his briefcase. “I thought you would be interested. Perhaps I have taken up too much of your time.”
Dorey glanced at his desk clock.
“It’s all right, but I am expecting a telephone call. Thanks for coming, Wolfert.” He half rose, offered his hand, shook hands and sat down again. “Have a nice weekend.”
When Wolfert had gone, Dorey sat for a few moments, staring into space. His shrewd eyes were puzzled. Just why had Wolfert come at this hour like this? he wondered. It wasn’t as if he had anything of importance to show Dorey. Extraordinary. Well, perhaps that wasn’t true. It was interesting to know that Kung was a collector. He wondered if that fact had been registered in Kung’s file. He must ask Marcia, but now he had more important things to do. He picked up the telephone receiver.
“Give me Washington,” he said when Marcia answered.
* * *
The gendarme who patrolled outside the American Embassy stuck his thumbs in his belt and wandered over to a shabby Renault 8 that was double-parked within twenty metres of the Embassy gate.
The driver, a tall, slim man with Chinese eyes was opening the engine cover as the gendarme arrived. In the car was a Vietnamese girl, wearing a cheongsam. Her pale, lovely face was expressionless. The gendarme who was young and observant noticed with some surprise that the girl was wearing a deaf aid.
Sadu watched the gendarme approaching. He was slightly flustered as he gave the gendarme a servile smile.
“I’m afraid I have broken down. I think it is the plugs,” he said in his heavily accented French.
The gendarme saluted him.
“You can’t stay here, monsieur.”
“The plugs have oiled up. In about twenty minutes, they will have dried out,” Sadu said.
Pearl suddenly looked at the gendarme and her full lips parted in a smile. She managed to convey such a gaze of admiration that the gendarme was dazzled. With a little smirk, he saluted her.
“Be as quick as you can then, monsieur,” he said, saluted again and moved away.
Sadu wiped his sweating face and then leaned into the car’s engine.
Pearl, her deaf aid connected to a small but extremely powerful receiving set was listening to Dorey’s conversation with Washington. The conversation lasted several minutes, then she took out the earplug and called softly to Sadu.
“We can go.”
He hurriedly closed the engine hood and got into the car. He drove carefully back around the Concorde.
“She is at Dorey’s villa at Eze,” Pearl said. “You must tell Yet-Sen. We can leave this afternoon.”
“We? You must remain here and look after the shop,” Sadu said.
“We will close the shop,” Pearl said firmly. “We must not make any more mistakes.”
Sadu began to protest, then thought better of it. Leaving Pearl to park the car, he went into the shop and called Yet-Sen.
* * *
“I envy you,” Kerman said as Girland slowed and pulled up outside the Departure Centre of the Nice Airport, “Me back to stuffy Paris, and you with a new wife and sunshine . . . My! my! some people have all the luck.”
“Call it talent,” Girland said and grinned. “Well, be seeing you, Jack. Thanks for your help. I’ll talk to Dorey as soon as we get to Eze.”
The two men shook hands, then Kerman nodded to Ginny.
“Watch him, nurse: he is not to be trusted,” and getting out of the car he walked briskly into the airport.
Girland leaned over the back of his seat and smiled at Ginny who smiled back.
“How she is?”
“As well as can be expected. I would like to get her to bed.”
“Won’t be long now.” Girland looked with interest at the pale sleeping face. “Quite a beauty, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
Their eyes met and Girland smiled again.
“I’ll get on.”
He started the car and began driving towards the Promenade des Anglais.
He had already got Dorey’s permission to keep Ginny. This Dorey had arranged with Dr. Forrester. Although she was very young, Girland found her
Dorey glanced at his desk clock.
“It’s all right, but I am expecting a telephone call. Thanks for coming, Wolfert.” He half rose, offered his hand, shook hands and sat down again. “Have a nice weekend.”
When Wolfert had gone, Dorey sat for a few moments, staring into space. His shrewd eyes were puzzled. Just why had Wolfert come at this hour like this? he wondered. It wasn’t as if he had anything of importance to show Dorey. Extraordinary. Well, perhaps that wasn’t true. It was interesting to know that Kung was a collector. He wondered if that fact had been registered in Kung’s file. He must ask Marcia, but now he had more important things to do. He picked up the telephone receiver.
“Give me Washington,” he said when Marcia answered.
* * *
The gendarme who patrolled outside the American Embassy stuck his thumbs in his belt and wandered over to a shabby Renault 8 that was double-parked within twenty metres of the Embassy gate.
The driver, a tall, slim man with Chinese eyes was opening the engine cover as the gendarme arrived. In the car was a Vietnamese girl, wearing a cheongsam. Her pale, lovely face was expressionless. The gendarme who was young and observant noticed with some surprise that the girl was wearing a deaf aid.
Sadu watched the gendarme approaching. He was slightly flustered as he gave the gendarme a servile smile.
“I’m afraid I have broken down. I think it is the plugs,” he said in his heavily accented French.
The gendarme saluted him.
“You can’t stay here, monsieur.”
“The plugs have oiled up. In about twenty minutes, they will have dried out,” Sadu said.
Pearl suddenly looked at the gendarme and her full lips parted in a smile. She managed to convey such a gaze of admiration that the gendarme was dazzled. With a little smirk, he saluted her.
“Be as quick as you can then, monsieur,” he said, saluted again and moved away.
Sadu wiped his sweating face and then leaned into the car’s engine.
Pearl, her deaf aid connected to a small but extremely powerful receiving set was listening to Dorey’s conversation with Washington. The conversation lasted several minutes, then she took out the earplug and called softly to Sadu.
“We can go.”
He hurriedly closed the engine hood and got into the car. He drove carefully back around the Concorde.
“She is at Dorey’s villa at Eze,” Pearl said. “You must tell Yet-Sen. We can leave this afternoon.”
“We? You must remain here and look after the shop,” Sadu said.
“We will close the shop,” Pearl said firmly. “We must not make any more mistakes.”
Sadu began to protest, then thought better of it. Leaving Pearl to park the car, he went into the shop and called Yet-Sen.
* * *
“I envy you,” Kerman said as Girland slowed and pulled up outside the Departure Centre of the Nice Airport, “Me back to stuffy Paris, and you with a new wife and sunshine . . . My! my! some people have all the luck.”
“Call it talent,” Girland said and grinned. “Well, be seeing you, Jack. Thanks for your help. I’ll talk to Dorey as soon as we get to Eze.”
The two men shook hands, then Kerman nodded to Ginny.
“Watch him, nurse: he is not to be trusted,” and getting out of the car he walked briskly into the airport.
Girland leaned over the back of his seat and smiled at Ginny who smiled back.
“How she is?”
“As well as can be expected. I would like to get her to bed.”
“Won’t be long now.” Girland looked with interest at the pale sleeping face. “Quite a beauty, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
Their eyes met and Girland smiled again.
“I’ll get on.”
He started the car and began driving towards the Promenade des Anglais.
He had already got Dorey’s permission to keep Ginny. This Dorey had arranged with Dr. Forrester. Although she was very young, Girland found her
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