Part 12 (1/2)

Franco the cat-walk air rifle death with a gelatine capsule Noould have to wait Bond took a deep breath and started to run, trying to recall from his previous visits the quickest way to the ancient Palace, and the easiest clandestine way into it If he was right, the girl would die very soon If he was right; and if he did not get there in time to prevent it

17

Death in many fashi+ons

The Palais Des Rois De Majorque stands on the higher ground at the southern part of Perpignan, and is approached through narrow sloping streets The original Palace was built on a vast knoll, in the eleventh century, and was later walled in with the citadel - which rises to a height of alh at the top to accohway On the inside, the walls dip to as once the nable fortress

Bond had visited the Palace several times before, and knew that the approach issteps, which take the norround, to the e cobbled courtyard Above the entrance is the King's Gallery, while to the left are apartreat and impressive Throne Hall, while opposite the entrance runs a cloister with a gallery above it Behind the cloister stands the lower Queen's Chapel, and above that, off the gallery, the nificent Royal Chapel, with its series of lancet, equilateral and drop arches

Above the two chapels the keep climbs upwards to a small bell-tower This is the extent of the Palace usually on view to the public Bond kneever, that there was a further courtyard behind the cloister, gallery, chapels and keep This area was still used: the yard itself as a depot for s as billets for soarrison; the bulk of whom lived below the citadel, in the Caserne Marechal Joffre

On his last visit to the area - so holiday in the nearby mountains, Bond had fallen in with a French arht, after a particularly lively apres ski session, the gallant captain had suggested drinks in his quarters, which lay within the second courtyard of the Palace They had driven to Perpignan, and the Frenchman had shown Bond how easy it was to penetrate the barracks by entering through a narrow alley off the Rue Waldeck-Rousseau, and from there follow the transport road which climbed steeply to the top of the citadel It was not possible to enter the rear courtyard through the ap in the long terrace of living quarters forht Bond also learned of the archway through the rear courtyard, which leads straight into the main Palace area

So it was to the barracks, the Caserne Marechal Joffre, that he was now running as if the plague was at his heels He knew there was little chance of gaining ad the normal route Concerts were held there, and he had few doubts that this here the Roussillon fashi+on shoas being staged - under bright illuminations, and with the audience seated in the cobbled yard - or occupying the s in the old royal apartallery in front of the Royal Chapel

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Bond to find the alley that led into the barracks, then another five before he could start the gruelling climb up the dusty, wide transport track

Bond forced hihfroradient

Above, he could see the burst of light from the main courtyard; while music and applause floated sporadically down on the still air The fashi+on shoas in full swing

At last he reached the rear of the buildings that formed the very far end of the second courtyard It took a few ap and, as he searched Bond was conscious of the height at which he now stood above the town Far away fireworks still lit up the night in great starbursts of colour, shooting co through the gap, he hoped that the bulk of the garrison would be away, down in the town celebrating with the locals on this feast of feasts

At last Bond stood inside the dimly lit courtyard Already his eyes were adjusted to the darkness, and he easily took in the siateas to his left, with a row of six heavy ates in single file and closed up, front to rear, were four arh in a readiness position Few lights came from the barrack blocks which made up three sides of the yard But Bond had few doubts that thetransport de troupecreould be in duty roo to the shadow of the walls, hehi hich backed on to the e and, stepping into it, he was able to see up the wide tunnel, the darkness giving way to a picture of colour and activity

If his ht of the tunnel This would take hiallery in front of the Royal Chapel He was amazed at the lack of security so far, and could only suppose that Murik had his men posted around thefor hi up a white-gloved hand and ,'Monsieur, c'est prive Avez-vous un billet?'

'Ah, le billet; oui'Bond's hand went to his pocket, then swung upwards, catching the policeainst the wall, a look of surprise in his already glazing eyes, before collapsing in a small heap

It took a furtherit into the darkness of the tunnel, then to find, and use, the handcuffs, and, finally, gag the endarme's head

'Bon soir,'he whispered,'Dormez bien'

Within seconds he found the doorway and the short flight of steps leading to the gallery It was not until he reached the elegantly arched passage that the full realisation of his ency penetrated Bond's consciousness So far, he had pushed hi only of speed and access Now the lethal nature of matters hit him hard He was there to save a life and deal with the shadowy Franco - terrorist organiser and unscrupulous killer

The gallery was lined with people who had obviously paid well for the privilege of viewing the fashi+on show fro rooh arched s of the Throne Hall to his left and at those of the forht of the courtyard Across the yard, the King's Gallery was also crowded; and below, in the great yard itself, the shoas in full swing The 's Gallery, led to a scaffold of carpeted steps, arranged to accommodate a small orchestra A similarly carpeted cat-walk stretched out fro at the edge of the cloister in front of the Queen's chapel It ran the length of the courtyard, to end only a short distance fro in wide steps on either side, to give the best paying custoed with those sanisers of anisation had certainly drawn a full house, all well-heeled and iht of Murik hi, resplendent in a white dinner jacket and maroon bow tie Next to him was Mary-Jane Mashkin, swathed in white silk, a necklace sparkling at her throat

The setting for the Roussillon shoas undoubtedly hts, and the ancient arches and cobbles glowed soft and warrey and red, sandstone and terracotta The place was alht hundred years

The fashi+on shohich Bond was noatching had an ambience that did not match others Bond had attended It was a minute or so before he realised that the difference lay in thecloser, he saw that the musicians co copies of early, probably fifteenth- or sixteenth-century instru been a devotee of popularhis schooldays; yet, as he looked, the shapes and sounds began to take on naotten lessons He recognised instruments such as the lute, the viol, the cittern, an early flute, pipes and the tah: si texture and melody

Bond did not have to look further than the cat-walk to understand the choice of eous black girls and a trio of equally delicious white ones, following each other on to and off the cat-ith a speed and precision As he looked down, Bond saw Lavender just prancing off as another girl reached the far end of the cat-walk, and yet another was stepping on, to take Lavender's place The ns This year's Roussillon collection had undoubtedly been created to reflect medieval costume and patterns

The ns ranging fro sleeves; to elaborate costu trains and surcoats There was also a monastic look, with heavy circular collars, wimples and cowls; and off-beat little suits,decorated pallia which fell to the ground from the neck, or trailed behind the wearer The colours were dazzling, the varied cuts and shapes enchanting, as they flared, rustled and floated around the models Bond reflected that these clothes were, like so many collections ofhaute couture,the stuff that drea of everyday life

Lavender reappeared, whirling to a slow dance, clad in a loose gold creation of multi-layered chiffon, with a short e ecclesiastically in front and behind Bond had, to use a surge of will-power to drag hihts and sounds below took control and plunged him into a kind of hypnotic trance It must be well after eleven thirty by now So with a pellet of death, which he intended to use before the fashi+on show had ended

Bond's eyes moved carefully over the crowds, up to the roofs, and any other possible vantage point for a marksman There seemed to be no place for a lanced upwards, towards the gallery ceiling Directly behind him lay the Royal Chapel Above that, the keep rose, topped with the small bell-tower Above the keep, he knew, there was a loft that had once served as the ringing cha chas All these looked straight down into the courtyard

The door to the keep was set into the wall, to the right of the Royal Chapel door, not more than a dozen paces froht stone staircase coiled upwards to various landings in the keep; and finally to the ringing cha towards the Norreat ring latch He tried the ring and it moved smoothly, soundless and well oiled Gently he pulled the door open and stepped through He are of a smell in the darkness - not mustiness, but the scent of oil mixed with an after-shave lotion, possibly Yves Saint Laurent The stone spiral of stairs was narrow and slippery froe Bond started to climb as quietly and quickly as he dared in the darkness His thigh muscles felt weak now, after the exertions of the last half hour or so; but he plodded on silently, cheered by occasional shafts of light at the wider turns in the spiral and on the landings

Three ti he could afford was to reveal his presence by any noise Even through the thick walls, the sounds fro chamber was indeed Franco's hideout, the killer would have to be invested with an extra sense to detect him, unless Bond made some unnecessary sound

As he neared the top of the cli from his hairline and down the insides of his ar and slipped off the safety catch

Holding his breath, Bond reached the toped wooden-planked floor of the cha his feet level with the floor Putting all his weight on the right foot, Bond slowly lifted his body so that his eyes cales to hi in the classic prone position of a marksman The killer's concentration seemed to be centred completely on the scene below, his eyes close to a sniperscope fitted on top of the powerful Anschutz 22 air rifle The butt was tucked against his cheek and pressed hard into his shoulder Franco's finger was on the trigger, ready to fire Bond could not afford toAnd anyway the rifle could still go off on a reflex action If Bond juht only precipitate the marksman's deadly shot

There was no time for further appraisal of the situation Bond let up the re out softly but sharply, 'Franco! Don't shoot!'

The marksman's head swivelled round as Bond heard the dull plop from the air rifle, a sound inaudible to anyone but Franco and Bond, high in the keep In the sa hi with a bone-shattering crash across the led across the terrorist's shoulders, Ja fro

Lavender Peacock was alone in the centre of the cat-walk, pirouetting infolds, like a crimson waterfall, around her body Her ar played by the consort Slightly to her left and behind her, Anton Murik sat partly turned in his chair, frozen for atowards Mary-Jane Mashkin who had half-risen, one hand at her throat, the other like a claw to her chest Al forward, and, in what seemed like slowthe chairs

Underneath Bond, Franco was cursing and struggling to free hirip on the back of his neck, 'Mierda! I hit the wrong one You'll' His voice evaporated in a hiss of air as he let his s to dislodge his assailant Bond was taken by surprise and thrown off, his shoulder thudding against the wall on the far side of the cha to his hip and co aith a small revolver Bond, winded from the throw, levered himself from the wall and kicked wildly at the terrorist's hand, loosening his hold on the gun It was enough to send Franco weaving and ducking down the narrow spiral stairs

The staircase would be a deathtrap for either of theh his ained his lost balance and started after the terrorist, glancing quickly down into the courtyard as he went The athered around where he had seen Mary-Jane fall He could see Lavender, who had couard, who stood very close to her Caber was also there, with Murik apparently shouting orders to hi with a stretcher

Bond waited at the top of the stairs until he was certain Franco had passed the first landing Then he began the difficult descent, the Browning held in front of hiht hi just as careful He had a head start Bond could hear hi, then quickly negotiating the next spiral

At last Bond heard the door close below, and took the last section of stairs in a dangerous rush, grabbing at the door, pushi+ng the Browning out of sight and stepping out into the gallery, where a great et down into the courtyard Franco was just ahead,hih which Bond hadlittle notice of people around him, Bond went after his quarry By the time he reached the archway, there was no one to be seen, except the huddled figure of the gendarme, still out cold

At the far side of the archway, the noise ca in front, from the rear courtyard: just silence and the shapes of the heavy trucks lined up along the wall near the gate to his far right

Franco was there though Bond could al in the shadows, or behind the line oftransports de troupes,ht quickly sent Bond into the shadow of the wall to his right Now he must out-think Franco This man was clever, a survivor, a terrorist who, in his career, had passed through whole dragnets Did he know of the narrow gap between the buildings on the far side, through which Bond had co the shadows or by the vehicles, sweating it out, knowing that only Murik and his present assailant were aware of his presence?