Rhinoceros

When she had gone Tweed lowered his voice. First he checked to make sure no one was sitting near them.

'Paula, I said last night I'm ready for war. And I am. The rendezvous at the Turm – or tower – gives us an opportunity to hit back hard. Here is the plan…'

When he had explained it he left them to make a call to the Renaissance. He spoke to Pete Nield, who said Harry Butler had just arrived in his room. His instructions were precise and terse. Arriving back at the table in the breakfast room he found Lisa had returned, wearing another plain white skirt.

'Sorry, I had to make a phone call,' he told her.

'Your orange juice is getting cold,' she said with a grin.

At 11 a.m. the six of them walked down the hotel steps and found the two cream Mercedes Newman had hired waiting for them. Earlier, in the breakfast room, Tweed had brought over Marler from his solitary table in a corner, had introduced him to Lisa.

'I do the odd jobs, like carrying luggage,' Marler had told her.

'I've never seen a porter look so smart,' she had commented with a warm smile as they shook hands.

Marler was wearing a pale linen suit, blue shirt and was sporting a Valentino tie. He grinned at her as he sat down with them.

'The luggage I carry,' he had explained, 'is expensive. So it needs an expensive porter to carry them,' he joked.

'You are making fun of me,' she had replied, then laughed.

On the pavement a uniformed porter opened the rear door of the first Mercedes. Tweed gestured for Lisa to take a rear seat. Paula took Marler by the arm.

'Go on, join her. She likes you.'

'If you say so.'

When the porter had closed the door Paula thanked him, gave him a tip, said they didn't need him any more. Alone with Tweed, she spoke softly.

'You're driving this one? I thought so. Tell me the real purpose of this trip to the Turin.'

'I've already explained it to Newman, who will travel with Mark in the second car behind us.' His expression became grim. 'I have reached the point where I think we should tackle the enemy very roughly. Put as many of them out of action as we can.'

'So you also think, as I do, that this invitation to the Turm is a trap?'

'Yes. We'll turn the trap on them.'

'It's not to do with the bullet they fired at me last night?'

'Partly, yes. But also it's strategy…'

Paula was sitting beside Tweed as he drove off and headed for their destination. In the back Marler was making Lisa laugh again. They had travelled some distance and Tweed had been glancing frequently in his rear-view mirror.

'We have company,' he whispered. 'Two BMWs are following Newman, keeping their distance. I'm sure Bob also has spotted them.'

'What about Harry Butler and Pete Nield?' Paula wondered.

'They were waiting on the other side of the street, across from the hotel – shielded by parked cars. As soon as I drove off they jumped into the back of Bob's Merc.'

'What are you two whispering to each other?' Lisa called out. 'Or is it something rather personal?' she suggested cheerily.

'Coming from you two canoodling in the back that's a real joke,' Paula called back and laughed.

'At least we are behaving ourselves,' Lisa shot back.

'And here,' Tweed said in his normal voice, 'is Fernsehturm. I've seen it before but I don't think you have, Paula.'

She was already staring up out of the window in amazement. Soaring up above them was a thick white needle-like tower, climbing up to an incredible height. Perched at its summit was a wide observation crest, circular like the needle below it. At the very top was a red-and-white signals mast.

'The revolving restaurant is up there,' said Tweed. 'Takes about an hour to complete one revolution – so you're not aware of any movement. I'm parking here, illegally.'

They stepped out of the car on to the pavement and the sun burned down, furnace-like heat even in mid- morning. Marler held out his hand and Tweed gave him the key. Lisa looked at him.

'Aren't you coming with us?'

'No. I'm staying with the car…'

Tweed led the way along a concrete path, crossing trimmed grass and then running round the base of the Turm. His legs were moving like pistons and Paula wondered why he was in such a hurry. Glancing back, she saw Newman's car parked a short distance behind Tweed's. Bob and Mark were standing on the pavement but there was no sign of Harry or Pete. They must be hunched down out of sight in the back she speculated. Why?

After a long walk they reached the entrance. Tweed bought three tickets and the girl receptionist told him a car was just leaving. They entered, had the car to themselves. Paula tensed, prepared for a rocket-like elevation like the one she had experienced in New York – going up the Empire State Building. She was wrong. The car ascended steadily without a blast-off. The girl operator looked at Tweed.

'It was the cafe you wanted?' she said in English.

'It was…'

The doors opened and they walked straight into the cafe, a spacious circular room with viewing windows, an upraised section in the centre with cloth-covered tables. Tweed stepped up, chose a table on the far side. A waitress appeared the moment they were seated and he ordered coffee.

'You take these,' Lisa said, producing a compact pair of binoculars from her shoulder bag. 'They're very powerful.'

'What about you?'

'I have another pair. See.' She looked at Paula. 'We can share.. .'

Tweed left the platform, stepped down on the far side, gazed below, focused the binoculars. Paula and Lisa followed him. Paula drew in breath as she stared down the sheer drop. The two parked Mercedes looked like toys.

'This is a devil of a height,' she commented. 'Good job I don't suffer from vertigo.'

She took the binoculars Lisa handed her, focused them, saw Newman's face, quite passive as he stood still. Mark was pacing back and forth. No sign of the two BMWs which had followed them. No sign of their occupants. She remarked on this to Tweed.

'They'll be taking their time, planning their approach. I would, in their shoes. Let's go drink some coffee…'

Paula remained standing while she drank. She was gazing at the view through the windows on the opposite side. Beyond parks with green trees a large stretch of blue water, glittering in the sunlight, spread out. Tiny white triangles, which were yachts, dotted the blue surface.

'Is that the Elbe?' she asked.

'No, not with yachts on it. That's the Aussenalster,' he said, standing beside her. 'The outer alster. 'Binnen' is 'inner'. Why am I saying this? You know German.'

'It's heaven,' she said dreamily. 'Pure heaven.'

Lisa had taken her coffee, put it down on a table near where they had looked down. She was standing by the window. She called out urgently, peering down through her binoculars.

'I've spotted Pink Shirt. Remember him? At Reefers Wharf. Now he's wearing a bright yellow one. Could he be directing an operation? His fat face looks savage, he's just checked his watch…'

'Where?' Tweed was beside her, Paula on her other side.

'See that road curving over to the right – well away from our cars? Half behind a tree on the pavement.'

'Got him.' Tweed was peering through the binoculars she'd handed him. Paula now had the other pair. 'Yes, that's him,' Tweed agreed, 'keeping well away from the action. And I agree – he looks as though he is directing an operation.'

'Never expected to see that bastard over here,' Paula remarked. She moved next to Tweed as Lisa walked