“No. He’s been trying to get me out of Romania from the very beginning.”
Stanton Rogers said crisply, “All right. I’m going to inform the President. We’ll handle Slade. In the meantime, I’ll arrange extra protection for you there.”
“Stan—Sunday night I’m giving a Fourth of July party at the residence. The guests have already been invited. Do you think I should cancel it?”
There was a thoughtful silence. “As a matter of fact, the party might be a good idea. Keep a lot of people around you. Mary—I don’t want to frighten you any more than you already are, but I would suggest that you not let the children out of your sight. Not for a minute. Slade might try to get at you through them.”
She felt a shudder go through her. “What’s behind all this? Why is he doing this?”
“I wish I knew. It makes no sense. But I’m damned well going to find out. In the meantime, keep as far away from him as you possibly can.”
Mary said grimly, “Don’t worry. I will.”
“I’ll be in touch with you.”
When Mary hung up, it was as though an enormous burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Everything’s going to be all right, she told herself. The children and I are going to be fine.
Eddie Maltz answered on the first ring. The conversation lasted for ten minutes.
“I’ll make sure everything is there,” Eddie Maltz promised.
Angel hung up.
Eddie Maltz thought: I wonder what the hell Angel needs all that stuff for. He looked at his watch. Forty-eight hours to go.
The moment Stanton Rogers finished talking to Mary, he placed an emergency call to Colonel McKinney.
“Bill, Stanton Rogers.”
“Yes, sir. What can I do for you?”
“I want you to pick up Mike Slade. Hold him in close custody until you hear from me.”
When the colonel spoke, there was an incredulous note in his voice. “Mike Slade?”
“I want him held and isolated. He’s probably armed and dangerous. Don’t let him talk to anyone.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I want you to call me back at the White House as soon as you have him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Stanton Rogers’s phone rang two hours later. He snatched up the receiver. “Hello?”
“It’s Colonel McKinney, Mr. Rogers.”
“Do you have Slade?”
“No, sir. There’s a problem.”
“What problem?”
“Mike Slade has disappeared.”
29
Sofia, Bulgaria—Saturday, July 3
In a small, nondescript building on Prezviter Kozma 32, a discrete group of Eastern Committee members was meeting. Seated around the table were powerful representatives from Russia, China, Czechoslovakia, Pakistan, India, and Malaysia.
The chairman was speaking: “We welcome our brothers and sisters on the Eastern Committee who have joined us today. I am happy to tell you that we have excellent news from the Committee. Everything is now in place.
“The final phase of our plan is about to be successfully concluded. It will happen tomorrow night at the American ambassador’s residence in Bucharest. Arrangements have been made for international press and television coverage.”
Code name Kali spoke. “The American ambassador and her two children—?”
“Will be assassinated, along with a hundred or so other Americans. We are all aware of the grave risks and the holocaust that may follow. It is time to put the motion to a vote.” He started at the far end of the table. “Brahma?”
“Yes.”
“Vishnu?”
“Yes.”
“Ganesha?”
“Yes.”
“Yama?”
“Yes.”
“Indra?”
“Yes.”
“Krishna?”
“Yes.”
“Rama?”
“Yes.”
“Kali?”
“Yes.”
“It is unanimous,” the chairman declared. “We owe a particular vote of thanks to the person who has helped so much to bring this about.” He turned to the American.
“My pleasure,” Mike Slade said.
The decorations for the Fourth of July party were flown into Bucharest on a C-120 Hercules late Saturday afternoon and trucked directly to a United States government warehouse. The cargo consisted of 1,000 red, white, and blue balloons, packed in flat boxes, 3 steel cylinders of helium to blow up the balloons, 250 rolls of confetti, party favors, noise-makers, a dozen banners, and 6 dozen miniature American flags. The cargo was unloaded in the warehouse at eight P.M. Two hours later, a jeep arrived with two oxygen cylinders stamped with U.S. Army markings. The driver placed them inside.