by Ray Saunders
Chapter 12
I hung around until it was time to go, then pocketing the gun and the diamonds, I went for the Alpine. It was starting to rain so I put the hood up before I left. Driving along by the lake the clouds hung heavily over the water, and the sky darkened. When I reached the turning, I was ten minutes late, and I slowed as I heard the gravel surface churn beneath the wheels of the little car.
A large Mercedes was parked at the end, and I pulled up before reaching it. The rain had eased to a light shower as I got out and stood by the wing.
A door opened and the Triad got out from the back, pushing Christine before him. As they came towards me, I advanced, and held out the bag of diamonds.
We both stopped about twenty yards from each other, and I waved the bag in front of me.
“Let her go, and I’ll throw you the diamonds,” I shouted.
Then suddenly Christine broke loose and began running towards me. “Look out, Matt, he’s got a gun!” she screamed.
He drew the gun, and as a shot rang out, Christine staggered and fell. He levelled the gun at me and diving sideways, I dropped the diamonds. As I did the bag came open and scattered them all over the gravel.
His shots missed me, and grabbing my Browning, I fired back at him. The first missed but with the second one he clutched his side and faltered, dropping his gun. Another man ran from the car and grabbed him. As he dragged him back to the Merc, Kim and Oscar appeared, and came running towards us. Then the Merc sped away as I ran to help Christine, and Kim joined me as I knelt beside her. Oscar ran back to their cover, and next moment I heard the gravel flying as he sped off in pursuit of the Merc.
I looked down at Christine. “She’s hurt bad,” I said. “We’ll have to get her to a hospital.”
I picked her up and she opened her eyes but couldn’t speak.
“Hold on, kid,” I said. “I’ll get you to hospital. You’ll be all right.”
She tried to say something, but her eyes closed, and I felt her go limp.
“Get in the car Kim,” I panted, as I carried her across. “You’ll have to have her on your lap.”
She was bleeding badly as I lowered her onto Kim. “Try to stem the bleeding,” I told her. There’s a big hospital in Montreux, I’ll take her there.”
I scrambled in. “Hold on tight!” I called across, as I spun the Alpine and headed off at speed.
Reaching the hospital, I lifted Christine out. Kim ran and opened the door, and I carried her through into the foyer. A nurse came and looked at us.
“She’s hurt bad. She’s been shot,” I told her.
Minutes later, Christine was on a trolley and being wheeled into the operating theatre.
We stood and waited, and before long a doctor came along to us.
“We’re operating now,” he said. “If you’ll come with me to my office, I’ll have to take the details.”
I looked at Kim, and for the first time saw that she was covered in blood.
“You go and try to get cleaned up while I take care of this,” I told her.
She looked down. “The poor kid’s lost a lot of blood,” she said.
With that she went off to find the bathroom.
I followed the doctor to his office, and he sat down behind the desk.
“Please take a seat,” he said, beckoning to a chair.
“I’ll need to know what this is all about. Can I first have your name and some personal details.”
I gave them.
“What’s your occupation?”
“I work for the British government,” I told him. “Before I can say any more, I’d like to use your phone to call our consulate in Geneva,” I said.
He agreed to my request and made the connection for me. Handing me the phone, he said, “Go ahead.”
“I need to speak to Steve Price,” I told the girl.
“Who is this?” she asked.
“Bluebells,” I told her.
“One moment, I’ll put you through.”
“Hello, Matt, I’ve hung on thinking that you might call,” he said.
“I can’t go into everything right now, Steve. Christine’s in hospital here in Montreux. She’s been shot.”
“What!”
“Christine’s been shot. She’s hurt bad, and I need you to speak to the doctor here to verify my position and assure him that we’ll take care of everything.”
“I’m not sure I have the authority to do that, Matt, this is getting out of hand.”
“You owe me, Steve, so don’t make me blow the whistle on this operation for the sake of a medical bill. They won’t thank you for that.”
“All right, put him on, and I’ll talk to him,” he said reluctantly.
There followed a conversation between them as the doctor made notes. When they’d finished, he hung up.
He turned to me. “That’s all right,” he said. “Perhaps you’d like to wait here while I go and see what’s happening.”
I waited and looked out of the window at the coming and going along the corridor. After a while Kim came along and I knocked the window to attract her attention.
She came in. “What’s happening?” she asked.
“I’ve phoned Steve, and I think he’s agreed for our lot to take responsibility for Christine’s operation. The doctor’s gone to see how it’s going.”
She nodded. “That’s good.”
I looked at her. “You look better now but you’ll need some new clothes. The blood stains have ruined these,” I said.
She smiled wistfully. “Well, at least they’re replaceable, I’m not harmed in any way.”
We settled down to wait, and sometime later the doctor returned with a surgeon.
“This is Bruno Muller,” he said, introducing us. “Mr Muller is our leading surgeon.” We all shook hands.
“How is she?” I asked him.
“I’ve removed the bullet. She’s a lucky young woman, it only missed her spine by a few millimetres. It could have completely paralysed her.”
“Will she be, okay?”
“Well, she’s young and strong but she’s lost a lot of blood. We’ve given her a blood transfusion, and she’s responding well. I believe that given time she should make a complete recovery.”
“That’s good news. Can I see her?” I asked him.
He looked at his watch. “She’s still drowsy but if you don’t mind waiting, I’ll let you see her when we’ve got her comfortably settled,” he said.
He left us, and I turned to Kim. “You don’t mind waiting, do you? I’d like to make sure she’s okay before we leave.”
“No, of course. Let’s go and see if we can get some coffee,” Kim said.
When it was time to see her, the nurse took us to her room. She was propped up in bed with drips and tubes hanging around her.
“Hello, Christine,” I said. “The doctors say that you’re going to be fine.”
She was very pale and looked even more like a little girl.
“Hello, Matt,” she said weakly. “I’m sorry about this.”
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for, kid, just get some rest, and don’t worry about a thing. It’s all taken care of, and everything will be fine.”
She smiled weakly. “I know you’ll take care of me, Matt.” With that her eyes closed.
The nurse came, bent over, and checked her.
“She’s sleeping now. I think you should leave her to rest,” she said.
We left and drove back to Vevey. I parked the Alpine, and we entered the hotel.
“I need a drink,” I said.
“Me too,” Kim replied. “But first I must go and change.”
“Yes, I’d better freshen up too,” I said.
That done we went down to the bar, and I ordered two brandies.
I looked at Kim. “Now this is over, perhaps we can relax and spend some time together,” I said.
“I’d like to, Matt, but now that I’ve involved Oscar, I should go back home to South Africa and try to e
xplain what’s happened. Let’s just relax and enjoy tonight. We can talk about it in the morning.”
I nodded my reluctant agreement. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” I said.
Kim stood up. “Me too, let’s go and see what’s on offer.”
She went off, and I ordered two more brandies then went to find her.
“Over here!” she called, and I went over to her seated in the corner of the restaurant.
It was almost empty with just a few tables occupied.
“I thought we’d sit here, it’s more private,” she said.
The waiter came over with the menus. “We are out of the fried chicken, but everything else is on,” he said.
“Do you have your special fish dish?” Kim asked him.
“Of course, madam, would you care to order that?”
“Yes, please.”
He turned to me. “And for you, sir?”
“I’ll have the same, and I’d like a bottle of Fondant as well, please.”
He wrote down our order. “I’ll bring you the wine right away, but the meal will take a short while.”
“That’s fine,” I told him.
We sipped our brandies, and I looked at her and thought how beautiful she looked despite our adventure.
“I can see you’re lost in thought again,” she said.
“I was just thinking how much I love you, and how wonderful our life could be together.”
“There goes that old romantic again,” she teased me.
“I’m serious, Kim, I don’t want to lose you again.”
“I’ve said that we’ll talk about it tomorrow, Matt. Now drink your brandy and enjoy this evening.”
The meal came, and we had just finished when Oscar came in and came to the table.
“Can I get you something?” I asked him.
“No thanks, I’ve eaten, but I’d like a drink.”
I ordered another bottle.
“What happened after you chased off?” I asked him.
“You don’t need to worry about the Triads again,” he said.
“Why’s that?”
“Well, when they hit the main road, they turned along towards the French border. I chased after them at speed, and when I was near enough, I fired some shots, but I couldn’t see if I’d hit them. Then as we came to the lakeside, the road went into a series of tight bends, and I saw their car begin to weave about. The next thing they overshot the bend, and the car crashed through the barrier and plunged into the lake. I hung around for a while but there was no sign of them surfacing.”
“That’s a result,” I said. “I owe you one.”
He went on. “Then I went back to the slip road to look for the diamonds that I saw you scatter.”
“It wasn’t intentional,” I told him. “Did you find them?”
“No, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. What with the gravel, and it was raining hard, so I had to give it up.”
I could not help laughing. “Well, it’s no great loss, they weren’t ours anyway,” I joked.
“I intend going back in the morning. They must be there somewhere,” he replied.
“Good luck with that. I wish you well,” I said.
We finished the bottle, and he got up to leave.
“Will you be here tomorrow?” he asked me.
“I hope to be,” I said.
“Good, then I might see you before I go back to Bern.” He turned to Kim. “I’ll be in touch with you,” he told her.
We shook hands and said goodbye.
I looked at Kim “I don’t feel a bit tired,” I said. “It must be the adrenalin. Shall we go back to the bar?”
She nodded and giggled. “Are you trying to get me drunk so that you can take advantage of me?”
“It never crossed my mind. But now you come to mention it, that’s not a bad idea,” I joked.
We both laughed as we walked to the bar.
***
Later we returned to our rooms, and once inside I kissed her, and we fell back against the wall. I began caressing her, kissing her neck, and running my lips back across her cheek to find her lips again.
“Not like this, Matt, let’s get into bed.”
We began undressing each other as lovers do, and shortly afterwards we were entwined in passionate love making. It lasted a long time as we continued to repeat each sensation, fusing our bodies in different positions, some the usual ones, and some newly discovered.
When we relaxed and fell apart, we both laid holding hands.
After a while Kim turned to me. “I wish this night would last forever I feel so contented,” she whispered.
“There’s no reason that the rest of our lives can’t be like this,” I said.
“I know that you think that but it’s probably too good to be true,” she answered.
“Well, remember that film, The Wizard of Oz. If you wish hard enough it’s bound to come true,” I said.
“That’s just a film about somewhere over the rainbow. Real life isn’t like that.”
“You have to believe in it, and make it come true. It’s no good just wishing,” I persisted.
“Perhaps you’re right,” she answered.
We fell silent for a while. Then she said, “It’s a pity about the diamonds. Do you think that Oscar will find them?”
I laughed. “I shouldn’t think so, and if he does, they won’t do him much good.”
“What do you mean?”
I got up and crossed to the wardrobe. Taking out a large brown envelope, I went back and emptied it onto the bed. The diamonds fell in a heap on the mattress.
Kim gasped. “Are they the diamonds?”
I laughed. “That’s right,” I said, “every one of them.”
“How is that?” she exclaimed.
“Well, while you and Oscar went off to case out the rendezvous, I spent the time breaking up a crystal bowl into look alike pieces. I thought they would fool them long enough for me to get Christine back.”
“Well, you old son of a bitch!” she exclaimed.
“Not so much of the old,” I chuckled.
We sat talking for a while, then I put them back in the wardrobe. Returning to bed I put out the light, and we settled down for the night.
Chapter 13
I came out of my sleep and reached across for Kim. She was not there, and I thought that she had gone for a shower. I rose and crossed to the window. It was a lovely day, and I began to think of what we might do. There was no sound from the bathroom, so I checked. She was not there, and checking her room, her bed hadn’t been slept in. Puzzled, I cast around, and to my surprise all her things had gone.
Maybe she had gone to breakfast, I thought, then dismissed the thought as she would not have taken all her things.
I felt alarmed, as I wondered what could have happened to her. After quickly showering I dressed and went down to reception.
“Have you seen Miss Summers?” I asked the clerk.
“She checked out earlier, sir,” he said.
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No, sir, but she did leave a message for you.”
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s rather strange, but she said to tell you to keep chasing that rainbow.”
I stood for a while trying to take it in and resisting the fact that she had left me again.
“Thanks,” I said and returned to my room.
Why would she run out on me again after all we had been through together? I felt sure she had been honest about her feelings towards me.
Another thought occurred to me, and I went to the wardrobe.
The diamonds had gone.
So that was it, she had taken them so she could square herself with Oscar and her operatives. It made sense but did not explain why she had left without explaining it to me.
I would have given her the diamonds anyway, and she must have believed that.
Another thought crossed my mind. Perhaps she thou
ght that my involvement with Christine was a sign that I thought more of her than I had admitted. She had questioned me about it, and maybe I had shown too much concern for the kid.
Then there was Oscar. She had obviously known him before our recent escapade, so maybe they were involved together in more than just friendship?
It left me feeling both grief and anger, at the thought that the time we had together seemed after all to have meant nothing to her. Oh well, that was life, I guessed. They say that love never does run smoothly.
There was nothing I could do there, so I packed and left, collected the Alpine and drove to Geneva. Arriving at the consulate, I asked to see Steve. They said he was free, so I went to his office.
“Morning, Matt, I was expecting to see you. What exactly happened yesterday?”
I told him the story but left out about Kim and Oscar and told him that the Triads had got away with the diamonds.
“Well, it’s a pity about that but it’s finished now, and your job here is done. London are pleased that we persuaded Zola Peterson to accept our offer, and at least you came out of it unscathed.”
He didn’t know how I felt about losing Kim, but I wasn’t about to tell him.
“Yes, all in all it went pretty well I guess,” I replied. “What about Christine, what’s going to happen with her?” I asked him.
“I’ve been on to London, and they feel we’ve gained an important scientist, and are willing to overlook her mistake. They have authorised me to pay for her operation, and her stay in hospital. I’ve informed the hospital that we will pick up the costs.”
“That’s good,” I told him. “What happens when she leaves hospital?”
“They suggest that it’s in our interest to see she doesn’t return to England in case this leaks out, and I’m offering her a job here in the consulate.”
“That’s fine,” I said.
“I want you to go and see her, Matt, and convince her it’s for her own good to accept our offer.”
“It’ll be a pleasure,” I told him.
“When you’ve done that, come back here as there’s another job for you to do.”
That was not good news. “I thought that I would be going back to England?” I queried.
