him soon. Meanwhile I will certainly...'
'The police! They sit at maps and contemplate the strategy while the madman moves about at will. I do not believe the police wish to apprehend him! I believe they sit back and rub their hands and place the bets on who is next to die! What has happened to our organization? Where is the influence, the protection, which you and Rudolfi so glibly promise the organization?'
'Please, Paul... I am doing everything in my power. Do not believe that you are the only one who is upset. We are doing everything... believe me everything. And please do not speak so plainly, the telephone is not invulnerable to...'
'Oh, oh, Roxanne — you do not understand the gravity of our situation! Listen to me! It has been very shortly more than three hours since this man makes his announcement. Already gone are de Champs, Korvini, and moments ago, Hebert. No one is safe, no where is safety, he moves about at will — have you heard yet about the attack on Hebert?'
Roxanne sighed. 'No, Paul, I have not...'
'Then let this illustrate the gravity of our situation. Nowhere is safety. How does this man know whereto go? What could be more secure than the casino at Monte Carlo? Hebert is there with a large party. Hundreds of tourists all about. Hebert has declared that he will remain in the casino until the madman is captured. He is called to the telephone. Four bodyguards accompany him. As he is standing at the table in the midst of friends a single shot rings out, a window, above crashes, and Hebert is lying dead in the midst of friends. Now do you understand?'
Roxanne's voice was not overly steady as she told the troubled man, 'I have understood from the beginning, Paul. Please believe that I am doing everything possible, but you too must understand — this is most difficult. I have issued the instructions — Rudolfi is not needed for this. Be assured, everything is being done to intercept the, uh, shipment in question — and the full power of the organization is moving to release you from this terrible pressure. In the meantime, you must exert every possible caution for your own safety.'
'I am going to demand arrest!' Vicareau informed her. 'I will ask the police to place me in protective custody?'
'They will demand from you an incriminating statement, Paul!'
'Better that, Roxanne, than to join de Champs, Korvini, and Hebert!'
'But wait! Wait another hour, Paul!'
'The next hour, Roxanne, could be Paul Vicareau's. No — I will wait thirty minutes. But I will never forget that in my hour of greatest need, Thomas Rudolfi is nowhere to be found. I will never forget or forgive this, Roxanne. Nor will any others.'
'Strength, Paul,' she murmured, 'have strength,' and broke the connection.
Things were falling apart, and she could feel the weight of the entire structure bearing upon her. Yes, Rudolfi, in this hour of greatest need, where are you? What wild plot of personal revenge has sent you scurrying to the south of France while your friends die about you? You and your aces!
'I will call Cici,' she told herself aloud. 'Yes, yes — I must call Cici at once.'
The Executioner was sealed in. And all the time he'd thought he was doing it so cute! The tiny principality of Monaco had become a jug into which Bolan was tightly corked, the cork being represented by swarms of French cops at every road and trail leading out of the jug. Inside, in the bottle, things were not much better. The tourists, he thought, must be getting quite a treat. It would appear that the Prince was changing the guard at every street corner. Uniformed men were everywhere, stopping every one and demanding passports — and the entire area was buzzing with a carnival excitement.
For thirty minutes the Sting Ray cruised about seeking an exit, sniffing out roadblocks and turning back, and now Bolan had to admit that he had goofed. He pulled around in an inspection of the fabulous yacht basin, port o' call for certain Greek millionaires and international luminaries of every ilk, and found the same situation there; retreat by the sea was also cut off. He stopped at a public telephone and, after some delay, succeeded in getting a call through to Cannes.
The vivacious voice came on the line at the second ring, and Bolan told it, 'This is the stand-in. Comment ca va?'
She replied in a rush of French.
He said, 'You know I don't dig that. What's the action? Someone else there?'
She again replied in French.
'Okay, I get it,' he told her. 'You still watching television?'
She said, 'Oh, oui.'
'Nothing of interest there for me yet?'
'Non.'
His sigh carried audibly across the connection. 'I had a hell of a time getting to Hebert. Now it looks like I walked right into it.'
She asked a question, the only part of which he understood was, '...Monte Carlo?'
Bolan replied, 'Yeah. And I'm sealed in. Guess I got too cute.'
In a guarded and almost whispering voice, she told him 'Do not come 'ere, Cheri.'
He said, 'The lamp is lit, eh?'
'No, I could not do even that. Listen, they are everywhere... on the 'ighway, inside the grounds... the eenspectaire jus' walk to the patio for confer... ohhh I have but a meenute and I would say so much. Stay where you are. Can you get to the yacht basin?'
'Are you under arrest, Cici?'
'No no, I tell them and I think they begin to believe, I bring you to Nice, not knowing 'oo you are, and then you 'ave split from Cici, see. They are much eempress, I think, because the Rolls is 'ere and you are not. I ask you, can you reach the yacht basin?'
'I'm looking at it right now. Why?'
'When they leave, I will try to peeck you up in the cruisaire.'
'Nothing doing. You stay put.'
'But what will you do?'
'I guess I'll go to the most unlikely spot and sit my fanny down.'
'What means this?'
'Never mind. Bye, Cici. It's been great.' He hung up, stared at the telephone thoughtfully, then picked it up and placed a call to Nice.
A girl answered, the barest trace of a French accent in her English. 'Let me speak to Dave Sharpe,' he told her.
'May I tell him who is calling?' she requested.
'Tell him it's the man from La Mancha.'
'Pardon me, sir, did you say La Mancha?'
'Yeah. Tell him I'm the used windmill salesman.'
The girl giggled and said, 'One minute please, sir.'
The newsman's exasperated tones clicked on almost immediately. 'This could only be one guy,' he said heavily.
Bolan replied, 'Right, the world's last living fool, but maybe not for long. I'm pinned down and digging a foxhole, maybe for the night. What's the feel from the other side?'
'Panic, sheer panic. You're a tough puncher, friend.'
Bolan said, 'Not tough enough, I guess. Listen, I have to make a tactical withdrawal. Care to handle another story?'
'It's how I earn my living,' Sharpe said, sighing.
'Call it a cease fire, temporary type. It's a little past five o'clock right now. I'll give them until... say eight o'clock to produce the missing items. If nothing has developed by that time, I'm going into a full-scale blitz.'
'That's interesting as hell, in view of the fact that you've already got the whole continent in uproar. Uh, haven't you been watching the telly?'
Bolan said, 'Not constantly. I just spoke to my telly-watching service, though. I got no message.'
