Tweedledum said in a stricken voice: ‘Jesus, Johnny, are you mad? You’ll have us all in prison before the night is out. That was a police block, man!’
‘A police block without police cars, police motorcycles or police uniforms: I wonder why the good Lord gave you pair two eyes apiece?’
Tweedledee said: ‘But those police signs —’
‘I will refrain from giving you pitying looks,’ Harlow said kindly. Please do not overtax your minds. I would also point out that the French police do not wear masks, which this lot did, nor do they fix silencers to their guns.’.’ ‘Silencers?’ The twins spoke as one.
‘You heard those thumps and bumps on the back of the transporter? What do you think they were doing — throwing stones after us?’
Tweedledum said: then what —’
‘Hi-jackers. Members of an honoured and respected profession in these parts.’ Harlow trusted he would be forgiven for this wicked slur on the honest citizens of Provence. But it was the best he could think of on the spur of the moment and, besides, the twins, though excellent mechanics, were of a rather simple cast of mind who would readily believe anything that a person of the stature of Johnny Harlow were to tell them.
‘But how could they have known we were coming?’
They didn’t.’ Harlow was improvising rapidly. they’re usually in radio contact with lookouts posted a kilometre or so on either side of them. We’ve probably just passed the second one. When a likely-looking prospect — such as us — comes along it takes only a few seconds to have the lights in position and working.’
‘A backward lot, those Froggies,’ Tweedledum observed.
‘Aren’t they just? They haven’t even got round to great train robberies yet.’
The twins composed themselves for slumber. Harlow, apparently tireless, was as alert and watchful as ever. After a few minutes, in his outside rear mirror, he caught sight of a pair of powerful headlights approaching at high speed. As they closed, Harlow briefly considered moving out to the middle of the road to block its passage just in case the occupant or occupants belonged to whatever opposition there might be but he dismissed the idea immediately. If they were ill-disposed, all they would have to do would be to shoot holes in his rear tyres at their leisure, as effective a way as any of bringing the transporter to a halt.
As it happened, the person or persons showed no signs of hostility, but one curious event occurred. As it overtook the transporter all the car’s lights, both front and rear, went out and remained out until it was at least a hundred yards ahead, the driver of the car seeing by courtesy of the transporter’s headlights: when its lights did come on again it was too far away for its rear numberplate to be identified.
Only seconds later, Harlow saw another pair of powerful headlights closing at even higher speed. This oar did not cut its lights as it overtook the transporter and it would have been most improbable had it done so for it was a police car with both siren and flashing blue light in splendid working order. Harlow permitted himself an almost beatific smile, and, just over a mile later, still had an expression of pleased anticipation on his face as he gently braked the transporter.
Ahead, the police car, blue lamp still flashing, was parked by the side of the road. Immediately ahead of it was another car, with a policeman, pad in hand, interrogating the driver through an opened window. There could be little question what the interrogation was about. Except on the autoroutes, the legal speed limit in France is 110 kph: the man being interrogated must have been doing at least 150 when he had passed the transporter. The transporter, still moving slowly, pulled out to the left to overtake both cars and Harlow had no difficulty in making out the number-plate of the front car. It read PNIIIK.
Like most major cities, Marseilles has places well worth looking at and others that do not qualify in that category. Certain sections of north-west Marseilles unmistakably belong in the latter category, seedy and run-’down ex-suburban areas, now more industrial than they are residential. The rue Gerard was typical of such an area. While it might barely escape being described as an eye-sore, it was a singularly unprepossessing street almost entirely given over to small factories and large garages. The largest building in the street was a brick and corrugated iron monstrosity about half-way along on the left. Above the huge ribbed metal door was, in foot-high letters, the single word CORONADO.
As Harlow trundled the transporter down the rue Gerard he seemed unmoved by the unlovely spectacle before him. The twins were sound asleep. As Harlow approached the garage the metal door began to roll upwards and as Harlow swung out to make his approach, lights came on inside.
The garage was a cavernous place, eighty feet long and about fifty in width. It seemed ancient in construction and appearance but was about as well-kept, well-swept and clean as anyone could reasonably expect such a garage to be. Lined up against the right-hand wall were no fewer than three Coronado Formula 1 cars, and, pedestal-mounted beyond those, three unmistakable Ford-Cosworth V-8 engines. Nearest the door, on the same side, was a black Citroen DS21. The left-hand side of the garage was given over to rows of lavishly equipped work- benches while at the rear of the garage, stacked head-high, were dozens of crates of spares and tyres. Running both longitudinally and laterally were overhead beams for moving the engines about and for loading up the transporter.
Harlow eased the transporter in and stopped it precisely under the main longitudinal loading beam. He stopped the engine, shook the sleeping twins and climbed down to the garage floor.
Jacobson was there to meet him. He didn’t seem particularly glad to meet him but then Jacobson never seemed particularly glad to meet anyone. He looked at his watch and said grudgingly: Two o’clock. Fast trip.’
‘Empty road. What now?’
‘Bed. We’ve an old villa just round the corner. It’s not much but it serves. We’ll be here in the morning to start loading — after we unload, that is. The two resident mechanics will be here to help us.’
‘Jacques and Harry?’
They’ve left.’ Jacobson looked even more sour than usual. ‘Homesick, they said. They’re always getting homesick. Homesick means too much hard work. New boys are Italian. Not half bad, though.’
Jacobson did not appear to have noticed the back of the transporter until then. He said: ‘What the hell are those marks?’
‘Bullets. Somebody tried to hi-jack us this side of Toulon. At least I think it was an attempted hi-jack but if it was they weren’t very good at their job.’
‘And why the hell should anyone want to hi-jack you? What good could a couple of Coronados be to anyone?’
‘None. Maybe their information was wrong. This is the kind of wagon they use for transporting those very large cargoes of scotch or cigarettes. A million, two million francs a load — something really worth hi-jacking. Anyway, no harm done. Fifteen minutes with a panel-beater and a spray gun and she’ll be as good as new.’
‘I’ll report this to the police in the morning,’ Jacob-son said. ‘Under French law it’s an offence
The four men left the garage. As they did, Harlow glanced casually at the black Citroen. The number-plate read PNIIIK.
As Jacobson had said the old villa round the corner was not much but it served. Barely.
Harlow sat in a chair by the side of a sparsely furnished room which, apart from a narrow bed and some worn linoleum, had as its only other item of furniture another chair which served as a bedside table. The window of the bedroom, which was on street level, had no curtains, just thin gauze netting. Although the room light was out, some faint degree of illumination was afforded by the weak. street lights outside. Harlow twitched the netting fractionally aside and peered out. The mean, narrow little street outside, compared to which the rue Gerard was an arterial highway, was completely deserted.
Harlow glanced at his watch. The luminous hands said that it was two fifteen. Suddenly Harlow cocked his head, listening intently. It could have been his imagination, he thought; or perhaps what he heard was the sound of faint footfalls in the passageway outside. Noiselessly, he crossed to his bed and lay down on it. It did not creak because it was a flock mattress that had a long if probably dishonourable history behind it. His hand reached under the pillow, which was of the same vintage as the mattress, and brought out his black-jack. He slipped the thong over his right wrist then returned his right hand under the pillow.
The door opened stealthily. Breathing deeply and evenly, Harlow partly opened his eyes. A faint shadow stood in the doorway, but it was impossible to recognize who it was. Harlow remained as he was, perfectly relaxed and apparently soundly asleep. After a few seconds, the intruder closed the door as stealthily as he had opened it
