Colin Forbes - Terminal

`What about that poor sod's body?'

`I have already summoned an ambulance to take him to the morgue in Berne. More work for the unfortunate Dr Kleist. And there are two more bodies at Le Pont station. Which route did you take to arrive here? And where did you pick up Manfred Seidler?'

Newman spoke quickly before Nancy could say anything. 'I drove up from Rolle. Seidler had phoned me earlier this evening to make the arrangement. He was waiting for us outside the Hotel de la Truite. I turned the car round and we drove for the French border. Seidler wanted to get out of Switzerland before he'd talk…'

`You did not go on to the station? Are you certain?'

`I was driving the bloody car. When we'd collected Seidler the job was done. The next objective was the French border. How many times do I have to tell you? And these bodies at the station. Whose bodies?'

`That we do not know. One of my patrol cars – I have them covering the whole Jura – reported finding the corpses over the radio. A message reached me aboard the helicopter. Two men – carrying no means of identification. Both armed with 9-mm. Lugers. One man was clasping his weapon when they discovered them.' He turned to Nancy. 'Tomorrow there is to be a large medical reception held at the Bellevue. Will you be attending that?'

`Yes. Since we have to go back I'll take the opportunity to talk with Professor Grange. There are a few questions I want to ask him…'

`That reception may be an explosive affair,' Beck commented. 'Before I flew here I heard that Dr Max Nagel had just arrived from Basle – Professor Grange's most bitter enemy. There may be more than one confrontation. Something tells me this affair is coming to a head…'

`I'm frozen,' Nancy protested. 'Can we get moving…'

`Of course. My apologies. Let me lead the way. It is a large machine so you should have a comfortable flight…'

`Don't expect much conversation,' Newman rapped back.

The helicopter was a French Alouette. As it lifted off and gained height Newman looked down on the white wasteland below, the graveyard of three men in one night. There were two incidents during the flight to Belp.

Beck opened each suitcase, raising the lids so no one else could see the contents. Newman saw him freeze for a moment when he saw the gas mask. Beck leaned over in his seat and he spoke with his mouth close to Newman's ear.

`Did you have a chance to open these cases?'

Newman shook his head, making no verbal response above the roar of the rotors. A short while later Beck received a message over the radio. He made no reference to it as the chopper flew on to Be1p.

Another black Audi was waiting for them when they landed at Be1p. Beck took the wheel after placing both suitcases in the boot, inviting Nancy to sit in the back while Newman sat alongside him. They drove in silence along the motorway to Berne. Newman was determined to give the police chief no conversational opening. His only comment was to insist that Beck drove them to the Bellevue Palace. No more interviews at the Taubenhalde: Nancy was exhausted with her ordeal and he was pretty tired himself.

`That radio message I received aboard the Alouette,' Beck began as they approached the outskirts of Berne. 'One of the patrols stopped a red Mercedes for checking near Neuchatel, a car driven by a chauffeur with one passenger in the back.'

`That concerns me?'

`It might concern us both. The passenger was Dr Bruno Kobler. He said he was on his way to Geneva from Berne. A curious route to take. He brushed aside any suggestion he had been anywhere in the vicinity of the Juras. One of the patrol car men noticed the car's tyres had faint traces of snow crust embedded in the treads. There is no snow at that level…'

`I see. Why didn't they search the car?'

`On what grounds? And I have to be careful. Very powerful men are waiting for me to make one false move – so I can be removed from the case. I found his destination interesting – recalling that Colonel Signer said he also was heading for Geneva.'

`You did say a red Mercedes?' Newman enquired. He said no more when Beck confirmed the colour of the car.

`God! I feel trapped, Bob,' Nancy said as they settled down in their bedroom. She kept walking about restlessly. One part of me wants to stay – to be near Jesse, to try and haul him out of that place. Another part wants to get away – yet I like Berne, I like the people. Do I have to go to Beck's office with you in the morning?'

`Stop pacing round like a tigress. Sit down and have something to drink. It will relax you…'

They had used Room Service to send up plates of smoked salmon and a bottle of Yvorne, a dry Swiss white wine. Newman filled their glasses and sipped at the wine as Nancy flopped in a chair beside him.

`Beck needs affidavits from both of us. We witnessed the murder of Seidler…'

`We witnessed two more murders. You were quick with your reply when he asked you about the station at Le Pont. Can we get away with that? Is it wise?'

`It's self-preservation. Beck has enough ammunition to hold us here already. Why give him more? Aren't you curious as to who the marksman was?'

`I'm more concerned about challenging Grange face to face at the reception – now we have to stay. What are you going to do about all this, Bob? You said there was another witness. Who is it?'

Newman shook his head and drank more wine before he replied. 'I'm meeting the witness tomorrow afternoon. Better you don't know who or where. And don't forget we still have Novak. He is coming to that reception. Explosive was the word which Beck used. I think he could be right – especially if Nagel from Basle turns up. Beck is stage-managing something, I'm sure. The trouble is, I'm not sure about Beck.'

`We can't trust anyone then?'

I've tried to hammer that into you. It was a natural route towards the chopper when Beck led Seidler past those headlights but, as I said, I wonder. Then Signer cleverly placed himself in front of the Saab's headlights. I suspect he signalled to the marksman..

`That I could believe. He's a creepy, cold-blooded swine. But how did he do it?'

`You didn't notice? He took off one of his suede gloves and clenched his fist. Kill him! I think that was the way it was done.'

`You mean Beck and Signer worked as a team?'

`Nancy! I don't know yet!'

`Is that why you didn't give Beck that tape of your conversation with Seidler in the house – or the photographs you took of that hideous gas mask? That's vital evidence..

`It is, but Beck gets it only when I decide I can fully trust him -. if ever. That would be the time for another sworn affidavit from you – that you witnessed the recorded conversation.'

`I'm flaked out.' She drank her glass of wine, slipped off her skirt and sprawled on the bed, her raven hair spread out on the pillow. 'So what do you plan on doing next?' she asked sleepily.

`First, see my final witness tomorrow. He may just blow the whole thing wide open. Second, accompany you to the reception so I can get a good look at Grange, maybe Max Nagel, too – the leaders of the two opposing power blocs. Third, if nothing else has worked, I'm going to try and break in to the Berne Clinic – with Novak's help. I want to see inside the laboratory – and their atombunker…'

He stopped speaking. Nancy had fallen fast asleep, leaving her smoked salmon untouched. Newman swallowed his own food, drank some more of the wine, put on his coat and slipped out of the bedroom, locking the door behind him. As soon as he had left the room Nancy opened her eyes, sat up and reached for the phone.

Newman stepped inside the lift and pressed the button for the lowest level, the floor below the main entrance hall. Using this route he hoped to leave the hotel unseen. When the doors opened he turned right past the garderobe which was now closed. It was 10 pm.