“As it happens, Commissioner, there does happen to be a man from Homicide in France right now.”
“How did that happen?”
“Sergeant Payne-two days ago, anyway-was in Paris, sir.”
“I ordered him to take thirty days’ vacation time!”
“Yes, sir. That’s what he’s doing. He and Mr. O’Hara. Sergeant Payne told his mother, and she told me, that Mr. O’Hara is quite taken with the artistic treasures of the Louvre.”
The commissioner waited for him to go on.
“There is a rumor circulating, sir, that Mr. O’Hara and Mr. Kennedy, the city editor of the Bulletin-”
“I know who he is,” Mariani interjected impatiently.
'— exchanged blows in the city room of the newspaper…”
“No kidding?”
“… and that Mr. O’Hara is on a thirty-day sabbatical from his duties. According to my information-again via Sergeant Payne’s mother-Mr. O’Hara is thinking of writing a book about Festung. Anyway, sir, the two of them are in France.”
“How do we get in touch with them?”
“They are-or were-in the George the Fifth Hotel in Paris, sir,” Washington said. “And Mr. O’Hara, I understand, has one of the new worldwide satellite telephones. It shouldn’t be any problem.”
Commissioner Mariani picked up his telephone.
“Put in a person-to-person call to either Sergeant Matthew Payne or Mr. Michael O’Hara in the George the Fifth Hotel in Paris, France,” he ordered.
Ten minutes later, Commissioner Mariani was informed that both Mr. O’Hara and Mr. Payne had checked out of the hotel that morning and left no forwarding address.
“I knew that was too good to be true,” Mariani said. “What about this around-the-world telephone of O’Hara’s? Can you get the number?”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem, sir.”
“Well, get it. Get them on it. Tell them to call me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you better see who else has a passport… Do you?”
“It’s being renewed, sir.”
“Get somebody else started, in case we can’t get through to Payne. Hell, they may be on their way home.”
A half hour later, Lieutenant Washington telephoned Commissioner Mariani to report that he was having trouble getting O’Hara’s number but he was working on it, and hoped to have it shortly.
He also reported that they had made reservations for someone to fly to Paris. It had yet to be determined who would go, but there would be plenty of time to make the decision. The next available seat to Paris was on a flight leaving New York tomorrow afternoon. When he added that only first-class seats were available, he anticipated the commissioner’s next question:
“It would appear we’re in the tourist season, sir,” Washington concluded.
“In that case, I would suggest that you make every effort to get O’Hara’s phone number,” Commissioner Mariani said. “Keep me advised, Lieutenant. I’m about to tell the mayor we are making every effort to comply with his wishes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Two hours after that, Lieutenant Washington called the commissioner again.
“Sir, I have the number. I had to get it from Mr. Casimir Bolinski. But when I call it, the recording says that it’s been turned off. Probably overnight, sir. I’ll try again in the morning.”
“No,” Commissioner Mariani said, “you, or some one you delegate, will try that number every thirty minutes until someone answers.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Michael J. O’Hara rose at first light and, without disturbing Sergeant Payne, went down the narrow corridor to the communal bath, took one look at it, and decided he would just have to remain unwashed until they found a decent hotel.
Then-with less trouble than he expected to have-he got directions in the form of a hand-drawn map to the Piaf Mill, and got in the Jaguar and drove there.
He had a little trouble getting the shots he wanted. There were half a dozen French gendarmes guarding the place, and when they spotted him, they tried to run him off. But he finally got what he wanted, and even a shot of Isaac “Fort” Festung, standing in the doorway of the ancient mill house.
Then he drove back to Le Relais with a sense of mission accomplished. He had all he needed. He’d wake Matty up, they’d get some breakfast, and then “Sayonara, Cognac-Boeuf! Or whatever the hell this place is called.”
He had already stopped the Jaguar when he remembered he had forgotten to take the telephone with him. He had planned to see how much of a charge it would take plugged into the Jaguar’s cigarette lighter hole.
He went to their room, turned the light on, woke Matty and told him to get his ass out of bed, as soon as they had breakfast they were out of here, and took the telephone down-the battery of which was now really dead, he having apparently failed to turn it off correctly the night before-to the Jaguar.
The clever Englishmen had designed the interior to frustrate him. It took him almost five minutes to find the cigarette lighter hole. It was in the ashtray, mounted in such a position that it couldn’t he seen by the driver unless he bent nearly flat and looked around the gearshift lever.
Matt was just coming into the combined bar and dining room of Le Relais when Mickey finally went in.
Mickey explained that he had had difficulty finding the cigarette lighter holder, but that he had finally succeeded, and the phone was now being charged.
“Maybe not, Mick,” Matt said. “Sometimes the lighter hole is hot only when the ignition is on.”
“Shit!”
Mickey went back out to the Jaguar and immediately discovered that Matt had been in error. The cigarette lighter hole was hot, even with the ignition off. The proof was that the once dead-as-a-doornail device was chirping.
Mickey wondered what the hell Casimir-the only person who had the number-wanted this time of night. It was eight-fifteen here, which meant that it was 2:15 A.M. in the States.
“What’s up, Casimir?”
“That you, Mickey?”
“Yeah. Who’s this?”
“Jason Washington.”
“What the hell do you want?”
“Is Matt somewhere around? And how is he?”
“He’s fine. We’re about to have breakfast. Can I give him a message?”
“Can’t you just give him the phone, Mick?”
“I don’t think the battery will last that long,” Mick said. “This is important? Nothing wrong with anybody?”
“It’s important, Mick. Nothing’s wrong with anyone.”
“Hang on, I’ll get him.”
“This afternoon, huh?” Mickey asked after Matt returned from the Jaguar and reported the gist of his conversations with Lieutenant Washington and a somewhat sleepy-sounding Commissioner Ralph J. Mariani. “It’s a sure thing?”
“So says Mariani. He says Eileen Solomon told him she talked to the embassy.”
“That bastard in the embassy never said a goddamn word to me.”
“Possibly because you forgot to call him.”
“Screw you, Matty. Did they say where?”
“The Palais de Justice in Bordeaux.”
“Well, we better drive over there after we finish breakfast,” O’Hara said.
“Actually,” Matt said, thoughtfully. “It makes a pretty good last act. The fat lady sings. The last act of the
