Part 6 (1/2)

'It's okay,' whispered Mary-Jane Mashkin, 'onlyto heavily, and Bond heard the locks thud into place again His heart sank Mary-Jane Mashkin was a handsome woman, but not Bond's fancy at all Yet here she was, dressed a shade too obviously in a heavy silk Reger nightdress and wrap, her dark hair hanging around her face; a flush to her cheeks 'I thought I should come and see that you're co you need?'

Bond indicated the door When Donal had closed it, Bond had realised there was so Mary-Jane's entrance had confirh that system? It's electronic, isn't it?' he asked

She pushed herself towards hi in a faraway manner 'Some of the rooms - like this - have electronic locks for safety The doors can always be opened from the outside; and all you have to do is dial ”one” on the 'phone That puts you through to the switchboard They'll open it up for you If Anton agrees, of course'

Bond backed away 'And that's what you'll do? To get out, Ime to leave?'

'I'

She slid her arht you needed company It must be lonely up here'

Bond's ht actions and words There was so here A carefully orchestrated seduction scene by this American woman: an intellectual, mistress to Anton Murik, and al planned at this moment by the doctor and Franco

'James,' she whispered, her lips so close that he could feel her breath, 'wouldn't you like me to stay for a while?' Mary-Jane Mashkin, fully dressed, made up, and with her hair beautifully coiffured, seemed a handsome and attractive woirdle, and the face cleaned off, she was a very different person

'Look, Mary-Jane It's a nice thought, but' He wrenched himself free 'What about the Laird?'

'What about him? It's you I've come to see'

'But isn't this risky? After all, you're his trusted confidante'

'And I thought you were arisks The moment I set eyes on you, I Jaood actress, Bond would say that for her The whole thing smelled of either a set-up or a special reconnaissance Had he not just heard Anton Murik talk about testing him? Women involved with ood reason Bond took the woht in the eyes The situation was delicate A false ot him into Murik Castle 'Mary-Jane, don't think I'htened into a petulant gried her expression into one of acid, unpleasant hardness A lip curled upwards 'I've made a fool of myself Men used to flock'

'It isn't like that,' Bond began

'No? I've been around, Jans by now?'

'But I'uest A hed: a derisive single note 'Since when did a man like you stand on that kind of cereot my wires crossed You should know by now, James, that a wouess, unattractive'

'I told you It's not like that'

'Well, I know it is Just like that'

She was at the door now, turning, her er 'I could've saved you an awful lot of hassle, James You could've avoided much unpleasantness with ret the last few minutes You'll see, my friend'

It all sounded verymore and more convinced that Mary-Jane's presence in his roo, unsophisticated attened for some other purpose Her hand reached out to the door

'Shouldn't I ring the switchboard?' he asked, trying to sound suitably subdued

'No need They have warning lights that go on and off when the bolts ements with them There's also a way out for the members of this household' Fro piece of metal the size of a credit card and slipped it into a tiny slot that Bond had not noticed, to the right of the lock The bolts shot back, and Mary-Jane Mashkin opened the door 'I'one in a rustle of black silk

Bond sat down on the bed and looked at the door

Possible friend or eternal enemy? he wondered The whole business had been so bizarre that he found it difficult to take seriously Then he remembered the receiver and Murik's conversation with Franco

The cassette was not turning when he retrieved the apparatus from under the pillow He put the headphones over his ears and started to wind back the tape The conversation had finished only a few minutes before Now he rewound it to the point at which he had left theh the 'phones, were as clear as though the two men ith hi, 'we are on schedule for Thursday, which is ideal If you can really finish everything in America within twenty-four hours, it nht You think you can h Better I should do it than soreater confidence to know that it is you'

'And I shall be required to be in the appointed place at'

'At the time we've already talked about What I need to know, for my own peace of mind, is how you will do it Will she suffer? What reaction should I expect?'

'No suffering, Warlock, I proine she has fainted The weapon will be high-powered, an air rifle, and the projectile, it has a gelatine coating She feels a little pinprick but no more I shall use a'

There was a thud in the earphones, and the conversation became blurred It took Bond a few seconds to realise what had happened Either the adhesive on the iven way or one of the ed it with his knee Gently he wound the tape back, but the whole conversation was now muffled, and he could pick up only a feords It was not even possible to separate the voices of the two men - ' very fast cat-walk below neck bare flesh Warlock steps point palace Majorca coma death two hours heart attack time' and so on It meant little, except the obvious fact that so set up to be killed, probably just before this operation that Murik referred to as Meltdown

The whole thing was deadly, and Bond knew that M's worst fears were proved This was no ordinary little plan but a full-scale, ide conspiracy of great danger As for the contract killing, he could not even start to think how that fitted in The weapon would be an air rifle, undoubtedly firing a capsule containing soet, it was anybody's guess The word palace had been ht of royalty The Queen, even Then there was the word Majorca A s he would have to pass on to M as soon as possible It even crossed his er the pen alarerous than helpful Murik had him neatly stoay, and the place was a fortress Stay with it for the ti the headset to the closet, packed away in the case, when he heard the click of the door bolts again His stomach turned over Surely Mary-Jane would not have the nerve - even at Murik's instigation - to return to his roo, and for the second tiht Bond moved quickly to the door and yanked it open

10

Dilly-dilly

There was a little squeal as Lavender Peacock half fell into the room, and Ja at the door, but was too late to stop it closing behind her, with its ominous electronic click

'Blast,' she said loudly, shaking out her long sheen of hair 'Now I'm locked in with you'

'I can think of worse fates,' Bond said, sht clothes,a distinctly more desirable picture than Mary-Jane Mashkin 'Anyway,' he asked, 'haven't you got one of those neat little s that opens the door fro her wrap around her, one hand brushi+ng back her hair 'How do you know about those?' she started Then: 'Oh Lord, has Mary-Jane been up here? I can smell her scent'

'Miss Mashkin did play a scene of soo away contented'

Lavender shook her head 'She wouldn't expect that I thought I et here before they started to play tricks with you Anton has a warped sense of humour I've seen hiot a cigarette?'

Bond took out his case and lit one for each of theone into a kind of overdrive Quite suddenly he had recognised two of the things overheard in Murik's conversation with Franco, via the bug: two names that were familiar - Indian Point Unit Three and San Onofre Unit One He was beginning to come to some conclusions