Colin Forbes - The Stockholm syndicate

It hadn't made sense.

The trouble was Cottel had always lost the Volvo long before it reached the turn-off to the old house where Beaurain appeared to be about to start his own private war.

The Cessna left behind at Kjula was always flown back to its home base of Bromma by a hired pilot, presumably waiting for Rashkin's next outward flight.

Cottel caught a flash where there shouldn't be a flash. He flung open the door, ducked his head, rolled out bodily over the rough ground.

The first high-velocity bullet shattered the Renault's windscreen, punching a hole through the glass behind where Cottel's head had been. The second and third bullets hit their targets, destroying both front tyres. Under shelter of the Renault Cottel loosed off three shots in rapid succession as near as he could manage to where sunlight had flashed off the lens of a telescopic sight. He waited and heard the sound of a car engine starting up. By the time he reached the highway the vehicle and the would-be assassin had gone.

Harvey Sholto was furious with himself for missing the target — something almost unique in his experience. There was a traffic control chopper floating about somewhere — he'd seen it earlier and the one thing he could do without was interference from the local pigs. Covered in the rear of the Volvo lay the Armalite rifle, its barrel still warm from the three shots he had fired. As soon as he'd realised he'd missed Cottel with the first shot he had switched his aim to the tyres.

Using one hand to drive, he removed the straw hat and mopped sweat off his bald head. This was cleaning-up time — knocking off all the loose ends. It had worked well at Stockholm Central. Wearing Swedish police uniform and equipped with the powerful motor-bike, Sholto had slipped through the cordon with the suitcase of heroin strapped to the pillion and delivered the consignment to the apartment in Radmansgatan.

It was also Sholto who had used the silenced gun to kill Serge Litov after they had retrieved the heroin. Litov was an important part of the cleaning-up process. He rammed the wide-brimmed hat back on his head and pursed his thick lips. So, Cottel was still on his list. He would get a second chance.

"There's someone on that granite crag, Jules," said Louise urgently.

"Where?"

"That bloody great rock sticking up behind the house."

Beaurain had to take an instant decision. He had to assume that Louise had seen something. Instinctively he sensed there were only seconds left before something happened… a man or men on the crag over looking the house… a clear view of Henderson's men surrounding the house… a clear field of fire for automatic weapons to mow down everyone…

" Withdraw! Withdraw! Henderson withdraw for God's sake now! "

To make his voice carry Beaurain had cupped his hands into a man-made megaphone. He was risking blowing the whole operation. He was risking getting half his men killed if he had guessed wrong if Louise had imagined something. His desperate shout would have given the whole game away, wiped out Henderson's most important weapon the element of surprise.

Henderson reacted instantly, but used his own judgment.

"Take cover! Take immediate cover! Attack imminent…"

Beaurain and Louise saw the horror from their distant vantage point by the copse of trees.

The bay windows burst outwards, disintegrating into a hail of debris which cascaded over a huge area. The steps leading up to the front door took off like a rocket: a huge amount of explosive must have been placed underneath them to catch anyone trying to reach the veranda. The walls of the house were hurtling like shrapnel through the air, shards of wood with jagged ends. The roof rose up as though clawed skyward by a giant hand. And all this was accompanied by an ear-battering roar which temporarily deafened Beaurain.

Harry Fondberg, returning to the house area in the helicopter, stared in sheer stunned horror at the aerial view. The chopper shuddered briefly as the shock wave hit the machine. Fondberg recovered his wits swiftly, and gave the pilot a natural and humanitarian order.

Tut down on the highway at the entrance to the drive," he said into the mike. "And fast!"

And now the fire came. Like so many Swedish dwellings the house was built of wood. A fierce tongue of yellow flame speared its way up through the spreading black smoke, a tongue which danced and grew. The sinister crackle of flames spread fast, devouring the remnants of the house which had stood alone for so many years.

Dr. Theodor Norling had not waited at the top of the crag to see the result of pressing his red button. He had scrambled down the side of the crag furthest away from the house and by doing so had saved himself. At the back of the house had stood a large log-pile, ready for the coming winter. The explosion had taken these ready-made missiles and hurled them away from the house with the force of an artillery barrage. Norling heard the thunderous clatter of the logs bombarding the far side of the rock. Then he began moving towards his objective, half-running and half-crouching to escape detection.

*

The helicopter had been damaged on landing. It had been a chance in a thousand, possibly compounded by the pilot's shock at seeing a whole house fly into pieces but when he landed at the entrance to the drive the rear of his machine was a shade too close to Beaurain's parked Mercedes. It caught the car only a glancing blow, taking out no more than a sliver from the roof but it was the small tail rotor whose tip had struck the car. The rotor spun off the chopper and skittered across the highway.

"We can't fly again," Fondberg was informed. "I'm sorry — but without the tail rotor we've lost our rudder."

"Not to worry." The Sapo chief was preparing to leave the helicopter. "Be ready to radio for medical help — but not, repeat not — until I have checked the situation."

He met Beaurain returning down the drive while Louise remained near the wreckage, scanning the countryside with her field glasses. Beaurain was running and his expression was grim. He waved Fondberg back and the Swede stood where he was until Beaurain had reached him.

"Harry, get that chopper into the air and start looking."

"Rotor tail's gone. Pilot chipped your Mercedes when we were on the ground. What's happened up there?"

"Place was one gigantic booby trap Beaurain told Fondberg. "Suggest anything to you, Harry?"

"Should it?"

Beaurain was talking fast, filling Fondberg in on the position as swiftly as possible. "How long ago since the Elsinore Massacre? Another case of a large quantity of explosives detonated by remote control. The same hand pressed the button here to turn this house into a pile of rubble. I wanted your chopper in the air looking for the mass-killer — the maniac — who seems to be getting madder."

"Your men…" Fondberg spoke quietly and looked up the drive to where there was a scene like the smoke of battle.

"How are they? I can call a fleet of ambulances."

"Not necessary, but many thanks. Henderson reacted a split second too early for the killer, radioed everyone to take cover — so they dropped flat. Result — the blast-wave and the shrapnel-effect passed right over them. One or two have cuts and bruises, but nothing they can't fix up themselves. Otherwise you wouldn't see Louise back there doing her birdwatching act."

"I think she may have found an interesting specimen," Fondberg observed. "I'll stay here with the chopper to cover for you if a patrol-car arrives. They do creep about on the E3."

Beaurain turned and saw Louise beckoning him. He ran back up the drive and now the stench of charred wood was increasing. Black smoke billowed, the fire inside the smoke-filled nest was a searing, crackling inferno. As he came close to Louise who was standing where she could see behind the house, he saw the familiar figure of Henderson in the distance running towards a granite crag rearing up out of the ground.