Part 12 (2/2)

Slowly, Bond began to crab his way along the wall, edging to the right, deciding that Franco would most likely have made for the cover of the vehicles Eventually the one awry in the ht That had been the missile, which reached a low velocity as it hit, and had so little or noprobably untraceable - into the victi, for Mary-Jane had collapsed within seconds

It had been meant for Lavender Bond had no doubt about that Now Franco would know that the full ht of Murik's private forces would be out to hunt him down, just as they were already in full cry after Bond

He was getting close to the first truck If Franco was hidden there he would certainly keep his nerve, holding back a natural desire to be rid of his pursuer by chancing a shot which could only call attention to his position

But Bond had misread the hunted man Maybe Franco had been rattled by what had occurred in the ringing chamber The shot came directly frole round, passing like an angry hornet, alround, Bond rolled towards the trucks parked against the wall, bunching hi to a stop beside the great, heavy rear offside wheel of the first truck He had the Browning up, held in the two-handed grip, pointing towards the flash from the shot

Oncehis ene, just as Bond rolled towards the truck, which was only a few yards from the rear armouredtransport de troupes

What would he - Bond - do in that situation? The trucks were at right angles to the little line of arht he would have moved down to the secondtransport,protected by its arap between the line of transports de troupesand the truck behind which Bond was sheltering If he was right Franco should at thisto take Bond fro on tiptoe, crouched low, Bond silently crossed the few yards' gap between his truck and the reartransport de troupesWhirling around, he dropped on to one knee and waited for Franco's figure to ee from the cover which he had just relinquished

This ti but saw the shape of the huntedtruck, as he carefully felt his way around it, hoping to come upon his opponent fro an extension of his ar directly towards the shadow that was Franco

Still Franco's reputation held up Bond was staking his life on his own stillness, yet the terrorist detected soround, firing twice as he did so, the bullets screeching off the arround Franco's shots had gone wide, and the target re's barrel Bond fired with steady care: two pairs of shots in quick succession, a count of three between the pairs

There was no cry or moan Franco simply reared up like an ani into a bow froht back as the force of all four shots slewed hiround as though wrenched by an invisible wire: ar as a child's doll will bounce when dragged along the floor

Bond could smell the death - in his head rather than nostrils Then he beca feet, shouts and activity Hetowards the s, and so down the sandy track to the Caserne Marechal Joffre When he reached the Caserne, Bond slowed down He was breathing hard Never run away froht you - just as you should never run after lighting an explosive fuse Alith purpose, as though it was your right to be where you were

He saw nobody on the way back to the private entrance shown hi with a smile into the Rue Waldeck Rousseau He was home and dry: the street was e whistle caht it was a police whistle Then he recognised the huht up in the country, the kind of noise one s, or other beasts Now it brought in the Mercedes, bearing down on hi A pair of steel-like bands took hi so that pain shot down to his hands and fingers The Browning dropped to the paveot Franco, then But it'll do ye nae bluddy guid for yersel, Bond,' Caber whispered in his ear 'The Laird's ing tae set his eyes on ye Just longing for it I doubt he has soside and Caber propelled Bond into the back seat as soon as the door was opened

18

A watched plot

M sat grey-faced, listening to the tape for the sixth tiht' He looked up and Bill Tanner nodded in agreement M turned to the Duty Officer 'And the nuent's Park building was thecalls monitored and taped, but a selective printout was immediately available The print-out included both the words spoken and the number from which the call had been dialled

The Duty Officer shi+fted in his chair 'It's French We're sure of that because of the code' He was a youngthe four-year training period He sighed 'As to its origin well'

'Well?' M's eyes flashed angrily

'You knohat it's like, sir They're co-operating, of course, but at this tiht'

'I know,' Bill Tanner cut in 'It is tricky, sir But I'll go off, with your perer therey eyes showed no emotion 'At least we're certain it was France?'

The Duty Officer nodded

'Right' M picked up his red telephone 'Then it's tio into that damned castle - on suspicion of dirty work, or however they want to put it It's safe enough now'

'I shoulda finished yon o, Laird' Caber spoke softly Everyone around the Laird of Murcaldy had becoht griet had been hit?

Anton Murik looked shaken - if anything a shade shrunken in height - as he waved Caber away 'I think not' He looked hard at the huge Scot 'You did as you were bidden: brought hi of the neck or an accurate bullet's really too good for hiave a thin smile

They were in a comfortable room, fitted simply hat Bond considered to be Scandinavian furniture stripped pine desk, table and chairs There was only one padded and comfortable swivel chair, which was Murik's own preserve

This time they had taken no chances In the car, Bond had been immediately handcuffed Now he sat shackled by wrists and ankles He knew they were inside the Aldan Aerospace offices at the airport, but there were no s to this room, which Murik had described as 'Spartan, but suitable for our needs' He added that they had at least one very secure rooreat Houdini himself could not escape'

The Laird dis time Then he passed a hand over his forehead wearily 'You ive me, Mr Bond I have been at the hospital, and with the police for some time Everybody has been most kind'

'The Franco business?' Bond asked

'In a way' Murik gave a bitter little laugh and repeated, 'In a way You did it then, Bond Finished off Franco'

'There was no option Even though you had cancelled h, alret 'Unhappily you have not only interfered a little early, but causedtreated siland vendetta They have yet to identify hiain 'The common flatwore that my dear Mary-Jane has perished at the hands of the coether, Mr Bond Now you have been the cause of her death'

Bond asked coolly if Murik would have reatly had the death been that of his intended victim

'Not in the least,' Murik flared 'She is a useless little strumpet Unnecessary Mary-Jane was a brilliant scientist' He lapsed into silence, as though the death of his mistress and its repercussions had only just made themselves felt Then he repeated, 'The common flatwore, asking what he meant by the common flatworm

'Killed her' The Laird beca away froenuity and a killer of even greater skill He explained it to s'

Franco, it appeared, had access to scientific work on untraceable poisons In great detail, as if talking to himself, Murik explained 'For years we've known that a poison produced by the epiders about cardiac arrest in animals Very quick A heart attack It is only in the last year that an extract reh to bring about the sa on a perfectly natural heart attack in a ed with his taelatine capsule of just the right thickness, fired over a specific distance, through a specific weapon, in this case the powerful Anschutz 22 air rifle The passage of the projectile, both through the barrel and, at itsits trajectory, would strip so only a very thin layer 'In fact it overshot the calculated distance' For the first ti - hardly felt by the recipient - but strong enough to just break the skin and inject the poison into the wound Enough to produce a heart attack - and death'

Bond asked if the authorities suspected anything No, not a thing Murik told him As far as everyone was concerned, Mary-Jane Mashkin had suffered cardiac arrest 'I have the certificate' He patted his pocket 'We shall bury her when Meltdown is coh he had becoain 'She was a soldier, killed in action forto s to be done Really, Mr Bond, it is a pity we cannot work together I have to ad after our arrival at Perpignan airport orthy of a professional But, then, it appears that you are a professional of soht-lipped ItAlready two attempts to beat Anton Murik had failed Third time lucky - if there was to be a third ti out fast Less than twelve hours to go before the sinister Laird's Meltdown project went into action, with Warlock leading the way

Murik leaned forith one of his little pecking ht, how the uished, with thatand a bird at one and the same time

'The man whose face you sain 'He heard the words you used I can only presume that you are 007 - a code of some kind Who is M?'

Bond shook his head 'Haven't the foggiest'

'Well, I have' The Laird of Murcaldy leant further across the desk 'In ned the Official Secrets Act I have been privy to what the novelists call the secret world M, if I anation used for the person romantics like to call the head of the British Secret Service'