. 'If the other had stood guard with the Uzi you could have cut down the lot – including Tweed. Then taken the twist to your car, driven into the foothills, screwed the information out of her, then phoned me. That is how I'd have handled it.'
'The noise that sub-machine-gun would have made-' Hank began.
'Would have woken up the hotel,' Mencken interrupted. 'So you moved straight out of the hotel as I suggested. You blow a lot of smoke, Hank. You and Eddie never sat with us in the diner. We'd have been OK. No more crap.'
Mencken had decided Eddie and Hank were expendable. They were known now to Tweed and his team. He'd terminate that problem once they got up into the mountains. The phone rang. Mencken walked towards it with a slow deliberate pace, picked up the receiver. It was Norton.
The shaggy grey-haired man with half-moon glasses perched on his nose had to use the phone from his room. He had registered at the small hotel, L'Arbre Vert – the Green Tree – in Kaysersberg, as Harvey Cheney. There were no public phone boxes in this village.
'Norton here. Time you gave me a progress report. Watch any confidential information about our competitors – we're on open lines.'
'I visited that place you noticed where the product is stored, obtained sufficient samples. Get me?' Mencken rasped.
Norton got him – he had broken into the explosives shed near the stone quarry, had walked off with an ample supply. Mencken had moved fast, but Norton had no intention of congratulating him.
'What about the construction of the bridge? Have you surveyed it?'
For 'construction' Mencken understood 'destruction' of the hump-backed bridge in the centre of Kaysersberg.
'A team has examined it. Some blasting operation will be necessary. Long-distance work. Everything is prepared. Goddamnit! I know my job.'
Norton ignored the irritable outburst. Explosives had been placed under the bridge, waiting for Tweed's team to drive over it. The explosion would be detonated by someone who needed a good view of the target.
'Since it's a remote-control operation we need to have an observer at a distance but close enough to see the result.'
Mencken sighed audibly. 'That also has been worked out. All that we planned is arranged. OK? OK?'
Norton sensed resentment about his authority. That had to be stamped on immediately. Mencken must be in no doubt as to who was running the show.
'Then,' Norton went on remorselessly, 'there's the section of rock which has to be cleared. Have you attended to that?'
'Jesus! Why don't you come and hold my hand,' snarled Mencken. 'Yes, the rock is ready to come down. Now, if that's everything…'
There was silence at the other end of the line. Mencken had just confirmed that the rock above the cliff looming over the road had been drilled, explosives inserted. He had sent up two men per team on a roster basis.
He had hired plenty of transport in Basle, had drawn up a roster of men, giving them their objectives as soon as he had returned from the cafe in Little Venice after talking with Norton through the lace curtain.
'You'll have to do something about your manners,' Norton said eventually, very abrasive. Talk to me like that just once more and you're on the first plane back to the States. I'll take over the operation myself. Imagine what will be waiting for you when you leave the aircraft. I trust, Marvin,' the voice continued softly, 'you do have some imagination?'
Mencken froze. Fury gave way to fear. Yes, he knew what would be waiting for him. A limo with an open
