The onlookers applauded as the ambassador stepped into the center of the small circle that had been cleared for her. The crowd was a mixture of Romanians, Americans, and attaches from other embassies in Bucharest. There were a few familiar faces, but most of the people were strangers.
Mary looked over the crowd and thought: How can I make a speech? Colonel McKinney was right. I should never have come here. I’m miserable and terrified.
Colonel McKinney was saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present the ambassador from the United States.”
The crowd applauded.
Mary took a deep breath, and began. “Thank you…”
She had been so caught up in the maelstrom of events of the past week that she had not prepared a speech. Some deep wellspring within her gave her the words. She found herself saying, “What we are doing here today may seem a small thing, but it is important, because it is one more bridge between our country and all the countries of Eastern Europe. The new building we are dedicating here today will be filled with information about the United States of America. Here, you will be able to learn about the history of our country, both the good things and the bad things. You will be able to see pictures of our cities and factories and farms…”
Colonel McKinney and his men were moving through the crowd slowly. The note had said, “Enjoy your last day on earth.” When did the killer’s day end? Six P.M.? Nine o’clock? Midnight?
“…but there is something more important for you to find out than what the United States of America looks like. When this new building is finished, you can finally know what America feels like. We are going to show you the spirit of the country.”
On the far side of the square, a car suddenly raced past the police barrier and screamed to a stop at the curb. As a startled policeman moved toward it, the driver jumped out of the car and began running away. As he ran, he pulled a device from his pocket and pressed it. The car exploded, sending out a shower of metal into the crowd. None of it reached the center where Mary was standing, but the spectators began milling around in panic, trying to flee, to get away from the attack. The sniper on the roof raised his rifle and put a bullet through the fleeing man’s heart before he could escape. He shot him twice more to make sure.
It took the Romanian police an hour to clear the crowd away from Alexandra Sahia Square and remove the body of the would-be assassin. The fire department had put out the flames of the burning car. Mary was driven back to the embassy, shaken.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to go to the residence and rest?” Colonel McKinney asked her. “You’ve just been through a horrifying experience that—”
“No,” Mary said stubbornly. “The embassy.”
That was the only place where she could safely talk to Stanton Rogers. I must talk to him soon, Mary thought, or I’ll go to pieces.
The strain of everything that was happening to her was unbearable. She had made sure that Mike Slade was safely out of the way, yet an attempt had still been made on her life. So he was not working alone.
Mary wished desperately that Stanton Rogers would telephone.
At six o’clock, Mike Slade walked into Mary’s office. He was furious.
“I put Corina Socoli in a room upstairs,” he said curtly. “I wish to hell you’d told me who it was I was picking up. You’ve made a big mistake. We have to return her. She’s a national treasure. There’s no way the Romanian government would ever allow her out of the country. If—”
Colonel McKinney hurried into the office. He stopped short as he saw Mike. “We have an identification on the dead man. He’s the Angel, all right. His real name is H. R. de Mendoza.”
Mike was staring at him. “What are you talking about?”
“I forgot,” Colonel McKinney said. “You were away during all the excitement. Didn’t the ambassador tell you someone tried to kill her today?”