Part 4 (1/2)

'And what do you contract?'

Bond looked at him levelly 'Myself as a rule I'hest bidder There, that'll be the end of our acquaintance, I expect We're a dying breed' He gave a short laugh at his grim little joke 'People don't take too kindly to mercenaries these days'

Anton Murik's hand closed around Bond's forear him to one side, away from the tomen 'I am not averse to your profession, Mr Bond In fact I have been known to eamekeepers, people on my estates Who knows, I may even have a place for a h Come to Murik Castle On Monday we have a little annual fun Most of the land and the nearby village - Murcaldy - is hland Ga - the caber, the ha You will enjoy it' This last sentence was almost an order

Bond nodded, as Murik turned towards the ladies 'We reet China Blue, and accept our just rewards Mary-Jane, Lavender, you will be seeing Mr Bond again soon He's kindly consented to come and stay - for the Games'

As they left the box, Bond are of a mildly sardonic look in Mary-Jane Mashkin's eyes

'Thank you again - for the pearls, Iyou soon' There was so sentence, as though sheLavender, Bond thought, appeared at first , easy and poised exterior

The Laird of Murcaldy did not even look at Bond again - leaving the box in his quick, birdlike lance

Bond stood, looking after the about Murik's personal version of the Highland Gaht be expected to play in thes fro a short doubletalk telephone call to Bill Tanner; and another to the Central Hotel in Glasgow, booking hi that he would need to use it immediately on arrival, which he hoped, would be in the early hours

The Laird of Murcaldy would doubtless be flying his party back to Scotland Bond did not want to be far behind them Neither did he wish to arrive at Murik Castle without rest and tilasses' case over one shoulder, James Bond walked as casually as he could towards the car park

7

King of the castle

During the furious night drive north Bond had plenty of time to puzzle over Anton Murik's ith China Blue Horses for courses, he thought But that horse had not looked fit enough for any course How, then, had it romped home at Ascot? The only possible explanation lay in the old trick of having China Blue pulled back by his jockey in earlier races - not displaying his true foric moment But perhaps the real ansould be found, with the others he sought, at Murik Castle

The journey to Glasgoithout incident Bond went flat-out on theto avoid police speed traps, and stopping to refuel at a couple of all-night motorway service areas

He was parked, settled into his rooe, scra He then hung out the 'Do not disturb' sign and slept like a baby, not waking until seven that evening

After a lengthy study of the Ordnance Survey maps to plan the route, Bond went down and dined in the hotel's Malmaison Restaurant - named after Napoleon and Josephine's retreat, and one of the best French restaurants in Scotland Bond, however, had no desire for rich food that evening, and settled for a sireen salad He drank only Perrier water He was deter like one crossing a desert in secrecy

He was on the road, with the bill paid, by ten thirty, heading north on the A82, which took hiside the waters of Loch Lo, Bond stopped for a day's rest, at a village just short of Loch Garry - having switched to the A87 that would eventually lead him as far as the coastal lochs, and those narrow roads with frequent passing places, around the western seaboard

He reached a wooded area just to the east of Loch Carron early the nexttrees, reh a day of pale blue skies and the scent of pine and heather, knowing that as soon as dusk set in, the village of Murcaldy, and frohty ether with er at this stage of the operation

Having concentrated on ood and safe tiht in the beauties of Scotland Indeed, there had been no opportunity while doing ht So now he lay back, adjusted the driving seat, dozing and eating as the sun slid across the sky and began to settle behind the trees and hills

While there was still light, Bond began tothe boot and transferring a packet of cigarettes from Q Branch's prepared briefcase to his pocket Only six of the cigarettes were of any use to a s cut short to hide an easily accessible cos nestled co surveillance unit within the Murik household, he ht well need assistance; and the ss - complete with tape andplaces in the luggage

He also made certain that the pen alarhter - dangerous to the point of irown man for the best part of an hour - ell separate frohter

The rest of his weaponry remained locked away in the safety compartments of the car The only other tools he required were to hand - the Bausch & Lolasses and the strap-on Nitefinder headset

As the last traces of daylight vanished and the first stars began to show in the wide sky, Bond started the Saab, turning the car in the direction of Applecross, skirting Loch Carron in the knowledge that his destination was not far away and there was cause for hiood ti the se street with its quaint, neat rows of cottages, the two shops, inn and kirk

Murcaldy was situated on a slen, the sides of which, Bond could see by the now risen and bright len and above the village, the castle stood against the sky like a large outcrop of rock

The village appeared to be deserted except for occasional lights froes, and Bond calculated that it took hih this little cluster of buildings At the far end, near the kirk, the narrow road divided, a signpost pointing its two fingers in a V Murik Castle lay directly ahead, up the glen; the other sign showed an equally narrow track leading back towards the road to shi+eldaig, though Bond considered the track would eventuallyplaces, before one was really on the main A896 to that small town The track thus len to the east, so would probably lead hiain a view of the castle

Pausing for a second, Bond slipped the infra-red Nitefinder kit over his head so that the little protruding glasses sat coht beca the dry track a sian to move steadily forward The track dipped behind the eastern side of the glen, but the upper storeys of the castle were still visible above the skyline

Both village and castle had been built with an eye to strategy, and Bond had little doubt that his passage through Murcaldy had already been noted He wondered if it had also been reported to the Laird

At last Bond reached a point which he considered to be parallel to the castle Stopping the car, he picked up the binoculars and, with the Nitefinder headset still in place, got out and surveyed the area To his right he could clearly see lowfor about a hundred yards, as though so

He paused, thinking he should investigate, but decided the castleleft, Bond walked off the track andeastern slope of the glen

The air ith night scents and clear air Bond orse, bracken and heather Far away a dog barked, and there ca dark hunt

On reaching the top of the rise, Bond stretched hilen to the village, but it was ie point above the castle, which lay about abeen built on a wide plateau Far away behind the castle he could justitself al up the binoculars, Bond adjusted thean to focus on the Murik Castle He could see that half-way along the glen the track froe becaates These appeared to be the only means of access to the castle, which otheras surrounded by high granite walls, soinal, other sections built by later hands Indeed, one vast reconstruction To the rear Bond could just inal keep; but the rereat Gothic-style heap, beloved of Victorians - all gables and turrets

Three cars stood in front of as obviously the main door - a wide structure with a pillared portico The castle seeardens, and the whole aspect produced a half-sinister, half-Disneyland quality Craning forward, Bond could just ht of his view He thought he could glimpse the corner of a marquee For tomorrow's Games, he presumed Well, Dr Anton Murik certainly had a castle and, no doubt, acted like a king in it

Bond was just about to get to his feet, return to the car, drive back and present hi Murik's court, when he realised, too late, that he was not alone

They had come upon him with the craft and experience of professional hunters, ht But these were not spirits - particularly their leader who now looiant accused him in a broad Scots accent

'Noait aa hand to remove the Nitefinder kit; but, as he rasped him by the lapels, and he was lifted bodily into the air

'Ye'll coiant said

Bond was in no ht his head down hard, catching the big runted, letting go of Bond, who could see the butt had been well placed A sun to flow from the man's nostrils

'I'll kill ye for' The man was stopped by another voice from behind them

'Caber? Hanised the slight nasal twang of Mary-Jane Mashkin 'It's Bond,' he shouted 'You remember, Miss Mashkin We met at Ascot James Bond'

She appeared, like the others, suddenly as though fro here?' She peered at the giant 'And what's happened toyou, Caber?'

'Yon ied me a butt to the neb,' he hed 'A bravelike that to Caber'

'I fear your ht I was a poacher He - well, he lifted ressive I' which sounded belligerent, as Mary-Jane Mashkin spoke again, 'Not really This track is a right-of-way through the Laird's land We've been, doing a little night hunting, and looking at the digging' She inclined her head towards the other side of the track where Bond had seen the low earth piles 'We've just started working on a new drainage system Just as well you didn't wander that way You could've stuood fifteen feet, and it's over twelve feet wide' She paused, coht the scent of Madame Rochas in his nostrils 'You didn't say why you were here, Mr Bond'