Bastien smiled, his missing incisorsleaving a black gaping hole in his mouth. "You're looking well as usual,Henri. Business good?"

"I presume you didn't ask me here todiscuss such a repulsive subject as my money-making? So perhaps you'd get tothe point. What is it this time? Another contribution to the Party?"

Pierre Bastien stood up. Lebel alwaysconsidered that the man wouldn't have looked out of place swinging in the belltower of N6tre-Dame. Unkind, perhaps, but the man before him was a particularlynasty piece of work behind the simulated bonhomie.

"Actually, just a friendly talk,Lebel, and there's no need to get snotty, comrade."

"I'm not your comrade."

"Fighting the Germans together fortwo years counts to nothing, I take it?"

"Let's get the facts right as to whodid the fighting. YOU like to tell people the Gestapo knocked out your teethand injured your back when we both know it was really your former wife who didit. She pushed you down a flight of stairs as repayment for leaving her andyour children alone to face the Gestapo who raided your home. Naughty, Bastien,especially since some of us had to endure real hardship and torture, while yousneaked from one safe house to another and never fired a shot at the Germansuntil the Allies had safely secured Paris.

Still, it got you the Croix de Guerrefrom De Gaulle. An(] you really ought to get something done about those missingteeth of yours. For too long you've been wearing that gap in your mouth like abadge of honor."

A look of contempt twisted Bastien'sface. "Don't belittle me, Lebel. I did as much as any man. Besides, it wasimportant I wasn't captured, for the sake of the Party, to continue thestruggle after the war."

"Indeed. And remember this is thesame scum who contributed so generously to your cause. Get to the point. I've adinner appointment at Maxim's."

"No doubt with some tarrymodel?" Bastien said with a sneer.

Lebel sighed. "Envy will get younowhere. Existing in the hell of a concentration camp with death hanging overme taught me two things. One, you can rely only on yourself, and two, enjoylife when you can. I do both every day and my private life is none of yourconcern. So, what do you want to talk about?"

Bastien grinned maliciously. "Asensitive matter. That's why I asked you here in person. You took the usualprecautions?"

"Naturally. From the look on yourface I can only conclude you have some unpleasant news to impart?"

Bastien finished his drink and slappedhis glass on the table.

"A man named Jake Massey. Do youknow him?"

Lebel looked up a little unsteadily,thrown by the question, and tried hard not to sho@% his alarm.

"What's this got to do with?"

"I asked a simple question. Do youknow him?"

Lebel sighed and idly glanced at hiswatch so as not to betray his unease. "Look, Bastien, can we get to thepoint."

"That is the point. Do you know thisMassey?"

"The name sounds familiar. He was anAmerican OSS officer working with the resistance during the war. Why?"

"Have you seen him recently?"

Lebel saw that Bastien had a slight grinon his face, which was always dangerous. He decided to tell the truth.

"Actually, yes. He was in Parisrecently and called at my suite to say hello. But what's this got to do with?Are you checking up on my social calendar, Bastien?"

"So, just a friendly visit, was it,Henri?"

"Of course. Look, what's the pointof all this? I told you, I've got an appointment. I "What did Massey wantto see you about?"

"Nothing in particular. I told you,he called to say hello and talk about old times. I asked him to join me fordinner, but he said he had another engagement."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Now, Bastien, unlessthere's anything else As Lebel went to rise, Bastien's hand fell on hisshoulder. "Sit down. I'm not finished yet. Some important people have beenasking questions about you."

"Who?"

"None of your business. But becausewe're old resistance comrades I asked you here to pass on a warning. The lastthing I'd like to see happen is for you to get hurt. Then where would we be?Your contributions to us are quite generous, Henri."

Lebel shrugged. "I do what I can.But hurt how, by whom?

What kind of warning?"

"To be careful about the people youmeet. And you can cut out the shit. You contribute because you have to. Becauseit ensures Moscow looks favorably on you and your business."

"You haven't answered my questions.How might I be hurt?

And by whom? For what reason?"

"It's best not to ask. But doyourself a favor. Next time Massey contacts you, tell me. He was OSS. Now he'sCIA. Your private life may be no concern of mine but it is to Moscow. You getmixed up with someone like that, people may get the wrong impression."

Lebel pretended alarm. "Massey CIA?I had no idea.. "Well you do now. OK?"

Lebel nodded. "If you say so."I do." Lebel said, "Is that it?"

Bastien nodded. "That's it. Justremember what I said." As Lebel stood, Bastien grinned slyly and said,"By the way, there's someone I'd like you to meet," He turned towardthe mirror. "You can come in now, Colonel."

A door opened somewhere in the shadowsand a man appeared. He was big and brutish, his face a mass of pockmarks andscars, and part of his left ear was missing. Bastien said, "ColonelRomulka, KGB Moscow, meet Henri Lebel. Colonel Romulka here tells me you weredue to travel to Moscow in two days' time. He wants to rearrange your travelplans and get you there a little earlier." Lebel said palely, "What'sgoing on here?"

Romulka snapped his fingers and two menappeared from behind the door. They grabbed Lebel and rolled up one of hissleeves and Romulka came forward and jabbed a hypodermic in his arm.

Washington, D.C. February 27th, 8:30 P.M.Rain streaked against the Oval Office French windows and a flash of lightninglit up the black evening sky beyond the Washington Memorial, Eisenhower sighedas he sat down heavily at his desk and looked at the three other men in theroom.

"Let me get this straight. You'retelling me now it's impossible to stop this thing?"

Allen Dulles, the head of the CIA, satnear the President, Karl Branigan and Jake Massey in front of the walnut desk.

There were dark shadows under thePresident's eyes, the famous grin nowhere to be seen. The weather outsideseemed to match his black mood.

Branigan sat forward in his chair."I'm afraid it looks bad, Mr. President. As Massey explained, the only waywe could get word to Stanski in Moscow was through Lebel. But now Lebel hasvanished," Eisenhower said bleakly, "Tell me what happened."

"As you know, sir, Lebel was due tofly to Moscow in two days' time. We had our Paris desk try to contact him butLebel couldn't be found. His chauffeur claims he was to pick him up fromMaxim's club at midnight, Paris time, where Lebel had a business appointment.Our men were waiting for him at the club but Lebel never turned up. Butsomething else did."

"What?"

"Our Paris desk monitored anunscheduled Soviet diplomatic flight leaving from Le Bourget airport with aflight plan for Moscow, not long after Lebel was dropped off on the boulevardMontmartre by his chauffeur. There's a club near the boulevard, the ClubMalakoff, used by known French Communist Party members. We also know from ourcontacts in French counterintelligence that Lebel has been observedoccasionally visiting the club. Lebel's chauffeur says his boss took a phonecall earlier in the evening and claimed he had a private meeting to attend butdidn't say where, only that he wanted to be driven to the boulevard Montmartre.