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Kerihed abruptly

'If it was me, my friend, I would slip off the train at Salonica–with the h that is not so iet on the next plane for London But I was not brought up ''to be a sport''' Keriame to aaiven you a free hand He also wants to know the answer to this riddle So be it But I like to play safe, to make certain, to leave as little as possible to chance You think the odds look right, that they are in your favour?' Darko Kerim turned and faced Bond His voice becae hand on Bond's shoulder 'This is a billiard table An easy, flat, green billiard table And you have hit your white ball and it is travelling easily and quietly towards the red The pocket is alongside Fatally, inevitably, you are going to hit the red and the red is going into that pocket It is the law of the billiard table, the law of the billiard roos, a jet pilot has fainted and his plane is diving straight at that billiard roo is about to strike And the building collapses on top of you and on top of the billiard table Then what has happened to that white ball that could not miss the red ball, and to the red ball that could notto the laws of the billiard table But the laws of the billiard table are not the only laws, and the laws governing the progress of this train, and of you to your destination, are also not the only laws in this particular gaue with a shrug of the shoulders 'You already know these things, etically 'And I have irl up and ill go and eat But watch for surprises, I beg of you' He er over the centre of his coat 'I do not crosstoo serious But I cross my stomach, which is an important oath for ipsy said to watch out Now I say the saaainst the world outside the billiard room My nose,' he tapped it, 'tells nant noise like a forgotten telephone receiver with an angry caller on the other end 'There,' he said solicitously 'What did I say? We o and eat'

They finished their dinner as the train pulled into the hideousthe heavy little bag, they went back down the train and parted for the night 'We shall soon be disturbed again,' warned Kerim 'There is the frontier at one o'clock The Greeks will be no trouble, but those Yugoslavs like waking up anyone who is travelling soft If they annoy you, send for me Even in their country there are some names I can e I have it to myself Tomorroill move into our friend Goldfarb's bed in No 12 For the ti, the first-class is an adequate stable'

Bond dozed wakefully as the train laboured up the oslavia Tatiana again slept with her head in his lap He thought of what Darko had said He wondered if he should not send the big rade It was not fair to drag him across Europe on an adventure that was outside his territory and hich he had little sympathy Darko obviously suspected that Bond had beco the operation straight any rain of truth in that It would certainly be safer to get off the train and take another route home But, Bond ad away from this plot, if it was a plot If it wasn't, he equally couldn't bear the idea of sacrificing the three more days with Tatiana And M had left the decision to hiah Perversely, M too wanted to see what this whole rigmarole was about Bond disain, why panic?

Ten minutes after they had arrived at the Greek frontier station of Idoirl Bond slipped from under her head He put his ear to the door 'Yes?'

'Le conducteur, Monsieur There has been an accident Your friend Kerim Bey'

'Wait,' said Bond fiercely He fitted the Beretta into its holster and put on his coat He tore open the door

'What is it?'

The conductor's face was yellow under the corridor light 'Come' He ran down the corridor towards the first-class

Officials were clustered round the open door of the second co

The conductor made a path for Bond Bond reached the door and looked in

The hair stirred softly on his head Along the right-hand seat were two bodies They were frozen in a ghastly death-struggle that ht have been posed for a film

Underneath was Kerim, his knees up in a last effort to rise The taped hilt of a dagger protruded froular vein His head was thrust back and the eht The mouth was contorted into a snarl A thin trickle of blood ran down the chin

Half on top of him sprawled the heavy body of the MGB man called Benz, locked there by Kerim's left arm round his neck Bond could see a corner of the Stalin ht arm lay across the man's back, almost casually The hand ended in a closed fist and the knob of a knife-hilt, and there was a wide stain on the coat under the hand

Bond listened to his i Darko, the h the door, the two steps forward and the swift stroke at the jugular Then the last violent spas up an ared the knife doards the fifth rib

This wonderful uished, totally dead

Bond turned brusquely and walked out of sight of the an, carefully, non-committally, to answer questions

Chapter Twenty-Four

Out of Danger?

The Orient Express stearade at three o'clock in the afternoon, half an hour late There would be an eight hours' delay while the other section of the train caaria Bond looked out at the crowds and waited for the knock on the door that would be Kerim's man Tatiana sat huddled in her sable coat beside the door, watching Bond, wondering if he would come back to her