"For a ride. I have the general's car outside." He pocketed the gun but kept his hand on the butt, his finger curled around the trigger. "I will not hesitate to kill you if either of you makes the slightest false move. Do you understand?"
The girl and the man nodded as they edged around the desk to the door.
"If anyone asks where you're going, we've been summoned by the general."
The man nodded, and Carter motioned for the door. They all went out. No one challenged them as they went down the corridor and out the back door.
"You can drive," Carter said to the man. "You next to him," he instructed the girl. He wanted them both up front, because he had no idea how they would react if they saw Ziegler's body.
"You're the one who was here last night… setting the explosions," the man said. Carter gave him the keys, and he started the car.
"That's right. Only now you're going to help me finish the job. And if you both behave, you won't get hurt."
"But General Ziegler…" the girl started.
"He's gone. He won't be back," Carter snapped. "Let's go."
The man backed out of the parking area, and Carter directed him further within the compound to the small shed that contained the dynamite. They backed up to the door.
Carter took the keys, and he and the man got out.
"If you run, miss, I'll come after you and kill you. If you stay here and behave yourself, you'll live through this."
"Yes, sir," the frightened woman said.
Carter opened the trunk, and he and the workman loaded it with four boxes of the dynamite. Then they closed the trunk lid.
Back in the car, Carter directed the man back to the construction road, and they headed up the hill to the reactor building.
"You can't do this," the workman said.
"Yes, I can, and I will," Carter said. "Stop the car."
The workman complied. They were still several hundred yards around from the reactor core control support.
"Out. Both of you. And you'd better run like hell away from here, because within a couple of minutes there's going to be one hell of an explosion."
The man and woman leaped out of the car and headed directly across the rock-strewn field as Carter climbed behind the wheel and took off up the hill to the reactor core support.
The big car slewed around in the gravel at the base of the massive concrete support, and Carter jumped out, opened the trunk, and began piling the cases of dynamite against it.
Two guards came around the corner. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" one of them shouted.
Carter pulled out his Luger and fired three shots, both men going down. He stacked the fourth case against the base of the support, then jumped back into the car and raced off down the hill.
The compound siren began to wail as Carter pulled up behind a huge earthmover a hundred yards down from the core support base, jumped out of the car, and hurried around so that he had a clear sight line to the dynamite. From this distance he could barely make out the stacked-up boxes, but he drew out his Luger, got down on one knee, steadied the weapon in the classic shooter's position, and squeezed off the first shot.
A puff of concrete dust rose from the core support a couple of feet above the boxes. He lowered his aim and squeezed off two shots, both low.
Other sirens were wailing now, and the dirt began kicking up around Carter. They were shooting at him.
Oblivious to that, he raised his aim, held his breath, and delicately squeezed off a fourth shot. Almost at the same instant the Luger fired, the dynamite exploded in a tremendous roar. Carter just managed to scramble back behind the huge earthmover when huge chunks of concrete, some of them larger than a car, began raining down from the sky.
He ducked beneath the machine as the hunks of concrete and metal reinforcing rods slammed into the car.
Gradually the debris stopped falling, and Carter scrambled out from beneath the earthmover and climbed back into the incredibly battered car that looked as if it had fallen off a mountain.
It started and drove all right, however, and within seconds he was careening down the road, dodging the larger chunks of fallen concrete, to the main gate, which was half open.
He was racing down the dirt road toward the highway when he spotted the jeep coming his way.
He pressed harder on the accelerator, but as he passed the jeep he caught just a glimpse of Roberta.
He slammed on the brakes, made a skidding U-turn, and started back at the same time the jeep headed toward him.
They stopped together. "Nick! Nick!" Roberta screamed, leaping out of the jeep.
Carter had his Luger at the ready as she fell sobbing into his arms.
"We're friends, Mr. Carter," Ari said.
"He's telling the truth, Nick!" Roberta screamed. "They saved my life."
"We've got a Lear jet on the other side of Reykjavik. I think it'd be wise if we got the hell out of here."
"I'll drive," Carter said, and they all piled into Ziegler's battered Cadillac, Roberta staring down at Ziegler's body.
The western shores of Iceland dropped away as the Lear jet headed up into the perfectly clear blue sky. Paul Ahrens was in the left seat, and Ari Ben Shamonn was in the right. Roberta had gone back into the cabin to rest, while Carter talked with the two Mossad agents.
"You've been following us since Buenos Aires?" Carter was saying.
"On and off. You lost us in Germany."
"And in Washington?"
"We missed you there, too. We were doing our homework. Although we did trace you and the girl to your apartment."
Ari looked at his watch. "We've got a five-hour flight ahead of us. You might want some rest."
"Washington?"
"New York," Paul said. "You'll have to make it the rest of the way on your own, although if you get the chance, and your boss — whoever he is — gives you the go-ahead, we'd like a report."
"I think mat can be arranged."
Ari looked at Carter. "It would have been better if Ziegler had lived to stand trial, but I'm glad it happened the way it did."
"Yeah." Carter said. "Me too."
He turned and went back into the Lear's main cabin. The plastic windowshades had been drawn, and the cabin was in semidarkness. For a moment or two he couldn't see a thing.
"Close the cockpit door, Nick," Roberta called out to him.
He did, and when he turned back he began to make out Roberta's form. She had made up the small bed, and she was lying there, fully clothed.
"Hold me," she said. "Please."
He kicked off his boots and went back to her. It'd be a while before she'd be able to forget what had happened to her. Until then, or at least until the pain eased for her, he'd suck close… very close.