Colin Forbes - This United state

'I say,' said Basil, 'what's the party in aid of? All the staff standing round-. And didn't I see Rupert getting into the front seat of a van? Having fun, are we?'

'Hardly, Tweed replied. 'Rupert's father has just been murdered. Shot down in cold blood in the street outside.'

'You don't say. Of course the old boy was getting on a bit. But to go like that. Not cricket.'

'Where have you been?' Tweed asked through gritted teeth.

'Doing the Grand Tour of Freiburg. Parked by an expensive fashion shop, watched some nifty fillies going in. And a few older ones. Must be rolling in it.'

'I heard you'd hired a car. Is it outside?'

'Think so. Unless the hotel attendant chappie has taken it to the garage.'

'Show me. What's the make?'

'An Opel. Nothing to top up the image.'

'Let's have a look now.' Tweed beckoned to the chief receptionist. They walked outside. The Opel was still there, it's colour blue. 'Was this the car you saw disappearing?' Tweed asked the receptionist.

'I do not really know, sir. It all happened so quickly.' 'You said a brown Opel,' Tweed reminded him. 'This is blue.'

'I only saw it for a second, sir. I was really looking at the body.'

'Anyone mind telling me what this is in aid of?' Basil demanded.

Tweed looked straight into the pallid eyes of Basil Windermere. He could detect no sign of any kind of human feeling, no reaction at all to the news Windermere had just heard. He went on staring into the eyes while he answered.

'We're looking for a serial murderer.'

Then he turned away and joined Paula and Newman. He led them up to his room and sat down in a chair, telling them to make themselves at home. He took Beck's mobile from his pocket.

'What does it all mean?' Newman asked. 'Was it the Phantom?'

'I'm sure it was. Guy had a bullet dead centre in his forehead. Wasn't that the case with Kurt Schwarz?'

'Yes, it was.'

'Why would they kill Guy?' Paula asked.

'I think it was triggered off by the argument you and I heard outside in the corridor. I think that after a while in his room Guy decided to go out for a walk to calm down. By that time arrangements had been made to kill him. Someone moved very fast.' As he spoke he was pressing numbers on the mobile.

'Marler? You recognize my voice? Good. The extra asset we thought we'd have with us is no longer available.'

'Understood,' Marler acknowledged.

'I had to be careful,' Tweed remarked, 'since I was phoning him at the Schwarzwalder Hof. Now I'm going to try and get hold of Roy Buchanan. I can remember his mobile number.'

'Why Buchanan?' Paula asked.

'Listen and you'll see – if I get him…'

Buchanan responded very quickly and Tweed explained that Sir Guy Strangeways had just been murdered, most probably by the Phantom. He told him of the arrangement to fly the body to Heathrow, asked if he could arrange to have the private plane met, then for an autopsy to be performed.

'When they've taken the bullet out of Guy,' Tweed continued, 'I suggest it's compared with the one which killed our Prime Minister, the one which killed a man found dead off Regent Street, the one which killed the German, Keller, and the one which killed a French Minister…'

Tweed listened for a few minutes, replied briefly, listened again and then thanked Buchanan before he broke the connection.

'Any news from Roy?' Paula enquired.

'Yes. He was on his way to Heathrow. They had an anonymous call that a bomb has been placed aboard a plane bound for the Western hemisphere. That covers a lot of territory. Umpteen planes are grounded. Chaos at Heathrow. A fresh ploy to destabilize us. Roy is going to wait to meet the plane flying in Guy's body. I think that tells you all we said to each other.'

'I forgot to mention it earlier,' Newman said. 'Just before we came up here I noticed someone come back into the hotel from outside. It was Ed Osborne.'

'Interesting,' commented Tweed. 'Now let's go down and see if we can get a late lunch. I think zero hour is very close.'

When they entered the dining room waiters were clearing away the empty tables. But the maitre d' told Tweed that of course they could have lunch. The only other guest in the room as they made their way to their table was Sharon.

She raised a hand, waved to them, then returned to checking a file. A waiter brought her a fresh pot of coffee, removed an old one. Paula sighed after they had ordered.

'That woman never stops working. She has a pile of files on a chair.'

'She's dedicated,' said Tweed.

'I wonder if she's heard about Guy.'

'Paula, if she has, she has. If she hasn't she'll hear sooner or later.'

'You're in a hurry, aren't you?'

'Yes. It will be dark soon. It would be anyway at this time of the year, but with this heavy overcast it will come quicker.'

Like Paula, Tweed was eating quickly during gaps in their conversation.

'Which means?' she asked quietly.

'I think Ronstadt will be leaving any minute. I'm surprised I haven't heard from Marler. I'd expect activity over where he's staying.'

'We've finished dessert. We could skip coffee.' 'I think we should.'

Newman looked up as someone appeared at the entrance to the restaurant. A tall smooth-faced man wearing a good suit. He glanced across at Sharon. She was so absorbed in her file she didn't see him beckon briefly to Newman.

'Excuse me,' said Newman. 'Back in a minute.'

The tall man had disappeared. Newman found him waiting at the entrance to the bar. Inside Basil Windermere sat with his back to the entrance, nursing a glass. The tall man moved a few feet along the wall as Newman approached him with a smile.

'Well, if it isn't Chuck Venacki. Last seen with a car parked outside Park Crescent, watching the place.'

'And then Bob Newman rams me up the rear in his four-wheel drive. You pulled that job pretty smartly.' 'What is it, Venacki?'

'You can call me Chuck. Tell Tweed to go to his room now. I do mean now.'

'Why?'

'He'll find out why very quickly. You're short of time.'

'Can you tell me why?'

'Make with the feet, Newman, for God's sake.'

Newman walked back into the restaurant. He sat down, pushed his dessert dish away. While he did this he leant close to Tweed.

'I suggest you go to your room immediately. It could be urgent.'

'I'll come with you, if that's all right,' Paula said. 'Yes, come with me'

'I'm going to my room,' Newman said. 'So you know where to get me.'

Tweed, with Paula by his side, strolled out of the restaurant. He looked across at Sharon, but she was so absorbed in working on her file she didn't notice them.

'That woman,' Paula remarked on their way up, 'has extraordinary powers of concentration.'

'A real brain-box,' he agreed.

They were inside his room, the door relocked, when she asked a question. Perched on the arm of a chair, she was wearing her outdoors outfit, complete with leggings and a strong pair of boots which would grip firmly on rough ground,

'I wonder who that man was, the one Bob went out to talk to? He seemed to know him.'

'Maybe an old contact from his days as an active journalist '

'You don't really believe that.'

'Frankly, at the moment I don't know what to believe.'

'And why, I wonder, was it so important that you came up here?'

'No idea. I just do what I'm told – when it's Bob who tells me.'

A minute or two later the phone rang. 'Maybe it was this. We'll soon know. Yes,' he said, 'who is it?'

'Ronstadt left a few minutes ago. With his bag. He checked out.'

'You'd sooner not give me a name?'

'Right on the button. Good luck.'

Tweed put the phone down. He spoke as he went to a cupboard to fetch his packed bag.

'We're on our way. Whoever phoned had a smooth American voice. And I have to call the others.'