bonnet, swore foully at the driver and went on to his car. Vernon followed more slowly, as though he didn't want to be too close to the other one. He had to dive into the car as it started moving off.'
'Paula told me the Americans had gone berserk. Probably your word.'
'It does mean,' Kent pointed out, 'that my conjuring trick has worked. Their millions have disappeared into thin air. Could take them weeks, even months, to trace them.'
'Thanks, Keith. You've really achieved something. Don't forget to send me a bill.'
'Oh, I'll bill you.' Keith finished off his brandy and grinned. 'Should I hang around a bit longer?'
'Yes. Where are you staying?'
'At the Hilton.'
'That's fortunate. The thugs are at the Euler, more at another hotel, the Victoria.'
'I'll show you out,' said Paula as Kent stood up. She fetched his coat. 'Yes, I'm coming down in the lift with you.'
'Let's keep in touch,' said Tweed. 'And thanks again…'
Less than a minute after they had left Nield arrived. He accepted Tweed's offer of coffee, settled himself on a couch next to Newman.
'I waited until Kent had left. I made the call a while ago. I had to slam down the phone when Beck tried to ask me questions. He was trying to keep me on the line while he had a trace put out.'
'You kept it brief, then,' Tweed said.
'Simply asked him to take down an address as soon as he came on the line. Then told him he'd find a body there. I had a silk handkerchief over the mouthpiece. Then Beck started to ask me something. I slammed the phone down. Couldn't have been on the line more than thirty seconds.'
'Good.' Tweed looked up as Paula let Marler into the room. 'I trust Irina got home safely'- and without your being seen?'
'Of course she did.' Marler went across to a wall, leant against it. 'And of course she didn't see me.'
'What was that General Guisan business? I gathered it was a password.'
'Exactly that. Kurt once told me that if he went down and later I could get here, I should meet someone in that room. He said if I used 'General Guisan' I'd get some valuable information.'
'General Guisan,' Tweed mused. 'The C-in-C of the Swiss armed forces during World War Two. He stopped the Nazis from invading Switzerland by clever threats.' He stopped speaking as the phone rang. Paula answered it. She put it down quickly.
'Beck is here. On his way up.'
Tweed braced himself for an aggressive Beck. Instead, the Swiss police chief came into the room with a quizzical expression. He accepted Tweed's offer to sit down, refused his offer of coffee. He gazed round at them all, one by one.
'All present and correct. I think that's the English phrase.'
'It is,' Tweed agreed.
'In case it's news,' Beck continued, his tone ironic, 'four corpses were found in a street near Market-platz early this morning. All Americans. All with diplomatic passports. All blown to kingdom come by a grenade.'
'Disturbing,' said Tweed.
'So, well before dawn, I phoned the Euler. The night receptionist knows me, recognized my voice. I asked him to read out a list of Americans staying there. Recent arrivals. Only one had a suite. I guessed he was the top man. A Jake Ronstadt.'
'We met the gentleman briefly in London.'
'So,' Beck went on, 'I asked to be put through to him.
He was not happy at being woken at that hour. He was even less happy when I gave him the news, read out the names of the deceased. He admitted they were members of his staff, as he put it. Had to. They were registered as staying there.'
'What was his exact reaction, Arthur?'
'Thunderous! Had I caught the villains who committed this foul crime? I hadn't? Why not? He was reporting this to the American Embassy in Berne. I told him it would take time, that I had only just begun the investigation. He swore at me. I asked him what their profession was.'
'That must have foxed him,' Tweed commented.
'It didn't. He repeated he was getting in touch with Berne. I said I thought that was his best move. He slammed the phone down on me.'
'He. sounds to have been disconcerted.'
'He was in a towering rage. I had to phone him again a short time ago. Another body was discovered after I received an anonymous phone call. Wonder who that could have been? This corpse was in a ground-floor room near the top of the Alley of the Eleven Thousand Virgins. Had a knife through his throat. It had penetrated through the back of his thick neck.'
'Who was this one?' Tweed enquired.
'Another. American. Another with a diplomatic passport. A Rick Sherman. Also registered as staying at the Euler.'
'How did Mr Ronstadt react to this further news?'
'He was apoplectic. Raved on about how I was the Chief of Police and Basel was becoming the murder capital of Europe. He slammed the phone down on me before I could advise him to get in touch with his Embassy in Berne.'
'Things do seem to be warming up,' Tweed remarked.
'I know these men are gangsters,' Beck said, his tone grim. 'I still have to investigate.' He paused, looked at Newman and then at Butler, both of whom sat with their legs crossed. 'I wondered whether you had been outside this morning. I notice that Newman's shoes are drying out in this warmth, but the soles are still damp. As are Mr Butler's.'
'We went for a breath of fresh air along Blumenrain,' explained Tweed. 'Very fresh it was. I noticed your river police still have that boathouse under the lee of the promenade.'
'We have to watch the river. Along Blumenrairt? Well, that is in the opposite direction from the Alley of the Eleven Thousand Virgins.' Beck stood up. 'Thank you for allowing me to question you.'
'Any time, Arthur,' Tweed replied, standing up. 'Any time.'
Paula was about to open the door when Beck turned back. He smiled at Tweed.
'Incidentally, whatever the plans of the Americans were they seem to have put them on hold.'
'How do you mean?'
'Well, the car with two Americans which drove them through the checkpoint towards Freiburg – and possibly on to the Black Forest – has returned here. The officer at the checkpoint has told me he had the impression they have been recalled in quite a hurry. Take care of yourselves, everyone…'
When they were alone Tweed rubbed his hands. Paula poured him more coffee, then looked at him as she spoke.
'You look pleased with yourself.' -
'Pleased, but not with myself – and not complacent. I just knew Ronstadt would be checkmated, at least temporarily…'
'Knew?' queried Paula.
'Wrong word, my sixth sense told me.'
'And how did you know the boathouse for police launches is still there?' she asked. 'We never walked along Blumenrain.'
'If you lean out of my window, as I did when we arrived, you can see it. You're interrogating me,' he joked. He looked at Nield. 'Pete, I meant to ask you earlier. Did you think to do something about your fingerprints on the handle of that knife you threw at Sherman?'
'Naturally. It was a bit of a job with Sherman in that position, but I managed it.'
'While I gently lifted the corpse,' Butler added.
'Thank heavens for that,' Tweed told them. 'Then there was that brick Irina removed from the wall.'
'Which we carefully put back in place,' Newman confirmed.
'You seem to have thought of everything.'
