Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

Stephen closed his file briskly.

“That seems to be all we can cover tonight.”

“Hang on, Stephen,” said Robin. “Let’s strip you off once more. I’d like to see if we can do it in 90 seconds.”

Stephen lay down slightly reluctantly in the middle of the room, an

d James and Jean-Pierre swiftly and carefully removed all his clothes.

“87 seconds. Excellent,” said Robin, looking down at Stephen, naked except for his watch. “Hell, look at the time. I must get back to Newbury. My wife will think I have a mistress and I don’t fancy any of you.”

Stephen dressed himself quickly while the others prepared to leave. A few minutes later, James stood by the front door, watching them depart one by one. As soon as Stephen was out of sight, he bounded downstairs into the kitchen.

“Did you listen?”

“Yes, darling. They’re all rather nice and I don’t blame them for being cross with you. They’re being very professional about the whole venture, while you sounded like the only amateur. We’ll have to think up something good for you to match them. We’ve over a week before Mr. Metcalfe goes to Monte Carlo and we must use the time constructively.”

James sighed: “Well, let’s enjoy tonight. At least this morning was a triumph.”

“Yes, but not yours. Tomorrow we work.”

Chapter Twelve

“PASSENGERS FOR FLIGHT 017 to Nice are now requested to board the aircraft at gate No. 7,” boomed the loudspeaker at Heathrow’s No. 1 terminal.

“That’s us,” said Stephen.

The four of them took the escalator to the first floor, and walked down the long corridor. After being searched for guns, bombs, and whatever else terrorists are searched for, they proceeded down the ramp.

They sat separately, never speaking or even looking at each other. Stephen had warned them that the flight could well be sprinkled with Harvey’s friends, and each imagined himself to be sitting next to the closest of them.

James gazed moodily at the cloudless sky and brooded. He and Anne had read every book they could lay their hands on that even hinted at stolen money or successful duplicity, but they had found nothing they could plagiarize. Even Stephen, in between being undressed and practiced upon at St. Thomas’s, was becoming daunted by the task of finding a winning plan for James.

The Trident touched down at Nice at 13:40, and the train journey from Nice to Monte Carlo took them a further twenty minutes. Each member of the Team made his own way to the elegant Hôtel de Paris in the Place du Casino. At 7 P.M. they were all present in room 217.

“All settled into your rooms?”

The other three nodded. “So far, so good,” said Robin. “Right, let’s go over the timing. Jean-Pierre, you will go to the Casino tonight and play a few hands of baccarat and blackjack. Try to acclimatize to the place and learn your way around. In particular, master any variations in the rules there might be from the Claremont, and be sure you never speak in English. Do you foresee any problems?”

“No, can’t say I do, Robin. In fact I may as well go now and start rehearsing.”

“Don’t lose too much of our money,” said Stephen.

Jean-Pierre, resplendent in beard and dinner jacket, grinned and slipped out of room 217 and down the staircase, avoiding the lift. He walked the short distance from the hotel to the famous Casino.

Robin continued:

“James, you take a taxi from the Casino to the hospital. On arrival you will leave the meter running for a few minutes and then return to the Casino. You can normally rely on a taxi to take the shortest route, but to be sure, tell the driver it’s an emergency. That’ll give you the opportunity of seeing which traffic lanes he uses under pressure. When he’s returned you to the Casino, walk the route from there to the hospital and back. Then you can assimilate it in your own time. After you’ve mastered that, repeat the same procedure for the route between the hospital and Harvey’s yacht. Never enter the Casino or even get close enough to the boat to be seen. Being seen now means being recognized later.”

“What about my knowledge of the Casino on the night of the operation?”

“Jean-Pierre will take care of that. He’ll meet you at the door because Stephen won’t be able to leave Harvey. I don’t think they will charge you the 12 franc entrance fee if you’re wearing a white coat and carrying a stretcher, but have it ready to be sure. When you’ve completed the walk, go to your room and stay there until our meeting at 11 A.M. tomorrow. Stephen and I will also be going to the hospital to check that all the arrangements have been carried out as cabled from London. If at any time you see us, ignore us.”

As James left room 217, Jean-Pierre arrived at the Casino.

The Casino stands in the heart of Monte Carlo overlooking the sea, surrounded by the most beautiful gardens. The present building has several wings, the oldest of which was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera House. The gambling rooms, which were added in 1910, are linked by an atrium to the Salle Garnier in which operas and ballets are performed.

Jean-Pierre marched up the marble staircase to the entrance and paid his 12 francs. The gambling rooms are vast, full of the decadence and grandeur of Europe at the turn of the century. Massive red carpets, statues, paintings and tapestries give the building an almost regal appearance and the portraits lend an air of a country home still lived in. Jean-Pierre found the clientele were of all nationalities: Arabs and Jews played next to each other at the roulette wheel and chatted away with an ease that would have been unthinkable at the United Nations. Jean-Pierre felt totally relaxed in the unreal world of the wealthy. Robin had assessed his character accurately and given him a role he could master with aplomb.