happened was simple. Forlani appeared from his apartment on the fifteenth floor with three girl friends to go down to dinner. There were two policemen on his door, another on the lift.'
'And?'
'The Cretan simply materialized at the end of the corridor, shot him twice in the heart with a handgun, at that range, mind you. Was away through the fire door like a flash.'
'And no trace?'
'Vanished off the face of the earth. The French police turned the place inside out, but they didn't get a thing. Most of the celebrities left that night. Couldn't get away fast enough. It caused one hell of a stink.'
'Then?'
'It's in the file. Killed Helmut Klein, the East German Minister of Finance who was visiting Frankfurt University last November. The campus was under heavy security. He holed up with a girl called Lieselott Hoffmann who, it later transpired, was a Baader-Meinhof sympathizer. She took in a rifle under orders of the Red Army Faction. Was told to hold it for pick-up.'
'And the Cretan turned up?'
'After dark and wearing that damned hood of his.'
Morgan examined the file again. 'According to this, Klein emerged from a reception at the Director's home just after ten. The Cretan got him from three hundred yards using an image intensifier. One hell of a shot.'
'Then cleared off. The girl was caught trying to dispose of the gun. Most of the details emerged during her interrogation. Seems he'd given her what he gave the maid at the Hilton in Berlin and she was another who didn't seem to mind. She was sprung from a prison van en route to gaol by a combat squad of the Red Army Faction.'
'And totally disappeared?'
'Until she was arrested in London in February of this year working in a boutique. Claimed she'd married a gentleman called Harry Fowler, a waiter from Camden Town, only he can't be found. It would, of course, have made her a British citizen. The Germans want her back, both East and West variety. Naturally, the civil liberty groups here want her kept. She's at a special remand centre at Tangmere, near Cambridge. A source of considerable embarrassment to the Government.'
'I can imagine.' Morgan read on in silence for a moment. 'This psychologist's report on the girl is really quite excellent. Who did it?'
'A woman called Riley. Dr Katherine Riley. An American. She's a fellow at one of the Cambridge colleges. She's been allowed to visit the Hoffman girl regularly.'
'Why?'
'It's her field, terrorism. She's interviewed nearly every well-known European terrorist in prison, when they've allowed her to. Wrote a book about it eighteen months ago called The Terrorist Phenomenon.'
'I remember now,' Morgan said. 'I read it.' He reached for a cigarette. 'By my reckoning, our friend has knocked off around a dozen very important people in just under three years. That's quite a score.'
'And he doesn't take sides.' Baker said. 'The Cretan peasant who seemed so anti-fascist ends up shooting an East Cerman Cabinet Minister and a Communist film director.'
'But also still finds time for the odd Fascist.'
'And two very important Russian defectors whom both American and Canadian Intelligence thought they'd taken care of more than adequately.'
Morgan said, 'Just what is the latest on the international terrorist front? I'm slightly out of touch since the Ulster business.'
'There are definite links now between groups around the world,' Baker said. 'For example, the Japanese who were responsible for the massacre at Tel Aviv airport were trained at Lebanese terrorist training camps. Their arms, mainly grenades and Kalashnikovs, were provided by the Baader-Meinhof gang. The Palestine Liberation Front were also involved.'
'Quite a combination.'
'Our information is that, earlier this year, a secret conference of guerrilla organizations held in Dublin was attended by Maoist and anarchist representatives from all over the world.'
'With the IRA as hosts?'
'That would depend on which branch of the IRA you're speaking of.'
'Maoists -
'And?'
'The Cretan simply materialized at the end of the corridor, shot him twice in the heart with a handgun, at that range, mind you. Was away through the fire door like a flash.'
'And no trace?'
'Vanished off the face of the earth. The French police turned the place inside out, but they didn't get a thing. Most of the celebrities left that night. Couldn't get away fast enough. It caused one hell of a stink.'
'Then?'
'It's in the file. Killed Helmut Klein, the East German Minister of Finance who was visiting Frankfurt University last November. The campus was under heavy security. He holed up with a girl called Lieselott Hoffmann who, it later transpired, was a Baader-Meinhof sympathizer. She took in a rifle under orders of the Red Army Faction. Was told to hold it for pick-up.'
'And the Cretan turned up?'
'After dark and wearing that damned hood of his.'
Morgan examined the file again. 'According to this, Klein emerged from a reception at the Director's home just after ten. The Cretan got him from three hundred yards using an image intensifier. One hell of a shot.'
'Then cleared off. The girl was caught trying to dispose of the gun. Most of the details emerged during her interrogation. Seems he'd given her what he gave the maid at the Hilton in Berlin and she was another who didn't seem to mind. She was sprung from a prison van en route to gaol by a combat squad of the Red Army Faction.'
'And totally disappeared?'
'Until she was arrested in London in February of this year working in a boutique. Claimed she'd married a gentleman called Harry Fowler, a waiter from Camden Town, only he can't be found. It would, of course, have made her a British citizen. The Germans want her back, both East and West variety. Naturally, the civil liberty groups here want her kept. She's at a special remand centre at Tangmere, near Cambridge. A source of considerable embarrassment to the Government.'
'I can imagine.' Morgan read on in silence for a moment. 'This psychologist's report on the girl is really quite excellent. Who did it?'
'A woman called Riley. Dr Katherine Riley. An American. She's a fellow at one of the Cambridge colleges. She's been allowed to visit the Hoffman girl regularly.'
'Why?'
'It's her field, terrorism. She's interviewed nearly every well-known European terrorist in prison, when they've allowed her to. Wrote a book about it eighteen months ago called The Terrorist Phenomenon.'
'I remember now,' Morgan said. 'I read it.' He reached for a cigarette. 'By my reckoning, our friend has knocked off around a dozen very important people in just under three years. That's quite a score.'
'And he doesn't take sides.' Baker said. 'The Cretan peasant who seemed so anti-fascist ends up shooting an East Cerman Cabinet Minister and a Communist film director.'
'But also still finds time for the odd Fascist.'
'And two very important Russian defectors whom both American and Canadian Intelligence thought they'd taken care of more than adequately.'
Morgan said, 'Just what is the latest on the international terrorist front? I'm slightly out of touch since the Ulster business.'
'There are definite links now between groups around the world,' Baker said. 'For example, the Japanese who were responsible for the massacre at Tel Aviv airport were trained at Lebanese terrorist training camps. Their arms, mainly grenades and Kalashnikovs, were provided by the Baader-Meinhof gang. The Palestine Liberation Front were also involved.'
'Quite a combination.'
'Our information is that, earlier this year, a secret conference of guerrilla organizations held in Dublin was attended by Maoist and anarchist representatives from all over the world.'
'With the IRA as hosts?'
'That would depend on which branch of the IRA you're speaking of.'
'Maoists -
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