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It was big and square and panelled in polished th of Oriental tapestry hung down froently moved in the breeze as if there was an openbehind it But this seeh up in the walls Perhaps, behind the tapestry, was a balcony looking out over the Golden Horn, whose waves Bond could hear lapping at the walls below In the centre of the right-hand wall hung a gold-fraoni's portrait of the Queen Opposite, also iraph of Winston Churchill looking up fro A broad bookcase stood against one wall and, opposite, a comfortably padded leather settee In the centre of the roo desk winked with polished brass handles On the littered desk were three silver photograph fraht a sideways view of the copperplate script of two Mentions in Dispatches and the Military Division of the OBE

Keriarette He jerked his head back at the piece of tapestry 'Our friends paid me a visit yesterday,' he said casually 'Fixed a limpet bomb on the wall outside Tiood luck, I had taken a fewRuirl who still believes that a e for love The bomb went off at a vital moment I refused to be disturbed, but I fear the experience was too irl When I released her, she had hysterics I'ether too violent' He waved his cigarette holder apologetically 'But it was a rush to get the roolass for the s and my pictures, and the place stinks of paint However' Keriht frown on his face 'What I cannot understand is this sudden breach of the peace We live together very amicably in Istanbul We all have our work to do It is unheard of that ues should suddenly declare war in this way It is quite worrying It can only lead to trouble for our Russian friends I shall be forced to rebuke the man who did it when I have found out his na it has nothing to do with this case of ours'

'But was it necessary toI want is to get you involved in all this Why send the Rolls to the airport? It only ties you in with ent 'My friend, Iwhich you should know We and the Russians and the Americans have a paid man in all the hotels And we have all bribed an official of the Secret police at Headquarters and we receive a carbon copy of the list of all foreigners entering the country every day by air or train or sea Given a few h the Greek frontier But for what purpose? Your existence here has to be known to the other side so that our friend can contact you It is a condition she had laid down that she willPerhaps she does not trust our security Who knows? But she was definite about it and she said, as if I didn't know it, that her centre would ied his broad shoulders 'So why s difficult for her? I as easy and comfortable for you so that you will at least enjoy your stay–even if it is fruitless'

Bond laughed 'I take it all back I'd forgotten the Balkan formula Anyway I'm under your orders here You tell me what to do and I'll do it'

Keri of your comfort, how is your hotel? I was surprised you chose the Palas It is little better than a disorderly house–what the French call a baisodrome And it's quite a haunt of the Russians Not that that matters'

'It's not too bad I just didn't want to stay at the Istanbul-Hilton or one of the other smart places'

'Money?' Kerireen notes 'Here's a thousand Turkish pounds Their real value, and their rate on the black market, is about twenty to the pound The official rate is seven Tell ive you as ame It's muck, anyway Ever since Croesus, the first old coins, money has depreciated And the face of the coin has been debased as fast as its value First the faces of gods were on the coins Then the faces of kings Then of presidents Now there's no face at all Look at this stuff!' Kerim tossed the money over to Bond 'Today it's only paper, with a picture of a public building and the signature of a cashier Muck! The s with it However What else? Cigarettes? Smoke only these I will have a few hundred sent up to your hotel They're the best Diploo to the Ministries and the Eet down to business? Don't worry about your meals and your leisure I will look after both I shall enjoy it and, if you will forgive me, I wish to stay close to you while you are here'

'Nothing else,' said Bond 'Except that you must come over to London one day'

'Never,' said Kerim definitely 'The weather and the women are far too cold And I am proud to have you here It re a bell on his desk 'Do you like your coffee plain or sweet? In Turkey we cannot talk seriously without coffee or raki and it is too early for raki'

'Plain'

The door behind Bond opened Kerim barked an order When the door was shut, Kerim unlocked a drawer and took out a file and put it in front of him He srimly, 'I do not knohat to say about this case'

He leant back in his chair and linked his hands behind his neck 'Has it ever occurred to you that our kind of work is rather like shooting a filot everybody on location and I think I can start turning the handle Then it's the weather, and then it's the actors, and then it's the accidents And there is so of a film Love appears in some shape or form, at the very worst, as it is now, between the two stars Tofactor in this case, and the irl really love her idea of you? Will she love you when she sees you? Will you be able to love her enough to make her come over?'

Bond made no comment There was a knock on the door and the head clerk put a china eggshell, enclosed in gold filigree, in front of each of them and went out Bond sipped his coffee and put it down It was good, but thick with grains Keriarette into his holder and lit it

'But there is nothing we can do about this lovehalf to himself 'We can only wait and see In the ainst the desk and looked across at Bond, his eyes suddenly very hard and shrewd