Part 16 (2/2)

'The requests will be determined by the answers to questions'

'Get on with it then, 007 We haven't got all night'

'Are Duggan's and Ross'saround Murik Castle?'

'Moved out this afternoon They'd been over the castle and Murcaldy village with the proverbial toothcoan to fiddle with his pipe

'Did they find anything?'

'Made a nuather A baker called MacKenzie; soe Took away a number of small arms and a few automatic weapons Gather they've left the Laird's collection of antique weapons intact All the ht back to London'

'Did they find papers? Legal docu Miss Peacock? Possibly so? Well-hidden?'

'Haven't a clue, 007 Hidden documents? Melodramatic stuff, that'

'Can you find out, sir? Find out without an and Special Branch?'

M raised his eyebrows 'This had better be good, 007' He stabbed at the telephone Withinto one side of a conversation, punctuated by long pauses, between M and Sir Richard At last M put down the 'phone, shaking his head 'They took away all stray papers But no legal docu Miss Peacock There were a couple of safes Duggan says they'll be going over the castle again in a day or so'

'And, in the uarded?'

M nodded 'Now the requests, eh, Bond?'

Bond sed 'Sir, can you hold ht hours? Particularly the facts about the Aldan Aerospace Flying Club - the place we took off fronan'

'Why?'

'Because I don't want Special Branch thu in the Starlifter, I believe he'll be on his way back to that flying club now He has a lot of contacts, and his helicopter's there'

'Then we should have Special Branch waiting for hial documents hidden at the castle, and - as I've said - probably so for the castle He'll know the time's come to destroy the evidence of Miss Peacock's claiht in the act, alive if possible'

'Then we should send in Duggan's men with Special Branch'

'Sir, he should be e of a sabre

'You're asking an's territory, and I've no right' He trailed into silent thought 'What exactly were you thinking of?'

'That the Chief-of-Staff coht hours' freedom, and the use of a helicopter'

'Helicopter?'

'To get us up there quickly Oh yes, and just before we go in, I'd like soht,' M caht? Who do you think I am, 007? President of the United States? What do you ht?'

Bond tried to look sheepish Bill Tanner was grinning 'Well, sir, haven't we got a couple of old Chipmunks, fitted with infra-red, and the odd Gazelle helicopter? Aren't they under your co his throat

'If the Chief-of-Staff and I went up in the helicopter, we'd need an overflight about fiveJust to make certain the coast is clear, that Murik hasn't arrived first'

M fiddled with his pipe

'Just for safety, sir'

'You sure you wouldn't like a squadron of fighter-borinned 'I don't think that'll be necessary, sir'

There was an even longer pause before M spoke 'On one condition, Bond - providing the Chief-of-Staff agrees to this foolhardiness' He looked towards Bill Tanner, who nodded 'You do not go are, allow you toarms'

'You did say the Laird's collection of antique weapons had been left intact, sir?'

M nodded, with a sly sood luck' Then, sarcastically, he added, 'Nothing else?'

'Well' Bond looked away 'I wonder if Sir Richard's people could be persuaded to let us have the keys to the castle for a while? PDQ, sir Just so that I can recover clothes left there, or so noise, and reached for the telephone again

It was al when the Gazelle helicopter carrying James Bond and Bill Tanner reached Glen Murcaldy

Bond had already been through the landing pattern with the young pilot He wanted to be put down on the track near to the point where the Saab had gone into the large ditch Most of all, he was concerned that the Gazelle should be kept well out of sight, though he had arreen - to call up the chopper if there was trouble

Exactly fivetouchdown, they heard the code word 'Excelsior' through their headphones The Chip then of any vehicle or other helicopter in the vicinity

The rotor blades of the Gazelle had not stopped turning by the tiorse and bracken towards the gri air was chill and clear, while the scents brought vivid ht of the castle and of its deceptive interior, of the attempted escape, Murik's control room with its array of weapons, the East Guest Room and its luxurious decor, and the more unpleasant dankness of the twin torture chah Bill Tanner had, rightly, et hold of a pair of powerful torches M had experienced difficulty with the keys,only to obtain those to the rear tradesan told hi been left with the electronic locks on

It took over half an hour for the pair to get as far as the Great Lawn Bond, silently side the rear of the castle, the old keep rising above theainst the skyline If Bond was right it would be from the helicopter pad behind the keep that Anton Murik would make his final visit to his castle; Warlock's Castle, as Bond now thought of it

In spite of the place only having been empty for a short tiot inside the sain, recent o that Bond had been led through this very door and into MacKenzie's van, at the start of the long journey which had ended with a deadly rendezvous over the Mediterranean

Now he had to find his way down to the Laird's control roo to face Anton Murik without some kind of defence For a while they blundered around by torchlight, until Bond finally led the way down to the long weapon-adorned roo the torches around the walls replete with swords, thrusting weapons, pistols, muskets and rifles

'Must be worth a fortune by itself,' whispered Tanner

Bond nodded They had, for sohout the journey down froh Murik and his henchht come upon the, streaking the sky If Murik was going to make his dash for freedo for hi his torch over the weapons when Tanner suddenly clutched at his ar for a ,' said Tanner Then, just as suddenly, he silenced Bond once more

This ti way off, up through the brick, stone and earth, the faint buzz of an engine