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The early morning gray mist diffused the predawn cool
December light over the calm Mediterranean Sea. It was
impossible to tell where the sea ended and the grey sky
commenced. The water barely moved where it met the small
pebbles of the private beach. Vertical cliffs sealed each
side of the beach from incursion. The shear cliff from the
beach to the road insured that the small tunnel to the
villa's garden was the only possible access.
The first man leaned awkwardly against the cliff. His
glassy dark brown eyes blankly stared at the featureless
seascape. His mouth drooped open like someone who
continually breathed through their mouth. He was not
breathing. He had involuntarily given up the habit earlier
that morning. The second man on the beach did not look at
him, but stood at the water's edge gazing into the gray
mist. His eyes almost as glazed as the dead man's. His
head throbbed from the jet lag and the cascade of events
that had swept him across the Atlantic. John Lewis Strut
thought how impulsive he had been in the past week. He had
transplanted himself from a regulated Midwestern life to the
south of France, where the only one he knew was his host. He
could hardly remember any of his college French from years
ago. Strut's mind drifted back over the years to his
college days at Indiana University.
Strut's reminiscence were partly to clear his mind of
the past and partly an obsession with his despair. Strut
had attended the Indiana University on a scholarship. He
lived at subsistence level the first four years of his
prelaw work. At the end of his Senior year he took a job as
an automobile salesman to try to avoid working part time
during his graduate law terms.
The news paper's advertisement for the job was
intriguing. High income, and a personal car to drive. Some
of his fellow students had paper routes or worked in a fast
food restaurant to earn extra money. This seemed to be on a
higher plan. A promise of high pay, and especially a car,
was perhaps a little out of reason for a short term job. He
had just received his bachelor's degree. He could pretend
that he looked upon this as a potential career.
The agency's show room's gleaming new cars made a
tempting contrast with his eight year old junker, which was
proving less and less reliable. The salesmen moved in and
out of their small cubical offices to deal with several
waiting customers. A large glass enclosed office was
perched above the cubical offices like an eagle's nest.
Strut could see a man standing rigidly before the massive
desk that dwarfed a some what miniature dark complected man
behind it.
Strut filled out the job application given him by an
attractive, but busy and disinterested receptionist. While
he waited for his interview, he imagined himself driving on
campus with one of the more expensive sport cars as his
company car. He cautioned himself that this would be only a
temporary job. He was going on to law school despite the
rather high income and car that the advertisement had
promised. He would make much more money as an attorney, and
not have the stigma of a car salesman. He did acknowledge
to himself that lawyers were not considered that far ahead
of car salesmen when it came to being in line for sainthood,
but to him, the law as a very dignified profession.
The personnel manager sat at a large mahogany desk in a
well-appointed office. She quickly had Strut at ease with
her friendly manner.
"I hope you noticed our new building. Mr. Agina, the
owner, has just finished remodeling the complete agency. It
is one of the most attractive and modern facilities in the
area."
"I'm certainly impressed. It seems like a good
atmosphere to work and shop in."
"We are looking for hard working people who want to
earn good money. We have our own system for selling that
has proven very successful for Mr. Agina. He developed this
system several years ago. It has made him rich, and it
certainly makes a wonderful opportunity for salesman to earn
top dollar in their job. For a young man, like you, there
is plenty of opportunity for advancement to a good
management position. Mr. Strut, are you an ambitious and
hard working man who wants to have a rewarding career?"
"Absolutely. I'm use to working long hours at school,
and I enjoy interaction with other people. I want to have a
career that will give me an exceptional financial reward."
Strut failed to mention that he intended that career to
be the law.
"Good, I'll recommend you to Mr. Agina. If you are
willing to work hard and follow our system, I am sure you
will soon be earning good money. As soon as you have sold
fifteen cars, you'll be eligible for our demonstrator
program. This will give you a new car to drive for you
personal use. We have this requirement to be sure that our
salesmen are not just after a car. I am sure you are
serious and understand."
"How long does it take a salesman to sell his first
fifteen cars?"
"Not too long, usually about a month."
"Fine, can I expect to hear from you soon?"
"Oh yes, I shall call you tomorrow."
The catch in selling fifteen cars to get a new car
dampened Strut's enthusiasm a bit, but he had three months
before the fall term. That would mean two months of a new
car, and from what the advertisement promised, enough money
for a comfortable life next term.
The next day, Strut got his call to start training.
Strut had expected the training program to concentrate on
the product knowledge needed to sell the cars. Very little
time was spent on this aspect of his selling. He was
expected to learn this on the job. The basic lesson that
was repeated and repeated was the technique of not letting
the customer out of the agency until they had purchased a
car. The keystone of this program is to continually turn
the customer over to another salesman or sales manager until
they were worn down under the constantly increasing pressure
to buy. This process is called T.O. (Turn Over). The motto
for the salesman is T.O. or G.O. A salesman who cannot turn
over a customer is not tolerated.
During training, he spent his evenings on the sales
floor. The other salesman seemed compatible. Most of them
had been on the job only a month or so. He ignored all of
their negative comments, but did wonder why the store could
not to keep salesmen for any length of time.
After he finished his week of training, he followed
instructions to see Ms. White in the business office to fill
out the necessary employment documents. Strut entered her
small office in the business section. Strut estimated her
to be about twenty years his senior, but she had a sensuous
figure that she made no attempt to hide with her tight
fitting knit dress. He could see her eyes making a head to
toe appraisal of him. It made him feel a little strange.
Her sly smile and soft, but commanding voice, enhanced the
feeling.
"Have a seat and sign these forms."
There was no "please," or "read these forms," just a
command to sign them. Something in her voice and stare took
away any offense. It was almost a seductive proposition to
sign his employment forms. Strut did read all the forms.
He didn't like reading that when he did get his company car,
he would have a weekly use fee deducted from his pay as well
as several other charges that he was not told at his job
interview. He signed the papers without comment and gave
them to the woman.
"I see you have no dependents. Do you live with your
parents or relatives now?"
"No, I rented a studio apartment after my graduation."
"We have a policy of allowing one hour per day for
meals. Do you cook for yourself?"
"Only occasionally, I do fix my own breakfast."
"The work here is not that strenuous, but the hours are
long. Make sure you get plenty of the proper food to eat.
You look like you could stand a little more meat on your
bones."
Strut thought, what a strange comment. Did she have
mothering instincts? Her commanding, but seductive, tone
continued to make him feel strange. He decided that is was
probably her figure that was giving him this feeling. He
caught himself staring at her breast several times. He
would immediately look up to see her sly smile.
She placed the forms in a folder and stood up. Strut
took this as the sign that this routine, but disquieting,
meeting was at an end. She walked to the door of her small
office to open it for him. Strut thought this a rather
strange gesture from such a commanding woman. She had her
hand on the door knob, but when he reached the door, she had
not opened it. She placed her hand on his arm and squeezed.
"You do need to put some meat on those bones. I'm
going to fix you a good home cooked meal tonight. I'm off
about three hours before you. That'll give me time to
prepare it. I'll pick you up after work. Now go punch this
time card."
She opened the door without giving him a chance to
reply. Strut was upset by the position he was in. She
obviously had an authoritarian position. She didn't even
ask if he would come, or if he had other plans. He had no
other plans, but he did not need anyone to mother him. He
could not see himself interested in an older woman, but
there was something about her that made him interested
enough to accept the challenge of dinner with her. That was
it. He told himself that it was a challenge, not a
submission.
Strut moved onto the show room floor ready to make hisfirst sale. There was not much business that day. He tried
to observe as closely as possible how the established
salesmen worked. Once a customer was taken through the
sales steps to the point of taking a test drive or having
their car appraised, they were trapped for several hours.
The keys for their trade in car could not be located. They
had to wait for another person to answer their question, or
any excuse to keep the pressure on from the revolving sales
team.
When closing time arrived, one of the salesmen still
had a customer. Under the store policy they did not close
until the last customer purchased their car. The salesman,
the sales manager, the finance manager and the car clean up
crew stayed until the car was delivered. It was not a
complete sale until the customer drove their car off the
lot. Any salesman or finance manager that suggested or
allowed the customer to come back the next day was
committing a fundamental sin.
As it was not Strut's customer, he could leave at the
normal closing time. He wondered if Ms. White had teased
him, or if she would really be waiting for him. As he
walked toward his car, one of the agency's demonstrator cars
pulled along side of him.
"Get in Johnny. I've something special for you."
Strut got into the car. He managed to make a small
protest.
"I gave up the name Johnny when I was twelve years old.
My name is John."
"John sounds so cold. With a satisfying meal and
everything, I'm sure you'll be more amenable."
Strut looked at the cleavage her off the shoulder top
revealed. She had changed into the revealing top and
shorts. He knew it was a warm evening, but the view she
presented made him begin to have some fantasies about the
everything comment.
Ms. White lived in a small town house in a new
development. She pressed the garage door opener on her sun
visor as they approached the building. They entered the
kitchen from the garage.
"Everything is still cooking. Come in the living room
and relax. It'll be a while before the food has finished
cooking."
They passed through the dinning area, where the table
was laid, ready for the meal. As soon as they reached the
living room, She removed Strut's tie. It was mandatory for
salesmen to wear ties.
"Get comfortable. It's too hot for ties and long
sleeve shirts."
She proceeded to unbutton his shirt. She gave him a
strong and wet kiss. Her tongue explored the inside of his
mouth searching for his tonsils. Her hands moved across his
chest under his open shirt. He began responding to her
demanding tongue and hands.
"Come with me."
Her voice was still the commanding and had the
seductive tone that she used with him since their first
meeting. Strut was not inexperienced at sex, but he had
never experienced the force and variety this woman gave and
demanded.
Two hours later Strut uttered his first comprehensible
words.
"You're fabulous. I never had such and experience."
"It'll be even better. Sex, like me, improves with
age."
"I don't even know your first name."
"Its Josehpene, but you call me Jo."
There it was again. She didn't say you can call me Jo,
or my friends call me Jo. She made an order. Strut was not
use to this type of relationship with a woman, even if it
was rather subtle. He may be putting more into this than
was there, but it tended to excite him. All of his previous
girl friends constantly sang the baby blues. They whined to
get their way.
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes. I hope dinner isn't burned."
"Don't worry it is on a slow boil, just like me."
Strut emerged from the bathroom and looked for his
clothes. He could hear Jo in the kitchen.
"Where are my things?"
"Oh, you won't need them for a while. I put them
away."
Strut thought it was just like hiding the customer's
keys at the car agency. He headed for the kitchen to
confront his jailer.
He entered the kitchen stark necked. Jo was putting
the food into the serving dishes. She wore only a small
apron and high heels. His resolve for conflict melted
always his desire began to grow at the sight of her.
"How cute, but you need your dinner. I left a robe for
you on the bed. Get it and come to the table."
Again Strut submitted without a word of protest. He
could hardly understand his growing excitement at submitting
to her commands. They were not strong or cruel demands, but
he normally would have had some reaction other than
submission. He was making something out of what was her
normal speaking manner. The idea of her preventing him from
leaving aroused his normal hostile reaction, but he
suppressed it. It increased his excitement. He would play
her game to have her again.
The sheer black robe on the bed gave Strut a shock. It
was not Jo's. It was far too large. It was short, but
definitely cut for a man. He put it on. It came to the top
of his thighs. There was nothing else to wear, so he
returned, as ordered to the dinning table.
"That suits you very well, Johnny. Now let's eat, no
sex until after dinner."
The idea there would be more sex after dinner,
suppressed any protest he might have.
"How do you like your job so far?"
"So far so good, but I've only started."
"You haven't had an opportunity of receiving a tongue
lashing from Mr. Agina yet?"
"No. Is he that bad? What's he like?"
"His father came here from England when he married an
American. His grandfather got to England from Nigeria the
same way. He married an English girl while he was at school
in England. Mr. Agina is a quarter black, and uses it to
his advantage instead of his disadvantage."
"What do you mean?"
"It's all roomers, you understand, but there are enough
strange things going on in the business office to give it a
lot of credence. It is said that his grandfather made a lot
of money by constantly luring some foolish business men to
Nigeria to be part of a swindle against the government
there. They found themselves kidnapped and held for a large
ransom."
"Didn't his grandfather get into trouble?"
"No. The men from England were always in trouble at
home because of their activities, so they didn't prosecute.
The Englishmen would make some small business with Nigeria
before they went there, to make a test of the deal. This
business would always be in violation of British law, and
they were subject to blackmail by the Nigerians."
"What has this to do with Mr. Agina?"
"I understand that he borrowed the money to get into the
car business from his family in England and Nigeria. He
pays them back with strange deals on cars. I don't know how
it works, but I do know we ship a lot of cars out of the
country far below cost."
"I saw in the car warrantee that it is not good outside
of the United States or Canada."
"I don't know how it works, but only his American
relatives are allowed to do work in the accounting office,
and he makes several trips out of the country each year."
"Perhaps it is just for family reasons, or you could be
right he could be doing something strange. Speaking of
something, strange, this robe is a little strange for me."
"I think it is very sexy. Don't you like to turn me
on?"
As she spoke, she rose from her chair, let her apron
fall, and came over to Strut. Her hands rubbed the shear
material, and found their way inside.
"Tell me you want to turn me on, Johnny."
Strut acknowledged that he wanted to turn her on as she
wrapped her fingers around him and pulled him into the
bedroom.
"You like it, don't you Johnny? Tell me you'll do
whatever I tell you to do."
Strut's emotion was growing by the moment. The strange
high he had got from submitting to this woman was
backlashing into demanding lust. He ripped off the robe,
and thrust his desire into her.
"I'm going to have you. I'm going to fuck the life out
of you."
His submissive behavior had vanished. He was in
control. He had more desire and sexual strength than he had
ever had. He stabbed his desire in her like a knife, again
and again. At three in the morning the bed looked like a
battle ground with bed clothes, pillows and the torn robe
scattered around, the still smiling, Jo.
"You must get some sleep. Your clothes are in the
living room closet. I need my sleep too."
Strut got dressed. Just before he left, Jo smiled in
the same sly way.
"Be here at nine o'clock tomorrow night, Johnny."
Strut only said goodnight, and left. Another command.
He would see her only when he was ready.
When he caught a glimpse of her the next day, he knew
he would be ready that evening.
Strut's first sale differed from the standard pattern.
There was an accident at the street corner by the agency. A
late model car ran a stop sign and crashed into the side of
a Chevrolet pick up truck. Strut looked out of the show
room window at the sound of the crash. A moment after the
crash the pickup truck burst into flames. The driver of the
truck and the car both ran from the truck's fire ball.
The driver of the car fell, but quickly got up and
continued his dash to safety. He was about Strut's age and
dressed in casual, but expensive looking clothes. His
clothing was covered with dirt. He looked at himself and
shook his head as he tried to brush the dirt away. He was
slightly over weight, but not fat. He had chestnut hair and
glasses. Strut thought he looked familiar. Neither he nor
the farmer appeared to be hurt, and after the police had
issued the young man a ticket, he walked into the car
agency.
Strut recognized him as a fellow Indiana University
student. He was a popular fraternity man. As he was a
pre-Med. student, their paths had never crossed. As Strut
did not engage in high profile student activities, he was
sure that his fellow student did not recognize him. Strut
greeted him in the prescribed manner, and asked if he were
hurt.
"No I am fine, but I'm late, and I need a car in a
hurry. How much is that red convertible there?"
Strut quoted him the suggested retail price, and
started to point out the special features of one of the most
expensive cars in the show room.
"Never mind all of that. I need a car now. Can I
take it with me if I write you a check? I'm late for a
date with Diana Lutz. We're going to Chicago for the
weekend. If you ever saw her, you would understand my
urgency. I have to change and clean up."
Strut had seen her. She was nick named "Goddess
Diana." She turned down dates on campus one after the
other. Apparently this guy had what it took to get next to
the most fabulous body in the student body.
"Come into my office and I'll get the paper work
started."
"Make it fast. You can call my bank on the check. I
opened up an account here in Bloomington when I started
school. There is plenty there to cover it."
Strut took the order with the check to his manager. His manager told him to get back and sell him their
maintenance package for the car, while he had the finance
officer check with the bank.
"When you finish on the maintenance package sale, take
him to finance. They'll discuss our finance package,
extended warrantee and insurance. Be sure and get a
financial statement from him. Now move it."
"Do we need a financial statement when he is paying
Cash? He wants the car right now."
"We may be able to talk him into financing the car.
Now do what you are told!"
Strut returned to the small office.
"It'll be just a few minutes, Mr. Carpenter. I'll show
you our excellent maintenance package that we have available
for our customers. You won't have to worry about all of the
normal maintenance cost, and it will assure that you have
the proper protection under your warrantee."
"I'll take it. Just get me that car and let me out of
here."
"Fine. Can I get some personal information from you
for our finance department, so that they can process
everything?"
"Look, I am not financing the car. I am paying cash. I
don't have time to play games. Either you get me going in
that car, or I'll call a taxi and buy a car someplace else."
Strut hurried to his manager.
"He won't make out a financial statement. He says he
is paying cash. He purchased the maintenance plan, but said
if he can't get the car now, he is calling a taxi to go to
another dealer. He's really in a hurry."
"We have his check, and we are going to have a shot at
selling our finance and warrantee package. Get him to the
finance office."
Strut managed to get Bob Carpenter into the finance
office, where he promptly purchased the extended warrantee
program, but refused to discuss financing the car with them.
Strut had the car ready for his customer, and wished him a
nice weekend.
"It should be sensational. Diana promised me a
fantastic weekend in Chicago. She wants to get her wardrobe
for the fall there."
As Bob Carpenter roared out of the agency, Strut mused
that Diana planned a fantastic weekend draining his bank
account dry.
Strut calculated his commission on the sale. It was
unusual to sell a car for full list price. His commission
was based upon the difference between the selling price and
the invoice price less various charges. He should also
receive a generous commission for selling the maintenance
plan and an additional commission for the purchases Mr.
Carpenter made in the finance office. If every day was like
this, he would have a good financial reserve. He was also
one step closer to his company car.
The other salesmen were quick to meet any prospect that
came into the agency. He was beginning to understand that
you had to be aggressive to meet the customers before they
got in the door. He spotted a lady and a younger woman
getting out of their car. He didn't run to their car, but
he moved quicker than his fellow vultures. The younger lady
was first to speak.
"My mother is looking for some basic transportation
that is comfortable and economical."
"I am sure that we can find a car that will meet your
needs. Do any of these cars out in front interest you?"
The older woman seemed to be short of breath as she
spoke.
"Is this blue one expensive?
"It is an especially good value. Let me show you
some of its features. I think you will find that it may
meet your needs."
Strut walked them around the car pointing out the
features of the vehicle. When they had returned to the
driver's door he opened it and said, "Try out the drivers
seat."
The woman had been breathing harder and harder during
the presentation. As she stepped forward to enter the car,
she fell to the ground.
"Oh mother! What is it?"
"I'm all right. It must be the heat."
The woman was now getting up with Strut's assistance.
"I am taking you to the doctor. Could you help us to
our car?"
"Strut helped the lady to the car, and wished them well
as the drove off."
As soon as Strut returned to the sales room, the public
address system was sounding a request for him to go to Mr.
Agina's office.
Strut had only met Mr. Agina briefly during his
training session. At that time he was rather boring in his
presentation of the proper way to get a financial statement
from the customers.
The volume and emotion with which Mr. Agina spoke,
alarmed Strut.
"What kind of an idiot are you? You not only let those
customers leave without a T.O., but you helped them into
their car."
"The lady became very ill, and her daughter was taking
her to the doctor."
"I don't give a fuck if she were dead. You T.O. your
customers before they leave here."
Agina had a pen in his hand and threw it across the
room as he made his final statement.
"Don't ever argue with me. You will never win. Now,
idiot, you learn how to treat a customer. If I see you
letting a customer go without a T.O. again, I personally
kick your ass out of this store. Get out may office and
sell some cars."
Strut had received all of the commands he could take
from Jo. This fuming little monster was not going to treat
him like that. He turned walked to the door, looked back at
Agina, and said, "Go to hell!"
Strut walked to his cubical, and picked up everything
that was his, including copies of the one and only sale that
he had made. He was so angry that he spoke to no one. He
got into his car and drove to the freeway. He took his
frustration out on the accelerator. After about twenty
miles, he began to cool down. He reduced his speed.
Without a job, he did not want to pay any fines.
It was early evening, when he returned from his drive
to nowhere. He stopped at a fast food restaurant and got
some food to take home. He wanted to talk to someone about
Agina. He decided to see Jo. She had told him about
Agina's abusive manner. He was not going there for her sex.
He certainly was not going to tolerate any orders from
anyone.
When Jo opened her door, she was wearing a man's shirt,
and obviously nothing else. As soon as he was inside the
door, she gave him her usual passionate kiss.
"I heard about you and Agina. I like a man who stands
up to other men."
Her hands were busy undressing him as she spoke.
"I can tell your upset, Johnny. You do what I tell you
and you'll feel better. We'll work everything out."
She was working something out of him.
"Tell me you want to fell better."
"I feel all right. I wanted to find out more about
Agina."
"Johnny, you came here because I told you to, and for
this. I'll make you fell good. Now tell me you'll do what
I say."
Her hands were more persistent.
"Tell me, Johnny!"
"OK I'll do what you say."
She led him to the bedroom. Her exotic, repulsive
demands became more and more forceful. Strut finally
rejected them in an explosion of driving sexual attacks. He
vent his anger and sexual frustration to the delight of his
bed partner.
Each time he left her house, he received a more forceful
command to return. Each time he vowed never to return.
Every night that summer he broke his vow.
Strut took a menial job for the summer. When school
started in the fall, Strut was able to avoid Jo most of the
time. He was covered up with his studies. Pre-law was
nothing like this. His work load kept him busy most of the
time.
He had dates with coeds close to his own age, and
developed some lasting friendships with other students. He
and two male students, one in Law School and the other in
Business school became close friends.
During the next two years, he managed to do well at his
studies, and get summer jobs as a law clerk in a top law
firm in Indianapolis. This helped him to break his
relationship with Jo. Each time he had a serious problem or
was under stress, he would see her. It was like an
alcoholic turning to the bottle to help solve his problems.
He never forgot the raging Agina. He put his own rage away
in a corner of his mind. It would simmer there for years.
Strut watched his best friend, R. C. Roberts, go
through the pain of quitting smoking. Roberts described how
all of the nicotine receptors in his mouth would burn and
ache for another dose of the poison from a cigarette. He
tried to give it up for months, and after a bout with the
flue he was able to stop. Roberts confessed that when he
was board or under stress he would ache for one. He would
tell himself he was an intelligent person, not a sucker who
destroyed himself to make others rich. Strut compared his
friend's ordeal with his own struggle to give up Jo. He
never told any of his friends about Jo. It made it more
forbidden and more exciting to have it secret. Both he and
his friend escaped from their addiction just before the last
year of school.
In Strut's last year of law school his emotions were
centered in another direction. He met a girl that
completely captivated him. His hormones were taking control
of his entire life. So was Patty Dombroski. He decided the
only way he could get himself under control was to marry
her. He did not turn to Jo for escape from this problem.
He looked at Patty as his escape from Jo.
Roberts warned him that Patty was on the rebound, and
told him of her affair with Bob Carpenter and its disastrous
end. The details of this miss-adventure only increased
Strut's lust for Patty. Strut knew that a wife would give
him some stability in life.
He had a strong ambition to do well, but his sex drive
was stronger. He had known Patty for only a few months. She
not only satisfied his lust, but pushed him to be an
achiever. She made sure that he kept up his work as well as
draining him of the last drop of desire. She seemed the
ideal wife.
Roberts, who was some what of a busy body, had served
some time in the army before entering the university and was
five years his senior. Strut now wished he had listened
more seriously to what his friend had to say. He could hear
Roberts giving him the fatherly advice now.
"John, think twice about Patty. I know she is a
beauty, but every one knows what she did to Bob Carpenter.
I would hate to see you meet the same fate."
"He's just talking sour grapes."
"Maybe, but Bob's old man got in the sack with her.
That cost him a bundle, and nearly sent Bob around the
bend."
"I'm from Indianapolis too. Its public knowledge what
a dirty old man Doctor Carpenter is. He's in constant
trouble with young women. You have to admit Patty is very
sexy and the old dog got out of control."
"It takes two to tango, John."
"Forget it Roberts. She's right for me."
"O.K. John, I just felt I should say something. I'll
never say another word about it."
Patty was the oldest daughter of a large family in Gary
Indiana. Her father was many of the first generation Polish
steel workers who worked in the once teaming mills along the
shores of Lake Michigan. He drank up and gambled away most
of his pay check.
He abused his wife and children out of frustration with
his life. Patty's mother repeated the story over and over
of how she could have married a doctor and had a fine life,
but she married for love instead, and ruined her life.
Patty had to work to buy any clothes that were not cast offs
from her more affluent cousins. After the age of nine, she
had to do all of the housework. She swore to herself that
she would not make the same mistake as her mother.
Patty made her escape from her family via a scholarship
to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Her mother
was unhappy to lose her house keeper. She reminded Patty
that Indiana University, in addition to being the state
university for law and a host of other subjects, was the
state's largest medical school. She admonished her daughter
to find a doctor.
"You can fall for a doctor as easily as any bum." Was
her motherly advice.
Patty made an effort to find her doctor. She found her
catch in Robert Carpenter from Indianapolis. He came from a
medical family. He was a B.M.O.C. A Big Man On Campus. He
was active in fraternity, and all other social life on
campus. Patty was a sensuous looking woman, but still had a
stylish appeal about her. She worked hard to bringing class
to her earthy sex appeal.
She made herself a woman that Robert could be proud of
in her looks and style with his piers, but when they were
alone, Patty probed every facet of the sexual menu. Patty
finally discovered a slight crack in his doorway to sexual
fantasy. As it was some what perverse, she made it even
more exciting to him as she encouraged him down its
forbidden path. Step by step she led him on each night
until all other sex was unsatisfying. He would do anything
to meet her demands.
Patty liked the social life on campus, but was more
interested in keeping Robert to herself and seeing that he
kept up with his studies. Robert moved more and more away
from his old crowd, determined to marry Patty.
At Thanksgiving break he asked her to come home with
him to meet his parents. Patty happily agreed, but insisted
that they could not have sex while they were at his parents.
She wanted to have the respect of his parents. Robert
grudgingly agreed during an evening with Patty when she gave
him a hint of the next step that they would take in their
fanciful sexual journey when they returned from the break.
Robert's parent's home was larger than most of the Frat
Houses on campus. The Tutor style home sat on about five
acres of rolling lawn in the most exclusive section of
Indianapolis. A servant opened the door and said that
Doctor and Mrs. Carpenter would be returning in about an
hour. He showed Patty to a guest room, where she unpacked
and languished in the kind of surroundings that she had only
seen on television programs.
She met Robert in the living room for coffee. Robert
said, "There's something that I should tell you about my
parents. My father is obviously a successful doctor, but he
has been somewhat of a womanizer. My mother has become
addicted to tranquilizers and alcohol as a result. That's a
very dangerous combination. She started consulting a
psychiatrist with her frustrations, and he has her hooked on
tranquilizers. He gets big fees, and my father doesn't
mind. My mother is placid, so father doesn't get any grief
from her. It's sad but if she acts strange it's not because
of you it's just her state of mind. My father almost
married a young nurse once, but she tired of him before it
went through."
" Don't worry Robert. I'm sure we'll have a fine time."
Patty looked around the room and compared it to her
parents home. She grew up in a small apartment sandwiched
between her grandmother's apartment above and her aunt's
below. Patty called their furniture sticks. It consisted
of cheap modern furniture and cast off pieces from
relatives. Patty could remember her father would come home
after stopping a few hours at the tavern. Patty could not
satisfy him with the way she kept house. She would receive a
beating as her punishment for being the oldest child
responsible for the housework.
What a contrast, here there were servants to do all of
the work. The furniture was a combination of antiques and
expensive contemporary pieces. It was like the houses that
she had seen in magazines. They really do exist, she
thought, and I'm here, and I'm going to have it for myself.
No matter what!
Robert said, "You like it here, don't you?"
"Oh yes Robert. I've never been in such a lovely
place. I hope that someday we could have a home like this."
"My father had quite a hard struggle after his
internship and residency to have all of this. I have a long
way to go to afford a life like this. Father has done quite
well financially. He's in the doctor business. Perhaps he
could have been a better doctor from a medical point of
view, but that's not what counts today I guess. He insists
that I know the value of a dollar and doesn't give me enough
money to be independent. When I was in pre-med, he let me
have plenty of money. I had an accident with my car, and
purchased a new one without consulting him. He put me on a
tight budget after that. I suppose that's O.K., but I feel
that I could do better if I were more financially
independent."
"We'll be all right Robert, I'll help you. Everything
here is so gorgeous it takes my breath away."
"Would you like to see some of the rest of the house?"
"Oh yes."
"This is the dining room. It's not so large, but my
father invites most of the local notables here to dinner.
They make good paying patients."
"Don't be so sarcastic Robert. I'm sure they have
lovely times here."
"In here is the library. Father uses it for after
dinner brandy with his buddies. The leather chairs and
men's club atmosphere make a good stage for him. I'm sure
that he hasn't read any of the books in here."
"It is an impressive room."
"This use to be mother's favorite room. It has a grand
piano and organ. She played them very well when I was
young. She's given it up now. I set in here sometimes, and
listen to the stereo. I still enjoy classical music, the
same as her."
"You are very close to your mother, aren't you?"
"Yes, I feel sorry for her now."
"Do you hate your father?"
"Not at all, I wish everything had worked out better
with him and mother."
Patty was beginning to understand a little more the
bases for his sexual tact.
"Does your father still have other women?"
"He seems to have settled down now. As I said before,
he was all set to marry a young woman a couple of years ago,
but she decided on a younger man. It was quite a shock to
his ego. I do have some understanding for him. We both
need a lot of sex. You know I do. He tells me that mother
is frigid. It would be hard to live without sex. You know
I couldn't exist without you."
"That works both ways, Robert. I want it from you as
much as you do from me."
Robert took his cue, slid his arm around Patty, and
kissed her. His hand moved to her breast.
"Not now Robert! You promised. I don't want to give
your mother a bad opinion of me. I'm sure that she is very
sensitive to this sort of thing. I want to be friends with
your parents. I can't do that if I give them the wrong
impression."
"Let me show you the solarium."
They walked into the glass walled room filled with
exotic plants. The tropic like setting made a sharp
contrast with the cold Midwest November outside where the
leaves had all fallen from the trees. They had been all
cleared away leaving hundreds of naked black tree limbs
scratching against the gray sky. Robert looked out the
glass wall facing the front of the house and said, "Here
comes father now. Let's meet him at the front door."
Patty looked at the long black car winding its way up
the driveway, and a new excitement began to build within
her. By the time they reached the foyer, Doctor Carpenter
was giving his black cashmere top coat to the man servant.
He was not as tall as Robert, and was a little over
weight, but had a well groomed and polished look, even at
the end of a work day. A gold frame oil painting hung
directly behind him. From Patty's prospective the gold
framed his full head of silver hair. She could not help but
contrast this with the home coming of her own father. He
would be dirty, scruffy and smelling of stale beer. He was
always angry, and she feared a beating every evening.
"Father I'd like you to meet my friend, Patty. Patty
this is my father."
Doctor Carpenter immediately beamed an approving smile.
He took Patty's right hand in his and put his left hand at
her elbow making a small embrace of her arm.
"It is a real pleasure to meet you, Patty. Bobby has
told me how lovely you are. I'm afraid that any words would
be inadequate. You are so welcome to our home."
"Thank you for having me." Patty's eyes locked on to
his intense staring steel blue eyes, as she gave a slight
smile and squeezed his hand. She continued to say, "The
beauty of you home is overwhelming. I'm especially
impressed with your library. It is so masculine and strong.
I believe a person's home reflects their true nature. Don't
you?"
"I never gave it much thought, I just know what makes
me feel good."
Robert interrupted their gaze. "Isn't mother with
you?"
Doctor Carpenter finally released Patty's hand, cleared
his throat and said, "She's at her doctor's office. He was
behind in his appointments. She'll be along in a taxi. May
I offer you two a drink?"
As they walked toward the living room, Patty said,
"Nothing hard for me. It makes me loose my inhibitions too
easily."
Doctor Carpenter smiled and said, "We'll have to
remember that. What would you like Bobby?"
Robert was becoming a little upset with the attention
that Patty was giving his father, and some of her comments
about his father's masculine nature. He snapped, "Scotch!"
"Good, one Scotch and two Perriers it's too early for
anyone's inhibitions to get out of control."
Doctor Carpenter gave the drink order to Kenneth, the
man servant, settled himself in his favorite chair, turned
to Robert and said, "I've some great news for you Bobby. You
know I've told you about Doctor Cohen's new nerve fusion
operating technique. Well I've arranged for you to witness
a very special operation. It's at the Mayo Clinic. A very
important person is flying in from Nigeria to have the
operation. He's a tribal prince, or something like that.
Very close to top people in the government there. The
operation has been delayed for weeks trying to get
permission for him to come. He can only stay for the
treatment. A great deal of money is involved. This
technique is still experimental, but if he gets it worked
out to its final form it will be the start of a great
advance in the entire field. There's really a lot more to
it than this operation. It will take years to develop the
entire program. This is a chance for you to be in on the
start of a new field. I hope you appreciate what an
opportunity this is."
"I'm sure it is an opportunity, but I'm not sure that
neuro-surgery is what I want."
"Don't be a fool Bobby. There's more to this than
surgery. This can mean a fortune, if you learn your stuff,
and stick it out a few years. Doctor Cohen owes me a favor
from way back, and I got him to promise to let you in on
this. If it weren't for my commitments here, I would love
to be starting in on this."
"O.K. I guess it can't hurt to see what it is all
about. When is the operation?"
"Damn right it won't hurt. The operation is Friday.
I've booked you on a flight late tomorrow afternoon, and you
can return on Saturday afternoon. We'll still have our
Thanksgiving meal tomorrow noon. This will not only be good
for you to see, but Doctor Cohen can be of a great help
getting you a good residency. You know that it's not that
far away, and good positions are hard to come by."
"You know I'd planned for Patty and me to spend the
weekend with you and mother. It is very important to me."
"Don't worry about Patty. Your mother and I'll look
after her. I'm sure that she'll understand. Besides it
will be an opportunity for us to get to know Patty better.
You don't mind, do you Patty?"
"Of course not. I think it's wonderful that you're
helping Robert in this way. I don't want to impose on you
and Mrs. Carpenter. I could take the bus back to
Bloomington."
"Nonsense! It's only a little over a day, and you can
return to Bloomington with Bobby as you had planned. I'll
certainly enjoy your company and I'm sure Mrs. Carpenter
will feel the same. It's all settled then. Ah, at last,
Kenneth is here with the drinks. Here's to a good
Thanksgiving. I think we all have a lot to be thankful
for."
Mrs. Carpenter arrived by taxi, and seemed pleased to
see Patty, but had little to say during the dinner, and
retired early.
Patty had a little trouble with Robert that evening in
convincing him not to come to her room, but with promises of
things to come, he finally gave up and went to his room.
The Thanksgiving meal started promptly at noon the next
day so Robert would have plenty of time to make his late
afternoon flight. The meal was truly a feast with a
different wine with each course. Patty was impressed with
the elegance of the table and service. Doctor Carpenter did
not restrain his wife from having all the wine she wanted
with each course. Patty could see that she was gradually
taking more than she could handle. Doctor Carpenter said
more than once that it was a holiday and everyone should
drink up. After the meal, all of the little group moved to
the living room for coffee. Doctor Carpenter reminded
Robert to be sure and thank Doctor Cohen for the opportunity
he was giving him. Kenneth soon appeared and said that had
Robert's luggage was in the car, and it was best that they
leave for the airport. Doctor Carpenter told Robert that he
had reserved a room at the same hotel that he always stayed
at in Minneapolis.
Patty walked with Robert to the foyer. Doctor
Carpenter's chair dominated not only the living room but the
foyer. As Patty walked into the foyer she looked at Doctor
Carpenter with a small smile, then she turned to Robert and
gave him long passionate kiss. As Robert moved to the door,
his passion was obvious. Before returning to the living
room Patty turned to the hall mirror and fixed her makeup.
She could see Doctor Carpenter watching her intently in the
reflection of the mirror as she slowly applied her lipstick.
Patty returned to the living room and said, "I hope
Robert has a safe and profitable trip."
"Oh Bobby will do fine, I'm sure." Doctor Carpenter
said as he walked toward the table with the drinks on it.
He turned to his wife and said, "Would you like another
brandy my dear? I think we can have one more to top of our
meal. You'll have one too, won't you Patty?"
Mrs. Carpenter readily agreed to another drink,
although she was almost dozing. Patty said, "I shouldn't. I
feel a little buzzy, but the last one gave me such a warm
glowing feeling."
As Mrs. Carpenter took her drink she said, "I'm very
tired, but I'm like Patty it gives me such a pleasant
feeling."
"Have this one may dear, and then have a little nap
before dinner."
"Oh, I had so much to eat that I don't think I can eat
anything for two days."
Mrs. Carpenter was almost asleep by the time she
finished her drink. Doctor Carpenter rang for her maid and
said, "Jane would you help Mrs. Carpenter to bed? I think
she could use a little rest. It's been a big day for her."
The maid helped Mrs. Carpenter off. Doctor Carpenter
turned to Patty and said, "I'm afraid that my wife over
indulges once in a while. I've worked very hard to acquire
this life style. She and I worked together to get where we
are. I fear that it burned her out. When she was younger
she was a very sensual woman, but the struggle to get here
has drained her zest for living. It's a shame that
financial success has the reverse affect on her."
"It must be a strain for you now."
"When I was in school, like Bobby is now, I had a
desire to become a great surgeon or scientist, but I also
had a passion for her that I couldn't put out. She wanted
all the fine things in life, and I followed the course to
get as much money as I could. We married too soon. Bobby's
mother was a very demanding woman in what she wanted and
what she wanted to be in the community. It took a lot of
money, and I must admit that I have developed a taste for
the things that money can buy also. When we did have plenty
of money I begin to enjoy it, but her attitude changed. She
cooled toward physical life, and developed other interest.
I'm afraid her main interest became alcohol.
I could see some of my class mates advancing in their
fields, like Doctor Cohen. I felt left behind in the world,
but when I talked to Doctor Cohen, he felt the same about
his life. He hasn't had the financial rewards that I have
had and he felt that he had chosen the wrong path. The
grass is always greener on the other side."
Doctor Carpenter's tone became more serious as he
continued.
"I hope this is something that doesn't happen to you
and Bobby. You strike me as the kind of woman who can live
life to the full. Bobby has a long and grueling time ahead
of him. I'll help him, of course, but being a doctor
doesn't automatically make you rich. I would hate to see it
change you and keep Bobby back. Don't get me wrong, Patty.
I'm sure you and he are willing to make the sacrifices. I
shouldn't judge this situation on my own mistakes. I just
think you are the vibrant kind of woman Bobby should meet
when he has made it."
"Oh, I know what it means to be a young doctor's wife.
I'm quite ready to help him all the way." The alcohol had
loosened Patty's tongue and better judgment enough for her
to continue. "And besides, I don't think any one who has
made it would take me seriously."
"You're very wrong there, Patty. You're the kind of
woman that a man would love to take seriously."
Patty did not respond, but sat starring at him. Doctor
Carpenter returned the stare in silence. He finally said,
"Do you have an interest in medical techniques?"
"Everything interests me, but I'm afraid that I don't
have the background to understand the technical language."
"Come into the library. Perhaps I can show you
something that Doctor Cohen is working on. I'll try to
explain what it means."
When Patty stood the alcohol had a dizzying effect on
her and she felt quite light headed. Her steps were very
unsteady as her high heels sank into the thick carpet. By
the time they reached the library she was very unsteady.
Doctor Carpenter steadied her with his arm around her, and
said, "Are you all right, Patty?"
"I think I've had to much to drink. I told you
drinking affects me."
"Yes, I remember. Set here on the sofa. You'll feel
better."
"You must think I'm just a foolish girl. This room is
like you, powerful, strong, and masculine. It makes me feel
so...so.. I am a foolish girl. What were you going to show
me?"
"You're not a girl, Patty. You're a woman with all the
feelings and desires of a woman."
Doctor Carpenter took his hand and turned her face
toward his and kissed her. Patty responded passionately.
Their hands moved over each others bodies with a demanding
urgency.
"Let me take you to your room."
"No. I want it here in this room. I want it now! You
can do anything here."
It was Patty who did everything. Without the comforts
of the bed, the incongruous setting simulated the eroticism
of the sex. The large leather sofa glistened with the
perspiration from the two nude bodies. Patty lay on top of
the contented but exhausted doctor. Patty brushed his hair
back and said, "You must think I'm mad, but something about
this room and you turned all the switches on. I guess the
alcohol let me keep them on."
"I really brought you in here to show you about
switches in the mind. You know our whole life is responding
to electrical impulses from our senses to the mind. Just
like with you, chemicals and impulses make up our entire
lives as we know them. That's what Doctor Cohen is working
on."
"Well, something worked on me. It may have been
disastrous for my life, but I couldn't stop once I let it
take hold of me. I feel upset that it happened, but I feel
so good."
"I've never had such a good feeling in my life, Patty."
Patty caressed his face and kissed him gently. The
library door opened.
"You whore!"
Robert dashed across the room, jerked Patty up and
through her against the large desk. He turned toward his
father and spat in his face. He screamed, "I hate you
both!"
Robert turned and ran from the room and up the stairs
to his own room. The door slammed so hard that it shook the
solid house to its roots. Patty lay weeping. She sobbed,
"Oh God! Oh God! What am I going to do?"
Doctor Carpenter sat in a slump on the sofa. His
punched belly sagged with the rest of him. He looked as if
he had aged twenty years. After a few minutes he wiped the
spit from his face and looked at Patty.
"Are you hurt Patty?"
"Just my life is broken. The body is O.K. Are you all
right?"
"I'll be all right."
"What about Robert?"
"I'm sure he's in his room like a little boy. Since he
was small he always ran there and pouted whenever he had
trouble. He needs a little time to cool down. I think it's
best that you go back to Bloomington now. Don't worry.
Everything will be all right. Write down your phone number
and I'll call in the morning. I'll have Kenneth drive you
back. I'm sorry that I can't myself, but I have to attend
to Bobby and matters here."
"Of course, I can go. Are you sure you'll be all
right?"
Doctor Carpenter was almost dressed by now.
"Yes I'll be O.K. Please get your things together as
quickly as possible and I'll talk to Kenneth."
When Doctor Carpenter called Kenneth into the living
room, He had himself under complete control as if nothing
had happened.
"What the hell happened that you brought Bobby back?"
"The flight was canceled. The plane didn't leave
Atlanta because of bad weather. The next flight connecting
to Minneapolis isn't until nine this evening. It was too
long a time to wait until then. We did get reservation on
the later flight."
"Do you know what happened here when Bobby returned?"
"I assume there was some sort of disagreement between
Mr. Robert and his friend."
"That is the understatement of the year. I want you to
drive Miss Dombroski back to Bloomington as soon as she is
ready. I think we need to let the situation cool down a
little. I'm sure that we can work everything out, and by
Christmas life will look much brighter for all of us,
including you Kenneth. Don't you agree?"
The implied promise of an extra Christmas bonus was not
lost on Kenneth. He had profited from his employer's
problems in the past.
"I'm sure that everything will be fine by then sir. I
shall do my best to be of any assistance that I can."
Doctor Carpenter sat back in his chair and fixed his
gaze on the foyer. To see him, you would have the
impression that he was sleeping with his eyes open.
Eventually Kenneth returned and said, "Miss Dombroski is
ready to leave sir."
Kenneth took her bag to the car. Patty turned to
Doctor Carpenter and said, "I don't know what to say.
What's going to happen?"
Patty started into the living room as she spoke.
Doctor Carpenter did not rise from his chair. He simply
said, "You must go now Patty. I'll get everything under
control. I promise you I'll call you in the morning. Don't
worry."
"Oh, I know you can handle everything. You're a strong
and determined man. Just don't you forget that. I'll talk
to you tomorrow."
After Patty left, Doctor Carpenter sat motionless with
only the floor clock's tic-toc recording of time slipping
away to break the silence of the room. Finally, as if
waking from a deep sleep, he made a barely audible mumble,
"Strong and determined...Hump!"
He stood, took a deep sigh, and walked in a very
determined stride across the room, into the foyer, and up
the winding stairs to Robert's room.
"Lecher!" Was the response to his knock. Doctor
Carpenter opened the unlocked door, entered and said, "No
doubt right."
"I could kill you!"
"That might solve all of my problems, but it would
multiply yours no matter what you think now."
"How could you do it? You know what she meant to me."
"You mean how could we do it. She and I, I mean. I
admit I was a dirty old man acting like an adolescent. I
didn't rape her you know."
"That's no excuse. You got her drunk and took her in."
"Believe what you want Bobby. Whatever I say, I can't
changed what happened, nor can I change what you think of me
or what I think of myself. I hope it will make both of us
grow up. It's time you did, and long past time that I did."
"You still think of me as a child you can maneuver,
don't you?"
"You aren't a child Bobby. You're in you last year of
medical school, and it's time that I gave you the chance to
be a man in every way. I think it's time you get out of the
juvenile atmosphere you have been in on campus. I'm going
to get you an apartment, and replace that old convertible of
yours. You're a real man now, facing all of the problems of
an imperfect world populated with imperfect people. You
need to take responsibility for yourself."
"You're just trying to bribe me. Just like you did
when I was a boy. Give me a new toy, and everything will be
all right."
"It's not a bribe. It's allowing you to stand on your
own. As for me, I am going to give up my foolishness and
act my age. I promise you I'll be a good husband to your
mother. If she had been the one who came into the library,
I think it would have finished her. Despite all I have
done, I love her. I am going to get her out of the clutched
of that leach dope pushing psychiatrist. I'm going to start
doing something for medicine, not just the bank account."
"You get religion or something? It's a little late
isn't it?"
"Think what you like, Bobby, but this old fool is
changing his ways. It took a shock, but that is that. I
think you probably don't want to be around here or
Bloomington right now. Go on to Minneapolis for the rest of
the weekend. Your plane and room are booked. When you get
back to Bloomington, I'll have put enough money in your bank
account there to get an apartment, a new car and for living
a proper life. Use it or not as you see fit. I hope by
Christmas this will all be behind us. Come home then, and
you'll see some change in your mother. It will take a long
time with her. I can promise that I'm going to give it all
the time I have. I hope that you care enough about her,
whatever you think of me, to give her a chance."
Robert did not respond. His father turned to the door
and said, "Don't make your mother pay for my mistakes.
Don't you pay for them either."
Robert made no appearance at dinner time. Doctor
Carpenter had a few sandwiches and milk. About eight
o'clock a taxi came for Robert. Neither Robert nor his
father made any attempt to speak to each other before he
left.
Early the next morning Patty awoke to her telephone's
insistent call. She smiled at the sound of Doctor
Carpenter's voice.
"I'm sorry to call you so early, but I didn't know your
plans for the day. I wanted to be sure and talk to you. I
regret what happened here yesterday, but there's nothing
either of us can do to change that. I think Bobby will get
over it O.K. I'm sure that you agree it would be wrong for
us to make a greater mistake by seeing each other again.
I'm sending you something in the mail. Please don't be
offended, it's something I want to do."
"I do want to see you again. What am I to do? I need
to talk to you. What did Robert say?"
"Bobby is upset, but I'm sure everything will work out
for you. Think about it. There is really nothing we can do
for each other except make things worse. I have to leave
for the hospital now. You'll be O.K. All the best."
The phone was dead before Patty could say anything.
"All the best....Shit!"
For the next few days all of Patty's attempts to reach
Doctor Carpenter were frustrated by his office staff or
Kenneth. Patty opened her mail. There was a cashier's
check with no indication of the payer.
"What does he think I am, a whore?"
She looked at the zeros on the check.
"Well, if I am a whore, I'm a very well-paid one."
In the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas it
became clear to Patty that she had lost Robert, and his
father had no further interest in her. All of Robert's
friends were polite, but cool to her. At the best, they
treated her like she was still Robert's girl, and not to be
dated despite all of her signals of availability. She
literally bumped into John Strut at the Student Union. She
could tell that she had more of an impact on him than their
physical collision. Three months later Strut was asking her
to marry him.
After graduation, Strut joined his friend's father's
law firm. R.C. Roberts was pleasantly surprised at the
solid domestic life Strut and Patty established over the
next ten years. Strut had progressed in the law firm in the
corporate section. He was an expert at making financial
plan presentations and prospectus for client's funding
projects. John had become as much a project salesman to the
investment bankers as he was a good securities lawyer. The
investment banking community was small in Indianapolis
compared to New York or Chicago, but for this reason he was
able to move up fast with the growing industrialization of
the area. Patty had a large home with domestic help and all the
appointments of a successful man's wife. It did not match
the overstated opulence of the Carpenter family, but
considering where she had started and where she was, Patty
was quite pleased with herself, even a little bored.
Strut always read the Indianapolis Star at breakfast,
and she would glance through it after he left. She usually
concentrated on the society page and the advertisements. On
this day she took a deep breath at the paper's lead item
under the banner headline of LOCAL DOCTOR AND WIFE VICTIM OF
TERRORIST. The article went on to say that Doctor Carpenter
and his wife along with a prominent New York surgeon, Doctor
Choen and his wife, were victims of a terrorist shooting
near a synagogue in Paris. Strange, Patty thought, she
should have known if the Carpenters were Jewish. The
article went said that the Carpenter's only survivor was his
son Doctor Robert Carpenter, who had been the active member
of his father's medical practice since Doctor Carpenter had
semi-retired to work on a research project with Doctor
Cohen. There was no other mention of any other family.
About a month later Doctor Carpenter's office girl laid
a new file on this desk.
"This lady was quite insistent that we work her in as a
new patient. She is very well recommended by her
gynecologist. She said that she wanted to have a second
opinion of a diagnosis about her lack of energy. Probably
another bored house wife."
"Well, it all makes the world go around, especially
ours. Show her in."
"Hello Robert. I wasn't sure if I should see you, but
I felt I could trust you somehow. I am really concerned
about my health. I was sorry to hear about your parents."
After Doctor Carpenter's staff had completed their part
of the initial exam, Doctor Carpenter finished his final
exam with a nurse in attendance.
"Everything seems to be all right Patty. I should have
all the tests in a few days. Nurse, please book Mrs. Strut
for a conference as the last appointment next Tuesday."
As Patty finished dressing, he said, "There won't be
any more tests then. I'll just go over the results of
everything. As far as I can tell, you are a very healthy
lady. Perhaps you have some personal problems that are
resulting in your constant tired feelings. The body reacts
to the mind more than we think. We can discuss that better
after I have all the results in."
"Thank you doctor. I'm sure you will be able to
discover whatever the problem is. I'll see you Tuesday
then."
Robert missed his usual Wednesday afternoon golf the
following week. He soon withdrew from the foursome.
For many, Christmas is the most difficult time of the
year. For Strut, this Christmas was especially stressful.
On Christmas Eve twelve years of marriage ended. He and
Patty had a good ten years, but then she re-involved herself
with her former boy friend. Although Strut had given Patty
a good life, she still had a build in desire to have the
life she imagined possible with Robert.
Five years prior to that Christmas Eve, Roberts, now
the senior partner of the firm, determined that all firm
parties must be family affairs. The Christmas Eve party
then had started affairs with the non-legal entanglements of
the secretarial pool and the legal minds and bodies of the
firm. Strut disliked social events where attendance was
required, but he was resigned to go this year as usual. As
he and Patty were about to leave, she suddenly announced
that she wanted a divorce. She was in love with Doctor
Carpenter. She pronounced the word doctor the way some
people pronounced the word God. Strut was shaken, but not
really surprised. It had been coming for many months.
Strangely, he wondered why she didn't say Robert or Bob.
Perhaps she said, "Oh doctor!" when they were in bed. This
immediately brought to mind a porno film of the same name he
had seen in college. The mental picture of Patty in bed
with another man was no longer painful. That passed some
time ago. Why was his mind wondering like this? Was he
avoiding reality? Didn't he love Patty? He had no one
else, nor really considered anyone else.
They both agreed to put on a good face for the party.
Patty had chosen this moment to tell Strut to avoid a long
scene. She was sure that John's boring commitment to the
firm would cut short any discussion.
December had been cold and damp, but not enough snow to
cover the ground thus far. There were predictions of snow
for that evening. As Strut drove toward the center of the
city, his headlights begin to bring large clusters of snow
flakes to life. He watched them change from puffy white too
clear water as they touched the windshield. He suddenly
realized he was feeling a sense of relief, numbness, but
real relief. All of that strain from the last two years was
over. He noted that he was more irritated with going to the
party than having Patty tell him what he had really know for
months. Patty said that she would be very generous. She
did not want the house, just a fair cash settlement, and a
few personal items. She wanted a quick and uncontested
divorce. Strut was sure that the few personal items would
include a car and anything else she fancied. He thought
about that big expensive house that she had to have a few
years back, with all the trimmings, and all of the show-off
entertaining that she did, which he disliked. He could
afford it, and had actually accepted it as part of life, but
suddenly he didn't have to any more.
Strut begin to think about his law career. He had
always liked work, but too much of his time was now devoted
to dealing with uninteresting clients or even more tiresome
bureaucrats over regulations that he understood better than
they did. The snow was coming down harder and harder, it no
longer melted on contact with the car.
Patty looked at him and said, "Why are you smiling?
Are you so happy to be rid of me?"
"Of course not. I just appreciate you helping me
through tonight."
Strut thought that he was not really happy to be rid of
her, they had had very good years, but he was happy not to
have the aggravation of the past months. A quick clean cut
is less painful than a slow tear. He also realized that he
was happy he had made another decision. He was leaving the
law firm. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he
knew he was leaving the firm, and he was getting rid of that
phony house.
They drove into the shelter of the underground garage
of the bank building that housed the firm's law offices. It
was early evening, and most of the other office parties had
long since broken up. Roberts had always insisted that
their party begin at six thirty, and end by eight thirty.
There had been rumbles from the staff with children, but
everyone was well in step with this strange procedure by
now. It was the eighth sin not to attend the party. Some
felt that Roberts made it the first. Roberts was not that
bad of a person to work for, he was just a stickler for
tradition, even if they were his own traditions that were
established by accident.
During Strut's first and second year in law school he,
Roberts and Jacques du Mount were the best of friends. The
friendship had not faded with the years, nor with the normal
stress of working together. Jacques had returned to his
native France, but they had all remained in close contact
over the years.
Du Mount was a special student in business
administration from France. His father was an industrialist
in France. He felt that his only son should see what
America was all about. He sent him to the unlikely location
of Bloomington, Indiana, to see the real meat of America not
just the urban fast moving New York semi-international
atmosphere.
Strut opened the car door to let Patty out. Their
formal attire looked a little incongruous as they walked in
the stark gray concrete garage. Ira Silverstein and his
wife were approaching the elevator at the same time. Ira was
the latest, but fastest rising partner in the firm. He was
an untiring worker and had a very quick mind. He understood
the advantages of good research and consistently came up
with well-prepared briefs for his clients' position.
Roberts had one nagging problem with him. His billings of
time spent for clients were quite out of line. Roberts was
constantly having to defend the amount of time that Ira
would bill clients for. Ira would explain how he would get
ideas in the middle of the night, get up and work on them.
Of course when he made notes of the ideas, he also made sure
he included the time that he spent on such nocturnal
endeavors. It was the office joke to speculate who would be
billed every time Ira went to the toilet. Patty did not
like Ira's wife.
Patty claimed that Judith was always throwing up to her
how she had this and that, and that a cultivated person
should only do certain things and must have certain items to
be civilized. Strut noticed that Patty was just like her
when they were together and played the game of I have a
bigger diamond this year. What do you have?
Going up in the elevator, Patty and Judith exchanged
sweet cat like compliments. Ira and Strut speculated on how
deep the snow would be by the time the buffet was over. The
elevator hissed to a stop on the fourteenth floor. The
foursome stepped into the newly decorated offices that
occupied the entire floor. Roberts and his wife, Betty,
were in the reception area. The reception area was about
twenty feet square. There were comfortable chair and table
groupings around the walls of the room. A large circular
desk in the center was the command post for the
receptionist. Tonight it was the buffet table. A chief and
a bar man replaced the receptionist.
Roberts cut an elegant figure. He was tall and slender
with dark waving hair sprinkled with a touch of gray.
Roberts loved the law and considered being an attorney was a
noble calling. He spent most of his time cultivating
clients, and upgrading the class of the firm. He was
practical enough to make sure that this evolution did not
hurt the economic well being of the firm. His real goal
would be a prestigious appointment to the federal bench. He
was active in politics only on what he considered the higher
level fringes.
Strut knew him at a much more human level than the
image that he presented to the world and even to himself.
He had seen him let lose when the two of them made a trip to
visit their old friend in France a few years back.
Years ago Roberts had served in a U.S. government
administrative post in Paris for a short time. Next to his
law firm, Strut believed he loved the image of being a
Frenchman more than anything. It was something that could
never be. In fact Strut felt he did not have the real image
of a Frenchman, but that of an ex-patriot living an
uninhibited life in Paris.
Robert's wife, Betty, was a very striking woman to
Strut. She was also tall with flaxen hair done in a long
braid that fell over her left shoulder ending at the tip of
her full breast. She was one of those women that looked
very good with very little makeup, surprising enough she
knew it. She had full lips and a charming way of talking to
you that was not really sensuous, but made you feel that she
was very sympathetic to you. She complemented Roberts in
her elegance. Roberts had married her shortly after her
father's death. Her father had a larger and more successful
firm than his father. She had been raised in the life of a
legal family, and made a natural merger with Roberts. Strut
was sure that they both loved each other, but neither
realized the hidden passion in the other.
Patty and Judith removed their furs, trying to look
very casual about it, while at the same time making sure
that they were admired by all. Betty shook Strut's hand and
said, "I haven't seen Patty look so happy in months. It is
so good to see how she is glowing. I hope next year will be
a good one for you."
Strut raised his eyebrow and said, "I am sure it will
be a change from this one. Happy Christmas to you, Betty."
Betty looked rather curious, but said nothing. Roberts
smiled slyly at Strut as he said, "John, I have two special
Christmas surprises for you. Come into my office for a
moment."
Strut and Roberts made it a policy never to exchange
presents. Strut was a little set back, especially knowing
that right after Christmas, he was going to tell him about
Patty, and his decision to leave the firm. Roberts put his
hand on Strut's shoulder and guided him to his office in the
corner of the building. In modern high-rise glass encased
square office blocks, such as this one, the corner offices
with double glass walls are the prizes for the top
executives. There was nothing modern in Robert's office
beside the telephone. He was an amateur collector of
antiques. His own desk chair was the only concession to
comfort in the room. Everything else was stiff and formal
or looked as if were too delicate to use.
Roberts opened his door and, to Strut's surprise,Jacques du Mount said, "Merry Christmas John."
Jacques explained that he had made an emergency
business trip to Minneapolis, and could not resist the
opportunity to call his old friends, and to bring his
favorite God Son a special Christmas gift. He made a few
hours diversion on his trip back to France that evening. He
had changed his itinerary to an Air France flight leaving
from Chicago at ten thirty that night. He had a connecting
flight leaving from Indianapolis that evening at eight
o'clock. He was sorry that he had such a short time to be
with his old friends, but he must be home for Christmas
night.
The old friends expressed their pleasure in seeing each
other and were talking over old times, when Jacques looked
slyly a Roberts and said, "I think we should let John give
his opinion on my present for Richard."
Richard was Roberts only son. He was home on leave
from Culver Military Institute in northern Indiana. It was
a beautiful school on a lake of the same name. They had
horses, sailing, tennis, as well as an excellent academic
program, for those who could afford it. Jacques had briefly
met his God Son earlier, but delayed giving him his present,
until his parents approved its unique nature.
Roberts replied, "That is an excellent idea. If John
thinks it is suitable, then I'll override Betty's
objections. I can always blame John for any problems. Come
over to the desk, John, and see one of Jacques latest
products."
"We haven't decided to put it on the market yet. It's
a spin off from a much more sophisticated commercial model.
Sit down in R.C.'s chair and put this glove on, John."
Jacques stood by Roberts' desk holding a black glove
covered with wires. They converged into a cable going to a
box smaller that a typewriter on the desk. What appeared to
be a bicycle helmet also had a cable going to the box.
"Hold this cylinder in you hand, and let me put on your
diving helmet."
Strut mildly objected, but went along with his old
school mates game.
"Now put your scuba mouth piece in your mouth.
Remember you have to breathe through your mouth under
water."
The helmet completely blocked out Strut's vision.
Suddenly a complete view of an underwater reef surrounded
him. He could turn his head and see fish and colorful
coral. It wasn't a graphic representation, but a
three-dimensional view and feeling the same as being there.
As he breathed out of his mouth piece he could see and hear
his bubbles floating to the surface.
As he moved his gloved had holding the small cylinder,
he saw a long spear like rod moving in the water. He felt
the resistance the water made against its movements. He
could feel his body floating in rhythm with the moving fern
coral. Strut was entranced by the beauty of the underwater
garden.
Suddenly a shark swam around the corner of the reef in
front of him. He turned his head toward the deeper water.
There was another. The first shark swam toward him. Strut
instinctively poked his spear at the shark. He could feel
it strike the fish. The pressure of the water that sharks
powerful tail made, as he swam by, gave Strut's head a spin.
The coral spun out of view as he the water surge from the
shark's tail rolled him onto his back. The bright surface
of the water momentarily blinded him. Strut looked down at
his kicking feet, and could see the Shark returning.
Strut desperately thrashed his arms to swim away. This
only attracted the huge animal more. He could see its nose
thrush upward. The rows of razor teeth were rushing toward
him. The cavernous mouth began to engulf Strut's body. The
top of the shark's head move into Strut's panicked view. The
shark's eye was closed. His view was turning scarlet. The
bubbles stopped. All was quite. It was as quiet as being
in a vacuum. There was no medium to carry the sound. There
was nothing now but red.
Black letters appeared on the red background. YOU
LOSE--DO YOU WANT ANOTHER GAME.
Roberts and du Mount helped the sweating Strut out of
his helmet. Strut was gasping for air.
"My God! What an experience. I was really there.
Never let someone with a weak heart play that game."
Jacques said, "It's very realistic. Isn't it?"
"Too realistic, I think a child would have nightmares
for weeks after experiencing that. I not sure that I
won't."
"I guess you are right, but when you look at some of
the video games on the market they are more violent."
"Yes, but they are not so realistic. You know they are
games. With this, you forget it's a game in the first few
moments."
"I guess we must have a little more restraint when
using virtual reality. It can soon become too real. I'll
see that we make a tamer version. We used miles of tape
filming this. We covered every possibility, including
having the player win. What happens is up to how the player
does his part. One time the shark actually ate one of our
stereo cameras. I'll send you a new game disk when we have
it. In the mean time, use the travelogue disk for Richard.
It will bore him after a while, but it will be educational."
Jacques showed his fascinated audience the inside the
helmet. It had a small video screen for each eye. In
addition to the stereo sound system the unit could produce
controlled high frequency sound waves that gave the inner
ear the feeling of motion. That supplemented the reactive
movements Strut was making in Robert's swivel chair.
The men discussed the fascinating device and joked
about Strut's nautical adventure. Jacques said he was
enjoying all of this, but would soon have to leave for the
airport.
Roberts immediately announced that his second surprise
for Strut was the Turner account.
"Of course with a top account like that, John, goes a
corner office."
The way Roberts stressed the corner office, it was like
Strut had received a knighthood or raised to a Cardinal.
Turner was one of the largest old firms in Indianapolis,
dealing in all types of real estate and still operating its
original business of manufacturing chairs in the small
furniture town of Jasper. Their account was the largest
single income producer for the firm. The Turners were a
very conservative family that Roberts had been handling
personally since he landed the account. They were
considering a merger offer from a large listed company.
This would not only mean an excellent fee, but working with
one of the top New York securities law firms. This contact
could mean as much as the fee.
Now that time was so demanding on Roberts, he had to
make a decision to give the account to Strut or Ira.
Roberts had been agonizing about it for some time. He knew
the trouble between Strut and his wife might upset the
traditional Turner family in what they would perceive as a
scandal, even in these times. When Roberts saw how happy
the Struts appeared when they arrived, he decided. It was
all helped along by old feelings of comradeship with
Jacques' arrival. Roberts said he was going to make the
announcement of Strut's well-deserved fortune at the buffet.
Strut was on the spot. He had not intended to tell
anyone of the breakup of his marriage, nor his decision to
leave the firm, until after Christmas. He must say
something now.
"Carl." It was the first time in years he had called
Roberts anything but R.C. "I have to tell you something
that I didn't intend to say today, but it is very important.
I'm sorry to bring this matter up when time is so short for
you, Jacques, but I'm sure that you will understand."
"Of course. I can step out and try some of the things
on your wonderful buffet."
"Please stay Jacques. This is all personal, and I
count you one of my best friends. I'd like you to hear what
I have to say also. Patty has asked me for a divorce, and
I've agreed. I've also decided to resign from the firm. I
think I need a change in my life style."
Roberts was shocked. He knew of Patty's involvements,
but hoped that everything would pass. Tonight he had felt
sure that the season had helped to put everything right with
his friend and his friend's wife. He could hardly believe
that Strut was going to leave the firm.
"What are you going to do if you leave the firm? Have
I done something wrong? Surely with these changes it should
be very satisfying."
Roberts was beginning to wonder about those changes
now.
"I know it sounds impulsive, but I've made up my mind.
I'm truly grateful for what you propose for me, but I would
be deceiving you and me if I went ahead. I have no plans.
Don't worry I'm not going to another firm."
"John, you are making an emotional decision because of
the stressful conditions Patty has put you through. You
admit that you have no plans for the future. Can't you see
it is just a knee jerk reaction to reject everything?"
Jacques knew both of his friends. He knew Roberts did
not wish to jeopardize either his best client with a
scandal, or would he want to desert his friend in time of
need. He knew Strut was stubborn enough to burn all of his
bridges if he were pushed. He turned to Strut and asked,
"John are you leaving any pressing business in the firm at
this time?"
"No, my calendar is pretty clear. I can go without
leaving any problems. Christmas is a slow time for a firm
like ours. We don't get the after Christmas divorce rush.
Except for me, I guess."
"Then I have the perfect solution. Come to France next
week. Get away from all of this, from all of your problems.
Take a leave of absence and make your final decision when
you are completely relaxed. Nothing will be lost. You can
do whatever you want then. I'm having a few people at my
villa for the holidays, then I must go to Zurich and Paris
for business. You can have the villa to yourself, except
for a small guest house. Give yourself a few quiet days.
I'm sure that you could do nothing better for yourself.
Besides, you might be doing me a favor, I just might need
some advise on American business law. I won't take no for
an answer. Take me to the airport now, and we'll make
reservations for you to leave in a few days."
Roberts felt relieved. He could save his position with
Turner, and still not let down his oldest friend and
partner. By the time Strut came back he could handle the
arrangements for a quiet divorce, and any hint of scandal
would be forgotten. In the mean time Ira would be happy to
pick up any excess work.
"Go on John. It's the perfect solution. Betty and
I'll take Patty home. I'll go over everything with you the
day after Christmas. Let's get to the buffet. Jacques has
to catch his plane."
They left Robert's office, without Strut making any
comment, and went to the reception area. The full staff was
already at the buffet. When Betty saw them she said, "How
was the class reunion? You three look more like
conspirators than happy alumni. What are you up to?"
Roberts quickly replied, "John is taking Jacques to the
airport. We'll take Patty home. You don't mind, do you
Patty?"
"Of course not. Could I have a word with you, John,
before you go?"
Strut and Patty stepped into a small hall off the
reception room. Patty told him that she was staying with a
friend that night, and would get her things next week.
Strut had said nothing to Jacques or Roberts about their
planned French excursion for him. He had let himself be
pulled with the flow of events. He could make his decision
later. He decided then that he did not want to be around
while Patty was moving out.
"I'm sure I won't be back from the airport by the time
you have left this evening. I'm going to France in a few
days to visit Jacques. I need to clear my head. You can go
ahead with the divorce papers. R.C. can work out the
settlement and take service for me."
Patty was delighted that the transition was going so
smooth. She had really not expected trouble from her
husband. He had been easy going during their marriage. She
did know that he could be very stubborn, and if he got an
idea in his head he was hell bent to carry it through, even
if he saw disaster at the end. His attitude of acceptance
of the divorce with regret was more than she had hoped for.
She had no idea how long he intended to be gone, but it
would give her time to get her things, and have the divorce
started.
Roberts had told Jacques of Patty's involvement with
Doctor Carpenter some time ago. He had also told him of the
rumors about Doctor Carpenter's personal life. Jacques had
also heard about this years ago and several thousand miles
away from an authentic source. He wondered if Patty had any
idea of the life she was letting herself in for. Jacques
thought that John might be just the person to help him solve
a problem of his own.
Strut put Jacques' bag into the trunk of his car and
saw the snow shovel and four buckle galoshes he kept there
every winter. He took out the galoshes and put them in the
front of the car. He was sure he would need them at the
airport. The snow had made a good cover over the ground by
the time Strut drove out of the bank garage. He made his
way down Washington street into the western wind and snow.
There was not enough snow to be a problem yet. At that
point, he didn't care what the weather was doing. Jacques
insisted that they had time to purchase Strut's ticket.
During the drive, Jacques and Strut talked about the
device that he had brought for Richard. Jacques told Strut
how they had developed the virtual reality concept after
acquiring the initial development rights from the University
of North Carolina here in the United States. Many other
firms were now into there own versions of the technology.
A Japanese firm had developed an architectural design
program that you could walk though a house and change the
layout as you went. His company had made many advances in
the past years. He told Strut that perhaps he could see
some really amazing things about their new product while he
was in France. Strut said that he was amazed at what he had
seen. The more Jacques thought about it, the more determined
he became not to let Strut off the hook in coming to France.
Strut let Jacques off at the terminal and drove to the
parking lot. He was thankful that he had moved his galoshes
into the car. He found a spot to park and walked back to
the Delta counter. Du Mount had checked in, with the
assurance that the plane would be on time. The weather in
Cincinnati was clear, and the plane had already landed
there. It should depart for Indianapolis on time.
The flight was arriving before the agent completely
arranged Strut's flight schedule. It was obviously the
first international booking that he had made. It was not
that complicated, but to check bookings from Indianapolis to
Chicago, to Paris and on to Nice seemed to make the young
agent quite confused. With the help of his supervisor, the
agent booked Strut to leave in four days for France. The
supervisor advised Strut that he would have the ticket
written by the time he had seen his friend off. They made
the long walk to the gate. Jacques told him that he would
meet his plane in Nice next week. Strut watched Jacques'
plane taxi away in the ever increasing snow fall. Strut
realized that he was hungry. He had not taken advantage of
the buffet at the office. As he stood looking out the glass
wall at the ramp he noticed a commuter plane taxing in
though the heavy snowfall, and wondered if Jacques plane
would be recalled because of the increasing storm.
Nancy Jarret looked out of the window of the old
commuter plane from Lafayette at the snowy blur of the
Indianapolis terminal. Snow was falling so hard that she
wondered how they managed to get down so easily. As the
plane approached the end of the terminal building, a Delta
plane was taxing out. She thought she would soon be off on
a Delta plane in this horrible storm. She wasn't really
afraid, she just wished she were in Florida with her new
life underway.
She was running away, and she knew it. She had
graduated from Purdue University a year ago, and stayed on
there to take a dietitian's job in spite of herself. She
had given herself many good reasons for staying, but she
knew the real reason was George Orloff. She had taken an
elective course from him in her Senior year. Many of her
friends called it the wine and cheese course. The professor
expanded upon the regular economic geography course to give
details on where the best wine grapes were grown, and where
various types of cheese came from. She was completely taken
by him. He was an attractive man who seemed to have a
different suit on each day. To a farm girl from
Noblesville, Indiana, Orloff's stylish mature appearance,
self assured intellect, and slight accent, made him a
mysterious and romantic figure.
Orloff had an eye for an impressionable young beauty,
and the relationship soon grew into an intense affair.
Orloff's wife was tolerant of his affairs up to a point.
This one was getting out of hand, and with the proper
pressure applied, Orloff made his break with Nancy.
As Nancy got off of the plane and walked the short
distance to the terminal door, she admitted to herself that
she had been a fool. She should have done this a year ago
when her aunt offered her a start in the catering business
in Sarasota, Florida.
Strut slowly started back along the corridor and
stopped in the men's room. He felt that he should stay in
the airport for a while to make sure that Jacques plane was
really on its way. He decided to have dinner in the airport
restaurant. He did not want to be at home when Patty came
to change before going to her friends. As he left the men's
room, he saw a very attractive young woman turn and stare at
him. She was blond, and had light blue eyes and the softest
looking lips he had seen. For a moment he had his depressed
ego raised by the pleasant stare of a beautiful woman.
When he reached the dining room there was no one to
seat him, but the sign said wait to be seated. He hung up
his overcoat and stepped to the hostess station to wait for
someone to seat him. He turned to a voice that said, "Table
for two, please."
Strut looked surprised, but remembered that he had his
dinner jacket on. Strut said that he was sorry. After
looking at his galoshes the couple gave a quaint smile and
retired to the bar. The hostess came from the bar to seat
him. Strut realized that the look he had received from the
blond had not been admiring, but quizzical. It was not too
likely to see a man walking through an almost deserted air
terminal on Christmas Eve wearing formal clothes and four
buckle galoshes.
Strut was an average looking man between the tall and
elegant figure of Roberts and the shorter heavy set du
Mount. He had run of the mill light brown hair that was cut
shorter than the style, but it concealed how much it was
thinning. His face was very forgettable. He had an easy
relaxed manner in all of his movements. Strut finished his
meal at a slow pace. It was just he and the other couple in
the dining room that Christmas Eve. Everyone else had made
their way home. He remembered that he must pick up his
ticket at the Delta counter.
As he approached the Delta counter, he saw the same
blond there that he had seen by the men's room. He wondered
if he had leered back at her when she looked at him.
Apparently, she was having trouble with her connection. The
agent left her for a moment to get Strut's ticket. The
woman looked Strut square in the eyes, and made no attempt
to divert her gaze. Strut became engulfed in her light blue
eyes. His trance was broken by the agent's voice, "One
First Class to Paris and Nice, Mr. Strut. How do you wish
to pay?"
"American Express."
The blond said, "If you are going to a dinner party in
Paris you'll be late. The airport is closed."
"I must look strange in this monkey suit, but I had to
rush my friend to make his plane."
Nancy was telling herself to stop this. She cannot be
taken in by a romantic figure flying to the Riviera in a
dinner jacket, but she plunged ahead leading the not so
romantic man into a little make believe world. She
continued with her interest in the man.
"Do you live in Indianapolis?"
"Yes."
"I really don't know what to do. It seems there aren't
going to be any more flights tonight, and I'm afraid to stay
in the terminal all night. I'm not sure where I can get a
hotel. Could you advise me where I might get a hotel?"
"There is a Hilton across the parking lot. I did some
legal work for them not to long ago. I'll give the manager
a call and see what he can do."
"Thank you so much. I'm on my way to see my aunt in
Florida. I must call her and tell her that I'll not be
there tonight."
Strut thought that the airline clerk could have done
all of this. Perhaps she did find him attractive. He
didn't feel very appealing after his wife's reaction in the
last months. The manager was at home for Christmas. The
desk clerk said that they did have rooms, but that they
could not bring the courtesy van. All the roads were
impassable, even the short airport drive. Strut could not
leave the airport either. The clerk asked if the room were
single or double. Strut blurted out, "Double. " He thought
that he must be crazy. He would have an embarrassing time
at the reception desk. Nancy was waiting beside him when he
hung up the phone. He wondered if she had heard him reserve
a double room. She was smiling.
"I was able to reach my aunt. Is it all fixed at the
hotel?"
"Yes, we'll have to walk across the parking lot.
Nothing can get through on the roads. I'll give you my
goulashes."
"Thank you. High heels and nylons are not made for the
snow. I was expecting to get off the plane in sunny
Florida. Will you be all right without them?"
"I'll be fine."
"I'll be fine too. Thank you for taking care of me. I
would hate to be alone in the terminal. It's terrible just
to be alone on Christmas Eve, isn't it?"
"I don't feel to terrible right now."
"Neither do I."
She took his hand as they walked through the heavy snow
toward the fuzzy vision of the illuminated blue H across the
parking lot. They were both surprised at themselves for
what they were doing, but a double rebound has twice the
impact. It was the most extraordinary night either had had.
It was quite different from the exotic anticipations of the
snowbound pair. They held and sheltered each other, not
from the cold snow storm, but from the cold brutal reality
of their own mistakes in love.
The next morning the sun was out and the street crews
were spending their Christmas day clearing the roads. Strut
and Nancy had mixed feelings about parting. Neither wanted
to shatter their beautiful fantasy with the realities of the
real people in the room. Nancy was the first to move. She
hurriedly showered and dressed.
"I must get my flight. Will you see me again, John?"
"Of course. I'll give you a call as soon as I return
from France."
"I want to give you my aunt's phone number. Put it on
something that you won't through away."
"Here, write it on the back of my plane ticket."
"Don't forget to look at the back of it when you
return. Call me as soon as you land."
Strut resisted the strong impulse to invite her with
him to France. He wasn't completely out of his head. They
parted that Christmas day, feeling they may have been a
little foolishly impulsive, but feeling better.
To Strut's relief his house was empty when he returned.
From the looks of it Patty had taken some of her things.
She apparently made it back before the snow blocked the
streets. He fell into bed at three in the afternoon and did
not wake until six the next morning. He was in the office
by nine to get his last meeting with Roberts over with.
Roberts said he was worried when he could not reach Strut on
Christmas morning, but assumed the storm had affected the
phones. Roberts agreed to handle all of the mechanical
details of his divorce.
"Don't worry John, I'll work out a reasonable
settlement for you. I talked a little with Patty when we
took her home. She's eager to get it over without any
trouble. I think I can get her to forget any big cash
settlement. If she gets the car and enough to live well on
for six months, I'm sure she'll settle."
"That sounds all right. Will you see that the house is
taken care of and put on the market?"
"Of course. Are you sure you want to sell it?"
"Absolutely. Even if I decide to return to
Indianapolis, I wouldn't want to live there."
Roberts agreed, and went on to give him a long man to
man talk about his future, marriage, and a small travelogue
on France. He made Strut a gift of a Berlitz traveler's
French lesson.
"Now don't expect too much in Jacques' villa. I have
never been there, but remember a villa only means a house on
a hill. I am sure it is very pleasant, but it may not be
what you are use to."
Strut was finally able to extricate himself from
Roberts to avoid having lunch with him to hear it all again.
The next few days Strut kept busy preparing for his trip,
and making sure that his stock securities account and other
assets were under proper control. Finally, he was at the
airport checking in for his self-imposed exile. Since
Christmas Eve, he had consistently questioned himself on
what he was doing, but he rolled ahead like a train set on
the tracks with no sidings, with no destination for that
matter.
Strut had not had much occasion to travel by plane. A
trip or two a year was about his limit. Some years ago he,
Patty, Roberts and his wife had attended the bar association
meeting in London. He remembered being very tired, and
having great difficulty adjusting to the time difference.
Since that time, he had maintained his passport in a current
status as a matter of routine. He had no serious plans of
leaving the country again. When they were in London, he and
Roberts had taken a weekend flight to see their old friend
Jacques in Paris. The wives took the same weekend to visit
Betty's maternal roots in Scotland. Strut thought it was
strange that Patty would pass up a chance to see Paris. He
later learned that she had met some Englishman at a lunch in
London. Betty had not been happy about Patty deceiving
John, but that was their business. Betty did want to see
Scotland. She had been to Paris before she was married, and
did not look forward to setting around while the three men
discussed old times. She knew her husband would enjoy
seeing Jacques, and would be bored with Scotland. Roberts
was happy to be on his own in Paris.On that first trip across the Atlantic Strut had
traveled economy class. He wasn't sure first class was
worth the extravagant difference in price, but he had to
admit it was much more pleasing. He had enough room for his
legs and the seats were wide and comfortable. The trip was
a constant feast. He had a choice of entries plus a wide
choice of wines and champagne. Strut did not normally drink
much, but he felt that he should try the wines. He was on
his way to France in a French plane, and his host would be
serving wine. He might as well get a little understanding
of the different type of wines. Strut ate and drank too
much. He was not drunk, but three glasses of wine and
champagne were too much for him. He could not sleep or rest
on the long flight. He was able to pass through the Paris
airport with some frustration, but finally got his AirInter
flight to Nice. Soon after take off he fell into a sound
sleep. Just as quickly he awoke with the bump of their
landing.
As he came into the terminal, all that was on his mind
was sleep. Jacques was in a good mood, and almost
disgustingly enthusiastic. Jacques said that his wife had
dropped him off at the airport on her way to do some
shopping in Nice.
"I was sure that you would need a car, so I reserved
one for you. I'm afraid that we must wait a little longer.
I have another guest arriving from Geneva."
Strut's tired subconscious mind looked for a place in
the terminal to lie down and sleep. By the time Strut had
been to the men's room and collected his baggage, the Swiss
Air flight was arriving with Jacques' friend. The
well-dressed man was about six feet tall, with dark black
hair and sharp features. He looked the opposite way of the
way that Strut felt. Strut felt exhausted, rumpled,
unshaven, and rather frustrated with himself. The man
standing with Jacques was slick and polished.
"John, I should like you to meet a fellow Hoosier,
George Orloff. George is a professor of economics at Purdue
University. George this is John Strut, an old college
friend of mine from my days at Indiana University."
Strut's raw edge turned what he had intended as an old
college joke into something more curt.
"I'm pleased to meet you. I thought they had only had
farmers and engineers at Purdue."
Orloff laughed and said, "The economics department is
small, but I think you will find it well respected. There
are special advantages in being in a small department of a
large university."
As the men continued to walk toward the car rental
counter Jacques said, "George does some special consulting
for me. When he is on holidays from the university, he
manages to travel the world to exploit his special talents."
Strut didn't know why, but his man irritated him more
and more. As he laid his credit card, drivers license and
his plane ticket envelope on the car rental counter he said
to Orloff, "You're not really a native Hoosier are you? You
don't have that native twang in your voice."
Orloff's good natured smile suddenly fell from his face
as he looked at the counter and saw the envelope with Nancy
Jarret written on it. All of the diplomatic style left
Orloff.
"Who are you? What are you trying to say?"
Strut's raw nerves took over. He grabbed Orloff's hand
and shouted, "Take you hands off of my ticket. What the
hell business is it of yours who I am!"
Orloff turned to the shocked du Mount and said,
"Jacques, I must speak to you about a business matter at
once. Please excuse us, Mr. Strut."
Orloff walked away. Jacques was so shocked that he
could hardly speak.
"I'm very sorry, John. I've never seen George so
upset. I shall just be a moment."
Angrily Strut turned to the car reservation clerk and
asked through gritted teeth, "Where do I get my car?"
"It's coming sir. Please excuse me. I have another
customer."
Orloff spoke to Jacques in a firm but low voice.
"When I returned to my room last night, I surprised
someone. The man dashed past me as soon as I came in the
room. With all that has happened, it is a wonder that I'm
still alive. He got the over view report. He was obviously
after information on the project, and knew I had something
on it."
"I can understand that you are upset, but why is my
friend upsetting you so?"
Orloff looked at Strut at the distance counter, made a
face, and said, "At the time he said I was not a native of
Indiana, he showed me an envelope with a name on it known
only to me. It represented a problem in my past. Perhaps
he thinks he can blackmail me. He cannot, that problem was
completely resolved satisfactorily. Perhaps he is telling
me he knows about me, and what I am doing. Why else would
he do such a thing?"
"I have known John for years. He's here at my
insistence. He knows nothing of this project."
"I don't trust him. You know people have been killed
over this. I don't want to be one of them."
"He's of no danger I assure you. Besides you can keep
an eye on him at the villa. I'm sure that you have nothing
to fear from anyone there. Don't worry I'll get an
explanation from him about the envelope."
After rather stiff and formal apologies all around the
men stuffed their luggage into the small Renault and left
the airport. Jacques drove with Strut in the seat beside
him. Orloff was in the back seat with baggage pressing him
for space. Jacques gave Strut a travel talk as they drove
along. He actually saw very little as they sped west on the
Auto-Route. The landscape was dry and almost barren.
Jacques said, "The winters are usually quite damp, but this
year it is still dry like summer."
It was more hilly than the land around Indianapolis,
and no snow. Strut, despite his exhaustion, tired to make
polite responses to his friend's comments. In less than an
hour They had left the Auto-Route, and were passing through
the expensive little town of St. Raphael. As they drove
along the coast road, Strut noticed the elaborate large
homes. Many had signs indicating POUR VENTE. Most all of
them appeared deserted and boarded up, but they still had a
feeling of being well cared for. In a few miles they
entered the village of Les Issambres. The road was directly
on the small cliff to the north of the Cote d'Azure. A
seven-foot wall was on the right of the car. Jacques made a
right turn onto the small street at the end of the wall.
Their overloaded little car made a strained climb up the
sharp incline for about three hundred feet, where du Mount
turned into a parking area in front of a house not a large
as Strut's home in Indianapolis.
The house was a single story rusty sand colored stucco
with a red tile roof. A fountain was flowing in the small
courtyard outside of the main entry. When Strut entered the
foyer he could see to his right an antique fireplace that
dominated the salon. Three arched glass doors opened onto a
wide terrace. A scattering of antique tables, lamps and
vases complemented the comfortable sofas and chairs. The
room was elegant, but very friendly, with fresh flowers
several places in the room. Jacques invited Strut to step
outside while his Algerian servant took the baggage to the
rooms. The wall they had passed enclosed a large
subtropical garden sloping down to the wall by the road.
The wall hid the road from view. Over the top of the wall
he could see the endless azure blue water and sky. The
garden was perfectly maintained. Small stones covered the
paths that wound in various ways to the lower garden. A
small guest house was in one corner, and a gate across the
tunnel under the road was at the other. Strut was beginning
to wake up. He enjoyed the tour of the garden and small
beach.
When they finished the tour of the grounds, Jacques
showed Strut to his room. It was surprisingly large with
its own fireplace and bath. Jacques explained that there
were three bedrooms each with its own bath, a salon, dining
area and kitchen. They had remodeled the villa about five
years ago to meet their own life style.
"We don't do a lot of entertaining here, but enjoy the
outdoors and being away from the pressures of Paris."
Strut's room overlooked the terrace, and he could see
the water and garden from his large glass door.
"Is Professor Orloff staying in the guest house?"
"No. My wife's niece is staying in the guest house.
George has the room across the hall. He'll be leaving
tomorrow. Don't let him upset you. Relax and take a nap
before dinner. It isn't until eight."
Jacques left him in peace. Strut decided to relax on
the bed for a moment before unpacking and taking a much
needed shower.
When he awoke it was dark, and he heard sounds of women
laughing from the terrace. He had difficulty in finding the
switch on the bedside lamp. He gave up that quest, got out
of bed, and went into the bathroom to turn on the light
there. He looked at his watch. He could not believe the
time. One o'clock! How could he have slept so long? Then
he realized his watch was on Indiana time. What time was it
here? Seven o'clock in the evening. Had he closed his
drapes? Yes, a wonder. He quickly showered and opened his
case to find some clothes for the evening. In thirty
minutes he was in the salon meeting the other guest.
Strut remembered du Mounts' wife as soon as he saw her.
She was about Jacques height, but rather slender with a fair
skin. Heidi was the youngest daughter of a traditional
Swiss family in Zurich. Her father was a partner in an old
and established private bank. Heidi had been working for a
trade research establishment in Geneva when she met Jacques.
It was normal for young ladies from the German part of
Switzerland to spend some time working or studying in the
French part to improve their ability to speak French. Her
older sister had done the same, but over the protest of her
family had met and married an Egyptian diplomat serving in
Geneva. Her sister had retorted that was not like marring a
Turkish guest worker. He was refined, well educated and
very good looking. He was all of these, but diplomats are
not always posted in such havens as Switzerland. Seventeen
years after Heidi's sister's only daughter was born, her
sister was killed in a car bomb. Their daughter was not in
the car, but was in a boarding school in Switzerland. Her
husband was paralyzed. He could not even speak. He was that
way for years. He had died not long ago. Ever since Janice
had been out of the university she had been staying at the
guest house. She had become part of Jacques family over the
past few years. Heidi and Jacques both had what they wanted
in each other. Heidi had a rich French aristocrat, and
Jacques had a beautiful and elegant wife, even if she were
Swiss-German.
When Heidi saw John, she smiled, extended her hand and
said, "John, how good to see you. I am so glad that
Jacques was able to have convinced you to stay here for a
while. Please feel free to stay as long as you like. All
of our holiday guest will be gone soon. Jacques and I have
to go to Paris ourselves. It will make me feel better if
someone is in the house. Janice, my niece, is staying in
the guest house. It will be good to have a man around. I
am rather old fashion that way. Janice will be able to help
you find your way around here. It is really not hard at
all. How is your French?"
"Not good I'm afraid, but I intend to work on it.
It'll help me have something to keep my mind busy."
"Oh, there is Janice now. Let me introduce you."
Heidi took Strut's arm and guided him across the room
near the large doors going onto the terrace. Strut wondered
if he were more aware of beautiful women since Patty had
told him she was leaving him, or if he just imagined it.
There was no imagination necessary to see the exotic beauty
of the woman that they were approaching. Her hair was jet
black. Her light olive skin was almost transparent. She
was a slender woman with delicate hands and predominate
cheek bones.
"Janice, this is a good friend of Jacques from America,
John Strut. John, this is my niece, Janice Falbea. Mr.
Strut is going to be staying at the villa for some time. I
hope that you can show him some of the local sights."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Strut. I shall be glad
to give you what information I can on Les Issambres."
Her English accent surprised Strut.
"I'll try not to be a bother. I'm just looking for a
few quiet days of isolation."
Heidi then introduced him to another couple, Doctor and
Mrs. Hassid, who were dinner guests. Strut thought that
they were Arabic, but they only spoke French. He was not
clear who they really were. Another guest was Doctor Tosser
from Switzerland. Strut and Orloff grunted an
acnkowledgment of each other presents. Dinner was ready.
The dinner was one of the best and richest that Strut
could remember. During the meal he noticed that Doctor
Hassid was engaged in a lengthy conversation in French withOrloff. Strut quickly gave up any attempt to follow what
was being said. He did note, to his pleasure, that Orloff
was constantly saying that he did not know or not
understand. Janice was almost hostile to Orloff, and cool,
but polite to him. She was warm and friendly to everyone
else. He thought that it was just as well, he did not wish
to be foolishly involved with another young woman. What was
he thinking? Janice probably wouldn't give him a second
thought.
After dinner the four other men excused themselves and
went to Orloff's room. Heidi and Mrs. Hassid were deep in a
French conversation that Strut had no hope of following, let
alone participating in. Janice and Strut were left to talk
on their own. Janice finally said, "Are you and Professor
Orloff friends?"
"I'm afraid not. We almost got into a fight at the
airport. It was the first time that I've came close to
hitting someone in my adult life. I was too much on edge
from the long flight, and frankly he was acting more than
rude."
"You seem quite different from Professor Orloff. I
guess one cannot judge all Americans from the first one that
you might have contact with. Of course Professor Orloff is
not a real American. He was born in Russia."
"You know he became quite upset at the airport when
said that I didn't think that he was a native of Indiana. I
can't understand how he would think anyone would believe
that he was not a foreigner with that accent. Speaking of
accents, how did you acquire that English accent?"
Janice laughed a little for the first time.
"My father was an Egyptian diplomat, and he spoke
excellent English. I speak English, Arabic, French and
German. Aunt Heidi tells me that you have studied French."
"I may have studied it years ago, but from what I hear
now, I've forgotten all that I ever knew. I'd like to work
on it while I'm here. As I recall, it is quite demanding on
the mind. I need that right now. Pressure to do something
from within, not without."
Janice made a small smile and said, "I'm sorry if I was
rude. I just hate Professor Orloff so much. He thinks he
is God's gift to women. Please forgive me."
"I'm the one to apologize. I think my manner has been
quite rough here. I blame the jet-lag. I'm very tired."
Janice stood and said, "Then you shouldn't stay up any
longer. I think I'll go home myself. I like to rise early
and go the beach to enjoy the early morning mist."
Jacques entered the room just as they were standing.
"John would you mind walking Janice down to the guest
house? I have a lot that I must still go over with George
tonight. I'm sure that you will want to retire early. I
can see you tomorrow."
Janice protested that she could go down alone, but
Jacques insisted, and Strut said, "I don't mind at all. A
little fresh air would be good before I go to bed."
The night had cooled down rapidly, though there was a
good cloud cover. The garden had lights placed along the
path to the guest house. At her door, Janice said, "I
should invite you in for a coffee, but I know you are tired
and you don't need any more coffee to have a good night's
rest. It was a pleasure to meet you and I'm sure we shall
be good neighbors."
Strut was tempted to kiss her goodnight, but thought
better of it. He shook her hand and said, "I hope we'll be
good friends also."
As she opened her door, he turned and walked up the
path. He wondered if he would be up to see the mist at the
beach in the morning. The way he felt then he might get up
to see it in two or three days. The dinner guests were
leaving when he returned to the house. Strut tried some of
the French that he had studied from his Berlitz lesson.
"Je suise honeur de fair votre connesaissance, et bonne
nuit."
If murder had ever been committed, he had just
committed it against the French language. Mrs. Hassid
squealed with delight, and ran on with a long French phrase
that Strut had no idea the meaning of. Her husband smiled
and said, "Good night sir."
Strut said to Heidi, "Please excuse me I'm very tired.
I think that I must go to bed. Thank you for a wonderful
meal."
"Sleep as late as you like. I'm sure that Jacques will
sleep late tomorrow also. I think he will have a late night
with his business friends."
As Strut entered his room, he could hear du Mount and
Orloff talking rather loudly in French. After he closed his
door, he could not hear them anymore. He thought that
everyone here is a linguist but me. He decided that he was
too tired to unpack that evening, and after locating the
switch for the bed side lamp, it was on the lamp cord not
the lamp, he got into bed and was quickly in a deep sleep.
He slept well for about four hours, then the rich food began
to make one wild dream after another. He awoke with a
start. He thought he heard a telephone ringing. He could
hear that it was raining. He checked his watch. It was
three thirty. Had he reset his watch? Yes, he remembered
confirming the correct time with Heidi. All of the events
of the past week rolled through his mind. He wondered if he
would be able to get by here. He was at a complete loss
with his French. He was still wide awake and restless. A
shower would have felt good, but it would make too much
noise at this hour of the night. Strut walked around the
room and decided to unpack. There was no closet, but a
large antique amoire. After unpacking he was still not
sleepy, but he turned off the light and tried to sleep. In
fifteen minutes he was up again.
This time he left the light off and opened the drapes
to watch the rain come down on the terrace. It was not an
Indiana thunder storm, but a slow steady rain. He was
surprised to see a light at the guest house. It was coming
from an opening door. He strained to see what he could.
All he could tell was that someone had apparently just left
the cottage. Strut waited to see if anyone came up the
path. It was very dark, but he could see across the
terrace. He saw nothing at all. After some time of starring
into the black night, he saw the falling rain, on the other
side of the wall, light up from what he assumed was a
passing car. He sat watching the rain and noting that the
few cars that passed down the road in the next few hours lit
up the rain from left to right or right to left as they
drove down the road. The light he had seen earlier was just
in one spot. Some one must have turned around on the road.
He was still awake when the rain stopped about six o'clock.
Strut decided to get dressed and take a walk in the garden
at first light. He shaved and took his time dressing. As
he opened his terrace door, the beginning of the morning
light started to illuminate the water dripping from the
plants and trees. He thought that his internal clock had
really gone crazy. At this time in Indianapolis everyone
would be asleep or just going to bed, yet he was wide awake.
The damp stones made a crunching sound under his shoes as he
took the path toward the beach.
He speculated on whom the late visitor to Janice's
cottage was, and if she would really be at the beach later
in the morning. It was probably just an excuse to make a
graceful early exit. As the sky became lighter, the fog
started to come over the lower part of the garden. He could
turn and see the house more clearly now, but he was walking
into the darker fog below. Strut felt that this was what he
was doing with his life. He was leaving a clear, but rather
boring, life and going into completely unknown areas. It
was stimulating, but not that big of a deal. He could
always turn back to his old life. That was true then, but
in a few more steps there would be no return for John Strut.
He moved slowly on the path leading to the tunnel. He
stepped into the fog. The fog was heavy, but he could see the outline of the
tunnel. It was very damp. The wet floor was slippery. It
was actually quite short, just the width of the road. When
he came to the beach the smooth sand looked as if it had
been trawled. There was no sign of the foot prints of
yesterday's visit with Jacques. It was clear that Janice
had not come down yet, if she were coming. He walked to the
edge of the water. There were a few grounded sea gulls near
the water's edge. Strange, how they all faced the same
direction. They lined up like a group of cold people
waiting for the doors of a warm building to open. He stood
there a long time rolling over in his mind the events of his
life, gave a sigh and spoke aloud to himself, "Well if you
wanted solitude this is it. It relaxes the nerves. I
wouldn't mind some stimulation from that lovely piece of
cake, Janice. Come on you dirty old man; you're not here to
chase women. You're here to get over their damning effect
and clear your head."
He was more relaxed now, and felt that he could go back
and get some sleep. He turned to go back. The fog had
become luminescent from the early morning light. He could
see the stone cliffs and the tunnel passageway. Strut's
body jerked as the saw someone to his left by the cliff.
Had Janice been there listening to his rambling? As Strut
moved closer, he realized it was not Janice, but Orloff. He
walked on without speaking. Orloff did not move. He must
see him. He saw that he was not standing, but leaning
against the cliff. There was a hole in the middle of his
forehead, his mouth gaped open. Strut gasp, and took a few
steps forward. Yes, he was dead. Strut's movements caused
a shift in the pebbles and sand, enough to upset the balance
of the dead man. Orloff fell forward at Strut's feet. The
small neat hole in the front of Orloff's head was counter
balanced by a hole the size of Strut's fist in the back of
the dead man's head. Strut's stomach gave a jerk. For a
moment he felt he was going to loose the remains of last
evening's dinner. He turned and walked to the water's edge.
All he could think was, My God! My God! He finally turned
to go to the house. He looked at Orloff. The sea gulls
were having an unexpected breakfast.
Strut started to run. He slipped on the wet concrete
in the tunnel. His dirty wet clothes clung to his body, and
the blood on his cheek mixed with the dirt from the tunnel
floor. He continued to run up the path toward the house.
He fell again on the loose gravel path. That fall ripped
his pants and shirt, cutting his knee and arm. He finally
got to the house and entered through his room. He quickly
crossed the room and dashed into the hall. Jacques was
knocking on Orloff's door. Struts sudden appearance and his
batter condition brought a shocked expression to Jacques
face.
"What happened to you? You look like you have been in
a fight?"
Strut panted, "Orloff is dead! He's on the beach."
Jacques pushed him back into his room saying, "What
happened? Did you kill him? What is going on between you
two?"
Strut almost screamed, "Of course I didn't kill him. I
went for a walk on the beach. He was there, shot in the
head. We didn't fight. I fell running back to the house.
Do you really think I'm a brawler and killer?"
Jacques started to recover from his initial shocked
attitude and said, "Of course not John. George was afraid
of you for some reason. To see you like you are, and your
startling news, well I made a foolish statement. Now tell
me exactly what happened. Tell me about last night and why
George was so upset about you."
"We should call the police! The birds are pecking on
that man's brains down there."
"Tell me your story first, there is nothing we can do
for George now. I want to hear everything before the police
come. John, you are in a country were the laws are quite
different from American. Please trust me, and tell me what
happened. I'll go down and have a look. I'll cover George
and lock the gate to the tunnel. In the mean time, stay in
your room. Take a quick shower. I'll be back in a minute
for the full story."
Jacques took a blanket and slipped out of the bedroom
door onto the terrace. Although Strut was a lawyer, he was
not a criminal lawyer and he was not familiar with French
law. Perhaps it was because he had some familiarity with
the law that he followed Jacques instructions and got into
the shower. The shower began to make him feel better. As
he watched the dirty water go down the drain, he felt
somewhat renewed. By the time he had dried off and changed
his clothes, du Mount was back. Strut reviewed all the
events of the previous evening, including the light at
Janice's door. Jacques listened intently, then he spoke.
"Have you met or known about George before you came
here?"
"No. He was upset by me, but I've never met him, or
heard of him for that matter. I don't know what through him
into such a fit at the airport."
"Who is Nancy Jarret?"
"How could you know about her?"
"George said that you showed him an envelope with her
name on it. He thought you were trying to blackmail him
over her. He had an affair with her once."
Strut told Jacques of his encounter with Nancy on
Christmas Eve, and how she had written her name and
telephone number on the back of his plane ticket envelope.
"She said that she was running away from a sad love
affair with a married man, but she never mentioned any
names."
"John, do you know about my business, and what George
was doing here?"
"I know that you are working on something to do with
virtual reality. I really don't know anything else
specifically. I have no idea what Orloff was doing for
you."
Jacques sat silently for some time. He apparently came
to a conclusion and began to speak.
"John, I trust you as an old friend, and I hope you
will do the same for me. There are many things I want to
tell you. We don't have time for all of them now. Some of
them are about my business and George. Some are about my
personal life. I hope that you listen carefully to all that
I'm going to tell you now and later, it may be surprising to
you. You have had a lot happen in your private life in the
past few months, and I hope it will give you some
understanding for what I'm going to tell you about mine. I
didn't ask you here without a selfish reason, and you may
feel put upon when you know everything. When I saw how
upset you were in Indianapolis, I jumped at the chance to
have you here. I, like you at the airport on Christmas Eve,
have made a foolish mistake with a young woman. Not that I
think what you did was foolish, I'm just using your words.
As a matter of fact, I think it was good for you. Anyway,
when Janice first came here, she was very lost. She was
bitter at the people that she thought killed her mother.
Her father had always planned all of her life for her.
After the bomb attack, he was like a vegetable. He couldn't
move or talk. She was afraid that she would not be able to
exist without him. She was even afraid that she was going
to starve or something. Her father had set up a trust that
would provide for her very nicely. He had established a
separate trust for the families medical needs in
Switzerland. Medical care in Egypt is not at the standards
of Switzerland. All of this was a very large amount of
money, and Janice had no real worries. Doctor Tosser's
clinic in eastern Switzerland got him on a life support
system, and was making a fortune in fees from the medical
trust. It devastated Janice to see her father in such a
state. I agreed to look into what might be done for him
with the new advances in science. That eventually led to
George's involvement."
Jacques failed to expand on the source of the
scientific involvement that he was talking about. It was
closer to Strut than he cared to explain at that time. He
continued to tell of Janice's integration into his family.
"I'm getting ahead of myself. Heidi and I tried to
take the place of her parents, although she was a grown
woman. We went places together and had fine summers here.
I was well aware of how sensual Janice was. I told myself I
was an old fool enjoying the company of a young and
attractive woman. One afternoon after Janice had returned
from visiting her father, and Heidi was gone, Janice asked
me to help her with some things in the guest house. I don't
know who seduced whom, but it was like lightning. She was
the most arousing thing that ever happened to me. It
boosted my ego; it boosted everything. She became like a
drug. I had to have more and more of her. The sex was
fantastic, but it was also like a jailer. I was not using
good judgment in my business. I felt guilty toward Heidi;
sex with Janice was the driving force in my life. I finally
realized that I really wanted my life with Heidi, and Janice
admitted I was probably a father figure to her, who could
satisfy her sexual appetite. We were constantly breaking
off. She said that younger men were boors."
Strut was interested, but as he listened wondered what
this had to do with Orloff's murder. Jacques finally
mentioned Orloff.
"A few weeks ago, in November, George was here. She
was polite to him, and he showed a very attentive interest
in her. Janice told me she was not interested in becoming
involved with another married man, and asked me to see if I
could get George to stop pressing her for attention. He was
quite offended when I mentioned it to him. I don't know
what happened between him and Janice, but from then on she
could hardly be civil to him. John, I had hoped that you
and Janice would develop an interest in each other. She
seems to like older men, and I felt that it would do you no
harm to have a chance from Patty. I'm sorry that I used
you, but I actually thought it would be good for you."
Jacques watched the reaction of Strut as he continued.
"I was the one at the guest house last night. Janice
had told me after dinner that she must see me. When I
finished my business, I left through the kitchen door to see
her. When I arrived, she said that she had been angry with
me. She thought I was trying to arrange a replacement for
myself with your arrival. She said that she could do fine
without such interference. I, of course, denied that I had
any such thing in mind. I told her that your wife was
divorcing you, and that I was simply being a sympathetic
friend in giving you a place to clear your thoughts. She
admitted that she was being over sensitive, and that she did
like you. She asked a lot of questions about you. I am
sure she is interested in you. She was also concerned about
what George and I talked about. She really dislikes him. I
had to go over all of my conversation with him. She is
aware of what we are doing together. In fact she has been
quite a part of it. She will just not tolerate George. I'm
afraid that we eventually fell victims of our sex drives.
It was quite late when I returned. I came back thorough the
kitchen. That is why you didn't see anyone on the terrace."
"You didn't see George after you left his room?"
"No. I realize that Janice's and my mutual alibis
might not be too strong. I would hate to have to use it.
Janice didn't like him, but not enough to kill him. I'm in
great difficulty because of George's death. I think you
might be able to help me there, and at the same time save
yourself a lot of trouble here. You might even help bring
the killer to justice. Unless you think I'm the killer, or
you're too angry about me trying to involve you with Janice,
please hear me out."
"I don't think you're a killer Jacques, and I'm not
angry with you for trying to involve me with Janice. It
sounds like damn good therapy, perhaps not in the long run,
but I'm not doing much long run thinking right now.
Remember I am an attorney, an officer of the court, I cannot
turn my back of a murder, even if I didn't like the guy, and
you bait me with all of this irrepressible sex talk."
Jacques looked somewhat relieved. Strut relaxed a
little, and asked when Doctor Tosser left.
"He left about an hour before I went to see Janice.
Orloff and I talked for a while, then I went to see Janice.
John, I know that your legal work has to do with financing
companies. I'm sure that this means making presentations of
business plans and ideas. George was preparing a business
plan for a special project that I have. It means a lot to
me to have it finished and presented. Funding cannot be
raised in the normal way because of political implications.
It is a very confidential project. No one in my company
really knows the overall picture, just bits and pieces.
There have been leaks about what it is. This small amount
of information has created a lot of potential competition
and opposition. Heidi's father has arranged for some
backers to meet soon in Zurich. These are not normal
investment bankers. Their interest in the project must be
kept secret. You will understand all of this when you read
the material. A couple of fortunes have been spent in the
years of development. It has been tested, and now is ready
for the final phase, the most expensive one. This meeting
can provide that funding. I need someone that knows how to
finish the business plan, and present it. Most of all I
need someone who has the skill to do this and keep it a
secret before and after the presentation. I think you can
do it, and you are the only one I feel that I can trust,
that would have the skill to do it. It isn't without risk.
It may even have been why George was killed. Indiana is
where the information leaked out. It may have been known
there that George was working on the project. I can take
care of the investigation of George's death without
involving you. I think that it is best that you are not
here when the police arrive."
"Why? I have nothing to hide."
"There are a lot of difficult questions the police
would put to you on this matter. Remember you were seen in
a public row with him, and your injuries are not as easily
explained to the police as they were to me. It could be
very nasty. The burden of proof is on the defendant here.
It might not be that bad, but why not let me handle things."
"You want me to run away?"
"No, not really. I want you to go to Zurich and work
on this business plan with my father-in-law like nothing has
happened. I'll discover the body, and deal with the
police."
"Jacques I'm no economist like Orloff. I'm a lawyer. I
could not pretend to be anything else."
"I'm not asking you to be anything but yourself. You
will be fully briefed. I am not asking this just as a
favor, but as a business proposition. If this comes off,
you will be a part of it. It could mean more money than you
could imagine."
Strut was more skeptical now.
"I don't know Jacques. I don't know German, Heidi's
father, or how in the world I could prepare this."
"Janice will go with you and help you on it. She has
refused to work with Orloff, but she is quite familiar with
all of the facets of the project. She is a very intelligent
woman."
"Would she be willing to go with me?"
"I'm sure that she will. I wouldn't ask you to do it
if I wasn't sure she would help. She has a deep interest in
this project. I'm sure that she would not want to see it
falter now."
"Are you sure that there will be no problem with the
police?"
Jacques felt his argument was won.
"I couldn't do it without help from someone that was
completely familiar with your project. I still think you
are putting to much on my abilities. I normally take
information given to me by others and put into legal form."
"Don't sell yourself short. R.C. has told me how your
preparation work makes the difference between getting an
issue sold and having it fail. I want your opinion on how
this would go in the U.S. The next round of finance could
be there. It would help our investors to have an honest
opinion on that. That is what I want also, an honest
opinion. I'm not asking you to say anything that you don't
agree with. If Janice won't help you with it, I'll forget
it."
Strut wondered how Jacques was so sure of Janice. If
they had already talked about this, then everything might be
quite different from what Jacques had explained.
"Get packed as soon as you can. I'll talk to Janice.
If she doesn't agree, I'll be right back."
It seemed to Strut that he was constantly asking
himself what he was doing. He packed and changed clothes
again. He wondered what next year would be like. This one
was going out in shambles. He looked at his watch, eight
o'clock. He did not have to wait long after packing for
Jacques' knock on his bedroom door.
"Janice has agreed to help you. Heidi is still
sleeping. I'll tell her goodbye for you. Here is some cash
to purchase your ticket to Zurich and expenses while you are
there."
Strut looked inside the large envelope. He did not
know the value of the currency, but there were thousands.
He had always heard how valuable the Swiss Franc was.
"This looks like a lot of money. Why do you have such
a large amount of Swiss money at you home in France?"
"I had it here to give to Orloff. It was to cover his
expenses and part of his fee. He won't be needing it now."
"What if someone questions me at customs about this
large amount of money?"
"The Swiss never question large amounts of money coming
into their country. There will be no problem, you'll see."
Jacques quickly changed the conversation to travel
instructions as he picked up Strut's bag. They walked down
the hall, across the salon to the front door. Janice was
waiting. Strut could see how Jacques could be infatuated
with her. She was wearing a trench coat with the collar
turned up. It framed her inviting face. There were a few
drops of rain in her hair and on her face. She gently
brushed then away while intently looking Strut in the eyes.
Her expression was almost questioning. Strut felt like he
was in an old B movie. Perhaps it would be an X with this
sultry woman as his co-star. Jacques broke his day dream.
"Let's get your baggage in the car. Janice's bags are
already loaded."
Janice said nothing. She didn't even say goodbye to
Jacques. She just kept her inquisitive eyes on Strut.
Jacques shook Strut's hand.
"I'll see you soon. Janice has all of the information
and documents that you'll need. You have reservations on
Air France flight 1696. It leaves at ten thirty. Be
careful."
Strut drove out of the court yard on to the little
road.
"You'll have to give me directions. I'm afraid that I
didn't pay that much attention when I came yesterday."
Janice finally broke her silence.
"Jacques told you about him and me, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did."
"I hope that you don't think I'm a bad woman, a whore
or something. I was so lonely and afraid. Jacques was very
kind. He did so much that was special for me. He risk a
lot to help my father. I think I got my feelings mixed up.
Jacques isn't good looking like Professor Orloff was, but he
set me on fire. I couldn't help myself. Perhaps I'm a
whore of sorts. Sometimes Jacques makes me feel that way."
"I don't think you're a whore. We all need someone.
Often we take the wrong one. Believe me. I'm an expert at
taking the wrong one. Has Jacques treated you badly? He
has nothing but respect for you from what I can tell."
"Oh, Jacques treats me fine. I'm just now seeing what
our relationship has come to. Women shouldn't complain they
feel like whores when they act like them."
"What do you mean?"
"It's nothing I'll tell you someday. You have to turn
left at the next corner. I'd better concentrate on keeping
us on the right road."
They drove mainly in silence. Janice would not talk
about the killing, except to say that it was too terrible to
talk about. Strut finally said, "Jacques said that you
would be able to help me make this business plan. I can't
believe that there aren't many others that could do this
better than I can. I don't even know what it's about. How
could I be of help? Do you think he wanted us both out of
the way when the police arrive?"
"You can be of special help, John. Now isn't the time
to talk about it. We need the safely in Switzerland before
we go into details."
"What do you mean safely in Switzerland?"
Janice did not answer. Strut started to press for an
answer then thought for all he knew the police were waiting
at the airport to arrest him for murder. He had a large
amount of cash. His only explanation for it was that
Jacques had given it to him. He thought of all the other
circumstantial evidence that Jacques had made all too clear.
Were Jacques and Janice setting him up? Only an idiot, like
himself, would believe the tall tail bout a business plan.
He had not even seen a single document. Was Jacques setting
him and Janice up? He began to tense as he approached the
airport.
"There are a lot of police around here."
"Yes, they are always here. Hijackers and terrorist
have change the airports. There are too many cars at
departure. Let me off at the arrivals area. I can get a
porter easier there. I'll check in separately. You turn in
the car and check yourself in. I'll see you in the
departure lounge. It'll be safer that way."
"What do you mean, safer?"
"You never know. Here we are at arrivals. Stop and
I'll see you inside."
Janice quickly had a porter to take her bags. A
policeman was approaching Strut as he sat in the car after
Janice left. He drove the car away slowly as the policeman
was almost at the car. No attempt was made to stop him. He
was just keeping the parked cars moving on. Strut parked
the car in the rental return area and made it to the rental
counter without incident. He was met by the same clerk that
had rented him the car yesterday.
"I see you didn't stay as long as you planned. Is your
friend still angry with you? Did he give you that bruise on
your face?"
"No. I must make my plane. Please finish my bill as
soon as possible."
"Yes sir!"
Strut paid his bill and left quickly, thinking she will
remember me if anyone asked. He was able to purchase his
ticket and check his luggage without a problem. The man at
the passport control checked a list of names when he took
Strut's passport. It seemed ages before he returned the
passport with a grunt. He moved into the departure area to
find Janice. On the plane Janice became more intimate. She actually
held his hand on takeoff. She took a popular magazine from
the stewardess, and began to look through it as if she
didn't have a care in the world.
"Oh John, look at this ad for these special chocolates.
They're a wonderful little candy that is liqueur covered
with chocolate. I have the urge right now to feed them to
you. When they melt and run together it can make a special
feast."
Strut did not understand the sexual implication of what
she was saying, but with the way that she was seductively
looking him; he was becoming aroused.
"Look at this."
Janice was pointing to an article about a popular
musical star that had drastically altered his appearance by
plastic surgery. The article had before and after pictures.
"Would you ever have that done? I knew someone that had
a breast enlargement operation. She said that it changed
her life. Do you think I should have that done and change
my life?"
"Why would you want to change perfection? I would
never have an operation unless I was in extreme pain, or it
was life or death. Then I'm not sure. I've seen to many
doctors butcher people with elective surgery that did
nothing except make the doctor's bank account larger. My
soon to be ex-wife had a thing for doctors. I think she
would have surgery just to meet the doctor."
"You are really against surgery, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't do what that guy did for love or money."
"That's an interesting phrase, for love or money. I'll
try and remember it. Here comes the food service. I'm
starved."
By the time the food service was finished, and the
cabin staff had tried to tout their duty free goods, the
plane was descending to Zurich. The weather was completely
overcast. Strut could see nothing until they were a short
distance from the end of the runway. There was a light snow
cover. Everything looked very wet. Janice gave him a piece
of paper.
"This is the name of your hotel. I must go to my
grandfather's home. I'll call you in the morning."
"I was hoping we could have dinner together tonight. I
don't know this town, the language or anything."
"Don't worry this is a top class hotel. They speak
very good English there. I must go over everything with
grandfather, especially now. He would be very upset if I
left him tonight. He is very important to all of us, you'll
see. The thing for you to do tonight is to get a good rest.
Build up your strength. I'm sure that you are going to need
it."
Strut hoped that the sultry smile meant that he would
need his strength for her. The Zurich air terminal was
modern, clean, and slick. They entered a concourse with
skid resistant disk on the floor. The gates were on each
side of the wide concourse. Extra seats were in the
spacious center. Strut noticed that most of the people
appeared to be either business people in a hurry, or skiers.
Everything was well ordered. At the end of the concourse
were several shops with well-illuminated store fronts. To
the left of the concourse was a supermarket of tax-free
liquor and other goodies. To the right was passport
control. Passengers lined up before the booths to have
their passports checked. Strut saw that Janice had a red
passport. It was Swiss.
"I thought you were French, not Swiss."
"I have dual nationality, Swiss and Egyptian."
Janice quickly passed through the process. The
immigration officer took Strut's passport without looking at
him. He looked through his book. He looked at him, then at
the photo again.
"Do you have any firearms with you Mr. Strut?"
"No."
"Thank you."
The officer laid his passport on the counter. Strut
passed around a small bend and then down to the baggage
section. As soon as he saw Janice, he hurried over to her.
"The officer asked me if I had any firearms."
"It's nothing. Many Americans come here to hunt. They
have to declare their guns. Get a cart for your bags. I'm
sure they will come soon."
Strut could hardly believe the explanation. He could
see the customs inspection at the exit door. They could
surely check on that there. The luggage belt was starting.
He went for his cart. He and Janice passed through the
green section of NOTHING TO DECLARE without being stopped.
He fully expected one of the officers to stop and search him
and his bags. They hardly gave him a glance. Janice led
the way to the taxi rank. She quickly shook his hand, and
said that she would call him in the morning. She was in her
taxi and gone in a flash. Strut took the next cab. He gave
the paper with the name of the hotel to the driver. With a
knowing nod, the driver drove off to the Auto-Bahn. Strut
didn't even know her grandfather's name.
The names on some of the office buildings along the
Auto-Bahn looked long enough to be sentences to Strut.
There was one familiar name on the left, Hilton. The
building looked like a motel in the U.S. The windows were
apparently tinted with a gold color. It was a contrast to
the last Hilton he had been in at Indianapolis. He wondered
how Nancy was getting along in Florida, and what her
reaction to Orloff's death would be. Probably someone from
Purdue would write her about it.
The taxi left the Auto-Bahn and passed through the
streets of Zurich. There were little community shopping
areas that occupied the ground floor of four or five story
apartment buildings. Most of the buildings were stucco with
peeked tiled roofs. It was raining now and there was no
sign of the snow that he had seen when the plane was
landing. The taxi moved through the traffic and constantly
present blue trams. They soon descended a small hill, and
made a curve to the right as they entered the central part
of town. The taxi passed quickly through a tunnel in front
of the main train station, took a left and wove through
several different smaller streets. They came to a halt just
off a quiet street in a small court yard parking area.
Three or four expensive cars were parked in the drive. To
the right was the hotel entrance, straight ahead was what
appeared to be a glass enclosed patio, and to the left was a
small private park. Strut had been watching the meter, and
had the necessary money ready to pay the driver. He stepped
to the rear of the car to watch his bags being taken out of
the rain by a man from the hotel. Strut entered the
traditionally decorated lobby. To his left was an elevator,
a winding stair case and a small news stand at the bottom of
the stair. Straight ahead was a lounge that reminded him of
the one at the Plaza Hotel in New York. To his right was
the business part of the lobby. He stepped up to the
reception. A sandy hared man, with a mustache to match, in
a winged collar and morning coat said, "Good day sir, may I
help you?"
Strut wondered if he had a sign on him that said
'American.'
"Do you have a reservation for Strut?"
"Ah yes, Mr. Strut, for one night only. Please fill in
the registration form, and may I have your passport?"
"I may need my passport later this afternoon."
"Don't worry, Mr. Strut, we shall have it ready for you
when you are ready to go out."
Strut had to look carefully at the multi-language form
to make sure that he put his information on the right lines.
"I'm not sure how long I may be staying."
The man had a rather indigent expression, but was
pleased to have a chance to exercise his authority.
"I am sorry sir, but we advised you when the
reservation was made that we were fully booked after
tonight. You were quite fortunate that were able to arrange
accommodation for you tonight on such short notice."
"I see."
The man had a small satisfied smile as he stepped into
the lobby.
"We have a room for you on the first floor. The lift
is directly opposite."
It took Strut a moment to remember that the first floor
is one above ground in Europe. His room was rather small
for the price he saw that he was being charged. Well, it
was Jacques money, and it was better than a French jail
cell. Why was he thinking this way? He had done nothing
wrong. It had been foolish to run away. Had du Mount brain
washed him? It was a bad situation. Running did not make
it any better. Well, he was here now. Go on from here.
There was no point in unpacking everything if he were
leaving tomorrow. He got out his toilet gear, and took it
to the bathroom. It was lunch time or later, but he was not
hungry. He looked out of the window at the continuing rain.
A nap was in order. He still did not have his internal
clock on the right time. He lay on the single bed and
started to read some literature in the room about the city.
One little folder had a map of Zurich, along with the normal
vital statistics, and many advertisements. It was
interesting that Zurich was close to the size of
Indianapolis. It was certainly better known, but it had
many more years to build a name for itself. He saw that the
hotel was just a block from what appeared to be the main
shopping area. He would take a walk there if the rain
stopped. He wondered where du Mount's father-in-law's bank
was. He was becoming frustrated with himself for not
demanding all of the facts. He would at least know what the
name of the bank was when he started working there on the
business plan. If there was really one to be made.
Tomorrow would be New Years Eve. Would Janice be at her
grandfather's for the New Year? Would he be invited? There
was no use in such speculation. Just do like the lady said,
build up your strength and wait. Strut's eyes became heavy
as he read the small print in the folder.
He slept for about two hours. He woke up gradually and
looked out of the window. The rain had stopped, but the sky
was still overcast. He would take a walk. He armed himself
with the small map and left to see what he could. He walked
down the stair case, violated the hotel rules by taking his
key with him, continued out the door through the parking
area onto the street. He turned right along the little park
fence, and in a few steps he was at a wide busy street with
a lake on the other side. He turned left for a block, then
left again onto the Bahnhof Strasse. There was a mixture of
well preserved old buildings and ultra modern ones. They
seem to blend very nicely. The shop windows displayed some
of the most expensive products to be found anywhere. The
jewelry stores were especially lavish in their products
displayed. Most of the people were well dressed. It was
what a city should be. He walked into the lobby of one of
the large banks. He was curious what a famous Swiss bank
looked like. It was not much different from the Indiana
National Bank. The differences were not in the lobby, of
course. He walked on down the street, past the Swiss Air
office, more jewelry shops, clothing stores and a brightly
lit candy shop. He decided to stop on his way back and get
Janice some of the chocolates that were advertised in the
magazine.
Finally at the other end of the street was the main
train station. He could not cross the wide street, but
noticed an escalator going down. He took it. It brought
him to an underground shopping area. It was a gleaming
array of shops both in the immediate area, and in the wide
brightly lit multi-level corridors going to the various
train tracks. He did not understand the folded cage like
barriers setting on the sides of the halls. He assumed they
were used to close of the shop areas when they were closed.
Actually, they were for more than that. Zurich, like most
areas of the world, had a serious drug problem. They had
attempted to solve it by establishing a free needle exchange
in the park just across the river from the train station.
It became a notorious drug center that attracted addicts and
pushers from all over Europe. The normally low street crime
incidents begin to rise dramatically. The park was a
subject of international news coverage. They showed young
people dying in the park, while police attention was devoted
to keeping pushers and addicts out of the other areas of the
city. The park finally became too much of an embarrassment
to the city, and it was closed. The addicts were scattered
over the city, but all of this drug activity was part of the
intricate weave of events that had brought Strut to the
city.
Strut was getting tired. He saw another chocolate
shop, and purchased the chocolates for Janice. He took an
escalator up the train station, and got a taxi to the hotel.
The driver smiled when Strut said the name of the hotel, and
repeated the name in an entirely different way. By the time
the taxi made the short drive to the hotel it had started to
rain and snow at the same time. Strut was glad that he had
not attempted to walk back. He was hungry now. He was
thinking of eating the chocolates himself. As he passed
through the lobby, he saw several people in the lounge
having sweets and tea. He decided to come down for some of
that. It was too early for dinner.
As Strut was unlocking his door, he could hear his
telephone ringing. He dashed to the phone, but it was too
late. Perhaps Janice was going to see him tonight after
all. He took off his overcoat, and noticed that something
was strange. His suit case was different. What was it? It
was upside down. He knew it was the other way when he left.
He had spilled its contents by opening it the wrong way
once, and had been careful not to let that happen again.
Perhaps the maid had moved it. He was over using his
imagination. He had kept the envelope with the money in it
with him, even if it did make a deformity in his jacket. He
turned his case over and opened it. Everything was neatly
stacked. He was sure it was not that neat when he had
packed it hurriedly at Jacques. He checked the rest of the
room. Nothing was missing, but it wasn't just as he
remembered it. He decided to put the envelope in the hotel
safe. He took a rather large amount out of it for his
wallet, and left the room. After being assigned a safety
deposit box in the hotel's extensive safe, he questioned the
hotel operator about any calls for him. She said that
anyone could dial his room direct from another room or the
lobby. There were no messages for him, and the operator
claimed that there had been no calls from outside of the
hotel.
He went to the lounge and took an isolated table where
could see the entire lounge. It was pleasant to choose a
sweet from the display on the cart. It was very tasty.
Strut restrained himself from wolfing it down. Two
expensively dressed women were seated across the room. He
thought that they could have been film stars. They had
expensive looking jewelry and furs. Their silk dresses
clung to their fluid and sexy bodies. Strut enjoyed
watching them, and begin to feel his sexual desire rising.
He wished Janice would see him tonight. He imagined that
the women were looking at him. Would it be crude to speak
to them, or offer them a drink?
His speculation ended when a greasy, dark, but very
well dressed, man joined them. Strut was relieved that he
had not made a fool of himself. He noted, that while the
man was seated with his back to him, the women seemed to be
looking at him more and more. He thought his sexual
frustration was giving him delusions. He finished his tea
and left. Their companion apparently noticed the attention
Strut was receiving, he turned and looked at Strut as he
walked out of the lounge. The thought struck him, perhaps
his face had been on television as a wanted murderer. He
did not wait for the elevator, but walked briskly up the
stairs to his room.
After fifteen minutes of pacing, and telling himself to
calm down, he was back under control. What was wrong with
his common sense? He was doing things that he would never
have believed he would do a week ago. Well, he was going to
calm down, get a magazine and relax until dinner time. He
left his room again and went to the small news stand in the
lobby. He purchased a TIME and the INTERNATIONAL HERALD
TRIBUNE. As he turned from the stand, one of the women from
the lounge bumped into him. Her companions were a few steps
ahead of her.
"Oh, Pardon."
Strut was too surprised to speak. He swore her hand
squeezed him during the encounter. They were close only for
a moment. When her friends turned to see what had happened,
she quickly joined them. The man gave a long look at Strut,
but he said nothing as they continued to the elevator. The
woman's heavy perfume was still in Strut's nostrils as he
slowly walked up the stairs. He thought, I'm not the kind
of person this sort of thing happens to. I'm very ordinary
looking, probably look a little funny here. What is it? I
think I like it, but I don't believe it. He checked his
wallet. It was still in tact. He read the paper and
magazine to cool himself off. He almost expected to see
headlines of the Rivera murder of that morning in a paper
printed last night. By the time he had read about all of
the troubles in the world, he was ready for an early dinner.
He had located the dining room at the far side of the hotel
earlier.
Dinner was very good, very uneventful, and very
expensive. When he had finished his after dinner coffee, he
was completely relaxed. He left the restaurant and started
down the hall to the lobby. The three-sum from the tea room
was approaching. The greasy man led the way, with the
well-decorated women following. Strut received a slight
scowl from the man, but warm smiles from the women,
especially the blond that he had the encounter with. As
they were about to meet, the blond opened her purse, with an
exaggerated motion, and dropped a card on the floor. They
all passed with a nod. Strut picked up the card. The
strong smell of perfume lingered in the hall as he read the
card. It was a man's business card. Louis Kahn was the
name. There was an address in Marseilles. He turned the
card over. Written in hand was 'Chamber 105, Claudette
02:00.' Strut moved slowly down the hall, 105 was his room
number. Was she coming there at two in the morning? What
is happening? Women never chased him. They hardly noticed
him. Something wasn't right. He became more apprehensive as
he thought about the possibilities. She did look delicious,
what the hell. If she came, he was not going to throw her
out.
He set his travel alarm for one thirty. He wanted to
be well awake at two o'clock, just in case. He left the
door to the small hall between his room and his main door
open to be able to hear anyone at the door. Precisely at
two o'clock there was a light rap on the door. Strut was
excited, not just from the sexual anticipation, but just as
much from the mysterious circumstances. The woman stepped
quickly into the room and closed and bolted the door. She
was wearing a knee length fur coat and a diamond choker.
Strut started to speak, she held her finger to his lips,
then promptly replaced it with her lips. A long probing
kiss followed. She slipped her fur coat off revealing she
was wearing the choker, a black half bra, garter, belt,
nylons, high heels, and nothing else. For the next three
hours Strut experienced wild, almost violent, sex. It
reminded him of his time with Jo, but this time the woman
was the complete aggressor. His muscles finally relaxed and
he dozed off. Later he began to wake to an ever increasing
pressure on his chest. He was on his back on the small bed
looking up at the woman who had dressed except for her fur
coat. Her foot was resting on his chest and the high heel
was making the pressure. It increased slightly as she said,
"Five hundred francs please."
Strut was at a loss for words. He had never bought a
whore in his life, and from what he had heard this was not
the normal procedure. He stared up in utter amazement. The
pressure was increasing.
"If you want the fun of me making you pay, the price is
double."
"Not tonight, I'll get your money."
She smiled and lifted her foot.
"Too bad, that's my specialty. Did you have an
accident to get those bruises?"
"I had a fall yesterday."
"Except for them you have such smooth skin. Not a single
scar. Do you heal completely, or do you live a charmed
life?"
"Just lucky, especially tonight."
The woman took the money and left. Strut fell into the
perfumed soaked bed. His last thought before sliding into a
much needed sleep was that he was glad his money was in the
hotel safe. She had not touched the money in his walled
though. She could have taken it all while he slept. Strut jumped at the sound of the telephone. He looked
at his travel alarm, eight o'clock. Three hours sleep.
Janice's voice sounded seductive. He wasn't sure that was a
good sign now.
"Good morning! Did you get your strength built up?"
"I'm working on it. I can't stay here another night.
I think someone has searched my room."
"Was anything missing?"
"No just moved around and gone through."
"Don't worry about having to leave the hotel. We are
leaving Zurich by train. Meet me at the train station at
twelve thirty. I'll meet you at track number seven. I'll
have your ticket. I don't have any time now. Have a good
breakfast and take a taxi to the station, bye-bye."
Strut hated when people rang off before he could finish
what he had to say. He was sure that she had to avoid
questions. Where the hell were they going now. He thought
he was going to work with her grandfather here in Zurich.
He would go to the train station, but he was not going any
further until he knew what was going on. God was he tired!
Just a few more minutes and he would get up.
Fortunately the maid was making enough noise in the
next room that Strut awoke a few minutes after ten. He took
a shower, and pushed for the floor waiter. He was famished.
He ordered a large breakfast. The way things were going he
didn't know when he would have lunch. After the waiter took
his order, he aired out the room. The perfume of last night
has a sour smell this morning. The cool air rushed in. The
day looked clear and sunny.
The sign on track seven indicated that the train was
leaving for Chur at one o'clock. Where the hell was Chur,
and where was Janice. He wanted some answers. Janice was
approaching. She was wearing black slacks and a gray fur
coat complete with a hood. The delicate hairs of the fur
seemed to float around her face as she walked. Her own
black hair and red lips gave her a glowing beauty that
contrasted with the drab terminal. Strut thought what a
sucker for a beautiful woman he was. His desire for answers
were no less, but he would not stamp his foot, like a child,
and demand them before boarding the train. Janice was
obviously planning for an extended stay from the amount of
bags that the porter had. She must have had some additional
clothing at her grandfathers. Strut gave his bags to her
porter and followed her to a first class compartment. He
could get his answers now. He gave her the chocolates he
purchased the day before.
"I think these are the same ones that we saw in the
advertisement."
Janice gave him a very sensuous smile.
"Well, do you want to eat the new year in together?
This is New Years Eve you know."
The train left at exactly one o'clock. It was soon
passing along the Zurich Lake. Strut was surprised to see
industrial development directly on the lake. He looked at
Janice. She had a red turtle neck pullover and a gold belt
on her slacks. Her lipstick seemed to match the color of
the pullover. She was a delectable sight. Strut reminded
himself that he wanted some answers.
"Where are we going? I thought we were going to work
with your grandfather in Zurich. Have you heard from
Jacques?"
"Wait! One question at a time. We have lots of time
now. We are on our way to a very nice house that one of my
grandfather's clients has. It is actually owned by a trust
in Liechtenstein, as foreigners cannot own property there.
It will be quiet. We can work in peace. There is no hotel
registration to be filled in for the police to see. I've
been there often, it is very comfortable."
"What's Liechtenstein? Are we hiding from the police?
Are they after me? What happened in France?"
Strut was talking so fast Janice had no chance to
respond to his questions. She finally held up her hand.
"Take it easy John. No one is after you.
Liechtenstein is a lovely little country between Switzerland
and Austria. A surprising amount of the money in the world
flows through there. Jacques has everything under control
in France. Relax a bit. Look at the mountains, they got a
good covering of snow last night. Enjoy the trip, enjoy
everything. We're going to have a fine time. No one will
find us."
That sounded better except for the 'no one will find
us' part. Who was looking?
Janice smiled and continued, "We can have such a nice
time. You don't want to spoil that by talking business now,
do you? We'll have plenty of time for that later."
Strut looked at her and decided that he did not want
spoil any good times. He let his questions rest. The train
moved through the valley with the mountains in the distance.
He had not seen mountains in the winter. He had been in the
Rocky Mountains in the summer. There you either saw them
from a distance or you were in them. Here they rose from
each side of the valley floor giving a full vista of their
snowy majesty. It gave a powerful impression to a
flatlander, whose normal vista had no back ground except the
expansive sky. Villages and another lake passed by. He
enjoyed the scenery outside and inside the train. The train
began to slow, and Janice stood up.
"We are almost there. Can you get the bags down?"
Strut managed to get the mass of baggage off at the
small station. The station sign indicated Sargans, not
Chur. Janice got a taxi driver to help with baggage. They
drove through the small town. Janice pointed to the
mountain on the left.
"See the fortifications in that mountain. They are
everywhere in this area near the border. Those disks in the
road can be removed and barricades installed. See the tank
traps and bob wire are in a line with them. There are
entire hospitals and living accommodations for the Swiss
people inside of the mountains in case of war."
Strut noted the pill boxes and other defense
installations. He was not use to being where this type of
thing was common place. The drove on thought the valley to
another small town and turned onto a new bridge. It crossed
a shallow looking river that had wide expanses of gravel and
stone. Janice continued her commentary on the area.
"This is the Rhine."
"It doesn't look like pictures that I've seen of it
flowing through Germany. I guess every river has to start
as a stream."
"We're in Vaduz now. This is the Capital of
Liechtenstein. Look straight up and you can see the castle.
A real prince lives there."
Strut got a good view of the castle before the taxi
turned onto the small main street of the town. Here the
mixture of modern and older buildings was not as harmonious
as in Zurich. There seemed to be a lot of modern office
buildings for such a small town. Soon they were out of the
town into a forest area. Janice started giving the driver
instructions as they turned into another village called
Mauren. From there the road became smaller. The road was
now almost the width of a path. They approached a small
plateau looking hill ahead. Apparently grapes grew on the
terraced hillside in the summer. They drove part way up the
spiraling drive of the plateau to a gate. Janice got out
and put her key in an electrical outlet and the gate opened.
The taxi pulled up to a very modern looking house. The
smooth cut granite stone walls were almost pillars between
wide steel shutters. The flat angular roofs broke up any
box like appearance of the house. The driveway and land
around the house had a light cover of snow that was melting
fast. The plateau rose from the center of the small valley
between the towering mountains on each side. Strut and the
taxi driver placed the baggage on the polished marble floor
of the foyer. Janice watched the taxi driver leave. After
he had been gone a few moments, she pressed a switch by the
door to close the gate.
The house felt cold and damp. Janice turned up the
thermostat and started to open the shutters that covered
most of the window-walls.
"Where do I take the bags?"
Janice showed him a modern open stair case in the
split-level house that led to the sleeping area.
"I really meant to say where is our room?"
Janice laughed as she said, "The house isn't that
small. I need lots of closet space. My room is on the
right and yours is straight ahead at the top of the stairs.
Be careful of the stairs there's no hand rail."
The stairway was quite wide with polished mahogany
treads mounted on a center steel post. Its width made it
easy to carry bags in each hand. When he started down for
the next lot of bags, Strut had a feeling of stepping into
space onto the open curving stairs. By the third trip he
was quite use to them. The way it was designed with only a
small railing on the balcony and a large open space at the
stairs gave quite an expansive feeling on the balcony.
There was enough closet space. One wall was closets
and cabinets. Closets also surrounded the large bed. Strut
was fascinated with the electrical controls on the bed.
They not only raised the head and foot of the bed, but also
could raise the entire bed like a hospital bed. The wall
opposite the hall door was all glass. What he hoped was a
connecting door to Janice's room opened into a large tiled
bath. He opened the shutters, as he had seen Janice do
downstairs. A view of the mountains and valley appeared
that glistened in the afternoon sun. He had a large balcony
outside of his room.
He took Janice's bags from the balcony into the next
room. It was a copy of his room except that there were two
glass walls making a corner view. Her balcony made the
corner outside of both glass walls. From the upstairs
windows he estimated that the plateau was only about fifty
feet above the floor of the valley, but it gave a commanding
view of the valley and surrounding mountains. He stepped
back into the hall overlooking the living room. Janice had
all of the shutters up and even had a fire going in the
fireplace. She looked up at him as said, "Unpack, darling,
the house should be warm soon."
Strut returned to his room. It might not be a bad year
coming up. A few hours after Strut and Janice had left Nice, a
well-dressed man was checking in at the same airport.
"Are you checking only one bag to Hamburg, Professor
Orloff?"
The passenger indicated that was his desire. He
received his boarding pass and proceeded through passport
control to the departure lounge. The man appeared to be
weak, almost ill. He kept his overcoat on and huddled alone
as if he were chilling.
Thousands of miles to the south in the dusty office of
the Exchange Control Officer of the Ministry of Finance, two
men tried to ignore the squeaking of the defective air
conditioner. It had been loudly protesting the worn bearing
for two weeks. It was better to hear the screeching sound
than suffer the sweltering heat. Besides, the sound could
cover their conversation that might be picked up
electronically.
"He is absolutely mad, you know."
"This is what is said, but he has made us a lot of
money."
"He's costing us a lot now."
"I know. He's obsessed with the thought of power.
He's as bad as those fools that come here to collect their
millions."
"One of those fools got us into all of this over a
decade ago."
"He was just another greedy man trying to be something
he wasn't."
"What do you think Agina is?"
"He is a very clever man. He has made us rich, and set
up the cleverest smuggling system into Europe any one has.
Never a hint of a problem. Who would suspect drugs coming
to Europe out of the United States? They don't come from
there; they come from here. They just meet the American
cars at sea and roll into Europe without a problem."
"Why can't we leave it at that? I'm content to be
rich. Ever since he saw what that Doctor was able to do to
Chief Obi, he thinks he can own the world. All that doctor
did was cure a stroke."
"You know there was more to it than that. He made him a
changed man. He could learn things in a moment that would
take a lifetime. They programmed him like a computer."
"That was later, and we don't know for sure it really
works, or can be made to work on the masses, like Agina
insists that it can." "If it's true, it could solve all
of this problem of having a new and independent government.
You know what would happen to us if that really came about."
"Our treasury can ill afford what has been spent so
far, and If it takes the money he said it would, it will
place us at the door of disaster. I don't believe the
rumors that he is dying. If he were, could it save him? Do
you want this thing to make you immortal?"
"I am only a mortal man. I should like to remain that
way. I admit I would not like to submit to this devil
machine, but neither would I like to record my strong
opposition to him. If he is determined, that could be worse
than fatal."
"He did agree to have Doctor Hassid test the results of
the device. He is a man that he will listen too. Doctor
Hassid knows how to change his mind."
"Doctor Hassid is not a great scientist. He could be
fooled. He even seems to believe it now."
"Perhaps, but he is talking to the people at the large
French firm that also place a fortune into this."
"Because they are French, and because they are a big
company does not mean that they cannot be deceived, nor that
they cannot deceive. Look how many foolish Frenchmen have
dreamed of their millions they would make in helping us.
All they did was get us some money, visas and tickets to
Paris where we could arrange for their children to have our
special candy."
"I know all of this, but there is nothing that we can
do."
"We could stop the deceivers."
"That would be at our peril. If anything happens to
his beloved Doctor Tosser, he would suspect us. We have
said too much already. With him, suspension is guilt."
"Doctor Tosser had promised Doctor Hassid living proof
of the results. It has been postponed several times, but
now they have a definite date set for the proof. I think if
Hassid does not see it this time he will give it up."
"Perhaps something could happen to this living proof."
"That is too obvious. The Frenchman and the Swiss
banker are the keys. If they lose interest because of other
pressing matters at a critical time, Doctor Tosser could not
carry on without them. I am sure that the Frenchman
controls the final proof. Doctor Tosser would be hard
pressed to make other arrangements. No one will be
interested without the backing of the Swiss banker and his
associates."
"I agree. I know what must be done."
Late that night in a cheap Marseilles hotel two men
were in an animated discussion.
"You saw him shot. You saw the wound. If anyone was
ever dead, he was. The only question is, was it the right
man? That was your job."
"It had to be him. He met the description, and besides
he knew the right signal from our boat."
"Perhaps it was a trap."
"We weren't trapped, were we? No one gets themselves
shot just to deceive someone. He thought we were the
Americans. If he didn't, we would never have got that close
to him."
"Donner only told us he was expecting Americans. It was
night, and we didn't say a word."
"You insisted on leaving before we could confirm who it
was."
"I won't take chances by staying to inspect my work.
That almost cost me my life once."
"Well, it may have now. You know how Donner is when
things don't go right."
"There is only one thing to do. We go to back to
Hamburg and get the other man whoever he is."
Heidi made an artificially sad face and said, "I'm
sorry that I slept through everyone leaving. I really hoped
that Janice and John would have a nice time here. They
could both use some time on their own. Do you know what
emergency it was that took John away?"
"No darling, but it was fortunate that Janice's old
school friends invited her to go skiing at the same time.
John was able to take both her and George to the airport.
I'm really not unhappy to have a day just to ourselves. It
has been to long since we have had a real chance to enjoy
each other."
Heidi smiled and brought her coffee to the sofa. She
sat close to Jacques and said, "It is so good to hear you
say that, Jacques. I don't want us to drift apart. I do
love you, you know."
"I know. I love you very much also. I'm sorry that I
haven't been a good husband lately. All of my problems will
soon be behind me. I have a few more weeks of intense work
and travel, then we'll have all the time in the world for
each other. That is my only goal now. I have made some
very bad mistakes lately, and I must set everything right.
You have been very understanding and tolerant for my foolish
ways. I love you even more for sticking with me."
Jacques kissed his wife. Heidi was never as happy as
the rest of that day.
The weather in Hamburg was cold. The Alster had frozen
over. People taking short cuts made a pattern of tracks in
the snow covering its icy surface. The Hotel
Vier-Jaresziten was directly across the street from the
Binnen-Alster. The newly arrived guest looked out of his
window through the bare trees by the lake's edge. He liked
the view, even on a cold winter evening. This was his
favorite German hotel. Today he even enjoyed the contrast
from the Rivera. The rooms were traditionally furnished,
but with every comfort that he could ask. The hotel staff
seemed unusually courteous, and gave dignified service not
found in his tourist infested country. He thought that the
hotel was the only good part of this strange affair. It had
been some time since he had been here.
The last time he was here he was also an American. He
had lived in America from the time he was four until he was
ten. His mother had been visiting her sister when the war
hit Europe. For several years after the war he spent most
of his summers with his aunt in New Orleans. He never lost
his ability to speak the language without an accent. His
work with the DST had him in the States quite often.
He had used one of du Mount's firms as travel cover
several times. He wondered if this strange facade was
really undertaken to trap a terrorist death squad or to
cover up an officially embarrassing murder. Every law
officer of his rank in any country had seen times when the
hands of the rich and powerful altered their procedures.
Fortunately, it was seldom in his area. He hoped that this
was not the exception. His orders were from the highest
source, and it was not his job to question the gods on high.
He wondered if Karl's wife would have her New Year's Eve
party spoiled also, probably not. He lived in Hamburg, and
he would not be missed a few hours before midnight. This
evening he was going to relax and give Doctor Orloff a
special meal.
The Repper Bahn, the heart of Hamburg's notorious night
club and red light district, was the place for New Year's
Eve every night for the seamen in port and visiting
businessmen alike. On the real New Year's Eve there were
many locals there, not the cream of society, but people who
wanted some special excitement for the occasion. The less
bawdy establishments did a fine business, and had quite good
shows. It was not an extraordinary night for club that the
man from the Rivera entered about ten o'clock. Many of
their normal clientele were at home with their families.
None the less, the club was almost full. The man asked for
a table in English. Immediately after his first drink was
delivered, he was joined by an English speaking hostess.
"What are you drinking?"
"A pink lady."
"I prefer a boilermaker. It puts hair on your chest."
No boilermaker was ordered. The couple left their
table and ascended the small stairs between the bar and
check room. The top of the stairs presented a dimly lit
hallway with numbered enamel plates on the doors. Number
three was opened without a word from the hostess. Karl
Engle stood up from the bed where he was sitting.
"Happy New Year, Andre."
"Happy New Year, Karl."
"Would you like a beer or something else?"
"Not now, thanks. Is this place secure?"
"This is as secure as my office. It is a very special
room. We use this club like it was our own."
Nesson wondered if they owned the club, or if it was
the other way around. He was sure that Engle and company
had the room well wired, perhaps under video surveillance.
They must use it for a honey trap. No one had told him to
keep secrets from the Germans. In fact, he was in the dark
on this long shot himself. Engle lit his pipe and said,
"What is this business all about? Was there really German
terrorist involved in something on the Rivera?"
"To be honest, Karl, it is a rather thin story. The
man killed was apparently connected with the C.I.A. as a
consultant. We are trying to confirm what his real job in
France was. He was booked to come to Hamburg. My boss said
there was a connection here with a terrorist group. What
have you been told?"
"All I know is that someone, well above my boss, made
sure that I was here, and that I am to cooperate with you in
any way to follow you leads. You must have some
information."
"As I said, my orders came from the stratosphere. I
think I'm just a stalking horse. If some one shoots me,
they know they were right."
"Well, we shall try not to go that far to prove a
point."
"What I do know is that there was a murder on the Cote
d'Azure at the villa of an important French industrialist.
We were expecting some type of trouble, as he had asked for
special protection for some foreign business guest. He was
representing a very political sensitive person. For some
reason the protection was a day late in being put in place.
We weren't to do much, just watch his private beach and his
home in a discrete manner. A few hours before our people
were on the scene one of his guest was shot on his beach.
It wasn't the sensitive guest, but we were advised that the
man shot was a consultant to the C.I.A. This was a surprise
to everyone. His host had just found out the night before
he was shot. We have not informed the U.S. about this until
we find out a little more. Needless to say, the
industrialist was livid with us for not being there. It was
decided that the other guest and his wife would not be told
of the killing at the time. The body was removed quietly,
and his guests were allowed to leave without knowing of the
murder. Unbelievable, isn't it? They were prime suspects,
but someone must know something I don't."
"Did they give any reason for letting them go?"
"State security is all I was told. Hell, state
security is my business. Anyway I am supposed to be this
university professor, and see if anyone contacts me here.
It is a great feeling to be the cheese for a pack of rats."
"Don't worry Andre. We'll look after you."
"Of course, the other possibility is that they don't
want me around while they put it all to rest."
"How do they know these people are aware that you are
here?"
"I was assured that my departure from Nice would cause
a stir. When I asked how they knew that, I got state
security as an answer. After all my years, you would think
I would have some more insight. Perhaps, they are afraid I
might be captured, and their information comes from inside
somewhere, maybe from your section."
"I've been told nothing. Everyone may be playing to
see if the Americans contact you."
"That is the most logical, but they must know their own
man. By the way my name is Professor George Orloff."
The two men talked for another hour about the details
of the killing, and what they should do in Hamburg. They
decided it would be best for Nesson to stay at the club
until close to dawn and then take a taxi back to the hotel.
That would give Engle time to arrange his surveillance
teams. If anyone were watching his French colleague, they
could report his evening was spent in a well-known flesh
pot. Engle returned to the bar in the company of the
hostess that had escorted him upstairs earlier in the
evening. He had a drink at the bar, and was off to tell his
associates that they would be making some extra duty money
for a few days.
The hostess that has escorted Nesson to room three
entered without knocking.
"Can I do anything to help you enjoy my room?"
"Yes, I'd like a sandwich and a wake up call for about
five."
"Nothing more? I don't have to go back downstairs to
work."
Nesson spoke as if he were dismissing a clerk.
"Nothing more, thank you."
Within thirty minutes the woman returned with the
sandwich and promptly left without an acknowledging his
thanks. Nesson ate the sandwich, slid the lock on the door,
and fell to sleep. Nesson's mother was saying "I don't
think you look silly. You will fool everyone in this
costume. No go out there and do it."
There was a drum beating as he started to move. Nesson
awoke. The drum was a pounding on the door. It was five
o'clock. He shouted that he was up. At this hour it was
not close to dawn in the cold winter Hamburg morning, but
there was a taxi waiting courtesy of the efficiency of his
German counter part. He hoped that everything would be this
efficient during his stay. His life might depend on it.
The late night porter at the hotel was not surprised to
see an American guest returning from St. Pauli in the early
morning hours. For all Nesson could see the porter was the
only person awake in the hotel. Nesson was very aware of
his environment now. He had been in town long enough for
some action from someone, friend or foe. He hoped the
German service would be more effective in their defensive
action than his own service had been.
His room looked undisturbed. He started for the
bathroom. There was light seeping from the crack under the
door. Nesson's body tensed. It could have been left on by
the maid, but that was not that strong of a possibility. He
had his gun, but that would be no match for a machine
pistol. There could be more than one. He stood beside the
door and pushed the door handle down to open the door. It
was locked! Engle voice came through the door.
"I'm out in a moment."
Engle emerged for the bathroom, and said, "I am sorry
to have delayed you. I hope there was no emergency."
"If there had been one, it would be too late now. You
gave me a start."
Engle was almost smiling.
"I am sorry. I wanted to review what we had in cover
here in the hotel, and the procedures that you must follow
when you leave the hotel."
Nesson never liked Germans telling him what he must do.
He knew it was as much the grammar and the local mentality
as anything. It was still irritating. He listened to the
plan. It was not complicated. He was to make it known to
the university that he was here and to use his name every
time he could in the hotel, making reservations for a table,
and stating his name as audibly as possible when he asked
for his key, or any other service in the hotel. At the same
time he should not pointlessly walk about. This was not
only dangerous, but might expose him as an impostor. Nesson
did not make much input to the conversation, but gave his
general approval. After Engle left, Nesson was sure that
the man on his room bug enjoyed the bathroom incident. He
wondered if it were done as an intentional test for the
equipment.
Most of Nesson's job was waiting. At least this time,
he had a pleasant enough environment to wait in. It could
be worse. Over a week had passed. Nesson had made his
excursion to the university. He had everything on the menu
at the hotel. He used his name so much that even the
chamber maids greeted him in the hall with "Guten Morgen
Herr Professor Orloff." Nothing had happened. No
terrorist, no American contact. Everyone concluded it was a
failure. Either there was nothing to it, which Nesson
suspected, or they knew who he was. Perhaps the security
was too obvious. Nesson was not unhappy that it was
finished. He had enjoyed the fine living at the hotel, but
it was now like a prison to him. A special taxi was to pick
him up at ten thirty for the trip to the airport. Engle had
not made open contact with him, but they had an early
morning conference in his room each day. Today there was no
such meeting. It was finished. When he paid his bill, he
thought it didn't even help a French inn keeper. He hopped
that du Mount paid enough taxes to make it worth while. At
ten forty five his bag was not down yet. Bad service had
invaded one of the last bastions of the old ways. The
Concierges sent another man to see what was wrong. He
quickly was back with the bag. Apparently the first man
went to the wrong room. Nesson's bag was still in his room.
They were a little short of time, but no danger of
missing the flight. The driver was having some difficulty
with the traffic, but managed to move the black Mercedes
taxi along the Landstrasse at a pace that their escort car
was always in contact. The traffic began to clear by
Haynspark. The explosion occurred just before the railway
underpass. The taxi was completely destroyed, and a passing
old DKV was turned over. Its driver was also killed. The
surveillance car was slightly damaged, but no injuries in
it. About the same time as the explosion, the missing
bellman was discovered in an unoccupied room at the hotel.
He had been strangled with a piano wire.
Engle's men that were stationed in the room across the
hall from Nesson were standing at attention in front of
Engle. He practically called them murderers by their
failure to keep close watch on Nesson's baggage. They
related that shortly after Nesson went to the lobby, one man
went to get the surveillance car. The other man observed a
known bellman pick up Nesson's bag. Then he left to join
his colleague in the follow up car. Apparently the bellman
was killed before reaching the lobby. The bomb was placed
in the bag, and returned to Nesson's room. Everyone that
Engle's staff saw with the bag was a known hotel employee.
The long process of interrogation and retracing was now
started. A good soldier had fallen because of someone's
failure to do their job. Engle thought that someone was
really himself. Strut proceeded with his unpacking. He could hear
Janice in her room doing the same. The hall-cum balcony
outside his room over looked the living room. The wall
opposite the balcony was almost all glass. The angular roof
swept up giving a two-story view. The granite fire place
column in the center of the glass wall broke Strut's view of
the vista. There was another door on the other side of his
room. The door was locked. Strut assumed that it was the
owner's master bedroom. It would be a corner room the same
as Janice's. He hadn't noticed a balcony there when he
looked out of his bedroom window.
He was pleased to be in this beautiful setting with
such a sexy lady, but he could not stop the nagging memory
of Orloff's body, and the feeling that he should have stayed
and resolved it all. Jacques was an old friend, but he had
not seen him that often. People change, and he was not use
to all of this secrecy. His own stupid actions trapped him
in this crazy situation, but the trap looked good at the
moment. Janice came out of her room and said, "You look
like you are ready to make a speech from the balcony."
"I'll have hard enough time making this presentation
for Jacques, if there is one."
Janice had a coy smile as she said, "We can start to
work now if you like, but I thought we might take the rest
of the day and evening off to enjoy our own New Year's Eve."
Strut moved closer to her, slid his arm around her and
kissed her. She gently pulled away and said, "We have to
lay in some provisions before any celebration. Everything
will be closed tomorrow. It is getting late. We cannot
starve. I'm sure you will need to keep up your strength."
With her constant reference to keeping up his strength,
Strut wondered if she expected an acrobatic performance. He
agreed that they should probably get some food. The garage
had a black BMW two door car complete with snow tires.
Janice drove, retracing the path of the taxi until they were
on the main road. They took it in the direction of Vaduz,
but turned in the village of Schann just before they reached
Vaduz. They were soon crossing the Rhine again.
"We are back in Switzerland. There is a nice grocery
here and we can lay in supplies for the long cold winter."
The Buchs' Migros Market had its own under covered
garage on the upper floors of the building. Janice was able
to find a place to park in one of the upper floors of the
crowded garage. They walked down the stairs to a lobby like
area. To the right was the grocery supermarket, to the left
was a clothing store, and straight ahead was a florist. To
the immediate left before the clothing store was a bakery
and restaurant. Strut looked at the sparkling clean area
and said, "Where I come from you don't see many complete
florist in a super market. They usually have only a few
flowers."
"Everyone here loves flowers, me included."
From the amount of groceries Janice purchased it look
like she was laying supplies for the entire winter. They
checked out and took their two carts to the elevator for the
garage. Just before they finished putting the last sacks in
the car, Strut said, "I'll just be a moment."
He ran down the stairs. Janice screamed for him to
come back. She quickly put the last sack in the car, locked
it, and ran after him. As she ran, she encountered other
shoppers that almost made her fall on the concrete stairs.
She seemed in a panic. When she was back in the center,
Strut was no where to be seen. People begin to look at her
as she dashed about looking for him. He suddenly appeared
with a dozen red roses. She gasps, "Don't ever do that
again. Stay with me, please!"
She looked at the roses and then at Strut. A few of
the other customers were smiling at them. Some girls were
giggling at the couple in the center of the concourse.
"I'm sorry. I thought you said that you liked
flowers."
Janice's voice softened a little as she said, "Yes I
do. Do you know what giving red roses mean here? Come on,
we are attracting too much attention. Give me the flowers."
Janice's strange reaction surprised Strut. He
thought that she would be pleased. She was obviously
frustrated at the whole scene.
"Why are you so angry? Am I your prisoner or
something? I was just trying to be nice to you."
"I'm sorry John, but you hit me with a double whammy.
First we are supposed to be out of sight here, not really in
hiding, but not attracting too much attention. Professor
Orloff was murdered, you know. For all we know it had
something to do with this project. That's what Jacques
thinks. Whoever killed him might just be interested in us.
Especially if they know we are working on the presentation.
This thing is worth a fortune, not just financial fortunes,
but political ones as well. I don't want anything bad to
happen to you or me." She squeezed his hand with her last
comment.
Strut felt some what like a little boy having some
facts, obvious to everyone else, explained to him. It is
true he thought. I have been concerned about being accused
of murder. I could be a potential victim if what she says
is true.
"You must think I'm a real farmer out of his element
here. I guess you are right. If I knew what was going on,
I might not make such mistakes. Janice, I must know what
this is all about."
"The first thing for you to do is to read the summary.
That will explain the concept. Then I shall go over
everything with you in detail. I don't think you are a dumb
farmer. I respect you more and more. That is one of my
problems."
Strut could not stay angry with Janice. He was feeling
more than just a physical attraction, but he was certainly
feeling the physical pull.
"You said I hit you with two things. What is the
other?"
Janice looked as if she were about to cry.
"The red roses, they have a special meaning here. They
mean 'I love you.' I have received lovely gifts from
Jacques and others, but never red roses. I guess you don't
understand the custom."
"I admit I didn't know that, but if I had I would still
have given them to you."
Janice looked at him quizzically. Neither of them knew
if he had said the appropriate words to make the moment
pleasant, or if he really meant what he said.
Strut put some more wood on the fire while Janice put
the groceries away. It kept them occupied separately with
their own thoughts. When Janice finished she went to her
room and returned with a small ringed book, and said,
"Dinner will be in about an hour. I wasn't going to give
this to you until tomorrow, but I think it is best for you
to read a little of it now. This is the information that
was stolen from Professor Orloff. It doesn't say that much,
but it should give you an idea of what this is all about, or
at least how it got started. You don't have to read it all
before you are fed."
Strut felt that he was being let off of the hook of
saying more about roses or love. He welcomed the exit.
"I'll read some in my room before dinner."
Strut was ready to see what this was all about. At
least there was something in writing. He was shocked at
himself for telling Janice that he loved her. He was not in
the habit of such talk. He certainly desired her. Why did
he say it? A shower always made him feel better. He
decided to take one now. He tossed the book on his bed.
Tonight was New Year's Eve, Janice was an appealing house
mate, and he was not going to waste the evening on self
analysis. He would surprise Janice and dress formal for
dinner. He had put his dinner jacket in on impulse. He was
glad that he had now. After dressing, he did start to read
the book. He was not far into it when there was a knock at
his door. Janice was in a long white dress trimmed in gold.
Its low cut exposed her light olive breast contrasting with
the white and gold of her dress.
"At your service, my lord."
They walked arm in arm down the open stairs. The
champagne sat in a silver ice bucket. A long stemmed
crystal glass sat on each side of the red roses atop the
coffee table. Janice gave him a small kiss on the cheek and
said, "I didn't think we had to wait until midnight to have
our champagne."
Strut opened the bottle and watched the long hollow
stems of the glasses fill with the bubbling liquid. Janice
made the toast.
"Here's to a new year, to a new life."
While they still holding their glasses, Strut kissed
her. She tried to set her glass down. It missed the table.
The balance of its contents ran over the carpet. As if
waking from a dream, Janice said, "Oh we can't ruin the
carpet. Can you get a towel?"
When Strut returned, he was able to blot up most of the
spilled drink. Janice refilled the glasses and said, "I am
clumsy."
She picked up her glass and raised it for a toast
smiled and said, "Shall we try again?"
Strut laid the towel on the table, and picked up his
glass. The glasses clinked with a bell tone. He was back
on the sofa beside her. His arm was around Janice's
shoulder.
"Let's finish our drinks and set the glasses on the
table before I have another accident."
The glasses were soon on the table. While Strut kissed
her, he slid the shoulder strap of her dress down. His hand
was on her breast.
"Let's go upstairs, John."
They stood and started for the stairs, kissing as they
walked.
"Let me turn off the oven. I don't want to burn down
the house. Go on to my room. I'll be right behind you."
With a lingering kiss she almost ran for the kitchen.
Strut was spinning. Two glasses of champagne and Janice's
passionate kisses had him feeling no pain as he started up
the stairs. The room turned upside down. It was dark,
except for the blurred yellow glow of the fireplace. Then
it was all black. The light was white and bright now.
Voices, then black again. Lighter now, now a face, Janice.
"How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts. What happened?"
"You had a bad fall from the stairs. You cut your head
and scraped your hip. I called Doctor Tosser. His clinic
is only about twenty miles from here. He said that you
would be all right."
"What time is it?"
"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, January the sixth."
"What? Have I been out for six days?"
"Not completely, or you would have been in the
hospital. You had a mild concussion. Doctor Tosser will
check you this evening."
Strut felt the back of his head. There was a small
bandage at the base of his scull. It was tender.
"You had several stitches. They will come out in a few
days. Would you like something to eat?"
"Yes, I would. I still feel a little strange."
"I'll get you something and you'll feel better."
By the time the doctor arrived that evening Strut was
feeling much better. His headache was virtually gone. He
felt like he had a stiff neck, and a tender hip, but he was
O.K. The doctor changed the dressing on his head and hip,
and said that he would return in five days to remove the
stitches.
"I can move about as normal, I suppose."
Doctor Tosser took a quick look at Janice and said,
"Yes, I think you are fine. I wouldn't do anything that
might damage your graft."
"Graft?"
Janice quickly interrupted, "The cut on your head, John.
Doctor Tosser doesn't always make perfect translations."
Janice showed Doctor Tosser downstairs to the door.
She returned in about ten minutes, and came over to Strut
giving him a long kiss.
"I think that we have some unfinished business, if you
feel up to it."
Strut felt very much up to it.
The next morning the couple gradually awoke in each
other's arms. Janice kissed him gently and said, "Oh John,
I hope that you never hate me."
"Why should I hate you? I love you."
There he said it again. This time he made no self
analysis. He meant it.
"You may doubt it sometime, but I do love you too, very
much."
By midmorning Strut was ready to do something. He
picked up the report that Janice had given him and started
to read the title seemed strange for a business plan.
"Perceived Life."
As he started to read, it all seemed familiar. Then he
remembered that he had started to read it on New Year's Eve.
It took the premise that our lives are centered in our
brains. All that we think we are and what we perceive the
world to be is based on electrical impulses received from
our senses to our brain. They are switched through and
stored into thought patterns by biochemical reactions to the
electrical impulses. Hormones also stimulate our built in
electrical system to cause body reactions.
With the right impulses properly interpreted by the
brain, we could believe that we were experiencing anything,
touch, sight, hearing, all of the senses of the body. If
the proper connectors could be devised, the brain could
believe the input made to it. If a person's brain and
nervous system could be kept in tack, even if the rest of
the body was incapacitated, they could still have all of the
experiences of life in a perceived manner without the body
actually experiencing it. The brain could have a perception
of body and environmental conditions of any type of life.
Such a person would believe he was experiencing such
physical conditions.
Successful reading of brain waves were already in use
in the military. Tests had been made that allowed scientist
to determine what part of the brain did what. Advances had
been made that with the right sensing devices attached a
person could activate airplane cockpit controls by thinking
of them. Strut remembered his experience with the shark in
Robert's office. This concept took it much further. They
were imputing into the brain without an input from the eye,
or other sensory organs. This must be the commercial
version that Jacques talked about.
Strut thought that this reads like on over simplified
version of some late night mad science horror movie. As he
read the supporting documents the explanations became more
and more technical, describing nerve fibers and the chemical
substances that were the switch activators, all in the
technical language of the scientist. Strangely, he
understood what he was reading as clearly as if he were
reading the tax code or some other document of his trade.
The document reviewed years of technical advance in the
study of nerve, brain function, and biochemistry, the many
special chemicals of the body that had been discovered. The
presentation was as step by step development starting with
the simplistic introduction and proceeding with the logic of
the entire nervous system. It went in to great detail on
the brain function, both asleep and awake, and how the body
was virtually paralyzed during rem sleep, except for the eye
muscles. Optical nerve study was the start of the entire
concept. The latest development in identifying control
genes, and the ability to alter them gave the entire program
a Frankenstein aura.
Strut knew it was not that simple. He could not
comprehend why it all seemed to be understandable to him.
He felt that he was reading a review of something that he
had known all of his life. As he read on, he realized that
the highly technical justification for the simple premise
supported the possibility that it was now possible to have
such a connection for the brain to receive electrical input
to it and to output to the extent that a completely
immobilized person could communicate through digitized
speech and actually experience life as if it were happening
to them. Everything, travel, sports, even sex and love.
The many animal test that had been done produced results
that read like it came for science fiction, but strangely to
him it has a true ring to it, almost as if he had conducted
all of those test.
Janice came into the room and said, "I see you are
ready for work. What do you think of the report?"
"It reads like science fiction to me, but yet it makes
some kind of strange sense. More than it should. I'm no
scientist, but I have an uncanny grasp of what they are
saying. I'm not sure that I could make a presentation of
this with a straight face. I know I couldn't pretend to be
a scientist and explain all of these wild theories."
"You won't be talking to scientist. You'll be talking
to financiers and that type of non-technical person. Isn't
that what you have always done?"
"Yes, but not this type of dream stuff. Is this a big
confidence trick or something?"
"It is no trick, as you put it. You'll see eventually
how real this is. Don't worry, I'll help you. If you can
make me understand it, I am sure that you will do fine with
real thing."
"I think you understand it more than I do. Yet I
cannot get over the strange comprehension that I do have for
it."
"I've made something good to eat. Come down and have
some food. You can start to work in earnest tomorrow."
Strut agreed. He laid the report down and stood up
quickly. He felt as if his head hit a steel beam just
before he was completely up.
"Oh, you poor dear. You still haven't recovered. I
hope there is no bad reaction. Let me help you. I am so
sorry. You don't know how I regret.."
"What do you mean bad reaction?"
"Your system has had a great shock. You must not
overdo. I think some food will help."
"What do you regret?"
"I feel so responsible for everything."
"You had to shut off the oven. I was foolish to start
up the stairs without you." During the next week Strut began to work on the
business plan. He approached it like he was preparing one
of the many stock offerings that he had made in the past.
He had the advantage here that there were no legal
requirements for disclaimers and warnings to the investors
that were required in the U.S. offerings. He did not try
to hold out the technical points of the project, except as a
reference to various parts of the technical manual. He high
lighted the number of handicapped persons in the world and
the possible revenues this would represent, as well as the
cost savings to governments and insurance companies if they
could be changed into more productive people. Janice would
read his work, and listen to his summary presentation. He
had her play the part of the devil's advocate for him. She
would ask searching questions, and dispute the facts in the
presentation. Strut would make a defense of the points with
data from the report. Strut's grasp of the project
constantly surprised him. He was impressed with Janice's
ability to help him.
The bond between them grew beyond physical and
emotional ties. Strut was no stranger to work, and with
Janice's help, the entire project seemed to become their
own. For the first time since he could remember he was
happy in his professional and his personal life. Janice was
a true life partner. He still didn't understand all of his
grasp of things, and there was an occasional flash that
something was very wrong. He put these feelings aside. He
had to be positive if he were to make a good presentation.
You cannot sell something that you don't believe in
yourself. He had to believe in it and Janice and himself.
Things went well for the next ten days or so. The
telephone rang for the first time during their stay. Janice
had told him never to answer the telephone, or to make any
calls. Janice hurried to answer it.
"Yes? I can hardly hear you, I think this is a bad
line. Let me call you back."
Janice hurriedly came into the room.
"I must leave and make a call from a call box. The
call was from grandfather. We can't risk using the phone
here. Don't answer or use the phone while I'm gone,
darling, and please don't leave the house unless it catches
on fire. I'll get some groceries while I'm out. I should
be back in a couple of hours."
"I can come with you."
"I don't think that is wise. I want to hear what he
has to say. He wouldn't have asked me to call if it weren't
urgent. You never know what it is. I'm sure it is better
if you are here just in case of trouble."
Janice kissed him.
"Don't worry darling, I'll be back soon."
"I thought you might need some help with the
groceries."
"A woman shopping alone is a lot less conspicuous."
"O.K. I'll miss you."
Janice did not stop at the first call box. Her car was
soon in the Aro Clinic Parking lot. She was shown directly
to Doctor Tosser's private office.
Lunch time came and went. Strut wondered if there was
really danger of the telephone being taped or traced, or if
she didn't want him to hear what she had to say, or if she
went to meet Jacques. Strut was not above jealousy. He
scrounged himself some food from the kitchen for lunch. By
two o'clock he was upset. He sat looking out of the window.
He watched every car he could see on the distant highway,
then he would get up and pace the room. He had been
deluding himself playing house with Janice. There was
danger. If there was some kind of plot against them they
should go to the authorities and have proper protection.
Unless the authorities had Janice now. Perhaps the police
would soon be here for him. That would be better than
something happening to Janice. Perhaps Janice went to meet
Jacques at the airport. Perhaps they fell victim to their
sexual drives again. He thought of the phone. Who would he
call?
Strut walked up the stairs paced through his room, now
his work room, into Janice's room, now their room, and back
into the hall again. He had to burn up his frustrated
energy. He walked up and down the hall looking over the
balcony into the living room. By impulse he tried the door
of the bedroom on the other side of his room. It was
unlocked. He opened it. The light from the hall reflected
back from objects in the dark room giving images not to be
expected in a normal bedroom. He found the light switch.
The room burst into an almost blinding light. It reveled a
gleaming operating room. Strut was not familiar with this
type of room, but it was obvious what it was. There was a
glass wall with all types of electronic equipment behind it.
In the main part of the room a table was under a huge light.
Tanks of gas, oxygen or some other type of gas, along with
glass enclosed cabinets along the walls.
Strut touched the scar on the back of his neck. He
could hardly allow himself to believe what he was thinking.
He closed the door and walked slowly down the stairs. Had
he really fallen? Had he been drugged, and then?
It was dark now. A pair of headlights illuminated the
driveway. Strut was angry, confused and relieved. Despite
all that he had seen, and all he feared had happened, he
loved her. How could he fell that, if what he thought was
true?
Janice came in leaving the door to the garage open.
She had several packages that looked like they had come from
a clothing store. Was she buying a new hat while he was
going mad?
"Sorry to be so late dear. Could you get the groceries
from the back seat of the car?"
He held his tongue and went for the groceries. He
tried to keep his voice as calm as possible when he asked,
"What happened? You said that you would be back in a couple
of hours. It's dark now. I was really upset."
"I'm very sorry. I couldn't risk a call, and besides I
told you not to answer the telephone. There is a lot of
trouble. There have been more killings. Jacques thinks
that no one knows our connection with the affair. The men
that were killed were in Germany. I telephoned Jacques. He
wasn't clear what it had to do with us, but it was
definitely connected with the Orloff killing. They captured
the killers there. They were part of small strange
political group that deals in drugs. The police think they
were doing it for money or drugs. They have all of the group
in custody except four of them. They are calling it a
terrorist act, but it is definitely connected to Orloff
somehow. He asked if we could make the presentation in two
weeks, I said that we could."
Strut looked at her hardly believing what he heard,
hardly believing anything. He kept rubbing his scar.
"You can stop the lies, Janice. I saw the operating
room. It isn't hard to see what you have done to me. I'm
your Frankenstein's monster. How could you do this to
another human being? I thought that you loved me. That was
all part of the honey trap wasn't it? Why me?"
Strut expected either tears or absolute rejection, or
'too bad we've got you now.' He got none of them.
"John, I tried to tell you the other day. I'll tell
you why I did it and why it had to be you, but first tell
me, do you love me?"
Strut heard himself say, "I love you more than
anything. You knew that and you still did it. Or did you
brain wash me into thinking I love you?"
"You said that you loved me before anything happened.
Remember the roses?"
"I remember."
"John, I do love you. That love is stronger than all
of my other emotions that got me into this mess. I admit I
used you, but I have a deep love for you, and if you want
out, I'll help you go back to your old life. You are not a
monster. The only difference is that you have a vast
knowledge of things that you didn't have before. You're
still my wonderful John. Your new knowledge is facts and
figures, not changes in attitudes or personality. You still
feel like the same person, don't you?"
"Well, I don't feel like the bionic man or anything
different. I admit that except for being mad as hell that
anyone could do this to me, I am the same old me. Still a
sucker for you any way. Do you know what you did, or had
done, was absolutely criminal? I could have died, been
paralyzed or even went mad, anything. Maybe I am mad. I
should go to the police and have the lot of you put away.
They would probably put me in the asylum for believing such
a tale. What is this thing wired in my head? I just can't
believe it is possible, or this has happened to me."
"Please hear me out John. There is nothing wired into
your head. None of the nerves were cut. The nervous system
is not like house wiring, you know. You have no strange
fixture in your head. When you read the second part of the
report, the one everyone wanted to get or destroy, you'll
see everything is done by induction. The nerves pick up low
frequency signals just like a radio picks up radio signals
without a direct wire to the transmitter. A piece of your
skin is now like an antenna. A small piece of skin was
removed from you hip. A control gene was altered in it to
make it possible for it to receive and transmit signals to
your brain. Your brain interprets the messages the same way
it interprets messages from your eyes or ears. It makes use
of the information in its own way."
"Don't spin me yarns, Janice. I read the initial
report, as you call it. It is clear that you can fool the
brain into thinking that all it takes in are facts. Seeing
is believing."
"You don't believe all you see and hear normally, this
is the same. I was there. Nothing but facts about this
project and language skills were used."
"What do you mean language skills? I'm a lawyer, I make my
living understanding the language."
Janice got up and crossed the room. She pressed the
catch on a cabinet. The doors opened there was a television
set. Strut had not known that there was a television or
radio in the house. She turned on the television. The news
commentator was talking about the day's happening in the
Bern parliament. John wondered what this had to do with
this mess. Suddenly, he realized that the man was speaking
in German, and he understood every word the same as if he
were speaking in English. Janice turned off the set, closed
up the cabinet and returned to her seat.
"Do you think your understanding of German has
improved?"
"I understood what he said, but I couldn't repeat a
word that he said."
"Speaking is a physical skill. That is different from
understanding. Do you remember the couple that Jacques had
to dinner?"
"Yes, what about them?"
"He was there to test Professor Orloff on his knowledge
about certain things, without him knowing it. Professor
Orloff was then to acquire that knowledge here. He could
then demonstrate the results at the presentation. When
Professor Orloff was killed, you were the obvious
replacement. They had met you. You have a good reputation
in the legal and financial community. You could not be a
fake. There was a very tight deadline. The investor has
checked all of your background and knows that you could not
be faking. That's the real presentation you were to make.
You are the living proof that the process works."
"How could my supposed best friend, Jacques, put me
into such a position? It is one thing to have a partner or
paid lackey, or whatever Orloff was, to volunteer for such
an experiment, but to trick me into it, I can't believe that
he is that low."
"It wasn't an experiment. It was a tested procedure.
When this started I was going to convince you of the
benefits for yourself and mankind, and money to do it.
Remember you said not for love or money."
"How could you do this for Jacques? Do you love him
that much?"
"I don't love Jacques, I never really did. Jacques is
not the point. I'm got into this project over my father.
He was my whole life for years. I saw I could help him. I
have seen what this can do. I see what it can do for other
people. It sounds idealistic doesn't it? Perhaps it is
just my guilt feelings. I never forgave myself for being in
a safe Swiss school when my parents were bombed. I had some
upsetting things happen at school just then. Perhaps if I
had been with them they might not have attacked a car with a
young girl in it."
"Janice you know that isn't true. People like that
kill children every day."
"I wasn't really a child. It may have been something
at school that I was doing for my father to be proud of me,
and he never got to see the results. It changed my life,
never mind. I want this project to succeed."
Strut found himself drifting from the track. He was
comforting Janice. He was the victim here.
"I still can't understand how you could use me as a
guinea pig."
"John, you were not a guinea pig. This procedure is
well tested. It is as safe as pulling a tooth. Several
people have had this done successfully."
"Why couldn't you use them?"
"They are all dead."
"What? You are telling me that this is safe. My God!"
"Listen! They didn't die from this they were killed."
"That's not much comfort."
"Please listen. You couldn't know what it was like for
me to see my father laying in bed. He couldn't move, speak
or do anything. He was kept technically alive with
machines. They breathed for him. He was fed through his
veins. He was a living corpse. For all I knew he was in
terrible pain. In theory he could have gone on like that
for years. Jacques heard of this possibility. I finally
persuaded him to have it tried on my father. I felt there
was nothing to loose. If my father died, he might be better
off, and if it worked he could have some kind of life.
There was everything to gain."
"Did your father die from the treatment?"
"No, the whole thing was a success. The change waslike a miracle. He was eventually able to speak through a
computer, everything that was in the report. He was very
active and intelligent before. He could at least use his
mind after this."
"How did he die?"
"He was killed. The change in his ability to
communicate and use his mind didn't change his physical
state. He was still fed interveinously. Insulin was
injected into the fluid that he was being fed by mistake."
"Do you think it was that or something else happened?"
"The American doctor that originally developed the
process insisted that he be present at the autopsy. He
confirmed that it was insulin shock that killed him. After
that he had his partner purchase this house and convert the
room that you saw. He was confident enough that both he and
his partner had the interface procedure done."
"Doctor Tosser, from the clinic, did it. Doctor Tosser
became involved in the medical of side of things after the
American doctors were killed in Paris. It is a very simple
surgical routine. They just make a skin graft in the right
place. The real work of altering the gene on the skin from
your hip was done at the clinic. I had supplied them with a
sample of your hair to determine your DNA pattern.
Of course all of this development process didn't happen
overnight, it was several years in development. Jacques'
firm developed the electronic equipment and software at
enormous cost. There is still much to be done in that area,
but the basic medical procedure is simple and proven."
"You said it was not connected to the nerves. What
does this thing do?"
"There is no direct connection. It is a part of your
own body that is able to send messages through your system.
The whole secret to the program is the coded message that
the nerves send and how this causes a biochemical reaction
in the brain. The nerves are not high voltage lines. They
can be stimulated to send signals without touching them.
Just like a magnet can turn without being touched. Brain
waves have been measured for years. This is transmitting
coded messages to the nerves by inducing signals. It's like
a telephone can be taped with a coil, not cutting the wire."
"Then why is this graft necessary?"
"It just increases the reception efficiency, like a
radio antenna. In the proper place the nerves can be
induced to receive the signal. Otherwise, the weak signal
would be too diverse to be received properly."
"You sound like you are a specialist on this. Have you
studied this type of thing?"
"Only since my father was involved. Since then I have
insisted that I am at the heart of everything. You know all
of this John. You just need to have the chance to recall
it, like recalling a dream. Reviewing the projected
techniques will bring it to your conscious mind."
As a matter of fact, Strut understood more clearly than
her explanation. As she spoke, the technical details came
into his mind as conformation of what she had said.
Janice continued, "The next step is to eliminate the
graft, and do it all with complete outside induction. That
is the main interest of most of the investors now. It looks
that we can raise hundreds of millions of dollars privately
if the presentation is accepted.
"Only governments and large public companies have that
kind of money to through around."
"The prime investor is a government. Doctor Hassid,
who you met at Jacques, represents a very powerful man in an
African country. He is suffering from a muscle
deteriorating disease. He wants the treatment, and I think
that his political associates want the process. He has lots
of enemies that would try and stop this as well as other
countries that would want to have the process. Doctor
Cohen, one of the American doctors, was working with a
special investment group in Israel before he was killed.
Doctor Hassid has cooled toward them for some reason."
"If the politicians know about this, I'd think all of
this secrecy stuff in nonsense."
"Just a few key people know, but there was a leak of
sorts in the U.S. about this. The doctor who put up the
money for this house and other initial research so upset his
son with his expenditure that he complained to some of his
friends. He thinks it is some kind of hair brain mind
control idea. Whomever he talked to did some digging.
Jacques thinks that is why both American doctors were killed
in Paris on their way to see him."
The last statement enhanced Strut's interest.
"Do you know the name of the American doctors?"
"Let me see. Yes, I remember them. In fact one of
them comes from your home state, Indiana. His name was
Doctor Carpenter. His son was the one who was so upset with
his father spending all of the money. The other man was
Doctor Cohen, who I just mentioned. Doctor Cohen was the
real developer of the idea."
"I'll be damn. Either it's a smaller world that you
can imagine, or Jacques is a very clever manipulator."
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind. It's not important."
Doctor Carpenter's estate will probably never get this
house, unless he left a special will. My grandfather's bank
will probably administer it forever. The bank gets a lot of
assets that way."
"Janice you know that this is not only an economic and
medical sensation, it has great political potential. No
wonder all over the stir over it."
"Yes, I suppose that the great thinkers could be
understood better by scholars and the people at large. Just
think what we could do if the thinking of Plato and DeVenchi
could be utilized by everyone."
"What about Nero, Hitler, Stalin?"
"I see what you mean. I'm naive, aren't I?"
"Don't worry I'm not angry anymore. I have a very
personal interest in this. I want to read the other part of
the report."
"Oh John, thank you for understanding my feelings. We
are really one now. I'll never deceive you on anything
again."
Strut hardly noticed her words. He mumbled to himself,
"Doctor Carpenter!"
"Did you say something, dear?"
"I think I should start reading."
"Before you do let me show you what I brought back. Go
and get the things from the boot of the car."
"Boot? Oh, the trunk."
He brought back two boxes and two sets of short snow
skis. Janice opened the other packages. There was warm
winter sports clothing. Ski jackets, long underwear, socks,
and all kinds of cold weather gear. Strut opened the boxes.
Each contained a machine pistol.
"This is what took me so long. I had to drive to
Zurich where Jacques had arrange with a gun dealer there for
these. They will come completely apart and fit in to these
rucksacks."
"Do you know how to use them?"
"Yes. I belonged to a shooting club in school. I
joined to met boys. That didn't work out so well, but I did
learn to shoot. Can you manage a gun?"
"Yes, but I think we are getting in over our heads
here."
"It's just for our protection. I don't think we are
going to be in any gun battles."
Strut wondered if this was how many terrorist had
started. A belief in something, someone attacks you because
of that, and you think you are defending what is right. The
next thing you are killing all sorts of people.
"Why all of the ski gear? From what you tell me this
is hardly the time for taking off to ski. Besides, I have
never been on skis in my life."
"Jacques suggested that if someone is really after us,
they may know of this house. If things get too bad, we may
have to hide in the mountains. It would be safer than the
city. It would only be for a short time. He could always
send a helicopter for us. I have emergency rations. We
would need the skis to get to the cabin that he knows.
Don't worry about skiing. I can teach you the basics very
quickly."
The next day the couple rose early, before dawn, and
drove across the highway, and up a small forest service road
to have Strut's first skiing lesson. He was pleased how
quickly he was able to master the short skis. He had not
become an alpine skier, but he could turn, and most
important, stop without falling. He did his share of
falling at first, but soon it was a rare mistake that would
bring him down. They enjoyed their time in the snow like
children. Strut was relaxed and refreshed when they
returned to the house about eight. They agreed to go to a
real ski resort with a lift when this was over. Side
stepping up was a strain. Strut was not use to a lot of
exercise, and his muscles were making their presents known.
He could understand some of his friends that had became ski
addicts. It cleared your mind of all problems except
getting down without falling. The crisp morning air rushing
past made his skin tingle and gave him a feeling of being
glad to be alive in the clean open air.
In a few days Janice received another call. She turned
to Strut and said, "We must go. Jacques is afraid that we
may be in danger. They have identified all the German
killers."
They packed one suit case with what they would need in
Zurich for the presentation. In a few minutes all other
necessities were in the car, and they were on their way to
the railway station at Buchs. They purchased two tickets
for Zurich, and checked one bag for the baggage compartment.
It contained the clothing they would need for Zurich along
with all of the presentation documents. The clerk said it
was a waste of good money to check such a small case. He
looked as Strut with slight contempt. He must think he is
too good to carry a suit case, but he took their money for
the check bag. There was no train for Zurich for almost an
hour. The couple went to their parked car. They missed the
train.
They were driving back to Liechtenstein. They drove
through the little capital of Vaduz and started up the
mountain. The road was good but full of hairpin turns.
Cars and even a bus had to be met on the winding road. They
finally came to a tunnel. It was narrow, but straight.
They met no oncoming traffic on this narrow passage. On the
other side of the tunnel the road was covered with snow. It
was snowing rather hard. They drove across a small bridge,
and up a steep incline. Just as they rounded a curve, an on
coming car almost hit them. They managed to slide by
somehow. The car fishtailed as its tires spun on the snow
covered road. They maintained their forward motion on the
slippery but scenic road. To their right the show covered
shear cliff looked grayish white in the heavy snow fall. To
their left was a stream bed with the cold clear water
rushing down between the snow covered pines. Eventually the
land on each side of the road begin to broaden. The pulled
into a parking lot carved out of the deep snow. Strut could
see several buildings through the blowing snow. Janice
apparently knew the area.
"John, go into the bar of that hotel. I'll be with you
shortly."
The bar was a contrast to the snow storm outside. The
ceiling was covered with carved wooden squares. Wrought
Iron lamps hung from the carvings to the booths below had
red silk shades. They gave a warm ruddy glow with their
light. The walnut stained wooden booths looked new. Most
of the customers seemed young and very happy. Their faces
were reddish brown from days on the ski slopes. Strut
ordered a beer from the smiling bar maid. In a short while
Janice joined him in a drink. They enjoyed a dance to the
small band that had just started to play. The dance floor
was small, but it felt good to have people around. It felt
very good to have Janice in his arms. They stayed at the
bar for almost an hour. Then they left and went to another
new hotel. When they entered they started in the direction
of the bar, but Janice gave Strut's sleeve a pull, and they
slipped down the hall to a room that Janice had rented. She
had brought sacks in from the car.
"It's not unusual for a couple to make a night of it
here. They are lax about checking identification for the
registration. The police are really not interested in
locals having a fling."
Strut wondered if all of this information came from
personal experience, but thought it was best not to question
it. He simply said, "I am sure that no one will look for us
here tonight."
"They had some of my favorite chocolates on sale here.
Tonight I'm going to teach you to eat them properly." The snowy streets made the drive to downtown
Indianapolis longer than usual for R.C. Roberts that
morning, but he did not have an appointment before ten. He
would still have thirty minutes to go over the mail and get
settled in. He had a little extra work in the past few
days. He had assigned most of Strut's clients to other
members of the firm. He made sure that the clients were not
unhappy with this arrangement while Strut was on "vacation."
No one else in the office had been delayed by the bad street
conditions. He was the only one who had failed to plan for
the delay.
Robert's secretary handed him his mail, and said that
Mr. Silverstein wanted to see him first thing. Roberts
hoped that there was no trouble with the Turner account. He
had given Ira some of the work to test the Turner's
reaction, just in case Strut really did leave the firm.
Ira's problem was quite different. Ira was ill at ease.
That was not like him. After a few moments of general
conversation, Ira finally came to the point.
"A friend of mine called me last night, and insisted
that I meet someone. My friend and I are active in several
community associations together."
Roberts was sure that the meant some Jewish
associations. Ira had developed some good client contacts
there, that Roberts could never make. Ira continued to say,
"The man was from New York. He is the kind of Jew that
thinks trouble is good for us. It binds us together. If we
have no problems, we blend into the community too much and
abandon our heritage. Well believe me, I believe in my
heritage, but I'm all for blending. You know that R.C."
Roberts knew that he wanted to blend. Ira had pushed
Roberts to sponsor him into a country club that did not have
any Jewish members on its roster. This was the first time
Ira had talked about being Jewish. He certainly did not
make it a secret, but to Roberts there was nothing to
discuss about it.
"Anyway this man asked if I thought that you were
Anti-Semitic. He wanted to know all about John Strut, and
if I knew anyone called Professor Orloff, or Jacques du
Mount. I asked him what he was talking about. I told him
that you were not Anti-Semitic, and that I felt the same
about John. The subject of heritage was never mentioned
between any of us. I told him that I wasn't going to listen
to his slander and please leave. He became rather hostile,
and said that his questions were very important. They
involved the security of the state of Israel. In so many
words I told him he was crazy. Later that night my friend
called and said that I should not be so upset. He was only
doing his job. He was working for the Israeli government,
and that what he wanted to know was very important. In the
middle of the night I had calls from two other people who I
thought were good friends of mine. They practically
insulted me. This morning this New Yorker called me and
insisted that I meet with him this afternoon. He said that
he would not take no for an answer. He is going to call me
again at noon today. I don't know Professor Orloff, and I
only met Mr. du Mount at the Christmas party. Do you know
what this is all about?"
Roberts was angered, he did not show it, but he was
angry. He, nor John as far as he knew, had never even told
a Jewish joke. Ira had advanced faster than anyone in the
firm. He had great difficulty getting Ira into his club.
This sort of thing is what makes people bias. How dare some
paranoid hot head in New York try to get information on his
firm and their clients. Roberts took a deep breath and
reflected for a moment. He was composed enough to speak,
"Ira, I certainly appreciate your defense of my morals. I
think my actions speak louder than anything I can say about
my feelings. Frankly, I don't notice if a person is Jewish,
or anything else for that matter. I think it is the person
who counts. I am sure that John feels the same. I think
you are top rate as a person. What you have done in this
firm proves that. As for Professor Orloff, he teaches
economics at Purdue University. He has done some consulting
work for the Turners. That is how I know him. I introduced
him to Mr. du Mount some time ago when he was looking for
someone who had a top reputation in economics in the United
States. I have known Jacques since college. I cannot
believe that Jacques is doing anything against Israel. Many
French companies do business with Arab countries, and
Jacques is a French industrialist. That doesn't make him
any more Anti-Semitic than General Motors, or some Israelis
from what I read."
"I agree. I just can't understand what this is all
about."
"Well Ira, don't worry about it. Meet this character,
and tell him what he wants to know, so long as you don't
violate any client confidences. I can't imagine what that
would be. Neither Orloff nor du Mount are clients."
"Thank you R.C. I'll let it be know you were
completely helpful. That won't hurt us."
Roberts got the drift of what he said. He didn't want
the wrath of the Jewish community. He was disturbed that he
was even suspect by them. What could Jacques be doing that
would make such a wave? Whatever it was, should not involve
either John or himself. After all John was just a plain
mid-westerner who was Jacques house guest for a few days.
How could anything be less complicated? Well, he had better
review his first appointment's file, what an upsetting start
to the morning.
Roberts had managed to forget his disturbing talk with
Ira by the time he was leaving for lunch. His intercom
buzzed just as he was halfway to the door. His secretary
said that Mrs. Orloff was calling for him. It was quite
urgent. He had met Mrs. Orloff only once at a dinner given
for Professor Orloff, after he had saved the Turners a
considerable sum of money on some stock deal. From the
Turner's recommendation and doing a little research in the
economic press, and a glowing report from the U.S.
Department of Commerce on Orloff's international economic
skills, he was able to recommend Orloff to Jacques. He
never did know what Jacques wanted with a U.S. economist.
Jacques did press an introduction fee on him, saying it was
business, not a personal favor. Roberts picked up his
telephone.
"What a pleasant surprise to hear from you Mrs. Orloff.
How is Professor Orloff? I haven't had a chance to see him
for some time."
Most calls that attorneys receive are not motivated by
good news. This was no exception.
"George is dead. I need some help, and I felt that you
might be in a position to know something that I didn't, so I
called you."
"I'm very sorry to hear such bad news. I don't know
what information I can give you, but I'm ready to help you
in any way that I can."
"Yesterday evening, I had a call for the State
Department saying that George had been killed in France, and
that more details would be available in a few hours. After
terrible hours of waiting, I called the State Department
back. All I got was the run around. I even got the
impression that they weren't sure that George was dead. I
finally received another call this morning from someone else
in the State Department. He said that George was killed in
Hamburg Germany by a car bomb in a taxi. It would be some
time before they could arrange for the remains to be
returned. He discouraged me from going to Germany, and said
that there were no other details at this time. I just
couldn't get any satisfaction. All of our friends at the
university are away for the holidays. I know that George
was on leave of absence to do work for your friend Mr. du
Mount. I should like to come to your office tomorrow and
discuss this matter. There is no one else responsible that
I can get any help from. Is that possible?"
"Of course. I'll have to give you to my secretary to
arrange a time. I don't know what I can do, but I'll do
whatever I can."
Roberts viewed the coming interview with mixed
feelings. He was accustomed to dealing with upset widows,
that was part of the lucrative estate work, but he wasn't
sure what her meaning of a responsible person meant. He
assumed it meant a responsible type person, not some who was
in some way responsible for her husband's death. Getting
him a job did not make him responsible for this tragedy. He
was borrowing trouble. To think those people in the State
Department call them selves diplomats. They couldn't even
get the country that he was killed in straight. No wonder
we do so poorly in international affairs.
That evening Roberts saw the destroyed taxi on the
network news. There would be few remains to be returned
from that tangle of metal. The comment was very short.
"Professor George Orloff of Purdue University at
Lafayette Indiana was another victim of an Anti-American
radical group's campaign of terror. One suspect is being
held."
Roberts was somewhat relieved by the comments. There
was no mention of du Mount's firm. It was just another
mindless act by hoodlums.
The next morning Roberts thought it would be worth the
expense of a call to Strut. He had the terms of settlement
with Patty. He could also see if there was anything strange
going on there. He could then tell Mrs. Orloff, he had a
member of his firm contact du Mounts firm. She was due for
a one thirty appointment. The telephone in Les Issambres
was answered by the Algerian servant. Roberts was proud of
his ability to speak French, it wasn't bad at all, but it
had a strong American accent. Their servant had an even
stronger accent to his French. Roberts finally determined
that no one else was there or expected there. He placed
another call to du Mounts business number in Paris. He had
no difficulty in communicating there. After a long delay
from the company operator, he was finally told that Mr. du
Mount was in an important conference and could not be
disturbed. Could he call back tomorrow? Roberts decided to
through good money after bad, and call Jacques home. John
would probably be there. He must have come back to Paris
with them. Heidi answered the telephone. Once he
identified himself, she gave him no chance to asked for
John. She was interested in what had taken him away.
"I hope that John had no serious trouble. He had to
leave Les Issambres in such a hurry I didn't have a chance
to say goodbye. Please tell him, I enjoyed his short visit."
"I'm sorry Heidi, but John is not here. I haven't
heard from him."
"Jacques didn't say, but I just assumed that he
returned to Indianapolis. I must ask Jacques where he had
to go."
Roberts talked some general nonsense with Heidi, and
let any further question about John pass. Roberts felt that
Jacques would be home by nine in the evening in Paris. He
would call him to see what John was up to.
Mrs. Orloff made the sixty mile drive from Lafayette to
Indianapolis on roads that were patched with ice. She was
quite a capable driver, if fact she was a capable and
self-controlled woman. She was going to find out what this
was all about, and protect her interest in the mean time.
As she sat across from Roberts, he could sense that if she
wanted to be, she could be a force to be dealt with. She
was grieved and upset by the unanswered questions, but she
was not panicked.
"My husband and I lived rather independent lives, that
does not mean that we did not care for each other very
deeply. I want the facts of my husband's death, and his
body returned for proper internment. To my knowledge, he
was working exclusively for your friend. I'm curious to
know if this included any insurance coverage while he was in
his employ. George also said that if his work was
successful with your friend he would receive a very large
fee. I should hope that this will be honored."
Roberts did not care for the constant referral to du
Mount in a tone that could give the impression that he had
personally planted the bomb that did away with the
unfortunate Orloff. Mrs. Orloff changed her tone somewhat
from implying as much guilt by association as possible to
bring forth a carrot as she said, "George was not a poor
man. He had been very successful in his activities outside
the university. Are you in a position to handle the estate?
I would expect any claim that George might have against your
friend's firm to be dealt with promptly, and I want a full
explanation of the facts of my husband's death, and anyone's
liability in that matter."
"I'm willing to do whatever I can. I would, of course,
be pleased to handle the estate. One of my partners is in
France now on another matter. I can have him make some
initial inquiries. I also am a good friend of our Senator.
I'll get on to his office this afternoon and get a straight
story from the State Department."
"Mr. Roberts, I want you to do whatever is necessary to
get all of the facts in this matter. This is not only for
my personal satisfaction, but the fee that I mentioned was
supposed to be a million dollars. If you have to go to
Europe to settle this matter, the estate should pay your
expenses. I think the estate should be protected, don't
you?"
Roberts readily agreed. He now understood her interest
in having him represent the estate. Any claim against a
French firm would be difficult and expensive to pursue. He
could be an inexpensive short cut for that process. Du
Mount was not a client and there would be no legal conflict
of interest. Jacques was only a friend, not a client. He
told his secretary to place a call du Mount's home at three
thirty. That would be early evening in Paris. He felt that
he must talk to Jacques now.
Jacques had never discussed business matters with his
wife since early in their marriage. She seemed to become
very upset at his normal business problems. When she knew
some of the day to day problems he had with people, she
would become unreasonably negative in her reaction to them.
He now regretted not telling her that Orloff was killed, and
that John and Janice were together. Heidi was shocked by
the evening's news announcement of Orloff's death in
Hamburg. Like every other wife of a well known and rich man
she was aware of the kidnap problem, but this was terrible.
She had never considered that Jacques or herself was in any
danger. It was always something that happened to other
people. This was to close to home for comfort. When
Jacques returned home, she told him about Robert's call.
Jacques was at a loss to have a story about what John was
doing.
"John simply told me he had to leave on urgent
business. He was very pressed for time. I just assumed it
was back in America. He said that he would make all of his
travel arrangements at the airport. Perhaps it is something
to do with his estranged wife that he doesn't want to talk
to R.C. about."
Jacques hoped that Roberts would not call him back.
That hope faded with the ringing telephone. Heidi picked up
the phone. Jacques knew it was Roberts as soon as she
started to speak English.
Roberts could not get a straight answer from du Mount
about what had happened to Strut. Jacques said that he was
sure that he was fine, but beyond that, he was evasive.
Roberts then told him of his conversations with Ira and Mrs.
Orloff. Jacques confirmed that there might be a large fee
due Orloff if the project was funded. Orloff had been work
on a part contingency bases. He had completed most of his
work, and if the project were completed his estate would be
properly paid. Whatever that meant. It is still very
uncertain if the project would be funded. Jacques was very
vague about the questions Ira's conversation had raised.
"There are always foolish emotional reactions to new
developments. I'm sure there is nothing to it."
Roberts was still puzzled by all of Jacques strange
answers. He queried him, "Is Heidi with you by the phone?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Is she on the extension receiver?"
"No."
"Is that the reason for these strange answers,
Jacques?"
"You might say so. Don't worry everything will work
out soon. Thanks for calling, goodbye."
Jacques hung his telephone up quickly. Heidi asked,
"Was he concerned about John?"
"No, he felt it was a personal matter. A divorce can
be quite trying, I should think. He is representing the
estate of Professor Orloff. He just had some questions.
I'm sorry to have a business call at home."
Roberts was more concerned than ever by the strange
ending to the conversation. He dialed his home number.
"Betty how would like a trip to Paris?"
"Paris! Oh how nice, it doesn't get as hot in the
summer there as it does in Indianapolis."
"I don't mean next summer. I mean in two days."
"Two days! I could never be ready. Are you joking?"
"No I'm not. I must go on business, and I would love
to have you with me."
"You are serious, two days. Of course I'll go. What
about Richard?"
"Richard will be fine. It won't be for that long.
He'll be busy with the start of a new semester at Culver."
"Don't be ashamed of me if I'm in rags."
"I know you'll look gorgeous. It's the woman that
counts, and you're the best. I'll tell you all about it
tonight."
Roberts felt every justification in leaving his office.
It was for the good of the firm. The Orloff estate was no
small thing, especially if the estate were paid a large fee
from Jacques firm. He would be the perfect one to pull it
off. Jacques would not be tempted to forget Orloff's fee if
he represented the estate. Roberts also felt that he needed
to get to the bottom of Strut's disappearance. He had
handled enough divorce cases to know that it was not unusual
for the husband to vanish for a while. Some had to prove
their virility, and didn't choose to do so in the company of
old friends. Jacques probably didn't want to say what Strut
was really doing in front of his wife. The idea of going to
Europe for a client had always appealed to Roberts. This
was his first chance to do so. A real international case,
very good.
Surprisingly Ira was not so enthusiastic. Roberts
thought he would jump at the chance of having some extra
authority while he was gone. Ira would be pretty much in
charge while he was away. Roberts thought that he would be
the best man. Besides it would show that he was not
Anti-Semitic. In fact Ira was very upset by the news that
Orloff had been blown apart in a taxi. He did not take
Strut's disappearance as lightly as Roberts indicated that
he did. Ira said, "This is something to stay out of.
Perhaps we do not need fees from people like Mrs. Orloff."
"Now who is being prejudice?"
"I just thought we might be short handed."
"With you in charge, Ira, I'm not worried. It won't do
the firm any harm to deal in international matters."
Ira knew Roberts' fascination with France, and decided
that there was nothing he could say that would dissuade him
from going. Ira was thinking that if Orloff was such a
danger to Israel, it might not have been just anarchist that
was behind the bombing. It seemed, to Ira's dismay, that
some Jews were more and more using the ends to justify the
means. He had no desire to become part of that. The firm
should stick to good profitable local business. This
running off to Europe at the drop of a hat was not good
business.
Roberts had his own travel agent book a hotel in Paris.
He was not going to tell Jacques that he was coming until it
was too late to be told not to come. He had received Mrs.
Orloff's blessing for the trip when he told her that a large
fee was in the offing, but not yet resolved. He had the
feeling that Jacques would not be enthusiastic about his
trip, but he was an old friend, and would not refuse to see
him. Strut's disappearance could be explained man to man,
and he could get a written assurance of the fee due Orloff.
The Orloff estate would receive the benefits of his work,
and he and Betty could have a few nice days in Paris. Betty
missed his last trip there. It would be good to show her
this magical city. He was sure that Betty and Heidi would
become good friends. It would be great for all of them.
When he returned home, Betty was in an absolute fit.
The bedroom was littered with dresses, shoes and all types
of clothing. She was almost angry.
"How could you do this to me? Didn't you know sooner
that we must go?"
"I told you just as soon as I knew, dear. What is the
problem?"
"I have nothing but rags. How can I go to Paris in
these rags?"
Roberts thought that he was looking at about twenty
thousand dollars worth of rags.
"You shouldn't take a lot of clothing to Paris. That
is the place to bring clothing back from."
These were magic words. Betty calmed down and said
that she would only put a few essentials in her bags. When
Roberts saw the number of bags that she was taking, he
wondered if there were any clothes left in the closets.
Roberts and his wife made a stop in Washington. His Senator
had arranged an appointment at the State Department for
Roberts to discuss the death of Orloff. They would take an
evening flight to Paris. Roberts had left instructions with
his secretary to send a wire to du Mount that morning saying
that they were arriving in Paris the next morning and
staying at the Hotel Maurice.
He and Betty had lunch at the Sans Souci Restaurant in
Washington. The Orloff estate could afford to treat the
helpful Senator to an expensive lunch. During the meal the
Senator's office telephoned with an urgent message for
Roberts to call his office. When Roberts returned the call,
he heard that du Mount had called for him not to come. He
was to call du Mount as soon as possible.
"If Mr. du Mount calls again, tell him that you were
unable to contact me."
The men from the State Department had more questions
than answers. They were very interest in why Roberts was
going to Europe to see about the remains of Professor
Orloff. Why he was going to Paris instead of Hamburg?
Roberts explained that he was handling the estate, and that
the estate might be due some fees from a French firm. The
brought a barrage of questions. Roberts was beginning to be
come a little upset when the thirty minute visit turned into
a two-hour integration. He was unable to get an explanation
of why Mrs. Orloff was told her husband died in France
instead of Hamburg, except that she must have misunderstood
in her shock. He doubted that from his impression of Mrs.
Orloff, but said nothing. In fact he finally said that he
would have to have his client's permission before he could
answer any more questions. As far as he could see they were
not very helpful, and the answers to their questions were
none of their business.
The interview was ended with a halfway apology from the
one State Department man that had not asked questions, but
simply sat in on the meeting. One of the other men said,
"I'm sorry for all of the questions. It's just routine in
cases like this. We shall try to have some more complete
information for you in Paris. Please contact a Mr. Harts at
the Paris Embassy after you arrive. He can arrange for you
to view the remains in Germany if you desire."
Roberts remembered the television picture of the
demolished taxi. He was not pushing to view the remains of
anyone in that car. He did agree to contact Mr. Harts a few
days after he arrived in Paris.
Roberts hoped that Betty would not be worried about his
late arrival at their Senator's office. They had planned to
meet there some time ago. When he arrived at the Senate
office building, he found that Betty was not in the office.
She had not been there all afternoon. It was getting close
to closing time. He was concerned. Washington could be a
nasty place. Before he could build up much anxiety, Betty
arrived with three packages. She just had to have something
better for Paris. Roberts wondered why the most intelligent
woman that he had ever met, the most attractive for that
matter, would act so irrational over clothing for a trip.
"I don't want you to be ashamed of me when I meet
Heidi. I've never met her, you know. She lives in Paris,
and must be quite style conscious."
"She will be impressed with you, Betty. Everyone will
be impressed, including the baggage porters."
Betty took his comment in good humor, and they started
the long ride to Dullas for their evening flight. There was
a message for Roberts at the check in desk. It was from
Jacques requesting him to call him before leaving for Paris.
Roberts read the message and dropped it into the trash bin.
Roberts and his wife arrived in Paris the next morning.
Roberts was tired, but excited to be back in Paris. Betty
was more tired than excited. She asked if Jacques and Heidi
were meeting them at the airport. Roberts said no. He felt
that they would need a little rest before seeing them. She
fully agreed. He would call Jacques in the afternoon.
Roberts had not been to Charles de Gaul Airport. It was
completely modern. He wondered if Paris was going to be
different from what he remembered. Roberts concerns were
soon put to rest. The stores, cafes and apartment buildings
all had the same charm for him. There was new construction,
but all the charm was still there. The taxi pulled into the
small circular drive at the lobby entrance of the Hotel
Maurice. Their room was large with a high ceiling, and well
furnished. The tiled bath was also large with separate
shower and tub. Both Roberts and his wife were tired, the
bed was the most attractive thing at the moment.
It was four in the afternoon when they awoke. Betty
went for a shower, while Roberts put a call into du Mount's
office. Roberts had expected that Jacques might be upset
with him. Jacques did not seem angry on the phone, but
rather concerned to see Roberts as soon as possible. He
explained that it would be impossible to have dinner that
night. He had a previous commitment that he could not get
out of. He agreed to meet Roberts at his hotel about six.
Jacques said it was on the way to his home on Ile de St.
Louis. Jacques assured him that Heidi was looking forward
to meeting Betty tomorrow. Roberts was pleased that Jacques
did not seem upset with him for ignoring his messages. He
did not wish to impose on his old friend, but he did have a
job to do. Betty emerged from the bathroom.
"Look at these lovely robes that the hotel furnishes.
Thank you for bringing me. I think a lot of men would find
an excuse to come to Paris without their wives."
Roberts kissed her and said, "I'm the one to thank you
for coming. With you here this trip will be a real
pleasure. I just talked to Jacques. He is coming for a
drink at six. He and Heidi had a prior commitment for
tonight, but you and Heidi will be able to get together
tomorrow. I'll probably have a little work to do with him
then. After that you and I can enjoy Paris."
Roberts quickly showered and dressed. He and Betty
would have time for a short walk before Jacques arrived.
The entry of the hotel opposite the lobby entrance was on
Rue de Rivoli. They left by that entry and turned right.
Betty was engaged by all the shops under the arched side
walk. Across the street was the Tuileries. They walked on
for another block to the Place de la Concord. Both were
pleased to see the beauty of the city. Another block and
they were passing the well-guarded American Embassy.
Roberts remembered that he had to see someone there.
Jacques was his usual charming self when he met Roberts
and Betty in the lobby of the Maurice. They had a short but
pleasant conversation. He told Betty that this hotel was
the headquarters of the Occupying German Army in the war,
and gave her several other bits of information not found in
the guide books.
"Betty, do you mind? My time is short, and I do have a
few boring business points that I should go over with your
husband."
"Not at all, Jacques, I need to get ready for dinner.
I hope to see you and your wife tomorrow."
After Betty left, Jacques suggested that he and Roberts
take a walk outside.
"You won't need a coat, we are just going to my car.
It will be more quiet there."
The lobby seemed very quiet to Roberts, but he agreed
with the comment. The car was not far, and they quickly
settled into the soft lounge like seats of the Citroen.
"I'm very sorry that you didn't get my messages before
you left. I am, of course, always happy to see an old
friend, but this is an extremely trying time for me. I'm
involved in a very expensive venture. In fact it has become
more critical than I ever imagined possible."
"I don't mean to interfere with your business, Jacques.
I'm sure that I can clear up the Orloff affair, as far at it
concerns your business, with a simple letter. I am
concerned about what John is up to, but I'm sure you can
tell me what he is doing without taking any real time. With
that done, I'll not be of any bother. I'm looking forward
to a few days in Paris with Betty. If you and Heidi are
free for dinner any evening we would be pleased to have you
as our guest, but don't feel any obligation. We can do fine
on our own."
"I'm afraid that it is not as simple as that.
Professor Orloff was deeply involved with my venture. He
was also an agent of the C.I.A. I'm afraid that his murder
really was connected with what I am doing. It is a very
complicated matter. I'm just beginning to see all of the
facets of it. I may have made some very serious mistakes,
being too optimistic and to emotionally involved in things."
"Are you having a business crisis?"
"That could happen, but I fear that it could be worse.
One of my mistakes was to involve John. Like so many
things, it seemed right at the time, but now I have serious
doubts. I fear that I may have placed myself in physical
danger, it may extend to John. I don't think so, but it is
possible. Your presents here and your inquiries into
Orloff's death, may remove John from looking like an
innocent bystander to looking like a heavy player. That
could apply to you too, I'm afraid."
"I don't understand. Is John in some sort of danger?
Are you?"
"At the moment I'm sure John is having a fine time with
a very beautiful woman at an alpine retreat, but if certain
people think he is an associate of the murdered man, and is
currently involved in this affair, well there have been
three killings already."
"Three? How could I be involved?"
"You, of course, are not, but by Orloff being from
Indiana, John arrives just before his death, then you, his
senior partner, are following on his heels asking questions
about Orloff, it could be implication by association."
"What is this all about, Jacques? I'm shocked at what
you are saying. Is the Israeli government involved? I
think you should tell me everything."
"I wish I knew everything. There is no involvement of
Israel. There was an investment group from there that
considered investing in the project, but they could not meet
our full needs. Our current investment group insisted that
they act alone in the initial stage. It is a very involved
situation. You are here now. That cannot be changed. Come
to my office in the morning with me, and we can go over the
whole story. I may be mistaken, we shall see. In the mean
time both you and Betty be careful. I have not told Heidi
any of this or any of my business problems. She is of the
temperament that neither she nor I would have any peace if I
did."
Roberts walked slowly back to the hotel. He could not
imagine what was going on. Obviously Jacques was over his
head in a business venture, but that was not unusual in
these days of fast-moving technology. Jacques firm was
deeply involved in electronics and software. Fortunes were
made with the rapid advances in these industries, but those
fast changes could also wipe out companies that were not up
to the last minute in their progress. This was not
something that people killed for, or was it?
"Did you have a nice talk with Jacques? You look
serious. Is John all right?"
"Yes, John is fine. He is off with a new woman in a
resort somewhere."
"Well, I hope that she is not as two faced as Patty.
He gave her everything. Some women are born predators."
"She didn't ask for much in the divorce."
"What John had would be small change compared to Robert
Carpenter. She probably thought it would give her points
with him not to look like a greedy money grabber."
"Could be. What shall we do for dinner?"
"I'm sure that we'll have enough of the food in the
hotel before we leave. I saw a nice looking restaurant on
our walk. Let's go there. It isn't far, then we can have a
walk to the Place de Concord and see the lights. If my feet
hold out, we may be able to take a stroll on the Champs les
Elesese."
"That sounds very ambitious."
"Well, we can always take a taxi."
Roberts was rolling over in his mind what Jacques had
said. Should he and Betty stay in the hotel? It was
probably nothing. They enjoyed a pleasant French meal in
the nearby restaurant. The only flaw was the attitude of
the lady that returned their coats. Apparently Roberts' tip
was so small that it was insulting to her. Perhaps he had
made a mistake in the value of the money, or she had
overestimated her service value.
Betty reduced her ambitious walking plans to looking at
Concord. The walked one block away from the Rue de Rivoli
off of Concord to take a different route back to the lobby
entrance of the hotel. Roberts noticed a man that seemed to
be loitering on the corner ahead. He acted like he was
waiting for them to get to him. He was no beggar. He was
too well dressed. Roberts had almost forgotten Jacques'
concerns with the pleasant evening. He was just about to
suggest that they change direction when a car driven by a
woman in a low cut dress pulled up beside the man. They had
a short conversation, and the man got into the car. As the
car drove away, Roberts gave a barely audible sigh.
"Sorry that you brought me?"
"Not at all Betty, this has been such a pleasant
evening. Are you enjoying Paris?"
"It's lovely. I hope I feel up to seeing more of it
tomorrow. Jet lag is terrible, isn't it?"
"I'm ready to see the bed myself."
Roberts had a very restless night. He was uncertain
what to tell Betty. He thought about going back to
Indianapolis the next day. He just could not sleep. The
time difference didn't help. He was sure that Jacques would
encourage Heidi to be careful tomorrow. She did know Paris
well. Betty woke up about two in the morning, unable to
sleep herself.
"When you go out with Heidi tomorrow, do what she says.
She knows Paris. There can be a lot of trouble in a city
like Paris."
"There can be a lot of trouble in a city like
Indianapolis. I think there are more mugging and assaults
in Indianapolis than here. Have you noticed how bad it is
now? When we took our walk tonight, I felt safe on the
streets. I certainly wouldn't have felt that way at night
in down town Indianapolis."
"That's probably true, but remember you are a foreigner
here. I don't want you to take any unnecessary risk."
"Oh, I'll be good. Don't worry. Just don't you take
any unnecessary risk and get into any cars that those
strange looking women are driving around the hotel. That
would be very hazardous for you. I would be the hazard."
"I'm too old for that sort of thing."
Betty kissed him and said, "I know better than that.
You're just to smart for that sort of thing."
The couple finally fell into a sound sleep about seven.
Two hours later they were both startled by the telephone.
Jacques said that he and Heidi would be at the hotel in an
hour. Betty was in a panic to get ready. Only an hour!
Roberts ordered room service over Betty's objections. There
was no objection by the time it has arrived, both were ready
to eat.
Betty and Heidi seemed to like each other. Once the
initial apprehension was over, they were talking in a
friendly manner. Neither woman was trying to upstage the
other. Roberts felt that his wife should have a pleasant
day with Heidi. He hopped that his suggestion of a new
French wardrobe would not be taken to seriously by his wife.
The two men left their wives in the lobby making plans for
the day. Jacques was soon making his daily battle with the
morning traffic. Jacques seemed more relaxed that he had
last night.
"I'm sorry if I distressed with our conversation last
night. I have been under a lot of tension of late, and it
is easy to get things out of proportion."
"I understand, Jacques. Our firm does a lot of
financial offering preparation for expanding firms. Many
times it is life and death for the business. It is a tense
time for the executives. I think most people don't realize
how fragile a business can be at certain times of its life."
"Thank you for understanding. I can cope with the
normal business problems, but when you suspect that you have
been deceived, by someone you trusted, to the extent that it
could ruin you in every way it is very distressing. I'm not
saying that has happened to me. It suddenly seems a
possibility. I guess these doubts always arise after you
have made a large commitment. You call it buyer's regret,
don't you?"
"Yes I've had it quite often."
They won their battle with the traffic and drove into
Jacques special parking place at his office building.
"I'm afraid that I must leave you in the conference
room on your own for a while. I'll have a letter made
confirming Professor Orloff's fee. It's based on the
condition that the project is successfully funded, and our
firm is not obligated to seek the funding. I think that we
shall though, but there are several requirements that I want
to verify before we make the final funding request and
presentation. I'll give you something to read while you
wait. It's an overview of the venture that I'm involved
with. It's very confidential. Don't leave it in the room
if you go out. If we do go ahead on this, we'll do so with
a small firm that has done the medical side. We have
concentrated on the software, and some of the hardware. We
have invested a small fortune so far, and it seems so far so
good. If we do get the funding, we would acquire the other
firm."
Roberts settled in the small windowless conference
room. It was comfortable enough, but he did not care for a
room without windows. At his own law offices the library
was in the center of the floor surrounded by the word
processing room, canteen, etc. He had his main client
conference room in the center of one of the outside walls.
It gave his clients an impressive view of the city.
Betty was delighted with the morning of shopping with
her new friend. It would have been much more difficult
without the language skills of Heidi, and she knew the right
places to go. They made their last stop before lunch not
far from the hotel. There were three floors of antiques of
all types. The modern building had little shops all through
it. They had beautiful antique furniture, jewelry and
everything that interested Betty. Walking though the isles
and isles of glass fronted shops was more like being in a
street with interesting shops than in a shopping center.
She thought that she must bring her husband here to see the
furniture. As the women left the center, Betty was sure
that she had spent more money that day than she should, but
it wasn't every day that you could have a shopping spree in
Paris. Heidi hailed a taxi for the short ride to the hotel.
Another taxi cut in front if him and opened his door for
them. The driver of the first taxi got into a loud argument
with the interloper. It was settled when Heidi got into the
taxi that she had first hailed. She only upset the driver
more when she told the driver their destination, three
blocks away. He shouted, "Hotel Maurice!" so loud that the
other diver heard it, who laughed, made an obscene jester
and sped in front of him. The driver let the ladies off at
the Rue de Rivoli entrance. He was so upset that he drove
off in disgust so quickly that Betty dropped one of her
packages. As they hesitated to pick it up, two men stepped
from behind the pillars to offer help. Both ladies were
quite indignant, until they realized that the men had knives
against their bodies. As they started to scream, the taxi
that had tried to pick them up before was at the curb. The
men pushed the women into the car. It sped off into the
Place de Concord. A package with an antique comb lay in the
gutter.
The men were holding the frightened women under them in
the small back seat of the taxi. The women were terrorized
by the men and their knives. Each man took a handkerchief
from the driver's seat and placed it over his victims' face.
The more they tried to resist the quicker they were under
the influence of the drug. The hopeless fear of the women
gave way to black nothingness. The taxi was quickly across
the Sein and was lost in the traffic of St. Germain.When Heidi awoke, she found herself on a horrible small
bed with no bed clothes. There was one high window, but it
was shuttered from the outside. There was no other
furniture in the room. The room looked about the size of
her dressing room in St. Louis. That was the only
similarity. The walls were rough stucco in what once was
probably a light beige. They were too dirty to tell now.
Heidi felt very nauseous. If she became ill, what would she
do? There was no toilet, not even a commode. She was alone
in the room. Where was Betty? Why were these dreadful
things happening? They must be holding her for ransom. She
did not want to die. Things were finally getting beautiful
with Jacques. The door opened. The man standing in the
door way looked like the man that had seized her at the
hotel. As her eyes became more accustom to the light, she
could see his bored expression. She could identify him
easily again. They must know that. She was sure she would
be eventually killed.
Jacques had expected to hear from his wife after lunch,
but heard nothing. He had told her to be sure and call him
to make plans for the evening. He decided to call his home
to see if she had returned there. There was no answer. He
tried the hotel. No one was in Roberts' room, and there was
no response to a page. By late afternoon he was becoming
concerned. He had tried to keep Heidi close to home after
the Orloff affair. She could always be a way of getting to
him.
His secretary's voice relieved his concern by advising
him his wife was on the telephone. His chipper, "Hello
darling" was soon to fade when he heard the tone of his
wife's voice. She was obviously reading what she was
saying. Jacques was on fire with hate and frustration as
she spoke.
"Jacques, I have not been harmed. These people have no
reason to harm me if you do what they say. They are holding
my friend and me. If you do not want me to be....If you do
not want me to be tortured and mutilated, please do not call
the police, and do exactly as they instruct you."
She started to say more, but the line went dead.
Feelings of remorse, hate and fear boiled inside the man as
he paced about his office. He swore, and he cried. He
stared at the telephone. Why did they hang up? He would do
anything to save Heidi. He had been a fool. No matter what
the consequences he wanted her safe. He called his
secretary and told her to put through all calls to him no
matter who they were from. He spoke aloud, "God punish me,
not her."
Betty! They have Betty also.
When Roberts was called from the conference room, he
hoped that the work day was over. He wasn't prepared to
discuss the report, he wanted to sleep on it. Where such
things possible today, or was Jacques a victim of a fraud?
Jacques was an experienced business man. He would think
about that tomorrow. Tonight he would enjoy a fine French
dinner. He hoped that Jacques and Heidi could join them.
He, or rather the Orloff estate, would be host.
Jacques looked ill. After quickly dismissing his
secretary, du Mount revealed the shocking news. Roberts
felt like he had received a blow in the stomach. He wanted
to shake Jacques and demand to know what he was talking
about. Why did he come to Paris? Why did he bring Betty?
The two upset men discussed the situation, the real
question was what to do next. Jacques finally said, "We
have no choice but bring in the police. I'm sure it's more
than just a cash ransom. I think these people are killers.
We should inform the section that handled the Orloff
killing."
"What do you mean? That would be the Germans?"
Before Jacques could answer, his secretary interrupted.
"There is a strange little man here. He insisted on
seeing you, Mr. du Mount. He said that you would see him
after you saw his business card. I'm so sorry to interrupt.
I can have him shown out if you like."
She handed the upset du Mount a small envelope. He
hurriedly opened it. It contained Heidi's identification
card cut in half. Jacques could hardly believe the gall
that anyone could have to come into his office like a
salesman to sell him his wife back. How could any one have
the confidence to think that they could get away with it?
"You may show the man in. As soon as you do call the
police. Make sure that they get here quickly, but quietly.
If this man tries to leave the building before they arrive,
make sure that security holds him."
The amazed secretary showed in an elderly man. He was
dressed in an old, but good business suit. He was somewhat
awed by the surroundings. His speech was soft and well
mannered.
"Thank you for seeing me without an appointment. I
hope that these photographs meet your approval."
He handed the nearly exploding du Mount a large brown
envelope. There were two pieces of corrugated board to
protect the photographs. Both men gasp at the horrible
photos. There were two photos, one of each woman. Each was
tied spread eagle on an old bed. They were nude with a
large knife resting between their breast. Roberts made a
lunge for the little old man's throat.
"Help! Have you gone mad?"
At his screams Jacques office door burst open. The
company security men were in his office. Roberts let the
man slump to the floor. The security men determined that
the old man had only fainted. Roberts said, "The police are
on their way. Take him somewhere and hold him until they
arrive. Let me know as soon as they are here."
His secretary looked at her employer and then at
Roberts in total shock.
"Are you all right, Sir?"
"Yes, just send in the police as soon as they arrive."
When she left, Jacques read the contents of the note
from the envelope aloud.
"The man who delivers this knows nothing. If you fail
to follow our instruction in every detail, we shall start to
operate on these women. You are to have fifty million
francs available in used small notes. Instruction for
delivery will be made in ten days. You must not contact the
police or press. We shall give you instruction for delivery
of the money within the ten days."
Roberts could hardly believe what was happening. He
sat slumped in a chair watching du Mount's animated
recitation. He spoke in a depressed tone.
"Why do they give us ten days? I would have thought
they would want the money at once. They don't even offer
any proof they are still alive."
"Perhaps they know that kind of money is not laying
around in desk drawers. It takes time to raise it. There
could be another reason. In a few days the presentation of
this project must be made in Zurich. If it is not made, we
loose our major backer. We have had several delays. He has
set a dead line. They don't mention anything about it. I
just don't know."
"Why would any one want to stop it?"
"You saw the potential of the project. It has many
political implications, as well as economic. Our main
investor is very political volatile. I must call Heidi's
father."
Jacques did not go into the gruesome details with
Heidi's father, but made the situation clear. Doctor Sneft
indicated that he would take the next plane to Pairs, and if
necessary he could arrange the funds.
The police were soon at the office. After receiving
the full details, they agreed that the DST should be called
in. Andre Burrow had been with the Direction de la
Surveillance du Territorie (DST) for most of his public
service carrier. He worked out each day and prided himself
in his youthful action. He considered his short and slender
body as strong as his more youthful associates. His doctor
had advised him to give up his Galuiase and wine. The
years, the wine, and the cigarettes were beginning to tell
on his inner workings. The rest of him was doing fine. He
would outlive his obese doctor.
After their initial statements to Burrow, Jacques and
Roberts were instructed to wait in Jacques office while
Burrow questioned the courier of the note and pictures.
Roberts was at a loss as to what to do. Then he remembered
the man that he was supposed to contact at the embassy. He
should be informed of his wife's kidnapping. Jacques
momentarily questioned the prudence of calling them, but
made no real protest. Roberts looked up the embassy number
and dialed it himself. He feared that the French
authorities might interfere if Jacques secretary placed the
call. When he reached the embassy, he had a strange
reaction to his request to speak to Mr. Harts.
"I'm not sure that we have a Mr. Harts, let me check my
directory. May I have your name?"
"My name is R.C. Roberts. The State Department in
Washington told me to contact Mr. Harts. I'm sure that I
have the name right."
At that moment Roberts wasn't sure that he had anything
right. A man's voice was soon on the telephone. After
Roberts repeated his name, the man confirmed that he was
indeed Mr. Harts, and had been expecting his call. After
Roberts told him what had happened to his wife, Harts asked
if he could speak to the inspector in charge. Roberts told
him that when Mr. Burrow came back to interview him he would
have him call. He did not wish to slow down the
investigation. Mr. Harts seemed somewhat surprised that
Burrow was on the case. He told Roberts that he was sure
that Mr. Burrow would want to speak to him. Apparently,
they knew each other. Roberts thought that was a little
strange, but perhaps Harts dealt regularly with the police
about Americans in trouble.
When Burrow returned to the room, he had some
information.
"There are some things that I can tell you on what has
happened up to now. First I should like to say that you
have acted properly in contacting my office. There is no
question that this is the only way to handle this matter."
He looked sternly at Roberts as he continued.
"From now on, please discuss with me any contact that
you make about this matter with anyone before you do so. It
is important at this juncture to keep things as confidential
as possible. We hope not to alarm the kidnapers. Although
I'm sure that they expect the police to be contacted. We
don't need to advertise this. I'll give you an overview of
where we are, then I'll speak to each of you separately. We
have interrogated the man that delivered the demands to you.
He claims to know nothing of the contents of the envelope.
So far I tend to believe him. He claims he was soliciting
as a tourist guide in the area of Place Charles de Gaulle
when he was offered a thousand francs to deliver the
envelopes. He was to have the first envelope delivered, and
wait to present the second envelope. When I pressed him on
why he didn't just leave the envelopes at reception for you,
he said that he was instructed to deliver it to you
personally, as there must be no delay on your receipt of the
envelope. That was a little strange considering the long
time that they give you to have the money. He admitted that
he suspected a blackmail threat, but he was desperate for
money. He is now looking through our photographs to see if
he can identify the man that gave him the envelope. The
abduction was reported shortly after it occurred. The
abandon stolen taxi was found near Place d'Italie. They
could have change vehicles, but an intensive search of that
area is underway. I'm afraid that is all that we have at
the moment. It will help us if we can have detailed
statements from both of you. Mr. Roberts could you wait in
the outer office while I take Mr. du Mounts' statement?"
Roberts made no mention of Harts' request for Burrow to
call him. He would wait until his interview.
Louis Kahn sat in the small attic room of the run down
building that held the women. This was hardly the step up
in life that was promised him a few days ago, but the worst
first.
He had worked for Agina for years. Kahn had been one
of the many foolish people to believe in Agina's get rich
scheme. He had not had enough money to buy his way out of
the dilemma he put himself in, but he devised a way to
satisfy both his own greed and that of his captor. He had
been a glorified pimp. He could provide expensive whores to
entrap people who would be useful to his master in exchange
for drugs. These poor unfortunates would end up being
blackmailed for whatever was desired of them. To his
associates he was just that, a pimp. It was more noble to
threaten to kill innocent people for no apparent reason than
to do what he did. He got results though. In Zurich, he
was able to have the American's room and clothing searched.
He was also able to report with certainty that he had no
scars on his body. Claudette was very effective. He was in
Zurich for another matter when he was given the strange
request. No thank you, or recognition for the miracle he
had performed. In fact he had not heard a word from his
superior since his return to Marseilles.
He must have received some credit for a visit from such
an important person to meet with him, as he had last week.
He actually came to his apartment. He had thought at first
that he wanted a special woman. He had heard of his strange
taste, and strange taste was Kahn's stock and trade. To his
surprise he was commissioned for this special mission. It
was absolutely secret. He was to tell no one. He was to
use only outside people. No one he used was to know anyone
involved other than himself. He had only seen pictures of
his visitor. He was flattered, and eager to receive the
promised extra rewards.
Now in this squalor he was having second thoughts. He
had been able to arrange for some thugs to snatch the women.
He was only instructed to take the French woman, but an
American was with her. Two women now had to be dealt with.
Perhaps that was good, perhaps not. He did not know what
the involvement of the American would do for his chances.
Getting the men to do the dirty work was not that hard. He
promised some high class foreign stock for the stable of a
local flesh merchant, who also provided him with this
wretched place. It was the back section of a house used by
cheap street walkers in the area. Everyone that he dealt
with assumed that he was working on his own account. He
wasn't sure that he could control the men that he had
guarding the women. Ten days was a long time to wait. The
more he thought about it the more certain he was that they
would kill the women in the end. For that matter there was
nothing to stop them from killing him. He had been told he
could keep all of the blackmail money for himself. That
was a worry from another direction. He had received enough
money in advance to have paid the thugs he had, but he had
worked his deal, and kept the money. Once he had completed
his task, he was more valuable dead than alive. He did know
that if he didn't do as he was told he would be definitely
dead. He should have been content to be a pimStrut was waking slowly. There was some noise far away
that was nudging him though the layers of sleep. The first
sight to meet his eyes was the red and gold candy box
sitting on the dark oak night stand. He closed his eyes
again and remembered the oral pleasures of the night before.
He was becoming aroused. Suddenly everything was bright.
He opened his eyes in slits to keep out the blinding light.
Janice had just pulled the drapes open.
"Time to get up, sir."
"Time to come back to bed."
"No. The weather is good, and we must leave as soon as
the lift opens."
Logic and the pressure from his bladder prevailed. He
was up. By the time Strut had finished his shower, Janice
had laid out his ski outfit. The rucksacks were packed with
food and the dissembled guns. The rest of their things
would be left in the car. They had time for a good
breakfast before the lift opened.
Strut looked at the chair lift going up to the top of
the mountain. It was terrorizing to a flatlander. Janice
told him many times how to get on and off of the chair lift.
It did not sound that easy. The real fear came in thinking
about skiing down. It looked like a vertical drop. Strut
frowned and said, "Why are we going up there? I don't think
it is a good idea to go skiing now."
"We aren't going skiing for fun, you know. We can go
down the back side of the mountain to the cabin. It can't
be reached by car. Let me show you on the map."
The map was more like an artist rendering of the little
country than a map. The village that they were in, Malbun,
was 1600 meters high. They were taking the lift up to 7,000
feet. Janice assured him that is was not that difficult to
ski to the little house on the other side of the
Stachlerkop. She had done it before. It would be better
than side stepping up the long distance there on the snow
bound service road from where they were.
"When it is time to leave, it is an easy trail back to
Malbun. Easy down, but hard up. If we decide that we
should not come back here, we can keep to the other side of
the mountain until the tunnel. From there we can take a
taxi to the station, or call for a helicopter."
The painting like map was a summer setting. The green
valleys and snow tipped granite mountain tops made the
mountain look steep. The route Janice had said was so easy
looked impossible to him. Strut looked up from their
balcony, and it looked a hundred times harder than from the
map. He was no skier. How many corners could a person
paint themselves into? He was going for the record.
The day was beautiful. A fresh snow fall covered
everything in sight. The sun shown brightly in the clear
blue sky. Smoke curled from the chimneys of the private
holiday houses that dotted the little valley. Skiers were
starting to come out for their day of fun. Strut wished
they could hide away in one of these more sensibly located
houses. Was all of this really necessary? He remembered
Orloff's shattered head.
"I'm ready. Did you pack the rest of the chocolates?"
Janice gave him a kiss before they left the snowy
balcony. Strut had never given anything the full attention
that he did in watching the skiers in front of him getting
on the chair lift. He was amazed that he made it. The
instant that he thought he was all right, his ski hit a
small rise in the snow before the chair started on its steep
climb. His right ski popped out of its safety binding and
was dangling by its safety strap. How could he ski off of
this damn thing on one ski? The chair was bouncing and
swaying. He looked down. It wasn't that far straight down
to the steep slope below, but it was too far. There was
only one answer, put the ski on before getting to the top.
He placed his poles across the chair in front of him and
brought up his right foot and placed it on his left knee.
The cans in the rucksack were drilling holes in his back.
He was setting further forward than he liked, but he had to
lead further out to pull up the ski by the safety strap. He
finally managed to fit his boot toe in the fixture on the
ski. The heel was resisting going into the rear binding.
He finally managed enough leverage on his push to hear it
click in place. He looked up. The chair in front of him
was unloading!
Keep you ski tips up. Just give a little push and ski
off of the chair. Don't let your poles get hung up in the
chair. Strut frantically took his poles in his right hand,
put his left hand on the chair seat. His ski tips were
almost too high. He did it. He skied off of the lift
without falling or being struck by the chair. He was
moving. People were standing everywhere except to his
right. That was straight down. He fell. Janice skied over
to help him up.
"Are you all right?"
Strut pushed himself up with his poles. His skies
stayed firmly attached to his ski boots this time.
"I'm fine. I just didn't know which way to go, and I
had forgotten how to stop."
Janice lead the way around the mountain top restaurant.
There was a steep drop-off onto the other valley. The
couple side stepped for over an hour. Neither were good
enough skiers to attempt to ski down this section of the
mountain. Strut was gasping for air. It seemed that he had
come to the top of the world. There was no place but down.
He would love to lie down in the soft looking snow and
sleep. They were both exhausted at the high altitude.
"Wouldn't it have been easier to have side stepped up
to the cabin? I thought we were going to have an easy ski
down?"
"It would have been up hill, and very much further.
We'll soon be able to ski as soon as we reach those trees."
They made the short distance to the tree line in a few
more exhausting side steps. Neither said another word, as
Strut brushed away the snow from a place he had found to
sit. After a few moments, they both begin to laugh. They
were so tired, and the situation was so crazy all they could
do was laugh. They had a chocolate bar each and were ready
for the forest below.
The cow path trail was steep, but they used their short
skis to snow plow a controlled descent. They finally came
to a cleared area. Strut saw a small log building almost
covered in snow. There appeared to be about two or three
acres of cleared land. From the looks of the snow there
were a couple of ponds carved out on the sloping ground.
Though the woods beyond, he would see the path proceeding on
down.
"This is the place. I have a key. Can you clear the
snow from around the door?"
The snow was about half way up on the shutter windows
of the cabin. Strut took off his skis and stuck them in the
deep snow. He managed to dig out the door without getting
too much snow under his gloves. When he opened the door,
the room was dark and damp. The room was about twenty feet
by fifteen feet. The room contained the living area plus a
kitchen. The furnishings were not bad for a cabin. The log
walls were topped by log beams open to the roof except over
the kitchen area. A small sleeping loft was above the
kitchen. There was an unusable shower and toilet under the
stairs. In the center of the room was a round oil heater
with a metal vent pipe going straight though the roof.
There was no electric power.
"I'm afraid that we don't have any running water. In
the summer the water comes from the ponds above the cabin.
It is high enough above the cabin to give it pressure. This
cabin is higher than the others around here, and that makes
for the best water. In the summer that is. There should be
fuel in the tank outside for the heater. Could you turn it
on and start the fire?"
Strut went outside and found the valve on the fuel oil
tank that let the oil flow to the heater. They took some
pans and filled them with snow for a water supply. By mid
afternoon the cabin was quite cozy.
Strut stepped outside of the cabin. The view and the
silence made a special combined impact on him. Immediately
behind the cabin was the woods and the cliff that they had
somehow managed to descend. Ahead was the sloping pasture
to another woods. To his right the snow covered pines fell
away into a valley with a mountain range on the other side
making a backdrop to the picture. It was not as cold as an
Indiana winter. The dryer air seemed to be sufficient to
fill his hungry lungs. He could only enjoy the silent
beauty for so long. He began to think about the rest of the
trip. He went back in to see how much further they would
have to go.
He was aghast at the long way back. With all of their
effort they had made little progress on the map. They were
only half way down if they were going to Malbun. If they
were going on down the side of the mountain into the valley
between the peek they had come down and the other sharp peek
that parallel the road they had come down, the distance was
even greater. The shelf like valley they were in descended
on the left to what looked like a summer service road
leading to Malbun. To the right it went down into a wider
valley that followed a stream bed. The longer way did not
look as steep. He started to complain to Janice. She was
busy in the kitchen singing to herself. He decided his
complaints could wait.
Strut was content, but very thoughtful all evening. He
and Janice sat on the sofa watching a flickering candle on a
little table in front of them. He began to talk about his
life. He started with his early youth, how he had and
married Patty, perhaps for selfish reasons as much as for
love. He told Janice how he had worked to build a life for
himself and Patty. He had never questioned that it would
not always be her.
"Janice, I have done a lot of crazy things in the past
month. I think you have too. This evening is something
different. I have never been able to, or wanted to, talk
about my life to anyone. I truly love you. I know I have
said it before, but I never felt like this. I have never
felt like this about anyone in my life. If somehow all of
this kills me, I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't change this
evening in this little cabin for anything."
"Oh John, you don't really know me. If I could relive
my life and be the person you think I am tonight, I would
give anything. I love you. I have never really loved
anyone before. I didn't know what it was. I love you so
much I may loose you, but you have to know me. You should
not have done to you what Patty did. Perhaps I'm worse."
Janice went on to tell him of her life with her
parents. How she lived in relative luxury, and saw the
horrid poverty of parts of her father's country. Her father
had told her that but for him, she would be living like
that. He would keep her from such a life. She must show
her gratitude and love for him by excelling in whatever she
did. She should be the best at everything she did. He said
that he knew she could because she was his daughter. She
felt that he was disappointed that she was not a boy. She
always strived to make him proud of her. When she was sent
to boarding school, she was heart broken. Her mother had
always given her reassurance and tender love. Her father
felt that she must have a top education, and he felt that
was only possible at a boarding school.
"When I was at school, I had great difficulty in
European history. It was the only thing that was keeping me
from being on the honors list. I just could not remember
all of the dates and names. It seemed foolish to me to know
the exact date of some stupid war. I was almost sick. It
was my next to last year. I knew if I didn't make a high
mark on the final test I would not make the honors list that
my father expected me to be on. I might even fail the
course. My roommate asked me was wrong. When I told her,
she told me how she passed the course last year. I made an
appointment with my instructor at his office for the next
day after class. When his student assistant showed me into
his office, he hardly looked up. I am sure that he thought
there was no way I could be a good student for him. I took
off my blazer and sat in the chair opposite his desk. When
he looked up his eyes popped. I had worn a thin blouse and
no bra. It left little to the imagination. I told him, I
was desperate for help in his course. I would do anything
to make a good grade. I had good grades in all of my other
classes, I just could not fail his. I asked, wasn't there
any special tutoring he could give me, that would help. His
eyes never left my breast when he told me that there was
little that he could do in the next three days that would
help. His schedule was completely full for tutoring
students that his help would make a difference too. I
straightened my back and took a deep breath. I pleaded one
more time. He finally said that if I were willing to do
some work in the evening he would see what he could do. He
taught me a lot. Nothing about European history, but I made
a top grade in his class. From that time on I found I could
get almost anything I wanted from a man. The list isn't
short. You know it includes Jacques. Do you hate me?"
"No Janice. It's not the past that counts. I know you
aren't using me."
"John, I have. I shall never again, you'll see, but I
have."
Janice and Strut talked long into the night. Strut
felt every emotion during the night, love, hate, jealousy,
betrayal, but by the early morning hours he knew he loved
Janice, and that she loved him more than anything. He knew
a lot more. He knew why Orloff was killed. He knew what
really had brought them to the deserted cabin. He now
understood what had happened to him, and he knew what had to
be done now. The hotel restaurant waitress was just coming to work.
She was upset. Her live-in boy friend was taking another
girl skiing. He was a conceited ass. She had told him, if
he went with her, he must move out. His reply was that if
his new girl was good enough in bed he might consider it, or
he might have her move in with him at their apartment. How
could anyone be so terrible? She had to pay half of the
cost of the apartment, and iron his shirts. She was not
going to take it. He would find his clothes in a box in the
hall when he returned. She would have a new man. What kind
of a girl did he pick up anyway? He was taking her skiing
in Liechtenstein. Who would go there? Well, she had. It
had been so nice when she and Hans had just met. It was the
first time she had been at a hotel with a man. She was
concerned that the hotel manager might demand to see that
they were married. It had happened where she worked, but
the girl was so young. Her boss had said he did not want a
reputation as that kind of a hotel. Hans had assured her
that it was a holiday resort, not like the neighborhood
hotel that she worked in at Friedrichshafen. It was true.
Hans paid in advance, and he didn't even sign the register.
She wished she could show up at the hotel with her new man.
Someone tough, like the blond man that had driven into the
parking lot when she arrived. He had given her and admiring
look. The car plates read HH. He was from Hamburg. That
was a long ways away. Perhaps he was on his way to
Switzerland to go skiing. The girl fell into a day dream of
going to the resort hotel with her new man, who would punch
Hans in the nose.
She was pleased to see the young German alone at a
table for dinner.
"Good evening, would you like something?"
The young man returned her smile.
"I certainly would, but I must eat first. I'll have a
steak and a beer."
Another smart ass. Well, she liked it, the tougher the
better.
"How do you like it?"
"See me when you are off work and I'll show you."
"Very funny, I mean the steak."
"Rare."
"I'll put your order in right away, and bring you your
beer."
Many of the women that Fritz Donner knew in Hamburg
would be surprised to see him flirting with waitress. After
having their advances either ignored or rejected, most
assumed that he must be gay. Donner had been the subject of
female aggressive attention ever since he could remember.
He was too good looking. After ten years they begin to bore
him. He was accosted by a half drunken man in a public
toilet when was eighteen. That was the first person that he
killed. He was terrorized by what he had done. He ran to
one of his mother's friends who had taken him into her bed
at every chance. After he told her his story, she said that
the horrible man needed to be killed. He probably save some
poor child from being molested. The story excited her, and
she insisted that he come to bed and repeat it in every
detail. He found that it excited him to tell here the story
while they had sex. When he was with her again, he would
repeat the story making it more gory each time. When he was
with other women, he found that he would play the story
again in his mind to enhance the sex. The excitement of
killing far exceeds anything the women could offer him. Ten
years later, he had become a low grade professional killer.
He was only interested in sex just before or right after a
killing, this was just before.
"Was you steak rare enough for you?"
"It was all right. Is there any place to go dancing
around here?"
"Oh yes there are several."
"Would you go with me tonight?"
"It's very late by the time I get off. You wouldn't
want to wait that long."
"I could wait a long time for someone as beautiful as
you."
The girl was only coy for a few more minutes, and
agreed to meet at eleven. The couple made the rounds of
several bars and a discotheque. The girl wanted to show off
her new man to anyone who might know Hans, especially if
they knew he had gone off with some slut for a week of
skiing.
"Do you like to ski?"
"I do some. There are no mountains near Hamburg, but I
usually go once a year."
"Is that where you are going now?"
"Not really, but I might do some before I go back."
"I went to Liechtenstein once. It was fabulous.
Everyone was so friendly. I would love to go back."
Donner's interest in the conversation increased. He
questioned her about the area, the hotels, and if people had
private chalets there.
"Why don't you take me there? A few days off from
whatever you are doing couldn't hurt. We could have a lot
of fun."
"I'm not that much of a skiing enthusiast. A run or
two is enough for me, then I get bored. Besides my car
probably wouldn't make up that road that you described. I
don't have any snow tires."
She slid closer to him in their booth, and kissed him.
"If you take me, I guarantee that you will not be
bored. My sister has a car with snow tires. You could
leave your car in the valley, and I could drive us up."
"Let's sleep on it. We'll see what the weather is
tomorrow. I could spend a day or so if I felt it was worth
it."
"It will be. I know just the place. It's a nice
hotel. No questions asked there."
Liechtenstein, his target was in the Liechtenstein
mountains. The thought began to arouse him. He kissed her
again with much more feeling.
"Let's go to bed and talk about it."
Upon arrival at Monica's apartment Donner noticed a box
of clothing in the hall.
"Do you want me to take these things in for you?"
"No they aren't mine."
When Hans had had as much to drink as Fritz had that
night he could hardly carry off the love making. It would
end up with drunken pawing and slobbery kisses. Was Fritz
different! He was strong, virile, almost brutal. Just what
she loved. Strange that he did not talk of love or sex. He
actually talked about going to Malbun, how it would be
thrilling beyond belief.
"Monica this is just the beginning of a fabulous time.
I can hardly wait."
If this was the preliminaries, what could the main
event be like? Monica almost lost her job at the hotel.
She did have vacation time coming, but to leave on holiday
with only a few hours notice was not correct. She had to
promise days of baby sitting to her sister to get her car.
She could not have it before noon. It was arranged. Fritz
had her call the hotel she wanted to stay at and reserve a
room in her name. He said that he must see someone in
Romanshorn on the Swiss side of the lake that morning. He
would take the ferry, and meet her in Switzerland at four in
the afternoon. They looked at a map and determined the best
place to meet was in St. Margrethen. It was the first town
of any size on the Auto-Strasse after the Austrian border.
Monica would drive around Lake Constance to Switzerland.
There were few ferries in the winter. It was not too long
of a drive. She had not driven herself across a border
before, but had been with others many times. She was sure
that she could find the rail station in St. Margrethen.
Neither of them had been in the town before, but the
directions to the rail stations were always well marked.
Donner was pleased with the arrangements. He could go
into Switzerland without his car. He would walk on to the
ferry, and get off in Switzerland without the extra eyes of
the Austrians at their borders. Walk on passengers from
Germany would not be questioned that much. He would leave
his bag, with his gun safely locked inside, with Monica to
take it and drive across the borders. She didn't question
taking his bag. She just did as she was told. She seemed
to like doing what he told her. As far as she was
concerned, he was taking his car on the ferry and driving to
St. Margrethen. He planned to take the train from
Romanshorn, and leave his car in an out of the way place in
Friedrichshafen.
Donner placed himself in a small restaurant across from
the train station. He thought that the stupid little girl
might not find the station, or worse be stopped at the
border with his stolen gun. That was unlikely. The girl
was a stroke of luck to get him and his gun safely to
Malbun. He began to think about his job. He was to kill
the woman and leave the man alive. It might not be that
easy. He did like to kill women though. They would be in
the cabin alone, no roads and no telephone. Offer them a
drink from his brandy, and they would be out. Like fish in
a barrel. He would prefer the woman conscious. Not much
pleasure in shooting a sleeping target. Where was that
girl? He had a ticket for the fast train to Zurich. If he
saw any hint of Police, he would take it. Finally, he saw a
red VW, with snow tires and a set of skis on the back,
slowing driving past the station. He was out and in the car
in a moment. He gave Monica a single red rose that he had
purchased at a shop near the station.
"I was so worried you might have an accident, or
something. I should have been with you. Did you have any
trouble?"
"No, there was just more traffic than we had planned.
I'd never crossed the borders on my own before. It was no
problem, they just waived me on."
"You are the perfect woman for me. I'm old fashion. I
believe that a woman should follow her man wherever it
leads. You are the only woman I've known that didn't try to
get something from me. You are fabulous!"
"Fritzie, you sound like you are serious."
"I'm the most serious man that you have ever met,
especially about you."
Monica began to think it was not such a good idea to go
to Malbun. If Fritzie were really that serious, it might
not be too good for him to think that she was using him.
Perhaps a little jealousy wouldn't hurt. It would be
exciting to have two men fighting over her. In an hour they
were at the hotel.
"Stop at the entrance, Monica. Here's five hundred
francs to pay for the room. I'll go park the car and get
the bags while you register."
"This is far too much. How shall I register?"
"Just register in your name. There is no point in
answering any silly questions. Keep the rest of the money
in case I'm not with you and you need something."
"I hope we'll never part. No one has ever been so good
to me."
Monica checked in while Donner parked the car and got
the luggage. The desk clerk hardly gave the man joining
Monica a second look. She had paid in advance for three
nights for a double room. As soon as they were in the room,
Donner was kissing her. She had never had such a lover.
Monica had no interest in going to the bars to find Hans
that night. She was pleased to stay in the room and have
room service for dinner and breakfast the next morning.
"We'll be like honeymooners."
"Oh, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, my
beautiful Fritzie."
"I promise you that you will be with me as long as you
live."
Donner was up early the next morning. He went to the
kiosk and purchased a map of the area, and was back in the
room before Monica was awake. From the description of the
cabin he was sure he could locate it on the map. It
actually showed cabins on this picture postcard of a map.
It would be easy enough to locate. There had been no snow
since they were supposed to have gone there. Their tracks
would be clear in the snow. He decided that the best way to
get to the cabin was from the top of the lift. Going up
hill on the unplowed service road would be too exhausting.
He was a reasonable skier. He could make it. He kissed
Monica awake.
"Take a shower darling. I want to order breakfast
before we leave for skiing."
"We could get our exercise right here."
"We'll have time for that later. Now I want to conquer
that mountain. You're with me, aren't you?"
"Of course. I'll take my shower."
Donner slipped his gun in his belt pack while Monica
showered. After breakfast, they rented Donner a set of
skis. Monica gave her name and driver's license as security
for the skis. Monica had not skied that much, and looked at
the lift with some misgivings. She said nothing of her
fear. She would follow this forceful man anywhere.
"You cannot imagine how wonderful it is to have a woman
like you. Someone to share life's excitement with. I know
you would never refuse to share any adventure with me."
"Never!"
Monica hoped that the adventure and excitement he was
talking about would be between the sheets of their bed. At
the top of the lift Donner became more excited by the
moment.
"Come darling, let's go this way. We don't want to be
sheep following the crowd. We'll make it our mountain.
There are too many people on the other side. It can't be
too dangerous. See the tracks in the snow. Others have
gone this way. Monica followed in the side step pattern of
her man. After about thirty minutes of side stepping,
Monica could hardly take another step.
"I must stop and rest. Please let me rest."
Donner looked back at her. They had come far enough to
be out of sight from the restaurant above. The clear crisp
air was dead still.
"Of course darling. I am sorry. I didn't mean to tire
you. Here, I'll brush off this rock. We can have a clear
view of the beautiful valley below."
Monica sat with her back against Donner's chest. She
leaned back to rest against his strong body. It was so
quite and beautiful. The brilliant white mountains pierced
into the crystal blue sky. Limbs on the fur trees below
them bowed under their pure white burden of snow. It was
worth the effort to be in this gorgeous place with such a
loving man. He was right sharing an adventure was
wonderful. His loving hands were caressing her cold face.
She could actually feel his passion for her growing against
her back. Suddenly one hand was over her mouth. Donner
took his other hand and twisted her head against his arm.
Her neck was broken instantly. A slight push was all it
took to send the lifeless body off the edge of the steep
cliff. Only a few clicks of her skies, hitting together,
broke the silence. Powder white fluffs followed their
descent into the valley. He had kept his promise. She had
spent the rest of her life with him.
Strut could hardly breathe. He felt like he was in a
furnace. He and Janice had finally made their way up the
stairs to the loft about four in the morning. During their
sleep they had thrown off their feather bed cover and were
now laying nude in the burning heat. When he stood up the
heat was more intense. He dashed to the stairs. The
temperature was not so bad on the ground floor. The little
oil heater was red from overheating. He turned it off and
opened the door. The cold air felt good. Janice was coming
down the stairway wearing only a shirt. He looked at her.
He could not help it, he loved her. He was feeling too much
cold air now. He got dressed.
"As wonderful as it has been, I think we should leave
here. He may think that there's no reason to harm us, but
he's a dangerous man. You could be a threat to him.
Everyone who he felt was a threat before is dead now. I
want you safe, Janice."
"Perhaps you're right, there is no real reason to stay
here now. Do you want to go back to the car?"
"How easy is it going through the valley."
"It is actually less steep than the service road to
Malbun. If he does want to do something, I'm sure that he
wouldn't think that we took the long way down. I don't
believe that he thinks that I'm a danger to him. I really
don't think that we're in danger, but it is a nice day. We
could enjoy what time is left for us to be together."
"How long will it take through the valley?"
"About three hours, I would guess. If we left after
ten, any ice on the snow would be gone. That'll still get
us down in plenty of time to take a taxi or bus to Vaduz.
What time we have left, I would prefer to be in the city,
Zurich, if you don't object."
"I think that's best. Don't worry, Janice, I love you
and I'm with you always. I mean that."
"Is that possible?"
"Yes, I promise."
Donner stopped in the woods just short of the clearing.
There was no smoke from the cabin, but the ski tracks curved
to the front, and he could see where someone had walked
around to the fuel tank on the side of the cabin. Now he
could be a grateful lost skier offering to share his brandy
with new friends. He skied to the front of the cabin. Ski
tracks lead down the hill to the woods below. He was too
late. The tracks were fresh. He did not take time to check
the cabin, but made a schuss over the snow plow tracks.
They were obviously going slower on the steep slope. He was
sure that he could catch them unless the slope became gentle
enough for them to make the same speed that he could do over
a gentle slope. The incline did loose its steep grade, and
he could see that they were no longer snow plowing.
In about thirty minutes Donner could see another cabin.
It looked like the tracks ended there, but he could not be
sure. Perhaps he could still be the lost skier. He skied
to the left of the cabin in the trees, still keeping some
height. He wanted to make sure he could see the other side
of the cabin. If the tracks went on, he would make a schuss
down with good velocity. If they were in the cabin, he
would approach from a different direction than the one they
had arrived from. He was on the stalk. He was never
happier.
Janice and Strut had put one day's ration of food in
their rucksacks along with the dismantled guns. If they
could not make it all the way, they would have some food.
This was their first stop on the descent through the valley.
They sat with their backs to the door of the abandon cabin.
"John, do you think we should keep carrying these guns?
The danger is really non existent you know. They might be
difficult to explain."
"Yes, we should have left them in the cabin. I'm not
so sure that you're not in danger. They are a little
ridiculous though."
Donner was watching from the edge of the woods. He
could see his quarry sitting peacefully in the doorway, but
he could not hear the conversation. Just as he was about to
start his slow descent to them, he was startled to see them
open their rucksacks and remove the automatic weapons. He
made an immediate schuss toward the cabin.
Strut stood up facing the cabin. He took a few steps
to find a place for the guns. Janice gave a scream. Strut
made a quick turn and slipped on some ice. He fell directly
on top of his ski poles. Donner fired while he was skiing.
Janice's white ski jacket was turning red. Donner was not
sure that he had killed her. He stopped to have a look.
Her face was twisted in pain. The guns were partially
dismantled and out of Strut's reach. Donner started to make
a kick turn to have a better shot at Janice. Strut rolled
in the snow and grabbed his ski pole. He made a flying leap
at the turning man. He drove the ski pole into Donner's
neck. The full force of Strut was on top of Donner as he
fell back into the snow. Strut pulled the ski pole from his
neck and jammed it into the struggling man's Adam's Apple so
hard that the basket was forced through the cartilage of his
throat. Gurgling sounds emitted from the new opening as
blood gushed over the snow. The warm blood soaked into the
snow that was now partially covering the dying Donner.
Strut rushed to Janice. The expression of pain was
gone from her face. Her eyes had the same blank gaze that
Strut had seen in Orloff dead gaze a few weeks ago. Seeing
Orloff with the back of his head blown away was the worst
sight Strut thought he would ever see. This was much more
devastating. This beautiful woman that he had shared his
love and his life was killed before his eyes. He was
furious. He hated everything. The madness of the world and
the shit people in it that made all of this happen. He
hated himself for not being the one killed instead of her.
He hoped there were more of them. He wanted to kill them
all. He waited in silence. Nothing happened, not a sound.
It was as if he were alone with the last two other remaining
humans dead in front of him, if you could count the ass hole
killer a human. No one else was coming. There was nothing to do but go
on. Strut had the killer's gun. He broke into the cabin
and took Janice's body inside and covered it with a blanket.
He would leave the other bastard to the wolves. He was past
thinking of any evidence.
Strut skied down the trail that was apparently a road
in the summer. He fell several times. He had to get under
control. Each time he fell it was harder to get up. His
breathing was getting heavier and heavier. He finally
stopped to rest. When he resumed his descent, he snow
plowed more to keep his speed reasonable. The sky was
getting cloudy. He had to make it to some kind of shelter
before dark. Snow was beginning to fall. The trail turned
to his left and made a steep fall off. He fell again. His
legs felt like they had blow torches on them. The path made
more and more turns with increased steepness. His chest,
face and hands were getting very cold. With the
disappearance of the sun, the temperature plummeted. It
would be dark soon. He had to go on. Then there was
another small cabin. He skied to the doorway to rest. He
thought of being with Janice at the last cabin. He turned
and skied on down the hill. It was more like a hill now.
The steepness was not so extreme. The failing light and
falling snow made the going very hard. There were times now
when he would have to side step up a rise in the path. He
could see lights ahead. It took almost an hour to get near
the lights.
He fell again. As he fell, he heard a crack. It
sounded like a rifle shot. The fresh snow had covered a
rock or log that caught his ski. He could not get up. He
could not move his left leg. He was too far from the
village to call for help. He did not think they would hear
if he fired the gun. No one would have a window open in
this weather. With the increasing cold, he would freeze to
death. He leg did not hurt It just would not move. He
began to feel his leg to see if it were broken. There were
no protruding bones that he could feel and there was still
no pain. He unsnapped his ski binding. His leg moved away
with ease. His ski had wedged under a log. He was not
thinking. He slid out of the ski. The tip was broken.
That was the crack he had heard not a braking bone. There
was no choice now. He had to walk. He left both of his
skis by the log. It was not much of a village. Just a few
houses in a row along the road. He could see the tunnel to
his right across a stream. He was not going to walk through
that. He could stop at the small restaurant and call a
taxi. A large brown bus was about to pull away. It had a
lighted sign in front, VADUZ. He was able to flag it down.
He handed the driver a 20-franc note. He got his change and
fell into a seat. He was covered with snow. His hair was
wet as the snow began to melt. The bus was less than half
full. As he looked at his jacket, he was glad that it had
been covered with snow when he entered the bus. The melting
snow revealed streaks of blood on his jacket. He took off
his jacket and turned it wrong side out, and stared out the
window. The black night was broken only by an occasional
light.
The bus stopped under the modern post office building
in Vaduz. Strut spotted a men's room. There he was able to
wash most of the blood stains away. It was not snowing in
Vaduz. There was no snow on the ground. The black letters
on the metal silver plates gave a secured assurance of the
bus arrival and departure times. He was not sure which was
departing and which was arriving times. It did not matter,
he would take the next bus for Buchs. He thought of calling
the police. That would stop him from the job that he had to
do. He could not speak German, and he had the gun that
killed Janice. Not to mention that he had killed a man.
Right now he felt that was only half of the story. He had
failed to make any intelligent decisions since he had
arrived in Europe, now was no time to reform. A few other
people begin to gather at the bus stop. Soon the large tan
post bus arrived. After all of the other passengers had
boarded the bus, Strut got on stiffly still in his ski
boots.
"Buchs?"
"Ja, ja."
Everything reminded him of Janice. The ginger bread
type buildings with their peek roofs outlined with the
strings of white lights that had been put up before
Christmas, the bridge over the Rhine, and now the train
station. He could remember experiencing sorrow, but never
real grief. It covered him like a heavy shroud. He could
hardly move. It was terrible, but he wanted to be smothered
by it. He forced himself through the covered area at the
train station entrance, past the ticket office where he and
Janice had purchased their tickets to Zurich, on to the
train platform. Exhaustion, grief and hunger made him
almost immobile. His mind drifted to one man. He could see
his face. That man had killed Janice as much as the animal
he had left in the snow. His weary body begin to stir. The
added prodding of his hate pulled him back to the moment.
What track? The gold and red poster had all of the
departures by the hour. It was almost an hour before the
next train for Zurich left. He was not up to a meal, but
purchased a chocolate bar from the kiosk. The sugar pumped
enough instant energy into his system to do some serious
planning while he waited for the train.
Strut avoided the open first class section and took a
seat in an enclosed compartment in an Austrian coach. He
chose the least crowed compartment. Just one man in a
business suit. Strut nodded to the man on entering the
compartment. He received a rather strange look in return.
He looked strange with his dirty ski outfit and ski boots.
He took the seat by the isle door. He had had enough of
Swiss landscape, even at night. He got his ticket out to
avoid a search of his pockets. The compartment was warm.
He fell into a deep sleep that lasted to the outskirts of
Zurich. Strut followed the blue and white signs with a drawing
of a suit case on it to pick up his check bag. He found a
men's room at the far side of the terminal. Luckily, he had
a coin for the stall. He changed his clothes. It took him
a few minutes to recover from seeing Janice's clothing in
the case. He used the coin electric shaver to give himself
a halfway descent appearance. His taxi driver spoke little
English, but understood that Strut wanted a hotel. The taxi
took him to a small hotel in the old town section. The
streets were narrow and filled with people. It was just a
block from a wide street by the river. The other side of
the river is where he had stayed a lifetime ago when he
first came to Zurich. He surveyed the area of the small
cobble stone square next to the hotel. Some youths were
setting on a fountain in its center. Across the street
leading to the square from the night club district of old
town, a current movie queen displayed her charms from the
cinema's poster display. A couple were admiring the softly
lit window display of a small antique shop on the little
street that led to the river. Strut took his bag and opened
the light green door to the rather dimly lit lobby. The
cost of one chair in his prior Zurich hotel would have
purchased the entire furnishing of this lobby with change
left over. The desk clerk spoke good English.
"Yes sir, we do have a room with a bath. You are
fortunate that I have a room with bath left. Please fill in
this registration form. Be sure to include your passport
number."
The room was clean. Everything was old and cheap, but
clean. Strut soon muffled the noises from the busy square
below by closing the double glazed window and lowering the
shutter. The hot soapy water of the tub helped his tense
muscles, but it did not help his tense mind.
His empty stomach and the noise that still filtered in
from the street did not help his restless night. He slept,
but only in the company of a constant nightmare. He dreamed
of Janice, Roberts, Patty, Doctor Tosser, Doctor Hassid, his
fat giggling wife, and most of all Jacques. In all of the
crazy montage of the dream Jacques kept saying, "A few quiet
days are all that you need."
When Strut did awake, he was ready for a good
breakfast. To his surprise, the hotel not only served a
good breakfast, it did so in a reasonably large and very
attractive dining room. The decor was similar to the first
bar that he and Janice had visited in Malbun. Here the
wooden booths were older, but made from a high grade oak.
While he studied his advertisement map, he noticed that the
place was advertised in the folder. They claimed to be the
top fondue restaurant in town.
What Janice's grandfather's bank was called, and where
it was, no longer remained a mystery. There were no more
mysteries for Strut, except how he allowed himself to get
into this mess in the first place. That was not much of a
mystery. He continued to look at the map. He was able to
locate where the bank should be. After breakfast he went to
his room and took the briefcase containing the documents
from his bag and put the gun inside it. He would walk to
the bank. It was still too early for it to be open. He
took care in the tiny self service elevator that his bag did
not rub the passing wall as the open doorway passed along
the shaft wall.
"Number 17 checking out. May I leave my bag here until
later in the day?"
Strut left the hotel literally armed with the contents
of his briefcase. He made his way up the small street for a
block to the busy street by the river. He walked along
watching the shop windows and entrances being washed. The
large gold hands of the clock tower to his right confirmed
that he had time to spare before the bank opened. He
extruded a cynical grunt at the large painted sign
advertising a thriller movie. The police woman on her
conical platform directed traffic like a great conductor
conducting a symphony. The results were effective. She
guided the mass of cars, trams and pedestrians across the
bridge to the main part of town. Strut did not keep pace
with the other pedestrians hurrying to work. The river
looked deep and clear as it matched the fast pace of the
bridge traffic. It very correctly and precisely flowed into
the Zurich lake after it passed under the bridge. There
were only two exceptions to the morning rush. Some young
people sat on the step like bank of the river where the cars
were coming from. They seemed to enjoy the early morning
sun, despite the cool air. The other was some children on
the city side of the river. They were feeding bread to some
swans from the river side of a small park. The boats moored
by the park were in their winter shrouds of canvas were
under attack from deposits of the lake gulls. Their only
defenses were spinning plastic propellers mounted on wires
above the boats.
Strut checked his map again. He walked along the river
side of the park until there were buildings on both sides of
the street. The buildings were old, but very well
maintained. The roof design and the small extended glass
window designs would be an un-affordable luxuries in a
modern building. The address was across the street. There
was only a restaurant and a shop there. He was sure of the
address that Janice had given him. He crossed the street.
She had said the bank the bank occupied the first, second
and third floors of the building.
The door between the restaurant and the shop had a
brass plate on it. It only had the symbol of a lion and the
name TURKLIN. That was the name. He entered the rather
dark and mundane foyer. The elevator was in the center of a
spiraling marble and wrought iron stair case. The elevator
had a button for the ground floor and the first floor. All
of the other floors required a key to operate. Strut pushed
the first floor button. It had the name Turklin beside it.
Strut stepped onto the deep piled dark green carpet.
The oil paintings on the walls were of mountain and military
scenes. The porter rose from his polished desk that barely
concealed television monitors.
"Greets Gott."
"My name is John Strut. I should like to see the
managing director as soon as possible. It concerns the
meeting here in the afternoon and his granddaughter."
"One moment please."
The porter consulted a sheet of paper on his desk.
"I see that you are scheduled for a meeting at three
this afternoon. I am afraid that Doctor Sneft is not here.
He only returned from out of the country last evening.
Perhaps someone else could help you in the mean time."
"I'm afraid that I must see him personally. It
concerns his granddaughter."
"Let me take your coat. I can show you to some place
comfortable to wait while I see what I can do."
"I appreciate that very much. I'm sure that Doctor
Sneft will appreciate being advised of my presents as soon
as possible."
"Of course sir. May I take your brief case?"
"No thank you, I'll keep it with me."
"As you say sir. Please follow me."
The porter turned to a large mahogany door, and
unlocked it with a key from his chain. The brass and
crystal sconces illuminated the wide hall. The door to the
room opened outward. It revealed another leather padded
door that opened into the room. Strut looked at the doors
as he entered the room. They reminded him of doors that he
had seen on frozen food rooms. The porter turned on the
large brass chandelier and recessed ceiling lights that made
a shadowless illumination the length of the large mahogany
table that dominated the center of the room.
"Please wait here sir. You will find cigars on the
table if you care to smoke."
"Thank you."
"Just dial seven on the telephone if you desire
anything."
"Thank you. I hope that you can contact Doctor Sneft
soon."
"I shall do what I can sir."
Strut walked around the room. He looked out of the
window at the opposite end of the room. He could see a
small court yard below. The bronze statue in the center was
probably a fountain in the summer. The sidewalks in the
court yard made a cross from one arched entrance to another.
They were wide enough to allow the statue to be in the
center without an extra walkway around it. The room was
dead silent. He saw, that like the door, the window was a
double structure. One set of double glazed windows on the
inside combined with another on the outside of the old
casing to make a solid sound and weather seal. After
examining the etchings of the major cities of Switzerland,
as they looked two hundred years ago, he chose the leather
chair second from the end by the window. He settled into
the high back soft leather and swiveled toward the door.
He hoped that he would not be facing the police when it
opened. The police had almost worn the little old man, who had
delivered the photographs, to complete exhaustion. He
finally identified a photo. The man had been arrested
several years ago for procuring. The records indicated that
he had later been arrested on the same charge in Marseilles.
If the man had not just picked some one to be able to stop
looking, this would move the police well ahead. Marseilles
was contacted. The suspect had moved up in his seamy world
and was now apparently running a sizeable prostitution ring
there. He was also suspected of drug smuggling, but this
was only speculation. After several hours the word came
from Marseilles that their suspect was apparently in Paris
on business. They would advise, if they could give any
further details.
Burrow discussed this information with his associates
in the Paris police. They decided that someone in the
prostitution rackets in Paris must know something. The best
way to start information flowing was to hit their pockets.
A high profile crackdown on prostitution was started. Where
there was no evidence for arrest, there was a prolonged wait
for questioning before release. Customers were not so
plentiful during this campaign. Everyone that was arrested
or questioned was shown a picture of Kahn. It did not take
long for the information to start flowing. Every hour that
this enforced new state of morals was in effect was costing
thousands of francs to the underground industry.
It would be a long night for Burrow. The rooms that
Kahn had arranged for were under surveillance by the police.
Listening devices were in place. Burrow had obtained keys
for the building. There was no telephone. All of the
informants were told that if Kahn were tipped off their
business would receive a real crack down.
Burrow had told du Mount that there was a possibility
of some news that night, but to stay in his home with the
security officer. Equipment had been set up in du Mount's
home to monitor any telephone calls, and extra staff was
added to the force on the small island in the Seine.
Heidi's father had arrived from Zurich and stayed with
Jacques. He was a strong and determined man. He was almost
as tall as his son-in-law. He had a small pouch, but was
otherwise looked very trim for his age. He maintained his
white hair in a military fashion. Like all Swiss men, he
had served his adult active years in the part time Swiss
army. It had turned into a real avocation for the banker.
He enjoyed the fellowship, and was a ranking officer by the
time that he retired. His bank is one of the stronger
private banks in Switzerland. The bank acted more like
private investment houses than commercial banks. He had
many wealthy clients though the world. A feeling of secure
confidentially, along with good portfolio management, had
maintained a small but affluent clientele. His bank had
never placed an advertisement in its long history.
"Do the police think that there is a good chance they
can get Heidi without her being harmed?"
"They feel so, but there is always a great risk. I
still question myself on calling them in, but they seemed to
have made progress. They could not understand why we were
given ten days to raise the money. Usually, it is demanded
the next day."
"Perhaps they have some idea of how long it takes to
raise that kind of money without causing alarm."
"I doubt it. They are near the bottom of the criminal
intellectual structure from what the police say."
"How could such people pick on Heidi then? Do they
have sophisticated masters?"
"I suppose so. Mr. Burrow thinks it was all rather
amateurish. He did ask me if there could be any connection
with Professor Orloff's murder."
"Oh, I was so upset that I didn't tell anyone that the
meeting would be cancelled. Did you call anyone, Jacques?"
"No, I was the same. There might be a connection from
that stand point. Doctor Hassid has made it clear that any
further postponement would mean their withdrawal. Patience
is not one of our largest investors' virtues."
"That could mean the loss of all of the funding,
Jacques. The others don't hold any merit in his client's
business judgment, but they due in their subordinated
funding. That and the credibility of the bank, your firm
and the recommendation of an outside American with the
reputation of Professor Orloff were all necessary to attract
them. If your Mr. Strut makes a strong case for an eventual
American interest, it could offset the loss of Professor
Orloff."
"I have no idea of what John would say. I haven't
talked to him since he and Janice left to discuss it with
you. What was his reaction? At this moment I don't care.
I wish I had never heard of this thing. I wish a lot of
things. All I want is to get Heidi back."
"That's what I want too, Jacques. I have never met Mr.
Strut. Janice came to see me and said that he wanted some
time to acquaint himself with the project and talk to Doctor
Tosser. There were going to see him this week before the
meeting."
"Well Janice does things her own way. I'm sure that if
John understands the program, Janice can convince him to
recommend it."
"We can call everyone tomorrow. I think we must be
good solders now and cooperate with the police to get Heidi
back. How is your friend taking it?"
"As well as could be expected, I guess. He is staying
at the hotel in case the kidnapers try to contact him. I'm
sure it is a lonely vigil. It is a great help to have you
here."
By four thirty in the morning, Burrow had heard enough
of the sounds from the rooms that his idea that the women
were on the second floor was confirmed. The first floor had
heavy snoring. There were some unidentified noises from the
second floor. That gave him hope that the women were still
alive. Burrow had divided the attack units into three
squads one for each floor. They were ready for the assault.
As soon as the door was unlocked, the teams raced to their
positions. One of the men on the first floor was a lighter
sleeper than the other. He tried to reach for his gun.
Fire from two automatic pistols was through him before he
could touch the weapon. The heavier sleeper was shackled,
before he knew what had happened.
Heidi awoke to a loud noise. The door of her cell like
room flew open. The room was filled with a flood of
blinding light. She saw dark silhouettes of men all around
her. She could not stop screaming. Kahn was sleeping on
the upper floor. The noise alarmed him. By the time he was
standing his room was ablaze with light. He could see guns
pointed at him. His heavy body started to sink back into
the bed. One of the men quickly jerked him away from the
bed and pushed him face down on the floor. He was
handcuffed with the full weight of the man on his back. The
policeman's companions were searching the bed and rest or
the room for weapons. Kahn knew his stupid dream of being
something was over. By the time he was facing Burrow, he
reverted to his natural type. He knew the persuasive powers
of the French authorities. He started to tell Burrow how
useful he could be to him.
Sleep had not come easy for either Jacques or Doctor
Sneft, but by five in the morning they were both in deep
exhausted sleep. Du Mount awoke with a start to the instant
ringing of the telephone. By the time he answered it, his
father-in-law was in his room. It was from the police.
"Your wife and her friend are safe! They're all right.
They are on their way to the hospital for a check up. There
is a car at your home to take you there. A car is bringing
Mr. Roberts from his hotel."
If du Mount ever believed in God, hid did at that
moment. Both women were under guard at the hospital. They
had not been harmed physically, but were almost in shock.
Neither had eaten since their capture. The best therapy at
the moment was to see their husbands, and feel safe. The
later was not a complete feeling yet. With in the next
thirty hours the women made a strong recovery from their
ordeal, but it would be a long time before the invisible
scars of the terrorizing hours would begin to heal. Betty
wanted to return to Indianapolis immediately.
Burrow asked for a meeting with the three men before
they left the hospital for the day.
"I should like to advise that the ladies remain in the
hospital for a few days. After questioning the men who held
them it is clear that they were hired to capture Mrs. du
Mount. Mrs. Roberts was only an added bonus for them. The
person who employed them is beyond our reach, but I think we
can deal with that when we have some more facts. My
associates tell me that your firm has kept them advised on
some electronic devices another country is interest in. Is
that correct Mr. du Mount?"
"We have the possibility of making a joint venture with
a Swiss company to develop a project based on their chemical
and medical research and our technical development. It is a
very expensive and risky venture, but there are several
Non-French investors interested."
"Would this be contrary to the national interest of
France?"
"No these investors, are just that, investors. Our
company would actually be acquiring the technical
information from the Swiss company. We have, however,
agreed that until the process is ready for commercial usage
each company would maintain its independent research. The
French company would own everything, and could insure that
the proper safe guards were in place. We would pay the
Swiss company cash for their position. The foreign funding
we would receive is in the form of a loan with options for
stock purchase at a later date. The company would stay in
French hands from a management standpoint, and would be
subject to French law. It think you will find that we have
fully cooperated on this up to the point of normal
commercial confidentially."
"Such confidentiality can be breached. Did you know
Professor Orloff was with the C.I.A.?"
"I only found that you the day that he was killed.
That is why I contacted the D.S.T. when I discovered his
death. It was their idea to send the man to Hamburg, not
mine. There were several possibilities concerning him that
they wished to confirm. He had booked a flight to Hamburg.
No one knew why."
Jacques continued to tell Burrow the names of the
potential investors in his project, and the urgency of the
proposed meeting later in the week. Jacques had no
explanation as to why one of the top minister of the country
whose leader was his largest potential investor was the man
that arranged for his wife's kidnapping.
"If they were not interested in the project, all they
had to do was say no. It seems insane to try to prevent the
meeting with such a crazy scheme."
"There are always internal politics in any country, no
matter how strong their strong man is. Perhaps it was
someone else in the government that wanted the meeting
postponed."
"Perhaps. It all seems out of hand. I should have
quit this project and taken my loss a long time ago when the
original developer was killed. It seems fatal to everyone."
"What do you mean?"
Du Mount reminded him of the two American doctors
killed in Paris a few years ago, then Orloff and the other
people in Hamburg.
"Do you plan to go ahead with the meeting at the end of
the week?"
"We haven't decided. My father-in-law and I have
discussed it with the managing director of the Swiss
company. He had sympathy for me, but he will be nearly
ruined financially if we do not continue. He has everything
riding on this project."
"I believe that for your own protection, and that of
your wife you should hold the meeting. Once it is over the
deed is done. If you call it off, there could be a
possibility of a new meeting, thus a continued threat to
you."
"It is by no means certain that funding will be
approved. Final reports have to be approved by several
investors, and if any one backs out I am sure that they all
will."
"It will still be over. If you have your wife stay in
the hospital, we can protect her better than at your home.
We may be able to do something about this minister after
your meeting. If we give their government evidence before
the meeting, they may think it is a trick. It might even be
suppressed. If we do so after the decision of the meeting,
and it is presented directly to the top, he will face a
stronger justice than he would here."
"All right I'll talk to everyone. I'll try and make
Heidi understand without raising any more fears for her."
Jacques had a meeting with Roberts and Doctor Sneft
later in the day at his office. Roberts agreed to have
Betty stay in the hospital the extra time. He was taking no
chances on a repeat of the tragic events of his visit to
Paris thus far. He declined Jacques invitation to attend
the meeting in Zurich, but did want to talk to Strut as soon
as he turned up. Jacques placed a call to Doctor Tosser.
"Yes, thank you, my wife is doing fine. It was an
ordeal, but a few more days rest and she can come home."
"I think you are making the right decision in going
ahead with the meeting. I certainly appreciate it. You
know what it means to me."
"It means a lot to all of us, Doctor Tosser. Have you
seen my niece or Mr. Strut lately?"
"I, of course, saw them around New Year's Day. I
understand that Mr. Strut was going skiing for a few days.
I am not sure if your niece went with him or not. He did
indicate that he would be at our meeting. I have no idea
what they are doing now."
A few mental pictures from the past flashed through
Jacques' mind. He could imagine.
"If you hear from either of them, please have them call
Doctor Sneft or me."
"Of course, I shall see you at the meeting."
Doctor Sneft called his office to check for any
messages, and have them make arrangements for the meeting.
He advised them that if his niece or Mr. Strut called to
have them call Mr. du Mount at once.
It took some persuasion to keep the women in the
hospital for the rest of the week, but they finally agreed.
Heidi was upset that Jacques would be gone for a day, but he
promised to be gone only one night. Doctor Sneft took the
evening flight to Zurich.Doctor Sneft's secretary tried to reach du Mount's
office right after she advised Doctor Sneft that Mr. Strut
was in the bank. Du Mount had already left for the airport.
His secretary advised her that Mr. Strut should call Mr.
Roberts at the Maurice hotel in Paris. When Strut was given
the message, he said that he would call Mr. Roberts after
speaking to Doctor Sneft. Within the hour Doctor Sneft was
at his bank.
"Mr. Strut, we have been concerned about you. You said
that you wanted to talk to me about Janice."
"Yes sir. I'm afraid that I have some very bad news."
As the men talked, Strut opened his brief case and took
out the pistol. Doctor Sneft was soon on the telephone to
his porter.
"Mr. Strut and I shall be in my office for some time.
I do not wish to be disturbed under any circumstances. If
the others come for the meeting before Mr. Strut and I are
finished, have them wait in the conference room. Make sure
that they do not leave, and are not disturbed after they
arrive. Please remove the telephone from the conference
room."
Both Jacques and Doctor Tosser had hoped to go over
their presentation with Doctor Sneft before the meeting.
The bank staff's attitude was firm that no one could disturb
Doctor Sneft. When his BESETZT light was on outside of his
office, it was like a steel barricade to his staff. Jacques
was somewhat relieved that John was with him. John must
have decided to make the presentation, and was reviewing it
with his father-in-law. Why weren't he and Doctor Tosser in
on the meeting? It was their project. The time for the
meeting was approaching. The investors were arriving. Not
all of them knew each other. Doctor Sneft had kept his
investors advised, but not all of them had met Jacques or
Doctor Tosser. None of them had met Doctor Hassid. In
addition to Doctor Hassid and a representative of Nigeria,
there were five other investors or their representatives
present. Two of them Jacques had met before. One was from
a large Belgium bank, the other from a Swiss bank. He was
sure that they were acting on behalf of their bank's
clients. The other three were new to Jacques and Doctor
Tosser. They introduced themselves as representing Swiss
banking interest. The group was served coffee. Nothing
stronger was offered in deference to the beliefs of some of
the guest. Every one had run out of small talk after an
hour's delay.
Finally Doctor Sneft and Strut entered the room.
Jacques wondered if Doctor Sneft was ill. He looked ashen.
He had never seen him in such a condition, even when his
daughter was in the hands of kidnapers. He took his place
at the head of the table, and said, "Doctor Tosser, I think
if you sat half way down on the left side you might be of
assistance to these gentlemen on some of their questions.
Mr. Strut please sit on my left."
Strut took his seat opposite Jacques. The normal
custom of hand shakes were obvious by their omission.
Strut's only comment as he took his seat was, "Hello
Jacques."
Doctor Sneft had a typed sheet of paper that he began
to read from. It was the first time Jacques had seen his
hands tremble.
"Gentlemen, we are here to review a business proposal
that has been so revolutionary in its concept that it has
seemed unbelievable to many of the few that knew of its
premise. The very proposal and the following development
work have not only raised questions as to the scope of such
an undertaking, but to the moral an ethical positions that
might be challenged.
Unfortunately as the development proceeded, and the
actual potential of this work became know among this select
group here, violence and death have become closer and closer
associated with this project. My daughter, Mr. du Mounts'
wife, and another lady, were abducted in an attempt to
prevent this meeting. Fortunately, they escaped with their
lives. Too many others have not been that fortunate. With
the devotion of time and money that has preceded this
meeting and the human sacrifice that has been made because
of this project, I think that the revelations that will be
made here deserve your closest attention.
Mr. Strut's background and reputation, as a prudent and
effective securities counsel in the United States, has been
made available to all of you. He will now give you an
overview of the project from his prospective. All of you
have received enough favorable reports from your own due
diligence of the initial information to bring you here
today. Mr. du Mount and Doctor Tosser can go into whatever
technical questions you may wish to have clarified. Mr.
Strut."
"Thank you. I shall try not to repeat the information
that you have already been given, except to make a short
review. This project was initiated about fifteen years ago
by a prominent American neuro-surgeon, Doctor Cohen. The
work done by Doctor Tosser's clinic and Mr. du Mount's
laboratories, who worked with the University of North
Carolina, have developed the latter stages of the project to
its present status. They have determined that considerable
funds are needed for the commercialization of the work that
has been completed. Doctor Tosser has given me a report of
the current status of the techniques involved. I shall try
to bring you up to date on this."
Strut went on to describe the technical reports he had
been reading using the language of science. The bankers
were soon lost in the technical jargon. Finally, Doctor
Hassid smiled and interrupted him.
"Excuse me Mr. Strut. Much of what you are saying is
understandable to me, but I am sure that it is too technical
for some of the people here from the banking industry. It
was my understanding that you are an attorney, not a
scientist. How is it that you are so acquainted with the
involved technical details of this project?"
"I wish that I could claim that it is my technical
skill, but I must confess a few weeks ago I would have
difficulty understanding most of the words I've used here
today. Doctor Tosser performed an operation on my head the
first of the year. Since that time, I've learned many
things. I think Doctor Tosser should give you his
explanation of what happened."
Doctor Tosser was pleased with Strut's way of
demonstrating the latest claim of the process. Doctor
Tosser had expected the performance, and was obviously
impressed. He was now ready to make believers of all the
startled bankers.
"Mr. Strut is correct in what he says. If you would be
so kind as to, show Doctor Hassid the location of your
scar."
Strut walked to Doctor Hassid, and bent his head down
for inspection. Doctor Tosser continued on into the medical
reasons for this exact location, and into the ability of the
skin graft to receive low energy pulse signals that would be
interpreted by the brain as though they had been received
from the senses. The learning process could be enhanced
many times.
Strut waited for the initial reaction of the group to
pass, and then he said, "I think much of Doctor Tosser's
knowledge of the brain comes from his background as a
psychiatrists. Isn't that so Doctor Tosser?"
"Yes I've been quite successful in that field. One
builds on their storehouse of knowledge."
"The combination of psychiatrists, biochemical
scientist, and neuro-surgeon makes the ideal person to
develop such a process; doesn't it?"
"I am afraid that Mr. Strut gives me too many laurels.
I'm not all of those things. The skills are a combination
of our group."
"Doctor Tosser, I'm sure that we would be interested to
hear about those other members of your group and their
contribution to the project."
"Well, I can provide this if really necessary. I think
that the important thing is the results."
"You did say that you were the one who was the
neuro-surgeon for my operation, didn't you?
"Well yes, but it is not really a neuro-surgical
technique. It was a simple skin graft. The genes in the
skin removed from his hip were altered to act as stimulators
to a biochemical reaction. This would send messages to his
brain. I think we are losing track of what we are here for.
We are here to confirm the commercial capabilities of this
exciting new process, and try to develop a program to allow
it to continue."
"Doctor Tosser, nothing could be more to the point than
this. Gentlemen, there is another very important person who
has helped Doctor Tosser bring this presentation to you
today. I feel that he should receive full credit for what
he has done. I'm sure that Doctor Tosser will want to give
him as much credit for his contribution as possible. Doctor
Tosser, I believe that you would like to acknowledge the
fine work that Mr. Fritz Donner has done for you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Doctor Tosser, Mr. Donner is with the police now.
Miss Falbea. has made a full statement."
"She is a liar! It was her idea. When the treatment
failed on her father, she persuaded me that no one had to
know. He would have to live only long enough to convince
another patient that it worked. She could control her
uncle. I was just her tool to get money. I only wanted to
be able to work on the project. We were so close."
"It was you that utilized your former patient, Mr.
Donner, to kill off anyone that found out the truth, isn't
it?"
"He is a mad man. I cannot help it if he took my
problems on to solve in his crazy way. I tried to tell him
not to do it. He is a pathological killer."
"That isn't what you told the authorities in Germany
when you had him released from a mental institution there,
is it?"
"This is all mad. We are here to talk about this
program. These other insane and greedy people are trying to
take advantage of all of us."
"It doesn't work. This is only a piece of skin grafted
on from my hip. There has been no cell change made to it.
You are promoting a fraud, supported by murder."
"I am leaving. You are trying to steal everything from
me. She is behind it. I'm seeing my lawyer."
As Doctor Tosser stood, the men on each side of him
rose also. Doctor Sneft spoke, "I'm sure that in due course
you will see your attorney, Doctor Tosser. These gentlemen
are from the police. To the rest of you, I must give you my
apologizes. I only learned of this deception this morning.
I needed witnesses to Doctor Tosser's statements. If you
will excuse me, there has been a tragic death in my family."
Doctor Sneft, Strut, Jacques and the third policeman
remained in the conference room after the others left.
Strut turned to the shaken Doctor Sneft, and said, "You had
better have a rest. This was a terrible ordeal. Thank you
for going through with it."
"I'll just go lay on the sofa in my office for a while.
I'm very tired."
Jacques was bursting with questions, but let his
father-in-law retire. Strut introduced him to the
policeman.
"Janice has been killed. I killed Donner, the man that
killed her, in a fight. He is in the police morgue now with
a German girl that apparently he killed also."
"What? I thought you said Janice made a statement to
the police. When did this happen?"
"I said that Janice made a statement. She made it to
me the night before last. We were alone. This man Donner
that I talked about was sent to kill her by Doctor Tosser."
Strut went on to explain that Doctor Tosser was right
to a certain extent. Janice and Doctor Tosser had
engineered much of the deception on the project.
"After Doctor Cohen discovered that Tosser was making
false calms about the project, he had Donner kill him in
Paris before he could talk to you. Janice didn't know what
he had done until sometime later, but she did try to become
as much involved with you as she could to keep you on the
project. She tried to keep you distracted from any
inconsistencies in what Tosser was feeding you."
"But why?"
"Janice's income was from a trust her father had
established for her. It was a good income, as you probably
know, but she wanted more, a lot more. She had an inborn
fear of being poor. She had been able to maneuver men, but
still lived in the shadow of her father's image of her.
Doctor Tosser recognized this, and played upon it. He took
her father's place as an authority figure. Your prime
investor was at Tosser's clinic and saw a fake demonstration
using her father, who in reality was completely comatose.
Janice is the one person who could confirm that the
digitized voice was speaking only as her father would. In
the process she seduced him. The house Doctor Carpenter
purchased in Liechtenstein was purchased by him to carry on
experimental work in secret. He was convinced that they
needed to work away from prying regulatory eyes at the
clinic. In fact it was set up for a great hoax.
The irony of it is that there was a speed learning
process developed on your virtual reality technology,
Jacques. It had nothing to do with the concept that Doctor
Cohen had worked on. It was a combination of hypnosis, and
high speed tape learning techniques. It is like learning a
new language by listening to tapes, only many times faster.
The retention was a problem. Janice even had me believing
that I could understand German. They used the technique on
me. I was exposed to a five minute news commentary
thousands of times under hypnosis. When I saw what I
thought was a live commentary in German and I understood it.
It was a video tape of what I had been exposed too. The
same was true for the technical data in the report. I was
repeating what I had heard like a foreign language. I have
no real understanding of what I was saying. I was just an
actor saying my lines. At first I didn't know it, as they
also gave me a layman's version explaining what I was
saying. This is nothing close to the claims that they made
for the process. What they were claiming could have made a
person believe that they had actually experienced something
they had not, and it could be done in a split second."
"Did Donner kill Professor Orloff?"
"No, Donner had worked his way into an anarchist group
in Hamburg. They needed money and drugs, and knew Orloff
was with the hated C.I.A. so his associates killed him.
Donner could get drugs through Tosser's Nigerian connection.
Tosser had found out Orloff was with the C.I.A. and was
going to Hamburg after leaving your villa. He was afraid
that Orloff had discovered his connection with Donner and
the French killing. Some years ago Tosser had released
Donner while he was working with a mental institution in
Germany. He was able to establish the same father figure
with Donner as with Janice. The difference was Donner was
mentally ill, and was inclined to violence. Tosser just
directed it. From Tosser's source in the C.I.A. he knew an
identification code to set up an emergency with Orloff on
your beach. Donner's friends approached the beach by boat
and gave the flashing signal. That was the end of Orloff."
"How was someone like Doctor Tosser able to have a
source of information in the C.I.A.?"
"He had been selling information to the Mossad on some
of his clients. They alerted him to Orloff. They didn't
want a good source of information lost. He had them check
on me to see if I had any connection with Orloff or the
C.I.A. The Mossad had no concept to the extent that Tosser
would go to protect his position. They became concerned
that an Israeli firm had at one time been involved with the
project. They were afraid that they might be connected
with his killing."
"If this had been exposed earlier we could have saved
Heidi the ordeal of the kidnapping."
"Yes, Doctor Sneft told me about that. It must have
been terrible. I should call R.C."
Strut had the bank operator put him through to the
Maurice hotel. As he filled in Roberts on the eventful day,
Jacques and the policeman begin to talk.
"Is Mr. Strut under arrest?"
"No charges have been placed against him at this time.
We are holding his passport until the verdict of the inquest
has been made. Doctor Sneft has agreed to be responsible
for him. I understand he will be staying at his home until
after the inquest."
"When were you notified?"
"Doctor Sneft is a good friend of the head of the
service. He called him this morning, and advised him of the
killings, and said that Mr. Strut had surrendered himself to
him along with the gun that killed Miss Falbea. We
immediately notified the Liechtenstein police. They
recovered the two bodies, one was a German girl's body, in
the same area. We had to move very fast to be able to
confront Doctor Tosser with some damming statements. In Mr.
Strut's statement he said that Miss Falbea. had some concern
that she was the only person who knew what Doctor Tosser had
done. She had expressed her doubts to Doctor Tosser about
the continued involvement of Mr. Strut, and concerns that
Mr. Strut might talk to you about the operation. That's
when Doctor Tosser suggested that they spend the balance of
the time before this meeting in an isolated cabin he knew in
the mountains. We found Mr. Donner's identification on his
body. Fortunately, we were able to get an order to search
Doctor Tosser's clinic files while he was on his way to the
meeting. They confirmed his relationship with Mr. Donner.
To this point it looked like the killings were to stop the
project. I guess that made it more attractive to some
people. He may have wanted to silence Miss Falbea. before
she became too emotionally involved with Mr. Strut. Mr.
Strut said that because of their feelings for each other she
had confessed her part in the deception. They planned to
confront Doctor Tosser together at this meeting."
"John, I should talk to R.C. when you are finished."
Strut soon handed him the telephone hand set.
"Hello R.C. Yes it has been a hell of a day. Life has
been hell lately. There is no fool like an old fool. I
certainly have been one. I'll be back on the first flight
in the morning. Tell Heidi that I love her. This terrible
mess is finally over. I have a lot of pieces to pick up,
but somehow I'll manage. I hope to see you tomorrow."
Strut, Jacques and Doctor Sneft spent the evening at
Doctor Sneft's home. Strut had impressed Doctor Sneft with
his obvious affection for Janice despite all that she had
done, and with his willingness to assist the police and
himself to bring Doctor Tosser to justice without involving
the bank or Jacques in a negative way. Jacques told Doctor
Sneft of his long friendship with Strut, and what brought
Strut to Europe.
Over the next few weeks Strut was guided through his
sessions with the Liechtenstein and Swiss police by
attorneys provided by Doctor Sneft's bank. He saw Jacques
and Heidi again at Janice's funeral. Heidi was doing
better, but was still quite nervous.
Strut stayed on for a while in Zurich after he received
his passport back. He liked Zurich, and especially liked
Doctor Sneft. He was probably the only other man that
really cared for Janice for more than her body. He began to
feel that he must get his life back together. The constant
gray skies were becoming depressing. He agreed to see du
Mount in a short visit to Paris on his way back to the
States.
Jacques had been able to salvage much of the technical
progress that had been made and find backing for their true
application. There had been some good advances in leaning
device development.
"John, I hope that you can put all of this behind you.
I'm sorry for involving you."
"It is behind me Jacques. I'm not going right back to
Indianapolis. I'm not even sure if I want to go back to the
firm, or if R.C. wants me back for that matter."
"I'm sure that he does. If he doesn't, you can always
represent my interest in the U.S."
"Oh I'm sure that I'll stick to the law somewhere."
"You know despite everything some people still think
that you really did have a data transfer. Doctor Tosser is
claiming that Janice was not aware of the advances that he
had made. He Claims that your skin graft is the real thing.
A man from the U.S. Embassy wanted to have an interview with
you about it."
"Tosser may think that is some kind of defense. I
think he would do better to plead insanity. If I had my
way, they would burn him alive. The last thing in the world
I want is to talk to some bureaucrat about any of this
thing. I've had my fill of government inquisitors."
"I don't blame you. I know it was a sham if anyone
does. Don't worry what interest there is will soon die
down. Let me know when you are settled."
Strut had signed his divorce settlement with Patty
weeks ago, and his big house was under contract for sale.
He was going to put off going back to Indianapolis until the
bleak winter was completely gone. He was going some place
warm, and lay in the sun like a lizard. No thinking
allowed. He took his ticket to the airline office.
"Is this ticket still good?"
"Yes sir. When would you like to return to
Indianapolis?"
"Is it possible to change the destination in the
States?"
"It's possible to make a stop before Indianapolis if
the mileage is not too great. Where did you want to stop?"
"Ah, Florida."
The agent waited for a more definite answer, none came.
"What city in Florida?"
Strut hesitated. The only city that came to mind was
Miami. From what he had heard he did not want to go there.
"Sarasota."
"That is a nice place. I had a holiday there once. It
is so beautiful and peaceful. It's a great place to have a
few quiet days. Oh, there is a lot to do there also. It's
a great town. I'll change your ticket. You'll change
planes in New York."
The agent hoped that she had not spoken badly of his
hometown. He flinched when she said it was a nice place to
spend a few quiet days.
Strut settled in his seat for the long flight across
the Atlantic. He was going to hide out for a while. He
didn't want to talk to anyone, especially R.C. Not right
now anyway. He just could not go over the whole story
again. With Roberts, he knew he would have to. He had
enough money for some time, not a lifetime. He did want to
work again, but in his own time. He was practically a
single man with no responsibilities. He was going to relax.
Strut hoped that the seat next to him would remain
empty. He was disappointed. The man setting next to him
looked like most of the other businessmen in the first class
section.
"You an American going home?"
"Yes."
"Been over on business?"
Strut hoped that this character would not attempt
conversation all the way across the ocean. He replied as
short as possible.
"No, vacation."
"My name is Harts, Bill Harts."
"John Strut."
"Did you enjoy Paris?"
"I didn't spend much time in Paris. I was in Zurich
most of the time."
"In welchem Teil von Amerika wohnen Sie?"
"I'm from the Midwest, but I'm taking some time in
Florida."
"You understand German very well. It must have made
your vacation much more pleasant to be able to speak
German."
"Oh, I don't speak German. I..I just picked up a
little understanding hearing it spoken."
Bill Harts made a knowing smile and nodded. Strut
frowned, as he touched the back of his head.