Tweed turned the other key, took out the metal box, opened the lid. Inside he put Kefler's papers and Mark's niched blue book. Sliding it back, he turned his own key, then tried to open it again without using his key. He couldn't. The compartment automatically locked and could not be opened again without use of the master key. Excellent security.
He had also put in the box Lisa's envelope containing the 100,000 DM. He went into the breakfast room. There was quite a party at one table – Paula, Newman, Mark and Lisa. There was laughter, a jolly atmosphere of people enjoying themselves. Lisa wore a sleeveless pale green blouse, a white pleated skirt and trainers.
'Welcome to our working breakfast,' said Paula with a warm smile. 'Did you sleep well?'
'Like a man with no conscience,' Tweed replied as he sat in an empty chair, next to Lisa, facing Paula.
'Oh, come on,' Lisa chaffed him. 'You mean a man with nothing on his conscience.' She cocked her head. 'Or am I wrong?' she continued with a grin.
Tweed ordered his breakfast. Orange juice, coffee, toast and marmalade. He produced the note about the Turin, gave it to her.
'Did you slide this under the door of my room?'
'I damned well did not,' she replied indignantly after a swift perusal. 'What's going on? I had a note slipped under my door, too. Do read it.'
She produced a stiff white envelope, the replica of the one Tweed had received. The message was typed.
Go urgently to the main railway station. Wait in the small cafe. You will be approached by a man wearing a carnation in his buttonhole. Wait until he arrives.
'No signature,' he commented.
'Exactly,' she said. 'I decided not to cooperate. Now I'm wondering if someone was trying to get me out of the way so you couldn't check with me about your note.'
'My conclusion too.'
'Would you excuse me for a few minutes?' she asked. 'I have spilt coffee on my new skirt. Won't take me long to change.'
When she had gone Tweed lowered his voice. First he checked to make sure no one was sitting near them.
'Paula, I said last night I'm ready for war. And I am. The rendezvous at the Turm – or tower – gives us an opportunity to hit back hard. Here is the plan…'
When he had explained it he left them to make a call to the Renaissance. He spoke to Pete Nield, who said Harry Butler had just arrived in his room. His instructions were precise and terse. Arriving back at the table in the breakfast room he found Lisa had returned, wearing another plain white skirt.
'Sorry, I had to make a phone call,' he told her.
'Your orange juice is getting cold,' she said with a grin.
At 11 a.m. the six of them walked down the hotel steps and found the two cream Mercedes Newman had hired waiting for them. Earlier, in the breakfast room, Tweed had brought over Marler from his solitary table in a corner, had introduced him to Lisa.
'I do the odd jobs, like carrying luggage,' Marler had told her.
'I've never seen a porter look so smart,' she had commented with a warm smile as they shook hands.
Marler was wearing a pale linen suit, blue shirt and was sporting a Valentino tie. He grinned at her as he sat down with them.
'The luggage I carry,' he had explained, 'is expensive. So it needs an expensive porter to carry them,' he joked.
'You are making fun of me,' she had replied, then laughed.
On the pavement a uniformed porter opened the rear door of the first Mercedes. Tweed gestured for Lisa to take a rear seat. Paula took Marler by the arm.
'Go on, join her. She likes you.'
'If you say so.'
When the porter had closed the door Paula thanked him, gave him a tip, said they didn't need him any more. Alone with Tweed, she spoke softly.
'You're driving this one? I thought so. Tell me the real purpose of this trip to the Turin.'
'I've already explained it to Newman, who will travel with Mark in the second car behind us.' His expression became grim. 'I have reached the point where I think we should tackle the enemy very roughly. Put as many of them out of action as we can.'
'So you also think, as I do, that this invitation to the Turm is a trap?'
'Yes. We'll turn the trap on them.'
'It's not to do with the bullet they fired at me last night?'
'Partly, yes. But also it's strategy…'
Paula was sitting beside Tweed as he drove off and headed for their destination. In the back Marler was making Lisa laugh again. They had travelled some distance and Tweed had been glancing frequently in his rear-view mirror.
'We have company,' he whispered. 'Two BMWs are following Newman, keeping their distance. I'm sure Bob also has spotted them.'
'What about Harry Butler and Pete Nield?' Paula wondered.
'They were waiting on the other side of the street, across from the hotel – shielded by parked cars. As soon as I drove off they jumped into the back of Bob's Merc.'
'What are you two whispering to each other?' Lisa called out. 'Or is it something rather personal?' she suggested cheerily.
'Coming from you two canoodling in the back that's a real joke,' Paula called back and laughed.
'At least we are behaving ourselves,' Lisa shot back.
'And here,' Tweed said in his normal voice, 'is Fernsehturm. I've seen it before but I don't think you have, Paula.'
She was already staring up out of the window in amazement. Soaring up above them was a thick white needle-like tower, climbing up to an incredible height. Perched at its summit was a wide observation crest, circular like the needle below it. At the very top was a red-and-white signals mast.
'The revolving restaurant is up there,' said Tweed. 'Takes about an hour to complete one revolution – so you're not aware of any movement. I'm parking here, illegally.'
They stepped out of the car on to the pavement and the sun burned down, furnace-like heat even in mid-morning. Marler held out his hand and Tweed gave him the key. Lisa looked at him.
'Aren't you coming with us?'
'No. I'm staying with the car…'
Tweed led the way along a concrete path, crossing trimmed grass and then running round the base of the Turm. His legs were moving like pistons and Paula wondered why he was in such a hurry. Glancing back, she saw Newman's car parked a short distance behind Tweed's. Bob and Mark were standing on the pavement but there was no sign of Harry or Pete. They must be hunched down out of sight in the back she speculated. Why?
After a long walk they reached the entrance. Tweed bought three tickets and the girl receptionist told him a car was just leaving. They entered, had the car to themselves. Paula tensed, prepared for a rocket-like elevation like the one she had experienced in New York – going up the Empire State Building. She was wrong. The car ascended steadily without a blast-off. The girl operator looked at Tweed.
'It was the cafe you wanted?' she said in English.
'It was…'
The doors opened and they walked straight into the cafe, a spacious circular room with viewing windows, an upraised section in the centre with cloth-covered tables. Tweed stepped up, chose a table on the far side. A waitress appeared the moment they were seated and he ordered coffee.
'You take these,' Lisa said, producing a compact pair of binoculars from her shoulder bag. 'They're very powerful.'
'What about you?'
'I have another pair. See.' She looked at Paula. 'We can share.. .'
Tweed left the platform, stepped down on the far side, gazed below, focused the binoculars. Paula and Lisa followed him. Paula drew in breath as she stared down the sheer drop. The two parked Mercedes looked like toys.