Rhinoceros (47 page)

'We'll hope they follow us in some kind of convoy. They'll then overtake Harry in his blue Merc and he can warn us they're coming. But they may not do that. They
may instead set up an ambush ahead of us.'

I'll be driving,' Newman remarked.

'If you run into an ambush,' Marler ordered, 'you
reverse like mad. If there's a wood close by you back
into that. We all then abandon the car
toute-de-suite.'

'Weapons?' queried Newman.

'Everyone will carry grenades, the more deadly type,
tear-gas canisters, automatic rifles, handguns and then
there are the three Uzis. One for you, Newman, another
for Nield and I'll take the third.'

'I'd like an Uzi,' Harry piped up. 'I'll be coming up behind you, may get there in time to take them in the
rear.'

'Agreed. You can have mine. Now, tactics . . .'

It was almost dark when everyone had left the room except
for Tweed and Paula. Butler and Nield were going to fetch
the rest of the armament to conceal it in the blue Mercedes.
Paula checked her watch.

'Doesn't look as though Mrs France is coming. She was
due hours ago.'

'She may have been delayed — or not be coming at all.
If she does turn up I've warned Keith about her. I shall
bring her in at a certain stage - to make sure she isn't
fooling us.'

'It struck me Marler has a good grasp of strategy. When
he wanted to know the geography of the land on the way to
Flensburg and you said flat as a billiard table. He seemed
to be happy about that.'

'Because he realizes we shall be fighting a peasant army
- even though well-trained. But trained in the mountains
of the Balkans or the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. They
are accustomed to having rocks to shoot from behind, very rough country. Exposed out in the open, their training may
well be useless.' He paused. 'How do you feel about it?'

'Excited. Now don't worry. I'll be as cold as ice when it
really starts. We could have done with Mark Wendover,'
she added sorrowfully.

'I talked to Cord Dillon in America when I was alone.
He was appalled. But the grim arrangements have to be
made. I've also spoken to Kuhlmann. Now the autopsy
has taken place, Kuhlmann is arranging for the body to
be flown back to the States. Dillon will meet the flight at
Dulles Airport.'

The phone rang. Paula answered, then called out to
Tweed.

'It's Mrs France. She's downstairs in the lobby. So I've
asked her to come up. I'll go and fetch her . . .'

Mrs France entered in her usual fuddle, grasping a folder
under her arm. She was waving her hands about and wore a floral dress.

'Oh, Mr Tweed! How can I apologize enough? I am so
very sorry to be so late. Quite dreadful behaviour. But
I had no choice. Rondel gave me some work which he
insisted I should deal with at once. I told him I was going
shopping but he said I could go to a late-opening store.
Will you ever
forgive me?'

Tweed waited until his plump visitor had run out of
breath. Then he seated her on a couch and she placed the folder on a coffee table in front of her. He suggested she might like a drink.

'A brandy and soda?'

'That would be lovely. Really lovely. And so kind of you.
The moment I saw you I knew you were a kind man. Such
a very kind man.'

Paula poured her a drink. Her hand slipped and she
poured more brandy into the glass than she had intended.
She smiled as she handed it to her visitor.

'It may be too strong. I made a mistake. I can pour a
milder one . . .'

She stopped speaking. Mrs France had swallowed half the glass at one go. Her eyes, behind the atrocious spectacles, sparkled with pleasure.

'Oh, I feel so much better. I had to rush to get here in my VW. But I had to be careful I was not followed.'

'Who would follow you?' Tweed enquired, sitting opposite
her.

'The chauffeur. Danzer! He creeps about the house,
appears at my side like a ghost. A peculiar man. Not
the sort I'd expect to be a chauffeur. A hard man but
intelligent.'

'You have something to tell me, to show me?'

'Yes. Something is wrong at the Zurcher Kredit.' She
was opening her folder, producing a sheaf of bank state
ments. 'There is no one in Germany I dare talk to about
this.'

'Mrs France.' Tweed stood up. 'I have a close friend
over here for twenty-four hours. Would you mind if he
joined us?'

'Of course not. If he is a close friend of yours then he
can be trusted. That is so important. Trust. . .'

Tweed called Keith Kent, asked him to come along.
When he came in, Tweed introduced him.

'This is Mrs France, chief accountant at the Zurcher
Kredit. Mrs France, this is Peter, financial director of a
company in London.'

'I am pleased to meet you,' Kent said, sitting beside her.
'I may say that anything you tell us will be treated in the strictest confidence.'

'You are a friend of Tweed's, so of course I trust you.
Now, I am taking too long.' She spread the statements, a
number of which had on them circles in pen. 'These are
photocopies you may keep. A huge sum of money has
been extracted from important clients' accounts. Then,
if you can follow me, the money was wired electronically
to a bank in the Bahamas. The strange thing is the money was immediately returned - again wired electronically -
back to the Zurcher Kredit in Hamburg. The original wire carried this symbol. That means the transfer was a mistake
and must be returned immediately. Which it was. Do you
understand?'

'Yes,' Kent said after studying the documents, 'I think
I do.'

'Is that technically possible?' Tweed asked.

'Yes, it is,' Kent assured him. 'Not everyone knows how
to do it. But I can see that's what happened here.'

'Why on earth would someone take all that trouble?'
Tweed wondered.

'It's very mysterious,' Kent agreed. He pondered. 'It
is possible that the vital "return immediately" symbol
was inserted at the very last moment. Just before transmission.'

'By someone else?' Tweed pressed. 'Rather than
by whoever started the movement of the money origi
nally?'

'That is possible. It would require a swift and secret
action — to insert the symbol at the last moment.'

'Who at the bank would know about the system, Mrs
France?'

'The two partners.' She tapped the rim of her half-full glass against her teeth. 'Of course, Danzer has a large
account at the bank.'

'Why mention Danzer?' Tweed enquired.

'Because he has a lot of qualifications. He was once the
head accountant at another bank. Then he is an engi
neer. And he is also an expert on explosives. I overheard
that bit.'

'Explosives?' Tweed was taken aback. 'Has he ever used that expertise while in the employ of Rondel and
his partner?'

'Not so far as I know.'

She checked her watch, finished off her drink, climbed
to her feet.

'I do hope you will excuse me. I must go now to buy
something before the late-night store closes. It is my
excuse for coming here.' She looked at Kent. 'Please
keep those papers for Mr Tweed. Now I
really
must go.
Mr Tweed, I am so very grateful to you. I simply must go . . .'

When she had gone Kent went back to his own room,
taking the photocopies with him. Tweed later picked up
the phone and called Lisa.

'Tweed here. We are leaving early in the morning. Could
you pack your things? You can do that in five minutes?
Good. Later we'll all have dinner . . .'

'That's a mistake,' said Paula. 'A big mistake, taking
her.'

'No, it isn't. Then we can keep an eye on her.'

Paula opened the door cautiously when someone tapped on it. Nield walked in and his manner suggested he was in a hurry.

'First, hours ago I saw Oskar Vernon walk into the
Atlantic.'

'Did you see any contact between him and Gavin
Thunder?'

'None at all. He arrived a while after Thunder rushed in.
But recently another VIP, American, was smuggled in.'

'Smuggled in? What do you mean?'

'Rushed him in via the service elevator. Big tough guards
galore. One came up to me, said "Staying long?" I was
eating an apple, pretending to read a book. I snapped at
him, said I was waiting for my girlfriend, if it was any of his business. He pushed off. Must get back now. May see
more . . .'

Tweed wandered out of the suite onto the balcony and
Paula followed. It was dark and across the water buildings
were illuminated mistily, more like a beautiful painting.
On the opposite shore two
tall church spires glowed in
the illumination while street lamps were reflected in the
still water, like small daggers of light. They stood there,
admiring the beauty of it all.

'It's like a ghost painting,' Tweed said, half to himself.
'And now we have Gavin Thunder and one of the most
powerful men in America slipping into the Atlantic Hotel.
On top of that we have Oskar going into the Atlantic
not so long after Thunder arrived. You know something. Looking at that wonderful view, which is a bit muddled,
I'm wondering if I've got everything the wrong way round,
back to front.'

CHAPTER 27

Nield was sitting behind the wheel of his Opel when it
happened. He had his window open since the heat seemed more torrid than ever. The barrel of the Magnum revolver
appeared inside the window. He froze.

'Now get out very slowly. And keep your hands away from any pockets. Otherwise this cannon is likely to take
on a life of it own.'

Nield opened the door carefully as the muzzle of the gun
retreated a foot or so. He was livid. He recognized who was
speaking. The same American who had approached him
earlier.

It was only when he stood on the pavement that he realized the guard, clad in civilian clothes, was built like
a quarterback. Over six feet tall, his face a fixed mask. Not
someone to underestimate.