"Everything was computerized down to minutes, wasn't it?" said Latham breathlessly, his face pale.
"Bless high technology, it microwaves a corned beef sandwich and melts the plastic container.
Now, perhaps, we have won, but only a battle, not the war."
"You've won, Drew." Karin de Vries walked toward him, placing her arms on his shoulders.
"Harry would have been so proud."
"We're not finished, Karin. Harry was killed from within, and so was Moreau. Each was betrayed. So was I, but I was lucky.
Someone has a telescope that looks into the core of our operations.
And that someone knows more about the Nazi movement and the legacy of a mad -general in the Loire Valley than all of us put together.. .. The. strange thing is, I suddenly think I know who it is."
eauvais. Zero hour plus twenty minutes. The general's son arranged for an army vehicle to drive Latham Karin, and the two commandos down to Paris. And, as insignificant things keep occurring during cataclysmic events, their luggage had arrived from the K6nigshof Hotel in Bonn. It was in the back of a van that provided their transportation to the City of Lights, a city that until twenty-one minutes before would have been a city in panic. "We'll stay at the same hotel," said Drew as all bade good-bye to their French colleagues in the Beauvais waterworks and started for the door and the ancient elevator.
"And you two he continued, addressing Captain Dietz and Lieutenant Anthony, "you can tear Paris apart, all expenses paid."
"With what?" asked the captain.
"I don't think we have two hundred francs between us, and our credit cards, along with any other means of identification, are up in Brussels."
"In about four hours, a grateful government of France will supply you with hard cash, say fifty thousand francs apiece. How about it, think it's initially enough? More to come, of course."
"You're nuts," said Anthony.
"No, I'm not, I'm mad. Mad as hell."
"Monsieur, Monsieur Latam!" exclaimed one of the numerous military aides, rushing out of the waterworks office into the dark stone hallway.
"You are wanted on the tiliphone. It is urgent, monsieur!"
"Wait here," said Drew.
"If it's who I think it is, the conversation will be courteous but over quickly." Latham returned with the aide and picked up a phone nearest the door.
"Cons-Op here." The gruff voice on the line told him it was not the man he had expected.
"Well done, chlopak!" fairly shouted Colonel Witkowski from London.
"Harry would have been proud of you."
"I've heard that twice too often, Stanley, but thank you. It was a team effort, same as in hockey."
"You can't really buy that horse shit."
"Oh, but I do, Stosh. And it started with Harry, when he said to that tribunal in London, "I brought out the data, it's your job to evaluate it." We didn't do it right."
"I'll let that pass until we're not on a phone."
"Good idea. The thread's there and we missed it."
"Later," interrupted Witkowski.
"What do you think about Bonn?"
"What do you mean? What about Bonn?"
"Haven't you been told?"
"Told what?"
"The whole damn Bundestag is in flames! There are over a hundred fire engines from all over the place trying to put it out.
Didn't Moreau call you?"
"Moreau's dead, Stanley."
"What?"
"Killed in his own impenetrable underground parking lot."
"Jesus Christ, I didn't know!"
"How could you? You're in London, undercover, I presume."
"When did it happen?"
"Hours ago' "
"Still, the [email protected] is your alternate control. You should have been told about Bonn."
"I guess somebody forgot. It was a crazy night."
"What is it, Drew? You're not yourself."
"Who could be after tonight.. .. You asked me what I thought about the Bundestag fire, so I'll tell you. That son of a bitch Jager was writing his own memoirs. I've got to go, Stosh, there's someone I have to see before the fires go out. Talk to you in Paris."
The foursome had adjoining suites at the Hotel PlazaAth6n6e, where the early sun broke through the drapes of the tall windows. It was 6:37 in the morning, Karin de Vries deep in sleep as Latham crawled silently out of the bed. He had hung up his civilian clothes before disrobing; he put them on and walked through the door into the huge communal sitting room where the two commandos were waiting, both in their innocuous jackets and trousers.
"One of you has to stay here, I told you that said Drew.
"Remember?"
"We flipped for it," replied Dietz, "and you're stuck with the Thin Man, although I think it's a bad option. I'm the superior officer, for