night or so before the assassination. They say they left appropriately obscure messages in the street and lured a man they were convinced was Cain down to the piers, to a fishing boat. Neither trawler nor skipper were seen again, so they may have been right, but as I say, there was no proof. Not even an adequate description of Cain to match against the man led away from the Sarasin. At any rate, that's where it ends.'
You're wrong. That's where it began. For me.
'I see," said Bourne, trying again to infuse naturalness into his voice. 'Our information's different naturally. We made a choice on what we thought we knew.'
'The wrong choice, Monsieur. What I've told you is the truth.'
'Yes, I know.'
'Do we have our compromise, then?'
'Why not?'
'Bien.' Relieved, the woman lifted the wine glass to her lips. 'You'll see, it will be better for everyone.'
'It... doesn't really matter now.' He could barely be heard, and he knew it. What did he say? What had he just said? Why did he say it? ... The mists were closing in again, the thunder getting louder; the pain had returned to his temples. 'I mean ... I mean, as you say, it's better for everyone.' He-could feel -see - the Lavier woman's eyes on him, studying him. 'It's a reasonable solution."
'Of course it is ... You are not feeling well?"
'I said it was nothing; it'll pass.'
'I'm relieved. Now, would you excuse me for a moment?'
'No!' Jason grabbed her arm.
'S'il vous plait, monsieur. The powder room, that is all. If you care to, stand outside the door.'
'We'll leave. You can stop on the way.' Bourne signalled the waiter for the bill. 'As you wish,' she said, watching him.
He stood in the darkened corridor between the spills of light that came from recessed lamps in the ceiling. Across the way was the ladies room, denoted by small, uncapitalized letters of gold that read les femmes. Beautiful people - stunning women, handsome men - kept passing by; the orbit was similar to that of Les Classiques. Jacqueline Lavier was at home.
She had also been in the ladies' room for nearly ten minutes, a fact that would have disturbed Jason had he been able to concentrate on the time. He could not; he was on fire. Noise and pain consumed him, every nerve ending raw, exposed, the fibres swelling, terrified of puncture. He stared straight ahead, a history of dead men behind him. The past was in the eyes of the truth; they had sought him out and he had seen them. Cain ... Cain ... Cain!
He shook his head and looked up at the black ceiling. He had to function; he could not allow himself to keep falling, plunging into the abyss filled with darkness and high wind. There were decisions to make ... No, they were made; it was a question now of implementing them.
Marie. Marie? Oh, God, my love, we've been so wrong! He breathed deeply and glanced at his watch - the chronometer he had traded for a thin gold piece of jewellery belonging to a marquis in the south of France. He is a man of immense skill, extremely inventive ... There was no joy in that appraisal. He looked across at the ladies' room.
Where was Jacqueline Lavier? Why didn't she come out? What could she hope to accomplish remaining inside? He had had the presence of mind to ask the maitre if there was a telephone in the ladies' room; the man had replied negatively, pointing to a box by the entrance. The Lavier woman had been at his side; she heard the answer, understanding the inquiry.
There was a blinding flash of light. He lurched backwards recoiling into the wall, his hands in front of his eyes. The pain! Oh, Christ! His eyes were on fire!
And then he heard the words, spoken through the polite laughter of well-dressed men and women walking casually about the corridor.
'In memory of your dinner at Roget's, Monsieur," said an animated hostess, holding a press camera by its vertical flash-bar. 'The photograph will be ready in a few minutes. Compliments of Roget.'
Bourne remained rigid, knowing that he could not smash the camera, the fear of another realization sweeping over him. 'Why me?' he asked.
'Your fiancee requested it, Monsieur,' replied the girl, nodding her head towards the ladies' room. 'We talked inside. You are most fortunate, she is a lovely lady. She asked me to give you this.' The hostess held out a folded note; Jason