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was practically on it. Lorena was crouched beside it, the
light dancing off the fine bones of her face.
She stood the moment she saw Carter. ' "lha.nk God,"
she "We were afraid you wouldn't be able to
get through."
"It was fairly easy," Carter said, brushing his lips
across her cheek. 'They're watching from the outside
in. Where are the others?"
"Out there, watching, just in case," Otto said, open-
ing a flask and passing it to Carter. "How goes it so
Carter drank, letting the liquor warm his belly, and
sat down between them. ' The Erwin Bittrich ruse
worked. Bolivar is shook up. He flew out this morning.
My guess is he'll try to shore up his position."
Otto laughed. "He'll have a bloody hard time of it.
Mossad boys passed me around to several of the
contacts they've made. Mostly they were minor people
in the government who pass information along to what's
left of the old Ihird Reich."
"And?" Carter said.
"l let it be known that my dear comrade Graf von
Wassner was killed by one of his own men."
"Did you name Bolivar?" Carter asked.
"No, but with dates and the Portuguese connection,
the right rrople will put two and two together."
Caner lit a cigarette and stared into the fire. S 'With
any luck, Bolivar will see the handwriting on the wall.
Without government sponsorship, he can't stay in Bra-
zil. If the old Nazis won't help him, Argentina and Uru-
guay will be out."
Lorena hadn't spoken. Now she looked from the fire
to Carter. "Which way will he jump?"
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"My guess is he'll take what he can salvage and go
underground. Ihat could be anywhere."
"Have you seen the jewels yet?" she asked.
"No. Ihat's supposed to happen tomorrow, when he
gets back." Carter tumed back to Otto. "Did you bring
everything?"
The big man nodded. "Six pounds of plastique and
twelve detonators. Here."
Carter took the watertight trlt and fastened it around
his waist. "I'll plant the house and some of the outbuild-
ings on my way back in."
"What time do we make them go boom?" Otto
asked.
"Let's make it after dark. Seven should be good.
They do love to eat and drink, and even with his trou-
bles I don't think Bolivar will change his habits. They
should be off their guard. By then I'll have my back up
and will force Bolivar to let me start appraising the
gems."
Carter stood, shook hands with Otto, and Lor-
ena by the ell.x».t. He guided her outside the walls to the
edge of the clearing and faced her.
"Now you have to make up your mind. "
know," she said, averting her eyes.
"With or without the jewels, he'll run. Chances are
he won't have much to run to. He wouldn't have ex-
pected all this to come down on him."
"What are you asking me?"
"You know damn well what I'm asking," Carter re-
plied, putting a bite in his voice. "We both know the
jewels are only haff of this ball game. My half."
Her eyes came back to his, steady, unblinking. "I
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don't know how I will do it, but I will do it. Bolivar is a
dead man,"
Carter nodded and called for Jorge to guide him back
to the lake.
Revenge, he thought, is a very malignant disease.
It was slow going. Several of the guards had been
pulled in off duty, so Carter had to evade for
several minutes tefore he could climb the and
plant the last charge on the of the house.
The gray predawn light was just creeping into the sky
when he lowered the spring ladder from the roof and
dropped down into the hallway.
'Ihe house was quiet as he made his way to his bed-
room.
He was just reaching for the knob, when it opened
and Umberto Grossman stepped through the door. His
fist was full of a very large magnum. A split second
later the door trhind him opened.
Carter whirled.
Bolivar, with a second magnum, confronted him.
"I've just had an interesting cable forwarded from
one of my people in Rio."
"Oh?" Carter said, gauging his chances against the
two revolvers.
"Yes, from Fabian Huzel. Just who the hell are you?"
Carter was about to reply, when a fist thudded into
his kidneys. A sharp chop behind his right ear did the
rest of the job.
All he saw was black as he hit the







THIRTEEN
When Carter came to, his neck and right shoulder
were a mass of pain, intense, throbbing pain. He lay on
his belly, and perhaps another minute passed before he
heard the groans. It was another minute before he real-
ized they were his own.
Then he concentrated, first to stop making the silly
noises, and then to find out where he was.
It wasn't easy.
He began with his fingers and then his toes. Every-
thing moved. He (Wied his eyes. A window. Daylight.
But his eyes wouldn't focus.
Fingers first, he pressed down, and groaned again as
his shoulder muscles worked. Deliberately, he shut off
the pain and continued to press until he sat up.
He looked around slowly, wary of what he might
find.
And then he saw her. She sat in a chair at a table; the
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single eye that wasn't swollen shut stared fixedly at
him. One side of her face was a swollen, purple bruise.
He could see fear crawling slowly, obscenely across the
rest of her face.
"Who are you?" Her voice sounded as if someone
had been a tattoo on her vocal cords.
need a drink. Water." She made no move. His
hands slipped and he almost fell from the bed, then
pushed himself up again.
Verna Rashkin stood and laboriously moved across
the room to a sink. She filled a glass of water and stag-
gered back until she stood in front of Carter.
"Who are you? They said you weren't Huzel."
"I'm a con man and a thief," he growled.
He reached for the water and she threw it in his face.
nen she turned and made her way back to the chair.
She barely made it. when the door and Umtrrto
Grossman entered. A second man tcx)k up a post by the
door.
"Who are you?"
"Christ," Carter hissed, "everyt»dy around here has
the narrowest vocabulary I've—
The side of Grossman's foot caught him in the ribs,
sending him reeling from the bed. When Grossman
stepped forward for another kick, Carter was ready. He
grabbed the foot and twisted. As Grossman fell, Carter
used the leverage to gain his own footing.
But the room was spinning. He drew his foot back to
stomp Grossman, but there the motor action ended.
ne stormtrooper type at the leaped forward and
got an armlock around Carter's neck. He was held while
Grossman scrambled to his feet and slammed Carter low
in the gut.
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The guard let go and Grossman hit Carter in the face,
rocking him groggily against the wall. He hit Carter
again, slamming his head against the wall. His legs
turned to water and he slid slowly down the wall, trying
to protect his face with his arms.
"We know what you did to HuzeL He escaped from
your dungeon, or whatever it was. He is flying to Rio
now. Who are you!"
"A thief... I'm a thief."
' 'You are a fool," Grossman grunted, and went to
work with his feet.
Carter was slipping away, when from somewhere far
off he heard a voice, Bolivar's, telling Grossman to
stop, that he would be of no use to them dead... not
yet.
The door slammed, and Carter did slip off for a few
moments. Gradually, his mind began to activate again.
He felt his head being raised and then life-giving water
was flowing down his throat.
He OErned his eyes and saw Vema's beaten face.
"Thanks."
"You really must be a thief," she said, "or one hell of
a fool."
"Grossman do that to you?"
She shook her head. "Eva. She loved it. I thought I
was kinky. She's gone."
"Where are we?"
*'In a room above the stable."
Somehow, with her help, Carter got to his feet and
across the room to the sink, He turned the tap on full,
cold, and put his head under. He came up for air and did
it again.
It helped. When he wiped the water from his eyes,
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they worked. Now he could tüe a hard at Verna.
ne fear was still in her eyes, only now it as if
she was on the border of hysteria.
"You look like hell."
She nodded. "l feel worse." She stepped forward and
leaned against his chest. There were no tears. Verna
wasn't the type for tears. But her body was shaking.
"They're going to kill us, aren't they," she whispered.
'They're probably going to u-y," Carter said, and set
her gently on the bed. "But I think there's time to do
something about it."
And then it hit him. Time.
He Ic»ked at his wrist. His watch was smashed,
stopped. "Vema, your watch does it work?"
"Yeah ... it's ncx)n. Why?"
He remembered the bugs in his room. "Nothing. I
have a thing about time, I hate to lose it."
He cased the room. The smell of leather made him
guess that it had once been a tack room. The window
wasn't barred, but there was heavy mesh over it and
there were four panes in it. He'd have to kick the glass
and the metal ribbing out before he could even get to the
mesh.
In the stableyard below he could see a guard loung-
ing against the walL He had an M-16 slung over his
shoulder, and his eyes were looking right at Carter in
the window.
ne door was solid wood, inches thick. He tried it,
very gently, knowing it would locked. He stood
against the door, ear under the sharply angled ventilat-
ing slats, and listened. Someone moved, and paused for
a long time, and moved again, this time with a slight
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click-click that Carter knew to come from a gun swivel.
A guard.
He looked around some more. He needed a weapon,
a club, anything. Seven hours until boom-boom time.
He had to be off and running txfore then.
Then the bed came to mind. He lifted the springs and
found a hardwood slat. It was broad for his hand, but
solid and heavy.
Vema was watching him. "Against ..
He put a finger over her lips and then his lips at her
ear. "To use an old cliché, the walls have ears."
For some reason that brought life. "Bastards!" she
yelled. "You're all bastards!"
He couldn't use the slat until seven. He replaced it
and stretched out on the bed. "There's nothing we can
do. We might as well rest."
"You're right," she sighed, and stretched out beside
him. She was silent for several moments, then, "You
know. I still don't like you."
"I affect some people that way," Carter said with a
yawn.
It was a little after four. Verna was asleep on the bed.
Carter was at the window. He had been there for some
time, It allowed him a good view of the helicopter.
For the past half hour, men had been shuttling from
the house to the chopper and back. They had camed file
boxes and briefcases, and now and then an occasional
suitcase.
Bolivar was running, but not for good. If he were
Icaving with no intent of coming back, the Killmaster
was fairly sure the man's greed would dictate evacuating
the works of art scattered around the house.
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So far, everything that had been to the chopper
seemed to relate to business. More than likely he had
found a safe place to settle in until the heat on him
would blow over and he could quietly return and liqui-
date before finding a new hole to crawl into.
Where were the jewels? On the chopvxr? Perhaps. Or
maybe not on the estate at all. Maybe they had been in
Rio, in a safe-deposit box, all along.
There was a sound at the door and Carter moved
away from the window, on his feet, ready, The door
swung and Umberto Grossman stocxi in its frame,
an automatic like a toy in his big fist. He lcx)ked at the
sleeping woman, then at Carter, and rolled his head to-
ward the outside.
"He wants to see you."
ney moved in procession, a guard in front, Carter
and Grossman, and a second guard bringing up the rear.
"I would like to kill you very slowly," Grossman
muttered out of the side of his mouth.
"You've already had a good start," Carter said dryly.
Grossman ignored him. ' 'Bolivar wants to make a
deal with you. I would advise you to take it."
They crossed the compound and entered the big
house. Carter noticed that several guards were strung
along the way.
Good, he thought; the perimeter of the estate would
probably be like a sieve.
ney entered the great room, where Bolivar sat at the
end of the long dining table. In front of him and on the
floor by his side were open file boxes. With glasses on
the edge of his nose, Bolivar was refiling some papers
and discarding others into the roaring fire behind him.
There was a second chair to his left. Carter felt the
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157
hairs ripple on the back of his neck. On the table in
front of that chair were two large leather cases. *Ihey
were flat and rectangular.
"Sit," Bolivar said without looking up,
Carter sat. "Can I have a cigarette?"
Bolivar nodded. Grossman shoved one between
Carter's lips and lit it, not worrying much if the flame
caught Carter's nose as well.
The old man finished with his current pile of papers
and looked up, removing his glasses,
"I managed to get through by telephone to Huzel in
Amsterdam. He told me everything that he couldn't put
in a cable."
Carter crushed out the cigarette, resisting the urge to
ask how Huzel had escaped from Mortimer Potts. He
also hoped that Potts was alive.
"Why did you take Huzel's place?" Bolivar contin-
ued.
Carter leaned back calmly. "l have fair contacts. I got
the word you were selling. I wanted to make a good
score. I Huzel out and impersonated him. "
Bolivar grimaced. "I wish I could twlieve that."
Carter shrugged. '*It's true."
"I have done extensive research over the years. Very
few dealers are financially able to convert a buy of this
size. If you were one of them, I would know atX)ut you.
Who are you?"
Carter shook his head. "I can get the cash. You have
the merchandise. Once we made a deal, I didn't want to
look over my shoulder while I was converting it."
This seemed to make Bolivar pause to think. It was a
full two minutes tEfore he glanced over Carter's
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shoulder and nodded. Grossman stepped forward and
opened the two leather cases.
Suddenly the room seemed to explode with new light
and color, all of it emanating from the interior of the
cases.
Random unset jewels—diamonds, emeralds, and
rubies—gleamed from their personalized niches in the
layers of felt. ne display was dazzling, and in the
center of one case was the most dazzling of all ..
the bloodred, huge Heartstone.
"As you can see, I did not bring people here for
nothing," Bolivar grunted. "Now I would like to know
your source of finances i"
"I can give you a number and a code," Carter lied.
"A lot of my financing is through certain gentlemens'
accounts in Switzerland, of course."
"Of course," Bolivar replied dryly. "How much of it
is through Odessa?"
Carter looked as perplexed as possible. "What?"
"Odessa, you son of a bitch," Bolivar hissed. "Were
you supposed to lure me somewhere else to settle the
deal, or were you going to try and assassinate me right
here?" He was on his feet now, his eyes full of fury and
his face flushed.
"Odessa is a bunch of dying old men," Carter re-
torted, standing himself. don't know what the hell—
Behind Carter, Grossman tried to kidney-punch him.
The Killmaster slid to the side, avoiding the punch, and
whirled. He brought his knee up into Grossman's crotch
with enough force to drive the man's sex up into his
belly. Grossman doubled with pain and fell to the floor.
It was futile and Carter knew it. Both guards rushed
him from the rear of the room. ney covered him like
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159
an avalanche and he went down under their combined
weight.
Bolivar leaned over him, his florid face only inches
above Carter's. '*You're going to die. But before you
do. you're going to let your contact know that your mis-
Sion was completed. It won't free me forever, but it will
buy me time. Take him back to the stables!"
They half dragged, half carried him back across the
compound and up the steps. He was thrown into the
rcx.»rn with such force that he bounced off the opposite
wall beside the window.
Verna was awake, sitting wide-eyed on the tx•d star-
ing at him. Carter motioned her to him with a wagging
finger. She moved like a zombie and crouched beside
him. He twisted her wrist around and looked at her
watch.
It was almost six o*clæk.








FOURTEEN
The time was near. He might even be cutting it too
close. He glanced at Verna. nankfully, some of the fear
in her eyes had been replaced by a resolute anger.
Out the window he could see that her plea to the
guard had worked. The Amaznn, Eva, was hurrying
across the courtyard.
He had gone over the entire room and found it bug-
free. Their biggest hope now was twofold. One, that
Eva would be very sure of her position and enter the
room alone. Two, that what Carter had to say would sap
her caution long enough.
Verna sat on the bed. Carter stood by the window in
full view of the slot in the door. The smooth shard of
windowpane that he had removed from the cracked win-
dow was on the window ledge IEhind him, carefully
wrapped in his handkerchief. The hardwood slat was
160
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161
between the mattress and the springs, easily avail-
able.
They heard the thud of the guard's boots and the
click of Eva's heels on the stairs.
Carter glanced at Verna. "Can you do it?"
"I can do it," she replied,
The stopped at the door. Carter couldn't see
the guard's eye at the slit, but he knew it was there.
The door ovxned. The guard stepped in, his rifle
ready, Eva moved right in behind him. a revolver held
loosely in her right hand. The guard covered Carter with
the rifle. Eva turned to Vema.
"Well, what is it you think you have to tell me that is
so important?"
"It isn't her," Carter said quietly, "it's me."
She whirled. "You?"
'That's right."
"Well, speak!"
Carter shook his head. "In private."
Eva glanced at the guard and hooded her eyes in
thought. The Kilimaster was gambling that she would
accept the idea that he thought he might get a better deal
from her than he would from Bolivar.
He reinforced it. had a last word from Bolivar.
Evidently he doesn't care about knowing the whole
story any longer. I thought you might."
He could see the wheels turning in her blond head.
She would run to Bolivar with anything he told her, but
perhaps she could convince Carter that she would inter-
cede for his life.
She made up her mind and tumed to the guard.
"Outside. I'll call you if I need you."
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Reluctantly, the guard backed fmm the rmm.
door closed but thc lock didn't click.
Eva turned to face Carter. "Well?"
"In private," he said.
She glanced at Verna. The woman was doing a good
job. She was on the bed, slumped back against the wall,
her eyes vacant and staring. The big woman decided to
take her chances and advanced on Carter, stopping a
few feet from him.
"What is it?" she murmured.
"Bolivar was only half right," Carter said in a voice
barely above a
"Half right?" Eva replied, matching his volume.
"He accused me of coming here to kill him. It's true,
that's what I was hired to do."
"So, and who hired you to do this?"
"I want your word that you'll get me out of here. I
don't care about her, you can do what you want with
her."
Carter had kept lowering his voice. To hear better,
Eva had inched forward as he talked. The revolver was
still in his direction, but in her curiosity it was
still being held with a loose hand.
"Names ... tell me the names," she hissed.
"No narnes. I don't know them. A contact and the
organization."
Ihe woman smiled. "It is Odessa."
"Then who?"
Vema had the slat free from between the mattress and
box springs, It was held in two steady hands over her
shoulder as she advanced. Caner kept his eyes steady on
Eva's.
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"Take me into the jungle, a head start of two miles.
Just you and your gun. Then I'll tell you."
Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know I just won't
kill you in the jungle after you tell me?"
Carter smiled. "l don't. But it's a better chance than
I've got here, don't you agree?"
"Yes, that's true. I-—
The blow coming partially across the back of the
skull and the shoulder wasn't as clean as Carter would
have liked, but it did the job. Eva gmnted in pain and
shock and fell forward.
Carter chopped her wrist with his left hand, sending
the revolver slithenng across the room. He grabbed the
handkerchief-wrapped glass with his right.
lhe woman had a lot of strength and fortitude. She
was about to scream, when Carter grabbed the long
braid of blond hair that hung down her back. In one
smooth motion he jerked the braid tight around her
throat so she couldn't scream. He looped it cruelly into
the softness of her flesh and drove her to the floor by
pressing his knee into her trlly
Wide with shock, her eyes stared up into his as he
flashed the shard of glass in front of her face.
"No sound," he hissed. "Blink if you understand."
She remained motionless, either from fear or de-
fiance. He moved the razorlike sliver back and forth in
front of her eyes and leaned forward to whisper.
"One sound and I'll gouge out your eyes. One kick
or squeal and I'll leave two raw holes in your face.
White and contorted, her face twitched and finally
her eyes blinked several times. He eased off the twisted
braid of hair just enough to give her air.
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"I'm going to lift you up, Eva, and walk you to the
door."
Her breath made a hissing sound and terror was in
her eyes. Carter took his knee from her body and tugged
on the braid, lifting. She swayed on her feet. He led her
to the door, changed grips on the hair so that he stood to
one side and partly behind her. He showed her the sharp
spear of glass again.
"Verna, get the gun. Now unload it. Good, now hand
it to her."
"I'd like to pistol-whip her with it," Verna spat.
"I'm sure you would, but this is more important."
"You'll never get as far as the jungle," Eva cracked.
S'There are no roads, there---
'*Shut up," Carter growled. '*Verna, give her the
gun."
Vema placed the revolver in the larger woman's
hands and stepped to the center of the room.
"Okay, what's the guard's name outside the door?"
"Donner," Eva replied.
"It'd be. Call out, tell him to come in here. If
his name isn't Donner and he gets edgy, I'll slit your
He maneuvered the big woman so that, through the
slit, the guard could see Eva, still holding the gun, and
most of Vema's body.
"All right... now!" Carter spat.
"Donner... Donner, come in, I am finished."
Footsteps. A pause while the man, more from force
of habit than anything else, peered through the slit,
nen the door opened and he walked into the room,
Behind Eva's back, Carter had already dropvrd the
shard of glass and picked up the hardwood slat.
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165
In one movement, he jerked Eva to her knees and
swung the slat with all his strength.
The blow drove the man down and forward. His gun
slid across the floor. Still hanging on to Eva's braid,
Carter heeled the man in the throat. The guard gasped
on the floor, his legs twitching. Carter dragged Eva to
the gun, picked it up, and wheeled to drive its butt sav-
agely into the bridge of the guard's nose. Grunting
softly, he struck twice more. The sounds were wet and
crunching.
He hauled the big woman across the man's body to
close the door, lightening his grip to let her gasp a
breath as he made sure the guard was dead. He was
about to turn, when he heard a sickening crunch. He
looked around.
Verna had retrieved the empty revolver when Eva
had dropped it. She had reversed it and split the big
blonde's skull with the butt. She was about to land a
second blow, when Carter spoke.
"No need for that."
'Oh, yes, there is."
Carter took the gun from her hand. "No, In about
five minutes this building is going sky-high. She'll go
with it."
He got the shells from the bed and reloaded the re-
volver, then stuck it in his belt. He flipped off the safety
and handed Verna the rifle.
"Can you use this?"
"l can point it and pull the trigger."
"Good. Just don't point it at me. and don't pull the
trigger until I tell you to." Carter grabbed the blanket
off the bed. "Let's go!"
They moved quietly down the narrow passageway
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and then down•the stairs. There was a guard lounging
against one jamb of the open stable dcx)rs. His rifle was
slung carelessly over one shoulder.
Carter was on top of him before the man knew he
wa.s there. Carter flipped the blanket over his head and
then curled it tightly.
While the guard was trying to tear off the blanket,
Carter hit him three times with everything he had. His
fist sank each time wrist-deep into his gut, and the
guard folded like a jackknife. Carter stc»d over him
while he crouched on his knees with his hands clamped
to his tElly. He sucked breath into his tortured lungs and
sobbed with pain.
Carter had all the time in the world to rneasure care-
fully and swing.
His knuckles hit him with such fury he hurtled back-
ward horizontally, his nostrils dissolving into red as his
shoulders thumlkd the ground.
He lay blowing red bubbles and Carter across
to him, dragged him to his feet, him until he
pawed the air in a weak show of defense, and then bat-
tered him to the ground again.
Carter gave no quarter. His knuckles were bone ham-
mers. Every time the man fell, Carter dragged him to
his feet and beat him into insensibility while he stood.
The Killmaster battered his chest, ribs and abdomen,
and pounded his face until his piggy eyes could no
longer see and his mouth and nostrils were a red maw of
bleeding flesh.
Then Carter stepped back and let him fall.
"My God," Verna gasped at his elbow.
"It was the quiet way," Carter said, lifting the man's
legs and tugging him deeper into the stables.
RUBY RED DEATH
"What now?"
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"What now?"
167
"You see the barn over there with the flat roof across
the top?" he asked. checking the second guard's rifle
and slinging it.
see it."
"We're going over there. You're going up on that flat
part of the rcx)f. Then you're going to lie down and
point your rifle at the house."
"Damn."
'*What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid of heights."
"You'll just have to get over it. This way. There's
another guard in the courtyard between here and this
building."
"Wait a minute," she whispered, grabbing his arm.
"You said you attached explosives to all these build-
ings."
"Not that one," he replied. "That's where the horses
are. I'm an animal Joven C'mon, and stay in the
shadows!"
At the last second he grabbed the dead guard's wide-
brimmed hat and jammed it on his head.
He led the way for fifty feet, a hundred, a hundred
and fifty, and then he straining his ears and
ü•ying to pick up any alien sound.
When he heard nothing, he grabtEd Verna's hand and
pulled her into the stables.
S 'That's the ladder to the hayloft. When you get up
there you'll find another ladder that leads through the
hole in the there. See it?"
"I see it," she said grimly, and started up the ladder.
"And remember," Carter added, just for the
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house. We've got help coming out of the jungle."
He waited until he saw her figure move through thc
hole in the roof, and then he moved back outside.
He was skirting the trees on the edge of the other
outbuildings when the first explosion went off.










FIFTEEN
Carter was about to bolt for the courtyard between
the old, unused stables and the house, when the stables
went up. It wasn't a huge explosion, but it was quickly
followed by fire that lit up the whole area.
The guard who had twen in the courtyard careened
around the corner.
Caner fired twice at the middle of the big, bulky
body with the revolver. It kicked solidly against the heel
of his palm and the man took two more steps toward
him.
He was bent slightly at the waist and raising his gun
as he advanced. His breath was very loud, but he
seemed to be smiling; his lips were drawn back flat,
exposing his teeth, and his face was wrinkled like a
wadded-up piece of wastepaper.
Carter fired again and the man twisted sideways,
bending sharply now, and his gun exploded into the
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ground. He fell limply, disjointedly, like a big sack of
rags rolling onto its side. nere was no longer the illu-
Sion of a smile on his face; he looked surprised and
slightly stupid. nat was all.
One wing of the house went up, and then the rest of
the perimeter's buildings also exploded.
It was like daylight now. and Carter could hear firing
coming from the jungle. That would be Lorena and Otto
wading their way through the perimeter guards.
Suddenly a female scream pierced the chaos of sound
around him, and Carter looked up. The old stable mas-
ter was wrenching the rifle away from Verna. The
scream was her slipping from the edge of the roof.
Carter unslung the rifle and got off two fast rounds.
The old man grabbed his middle and disappeared
through the hole in the roof.
Carter ran around the building and spotted Verna at
once. She lay on her back, her an•ns and legs sprawled
like those of a broken doll. He knew she was dead even
before he saw the staring look of her eyes. She wasn't
pretty anymore, she wasn't anything. The exquisitely
sculptured head was like the relief on an old Roman
coin: distant, cold, remote.
He tumed and headed for the main house.
Halfway there, a guard ran from one of the rear
doors. He was holding his hands up, palms out. "Don't
go in, don't go in!" he shouted.
Carter shot him and leaped over the body. He ran
around the wide veranda until he reached the part of thq
house that was not in flames. He was about to kick open
one of the doors, when Otto von Krumm and one of
Buck Waters's locals rounded the corner in front of him.
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171
Otto didn't mince words. "How many did you get so
far?"
"Four," Carter replied.
"We got three coming out the side, and one was
crunched jumping from a third-floor window," Otto
grunted.
"That should leave three, besides Bolivar and Gross-
man. What about the servants?"
'*They scattered. I don't know if they all made it. We
let them through."
"Where's Lnrena?" Caner barked.
Otto paused for only an instant. "She went in the
front, just shooting her way inside. I couldn't stop her."
didn't figure you could. Stay out here, make sure
no one gets through."
Without waiting for a reply, Carter kicked the door
open and burst through it into the smoky interior. He
found himself in the enormous kitchen.
Half by sight, half by feel, he found a hand towel
and soaked it under the tap. When it was wrapped se-
curely around his face, he hit the small dining room and
went on into a sitting room.
The deeper he went, the greater was the smoke. As
yet, he had seen no flarnes on the inside, but they would
be in the bedroom areas on the upper story.
He had to kick the door of the great room several
times before he could get it orxn. When he did, he saw
the body that had been sprawled against it.
The files and papers that had spread on the long
table were now scattered across the He saw no
sign of the two leather cases.
Halfway up the stairs he saw another guard sprawled.
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He was cut almost in half, with his rifle still slung over
his shoulder.
There wasn't a sound now except the crackling of
flames on the floors above Carter.
Suddenly there was a single shot. It was quickly fol-
lowed by a staccato burst from an automatic rifle.
Caner took the stairs two at a time. Halfway up, the
last guard apt*ared at the top of the stairs.
Carter raised the rifle, but before he could fire, the
man toppled forward. The Killmaster stepped aside and
the body rolled past him, trailing a path of blo«xi down
the stairs.
Caner to the landing and shouted: "Lorena
Lorena, where are you!"
A door (wied behind him and he dived for the floor.
He rolled up against the wood-paneled wall as the hall
filled with the staccato roar of a submachine gun. The
wcx)d a foot from his face chip1Ed away as though a
buzz saw were chewing it.
He rolled away to avoid the splinters and return the
fire. Two shots from the automatic rifle and it clicked
empty.
Carter cursed and pawed for the revolver in his belt.
It was gone, lost when he had hit the floor.
The had heard, t(X), and was now running
toward him. Carter rolled in the smoke, avoiding the
bullets.
The man lost Carter in the smoky darkness just long
enough for the Killmaster to reach up and grab him. He
got the gun arm with one hand, spun around, and
brought it over his shoulder. He got the other hand on
his wrist and yanked. The man had to either come up or
risk a broken elbow.
RUBY RED DEATH
He took the risk.
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He took the risk.
173
Carter heard the bone crack and the machine pistol
clattered down the stairs.
The man hit the floor and came right back up to his
feet.
The smoke cleared just enough then for Carter to see.
It was Umtxrto Grossman.
"Good!" he roared. "Before this place falls in on us,
I will have the joy of killing you!"
Grossman was fasts like lightning, and deadly, even
with one broken arrn and his lungs full of smoke.
He came in from Carter's nght, went from high to
low, and suddenly appeared on the Killmaster's left, his
own good side. A swift, blumng chop came at Carter's
neck from the man's healthy right arm.
Carter blocked it, but caught a kick in his left side
that sent him reeling. He bounced off the wall and
started to turn. Something chopped him across the neck.
Carter spun, reaching.
The room turned end over end. He landed hard on his
shoulders, breath gusting out in a rush. A shoe heel
drove viciously at his throat, and he was barely alert
enough to roll dizzily away from it. The second try
caught him on the side of the jaw: Red lights flashed on
and off, on and off.
Grunting, the Killmaster pawed at the floor and came
up, shaking his head, trying to push the red spots out of
his eyes. The knife edge of a calloused palm lanced into
his throat. He swayed on his knees, sucking through the
bright, hard agony that wouldn't let the air pass. The
face floating over him was out of focus, hazy, leering at
him, full of pure evil.
Carter wobbled up and stuck a fist at it, felt the hand
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snap around his wrist, felt himself yanked off-balance
and knew something painful was on its way But the
hand slipped off. "Ihe face moved back, jerked back.
Carter spat, pumped a gulp of head-clearing air into his
chest.
Grossman was on his knees, reaching up with his one
good arm to get a madwoman off his back.
I-Mena was riding him, her legs around his middle.
One hand clenched his hair, the claws of her other hand
dug into his eyes. Her fingers already dripped with
blood as she ripped frantically at his face.
Grossman screamed in pain and tried to unseat her.
Chin pulled in, gasping, Carter moved forward as the
mist in front of his own eyes cleared. '*Lorena!" he
cried. s 'Let him go, I've got him!"
He got his fingers twisted into the man's jacket.
Screaming in pain, Grossman struck out with his good
hand and arm, but it was useless with his blinded eyes.
Lorena dropped away.
Carter pulled him off the floor, held him in midair,
and wrapped his other hand around the man's ankle.
Then he turned slowly and hammered Grossman's head
against the walL Plaster cracked. Dust geysered. Carter
swung him back for another stroke, and another, shak-
ing and ruining the wall, Finally Grossman
screaming. Carter dropped him into the dusty pile of
plaster.
'Ihe Killmaster didn't need to check. Umberto
Grossman was dead, He found the revolver and waddled
his way through the smoke.
'*Lorena ... he shouted, stumbling down the hall.
' 'Lorena!"
He had planted the explosive on the rcx»f. It was
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gone, or at least most of it, and the flames were eating
their way downward. If there had been a high wind, the
house would have already been devoured. As it was, on
such a calm night and with the lack of wind, it was
moving slowly.
Slowly, Carter thought as he slammed door after door
open, but surely.
"Lorena!"
Still no answer.
Suddenly he burst through the last door in the wing
and found them.
It was a sight out of hell.
Bolivar was on a satin-covered settee. He sat,
slightly hunched over, his hands clas1Ed over his mid-
die. Blood in waves through his fingers. His eyes
were bright, alert. He even looked up as Carter entered
the room.
A few feet in front of him, Lorena was on her knees,
much in the same m»sition as Bolivar, her hands clasped
over her middle.
Carter was frozen in time and space.
They were talking, actually seemed to be chatting.
Between them on the floors scattered like so many
pieces of pretty glass, was a fortune in gemstones,
Slowly. through shock and the smoke filling his
mind and the room, Carter heard the conversation.
"Your brother," Bolivar was saying, "is an evil man.
You were a child, a baby. To raise you with revenge all
these years was a waste."
"No," Lorena replied calmly, "every minute was
worth it... for this."
Carter could believe neither his eyes nor his ears.
' 'And what have you gained?" Bolivar gasped, his
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life pumping out from between his fingers. "Your family
baubles back?"
"No ... no, no, no," Lnrena whispered. "I've gained
more, much more. I've been able to shoot you in the
belly and watch you die, very slowly."
Bolivar his head, coughed blood, and looked
up at Carter. "Who are you ... Odessa?"
'*Does it matter?" Carter replied, amazed at himself
with the flames creeping around them all that he could
be so calm.
"He's just a man," Lorena said, "a hired hand, a
conduit to get me to you."
For the first time since Carter had nwt him, Bolivar
laughed out loud, Blood poured from his mouth and
there was a hacking sound, but still he laughed.
And then suddenly he stopped.
He removed one hand from his punctured belly and
waved it at the floor.
"lhen take your payment, man. Gather them up!" He
laughed some more.
Carter ignored him. He turned to Lorena and tried to
lift her to her feet. "We've got to get out of here."
"No!" she cried.
"Yes!" Carter screamed at her, fighting the fury of
her resistance.
"No! I want to watch him die!"
"Don't be a fool," Carter hissed. "He's a dead man.
You've got the revenge you came for."
"No. Not yet."
"Yes!" Carter cried, yanking her to her feet. "He's an
old man. He's dying and he knows it and he doesn't
Another laugh from the near-dead man on the settee.
RUBY RED DEATH
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177
"We're all dead, or waiting to die. What's the differ-
ence? Leave her. But take the jewels. "Ihey'll only be
found by ignorant Indians."
Carter's mind was glazing over, like his eyes. He
found it impossible to breathe.
Lorena had wrenched herself from his grasp. She
was on her hands and knees on the floor. He stumbled
toward her, but she managed to elude his grasp.
"There!" she cried, suddenly coming back to her feet
with her hands cupped beneath his chin. "Look!"
Carter looked down. In her cupikd hands were sev-
eral diamonds, glittering even in the thickening smoke,
And in their center was the enorrnous syrntx»l of a
lost world, a dead monarchy.
The Heartstone.
"We have it!" she said.
"Yeah," Carter replied, seeing the madness in her
eyes that he had always known was there but had never
admitted. "Now, we go."
She shoved the stones into Carter's p«xket and turned
back to face Bolivar. "He's still dying."
Carter pulled the revolver from his belt, aimed, and
put a slug right between Bolivar's eyes.
"Not now he isn't."
He slung Lorena over his shoulder and ran out into
the hall and down the stairs.







SIXTEEN
Carter stood at the window. Outside, he watched the
Amsterdam street come alive with whores, pickpockets,
hippies, and good, honest foreign businessmen out to
get laid.
"He was a good man."
Carter turned, The beautiful Oriental girl sat at the
desk, her brother standing beside her, his hand on her
shoulder.
"I wouldn't think about it if I were you," Carter said.
"Mortimer always had a will, even when he didn't have
anything to leave anyone."
"It was nice service, yes?" the girl said.
"Yes, a very nice service," Carter replied, forcing his
face to remain stone,
Otto had got them out by boat, down the long river.
nen there had been a charter to the Canary Islands and
a commercial jet to Frankfurt.
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179
At the castle they had found Mortimer Potts with his
neck broken, crucified to some timbers in the basement.
Fabian Huzel didn't just kill. He took gleeful delight
in the killing.
Otto knew a doctor. The cause of death was listed as
a heart attack. Mortimer had been cremated and his
ashes brought back to the Yum-Yum Club.
"We were so poor," the girl said, "and now we are so
rich."
"Don't worry about it," Carter said. "If Mortimer
hadn't wanted you to have everything, he wouldn't have
given you everything in his will. Live, enjoy ... that's
what Mortimer did."
Carter headed for the door.
"Mr. Carer," the girl said, "if there is ever any-
thing
Carter smiled. 'There might be and if you did it,
you'd just be carrying on Mortimer's tradition."
He left the Yum-Yum Club. A block away he
crawled into the front seat of a black Mercedes. Otto
was behind the wheel.
'*How did you do?" Carter asked.
"Very well, actually," came the stoic reply. "A little
over a million and a half, American. for the diamonds.
The two emeralds brought forty thousand per."
"That should take care of you ... and her," Carter
said.
Otto smiled. "Leave it to me, Nick. I'll have her
back on her feet in a year."
It was the way he said it that made Carter smile.
"Otto, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were in love."
' 'Well," Otto shrugged, "it is time for me to act
my age. Shall we get on with it?"
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"Yes," Carter nodded, "let's. You're sure everything
the baroness has is traceable?"
"Oh, God, yes."
It was early morning, the dead hour, the hour of the
ultimate thief.
The Mercedes barely paused as the darkly clad figure
rolled from the door. In seconds he was over the fence.
The whole operation took less than seven minutes.
Break in, go up to the attic—past the master bedroom.
the nursery, the empty guest room, the maid's room
where the au pair girl dreamed of warmth and sunshine
and lemon trees—up to the deserted attic, a little of
toys, books, discarded furniture, the squeak of a rusty
window hinge, and Carter was on the rcx»f, moving vel-
vet-pawed across the leaded guttering to the attic win-
dow in the house.
He used a diamond with four neat strokes, waited for
the glass to fall—a tiny brittle whisper of noise—then
put his hand into the hole he had made, opened the
window, and lowered himself into the house.
In the comfortable darkness he moved through the
house. The stairs were carpeted and the noise he made
was less than a sigh; he went down to the drawing
room.
He already knew the location of the safe. Finding it
in the darkness took two minutes, 01rning it another
five.
ne Baroness Erica von Steinholtz wouldn't realize
for a full twenty-four hours that two million dollars'
worth of her family's fabulous fortune in jewels was
gone.
RUBY RED DEATH
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181
Nadia Grinzel had a chubby face. It was the sort of
face one sees on Scandinavian dolls in shop windows at
Christmastime: cream and pink porcelain with sculp-
tured lips and eyebrows, a pointed little nose, ears,
barely visible at the IotES, that peeked out beneath yel-
low, spun-candy hair that fitted on top of her head like
an elegant bathing cap. Her eyes were magnified by a
large pair of heavy-rimmed, tortoiseshell glasses that
usually hung from a gold chain looped around the back
of her neck.
Nadia Grinzel's I.Q. matched her vision: 40 40.
When the phone rang that night, she was dressing for
an evening out. ne reason for the evening out was a
young banker, rich, handsome, and almost as dumb as
Nadia.
She fully him to ask for her hand.
That would be nice.
She had worked for Fabian Huzel for two years. It
was better than a whore in the Damrak—which
she had briefly tren—but not as good as trapping a
banker. The phone rang.
"Yes?"
"Fräulein Grinzel?"
"Yes."
"This is Horst, I have the merchandise."
"Oh, God, not tonight."
' 'Yes, tonight."
"But I'm.. e"
"Fräulein Grinzel, this is business. I have just ob-
tained the merchandise. Needless to say, I can't wait
forever to get a price."
"Damn," she muttered under her breath, and then
sighed. "All right. How long before you can get here?"
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"I am on the comer, two minutes."
"Fine."
She killed the connection and dialed. When the old
crone who always answered came on, Nadia was brief
and to the point,
"I have a very large one. I must have a figure by
noon tomorrow. "
"Jay very well. I will tell him."
Though it was not yet nine in the moming, a raw and
rainy day looked in the windows of the old plice cen-
tral building overlooking the river.
A green-shaded lamp was burning above the desk of
Chief Otis Konig Sev of the Metropolitan
Amsterdam Police. He had in his office since
seven that morning, when the package had amved. It
contained papers that solved practically every major
jewel robbery in country for the past ten years.
Konig Sev examined the last of it, leaned back at
ease, and smoked a cigarette with an air of doing so
cynically. He was a long, stringy man whose thick and
wrinkled eyelids gave him a sardonic look that was
thoroughly deserved. Though he was not bald, his white
hair had txgun to recede from the skull as though in
sympathy with the close cropping of his gray mustache.
His eyes were bright, and right now they were amused.
ne phone call had awakened him just before dawn
that morning.
"Insl*ctor Konig Sev?"
"Yes, yes, who is this?"
"Never mind. I understand you are very close to re-
tirement, Herr Inspector."
RUBY RED DEATH
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183
"I don't enjoy txing awakened from a sound sleep to
be told what I already know."
A low chuckle from the other end of the line. "Early
this morning, a package will delivered to your office
by courier. The package will contain records of the buy-
ing and selling of vast amounts of stolen gems."
"Damn you say." Konig Sev was upright in his tRd
now, alert.
"lhe records alone are only circumstantial. They
alone probably won't convict the man. I'll give you
something else that will."
Konig Sev was a cynical and rational man. "This is
beginning to sound like a joke."
"No joke, Inspector, I assure you. Just before dawn
yesterday moming, the house of Baron and Baroness
von Steinholtz was burgled. All of the family jewels
were stolen."
"My God, man, if such a robbery had occurred, it
would have reported!"
"Not really. The baron has been out of the city on
business. The baroness has tEen confined to her bed
with a cold."
Konig Sev was incredulous. "You mean ... ?"
"Exactly, Inspector Baroness von Steinholtz doesn't
even know she's robbed. I suggest you check it. I
will call you later this morning in your office."
The caller had hung up and Konig Sev had rushed
into his clothes. A call to his office had brought a car
with two patrol officers to his house in minutes.
He couldn't suppress a laugh when he remembered
the look on the face of Baroness von Steinholtz, and her
comment, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant police work!"
The phone on his desk hl'77ed. "Yes?"
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It was the central operator. "I think this is the call
you've tren waiting for, Inspector."
"Put him through." There was a series of clicks and
he sr»ke again. "This is Konig Sev."
bust you've had an enlightening morning,
"Dammit, man, this is serious business. What do you
know atX)ut the von Steinholtz robbery?"
"A great deal, but, more importantly, I know where
the jewels will be between nine o'cl(Xk and noon
today."
"I'm listening."
"Numtv Twelve Herengracht. The flat is Four-A. It
is owned by a young lady named Nadia Grinzel. But she
is only a drop. The man you want is Fabian Huzel."
"Huzæl," Konig Sev whispered.
"Yes, You can retire with honors."
The phone went dead, but Konig Sev kept holding it
to his ear. staring off into space.
"Fabian Huzel," he muttered, '*at last."
Nadia Grinzel checked through the peephole and un-
locked the door. Fabian Huzel entered the flat shaking
the water from his head and shoulders like a shaggy
dog.
"Terrible day," hg mumbled.
It was a comparatively small flat, one main room
with a bedroom alcove, an open kitchen area, and a
door to a bathroom. It was in a comer of the building,
so there were windows on two sides.
Nadia had obviously been preparing breakfast. There
was a table near the window, half set, and there were
cooking sounds coming from the kitchen.
RUBY RED DEATH
"Do you want coffee?"
"No, I don't have time. Where are they?"
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"Do you want coffee?"
"No, I don't have time. Where are they?"
185
"I'll get them," Nadia said. "I have to turn my stove
down."
She fiddled with the stove and then stepped up on a
low, three-step ladder. She moved aside a square section
of the false ceiling and raised to her toes as she felt
along the indentation of the neighboring section.
Behind her, Huzel shook his head, If the police ever
searched the place, he thought. that would.be the first
place they would look.
Nadia stepped from the ladder and brought two
heavy chamois bags to the table where Huzel sat.
"It's funny," he said as he untied the drawstring on
the first bag. "I thought Horst Eberson was in prison in
France.
The girl shrugged and siPFEd her coffee. *'I've never
had him t*fore, but his name was on the list you gave
me.
Huzel's eyes grew wide and saliva gathered at the
corners of his mouth as he emptied the contents of the
first bag.
He was examining the third piece through the loop in
his eye socket when it struck him.
"ldiot!" he cried. "That damn idiot!"
"What's the matter?" Nadia almost spilled her coffee.
"A first-year clerk in any watch shop would recog-
nize—
It was at that moment the door shattered from its
hinges and the flat filled with uniforms.
The Differt, a traditional Amsterdam broodjeswinkel,
or café, was located at 15 Herengracht. Through its
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spotlessly clean front windows there was an excellent
view of number 12.
Otto von Krumm pushed his plate away with a sigh
and patted his belly. "A fine meal."
Carter sipped his second cup of coffee and ncxlded.
"Every new day should be started with a good meal."
Suddenly a fierce light shone in Otto von Krumm's
eyes and his lips parted in a leering grin.
"My, oh my."
"Something?"
"The time for joy has come, my friend. Just take a
quick glance over your left shoulder."
Casually Carter turned his head.
Ihe woman was taken down the steps of numtrr 12
first. Her face was white with fear, and even at such a
distance the Killmaster could see her lips tremble. A
unifonned police officer was on each side of her, and
her wrists were manacled together in front of her body.
Seconds later Fabian Huzel aprEared, also with an
officer on each side of him. The second party moved a
little more slowly than the first. This was because
Huzel's ankles, as well as his wrists, were cuffed.
His clothes were torn and in disarray. Ihunder as
well as a large, purplish bruise was on his glowering
face.
"Looks like our boy gave them a bit of a tussle,"
Otto smirked.
"It would appear so," Carter agreed. "Hope they got
some gocx] licks in before he gave up."
"l do think they did," Otto replied. "From the looks
of his face I'd say he'll have a great deal of trouble
chewing his food for quite some time."
"I'd say that."
RUBY RED DEATH
"Pity."
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"Pity."
187
They watched until the pair were placed in separate
cars and were driven away. In only a few minutes the
curious disrrrsed and the quiet neighborhood returned
to normal.
The two then took their time finishing their coffee.
Carter paid, leaving a large tip, and they walked the two
blocks to the waiting Mercedes.
11)e Killmaster checked his watch as he slid into the
passenger side seat.
"I should just make the one-ten flight to Vienna
without too boring a wait."
Otto pulled from the curb into the light noonday traf•
fic. He was whistling softly. "How long do you think
he'll get?"
Carter frowned in concentration. "I'd say thirty
years, give or take."
Otto laughed. "With the thieves he'll take with him
I'll give you ten to one he won't last five years."
Carter leaned back in the seat with a broad smile on
his face. "l don't take sucker you know that,
Otto."







SEVENTEEN
Ihe plane landed at Vienna's airport just past four in
thc afternoon. Carter cabbed to the hotel and checked in
with his own name and passport.
In his he built a drink and moved to the win-
dow to stare out at the city.
Ihe elation of nailing Fabian Huzel had passed
by now. He didn't look forward to the coming even-
ing, the meeting he had agreed to make, and the rehash-
ing of the whole mess that would expected of
him.
He would rather forget it, catch a plane down to
Nice, and lay on the beach for a week.
A week, hell, he a month.
But there was the list.
lhe goddamned list.
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189
Hc had already code telexed his report back to Wash-
ington. He knew Hawk and the whole section would be
elated.
Elated?
They were probably frothing at the mouth in antici-
pation. A lot of bodies would fall when he sent in the
list. He wondered how many would be buried where
they fell.
He napped for a couple of hours and then took a long
shower. By the time he was dressed and on the street it
was dark anoa wind had come up.
Since it was only a few blocks and he was a bit
early, he walked. The sky was clear It would be cold
and crisp tomorrow, but the sun would probably come
out.
Café Josef was a small, quiet place with imitation
black leather walls, comfortable furniture, and discreet
lighting. It was about half full when Carter entered.
"One, sir?"
expecting a friend."
"Of course. This way."
Caner followed him to a front table that looked out
on the boulevard. He ordered a scotch, neat, and sipped
it as he waited.
He did not have to wait long. Hardly five minutes
had passed when he saw her striding across the street
with her determined walk, Gone were the corduroy
slacks and the leather jacket. She wore a stylish raincoat
that flamxul open now and then to reveal a figure-fitting
black skirt and a frilly white blouse.
If one didn't know better, he thought, one would
sumxyse that she was an actual flesh-and-blood woman.
It was hard for Carter.
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He remembered too well the blonde's face when the
bullet had struck her in the back and the ease with which
Ilse Beddick had guided the burial in the frozen earth.
Inside, she stood for a moment looking over the
room. SVhen she spotted Carter she headed directly for
the table.
As she approached, Carter stood up. Then he re-
himself and sat down as the waiter ap-
proached to seat her. She ordered wine and shrugged out
of her coat.
Silence.
It was as if neither of them knew how to start.
"Congratulations," Carter said at last, "on getting out."
"Vadim set it up beforehand," she replied. "It was
done with very little effort. Have you heard?"
Carter nodded. "Washington informed me."
"He died very quietly, in his sleep."
"Wonderful," Carter said.
She either ignored or had not caught the sarcasm in
his voice. "I wish I could have given him the details
but..
She shrugged, truly sad.
The waiter set a glass of wine in front of her and left.
"But don't worry. I have what you want right in
here."
She patted a slim clutch bag and then took a cloi-
sonné case from it and extracted a cigarette. As Carter
flicked his lighter he didn't try to hide the wince on his
face he felt from her words.
"Is something troubling you?"
"A little. It was very messy."
She leaned forward. "l want to hear about it, every
word, every detail."
RUBY RED DEATH
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191
Carter winced again. He signaled the waiter for an-
other drink. When it came he took a deep breath and
began in a voice barely above a
He talked for nearly an hour with Ilse Beddick's face
not once changing expression. When he finished she
seemed in deep thought for several minutes,
"And Lorena?"
"She is in a clinic near Wilhelmshaven in Germany.
Here is the address." He passed a note across the table
which she folded and placed in her purse without even
glancing at it,
"She is being taken care of?"
'Quite. A man named Otto von Krumm thinks that
he may well be in love with her. He'll take care of her.
Perhaps Otto is even more wealthy than she is even after
her... windfall."
Ilse thought this over and nodded again. "Good. You
said she went a little mad. How mad?"
Killing mad, crazy mad, revenge mad, he thought.
"In my opinion?" he asked.
"I have no one else to ask."
' 'In my opinion," Carter said, rubbing his temples
hard, "l think she is quite insane and will stay that way. "
He didn't add that she had her brother's lust for revenge
to thank for it.
"You carried out every bit of our half of the contract.
Here is your half."
Carter opened the envelope and pulled out three
neatly typed pages. It was complete: names, addresses,
telephone nurntrrs, even current occupations. He
slipped it into his jacket pocket.
"Satisfactory?" she asked.
"Very," Carter replied.
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She slipped her arms into the sleeves of her coat.
"Where will you go?"
The question seemed to surprise her. She gave it
some thought before answering.
"Somewhere far... where no one will ever find me. "
"And forget about all this."
"No. Never. I'll remember it well."
"Yeah, I thought you would," Carter replied. "So
will I. By the way, here."
He dropped the bloodred Heartstone into her hand.
She looked down at it vacantly and then back up at
Carter.
SKI think it's better that you have it than Lorena. That
is, if she ever does get her sanity back."
Ilse Beddick smiled for the first time since she had
entered the restaurant.
"My, my, a sentirnental killer."
She dropped the gem carelessly into her bag and
walked from the restaurant.
Caner stared through the window after her until she
was lost from sight.
"Will there be anything else, sir?"
"Yeah. Another scotch. Make it a triple and keep
them coming until I tell you to stop."