you had he would have regaled you with tales of
Mom during the war, but he would have choked at
the mention of my aunt. Even according to the
French she went too far. The Dutch and German
undergrounds worked together. I’ll tell you all about
it later.”
“You’ll tell me later? Following us?”
488 ROBERT LUDLUM
“You’re new at this. You won’t see them.”
“Shit!”
“That’s expressive.”
“All right, all right! . . . What about Dad?”
“He’s weathering it. He’s staying at my place.”
“Cape Ann?”
“Yes. ”
“I sent the envelope there! The ‘sketches’ I
mentioned on the phone. It’s i verything! Everything
about what’s happened. It names the names, gives
the reasons. Everything!”
“I left three days ago. It hadn’t arrived by then.
But Roger’s there.” Valerie s face paled. “Oh, my
God!”
“What?”
“I’ve been trying to call him! Two days ago, then
yesterday and again today!”
“Coddamn it!” In the distance there were the
lights of a bay-front cafe. Joe} spoke rapidly, giving
an order that could not be disobeyed. “I don’t care
how you do it, but you call Cape Ann! You come
back here and tell me my father’s all right, do you
understand?”
“Yes. Because I want to hear it, too.”
Converse skidded to a stop in front of the cafe,
knowing he should not have done so, but not caring.
Valerie rushed out of the car, her purse open, her
telephone credit card in her hand. If there was a
phone on the premises, she would use it; no one
could stop her. Joel lit a cigarette; the smoke was
acrid, stinging his throat; it was no relief. He stared
out at the dark water, at the lights spanning the
bridge in the distance trying not to think. It was no
use. What had he done? His father knew his
handwriting, and the instant he recognized it he
would rip open the envelope. He would be looking
for exculpation for his son and he would find it. He
would undoubtedly call Nathan Simon
immediately and therein was the horrible
possibility. Val would know enough from the mate-
rial itself to say little or nothing on the phone, but
not his father, not Roger. He would blurt out
everything in a frenzy of anger and defense of his
son. And if others were listening on that line….
Where was Val? She was taking too long!
Converse could not stop himself. He cracked the
handle of the door and leaped out of the car. He
raced toward the entrance of the cafe, then stopped
abruptly on the gravel. Valerie walked out, gesturing
for him to back away. He could see the tears rolling
down her cheeks.
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 489
‘Get in the car,” she said, approaching him.
“No. Tell me what happened. Now.”
“Please, Joel, get back in the car. Two men in
there kept watching me while I was on the phone. I
spoke Cerman, but they knew I was placing a call to
the States, and they saw I was upset. I think they
recognizedme. We have to get out of here.”
“Tell me what happened!”
“In the car.” Valerie tossed her head to the side,
her dark hair flying over her shoulder as she brushed
away her tears, and walked past Converse to the
automobile. She opened the door and got in, sitting
motionless in the seat.
“Goddamn you!” Trembling, Converse ran to
the car, jumped in behind the wheel and started the
engine, slamming the door shut as he pulled on the
gearshift. Turning the wheel, he backed up, then shot
forward into the road, the tires spinning on the
border of gravel. He kept his foot on the accelerator
until the dark scenery outside was a racing blur.
“Slow down,” said Val simply, without emphasis.
“You’ll only call attention to us.”
He could barely hear her through his panic, but
he heard the order. He eased his foot off the pedal.
‘He’s dead, isn’t he?”
‘ Yes.”
‘ Oh, Christ! What happened? What did they
tell you? Whom did you talk to?”
“A neighbor, the name’s not important. We have
keys to each other’s house. She volunteered to take
in the newspapers and check the place until the
police reached me. She happened to be there when
I called. I asked her if there was a large envelope
sent from Germany in the pile of mail. She said
there wasn’t.”
‘The police? What happened?”
“You know my house is on the beach. There’s a
jetty of rocks about a hundred yards up-water. It’s
not large or long really, just some kind of marking
from years ago ”
“Tell me!” shouted Joel, gripping the wheel.
“They say he must have gone for a walk last
night, went out on the jetty and slipped on the wet
rocks. There was a large bruise on his head. His
body was washed up onshore and found this
morning.”
“Lies! Lies! They heard him! They went after
himI”
490 ROBERT LUDLUM
“My telephone? On the plane over here I
thought about that. ‘
“You would, he wouldn’t! I killed him. Goddamn
it, I killed him!”
‘ No more than I did,Joel,” insisted the ex-Mrs.
Converse, touching his arm, wincing at the sight of
tears in his eyes. ‘ And I loved him very much. You
and I left each other, but he was still a very ~ lose
friend, perhaps my closest.”
“He called you ‘Valley,'” said Joel, choking,
trying to push back the pain. “The bastards!
Bastards!”
“Do you want me to drive?”
“No!”
“The telephone I have to ask you I thought the
police or the FBI or people like that might get a
court order.’
“Of course they would! It s why I knew I couldn
t call you. I was going to call Nate Simon.”
“But you’re not talking about the police or the
FBI. You’re talking about someone else, some thing
else.”
“Yes. No one knows who they are where they
are. But they’re there. And they can do whatever
they want to do. Jesusl Even Dad! That’s what’s so
goddamned frightening.”
“And that s what you re going to tell me about,
isn t it?” said Valerie, gripping his arm.
“Yes. A few minutes ago I was going to hold
back and not tell you everything, instead try to
convince you to get Nate to fly over here so we
could meet and he could see I wasn’t crazy. But not
now. There’s no time now; they’re cutting off every
outlet. They’ve got the envelope it was all I had!
. . . I’m sorry, Val, but I am going to tell you
everything. I wish to God I didn t have to for your
sake but like you, I don’t have a choice anymore.”
“I didn’t come over here to give you a choice.
He drove into the field near the water’s edge
and stopped the car. The grass was high, the moon
a bright crescent over the bay, the lights of
Amsterdam in the distance. They got out and he led
her to the darkest spot he could find, holding her
hand, suddenly realizir g that he had not held her
hand in years the touch, the gyp, so comfortable,
so much a part of them. He repelled the thought; he
was a provider of death.
“Here, I guess,” he said, releasing her hand.
“All right.” She lowered herself gracefully, like a
dancer,
THE AQUITAINE PROGRESSION 491
and sat down on the soft grass, pushing the reeds
aside. ‘How do you feel?” she asked.
‘Awful,” said Joel, looking up at the dark sky. “I
meant what I said. I killed him. All the years of
trying his trying, my trying and I end up killing
him. If I’d only let him alone, let him be himself, not
someone I wanted him to be, he’d probably be
drinking up a storm somewhere thousands of miles
away, telling his crazy stories, making everyone
laugh. But not in your house at Cape Ann
yesterday.”
“You didn’t force him to fly back from Hong Kong,
Joel. ‘
“Oh, hell, not by pleading or giving him an order,
if that’s what you mean. But the order was there
nevertheless. After Mother died it was the unspoken
words between us. ‘Grow up, Dad! Have your little
trips but don’t stay away so long people worry. Be
responsible, father mine.’ Christ, I was so fucking
holier than thou! And I end up killing him.”
“You didn’t kill him! Others did! Now, tell me
about them.”
Converse swallowed, brushing the tears from his
eyes. “Yes, you’re right there isn’t time, even for
old Roger.”
“There’ll be time later.”
“If there’s a later,” said Joel, breathing deeply,
finding control. “You know about Rene, don’t you?”
“Yes, I read about it yesterday. I was sick…. Larry
Talbot told me that you saw him in Paris. How even
Rene thought you were disturbed, as Larry did when