I nodded. My voice had disappeared somewhere.
“Bernard Dreyfus was suddenly a very frightened man,” Chambrun said. His smile was grim. “He remembered me from the black days of the Resistance. When I threatened to cut out his heart, he believed me. We managed to nab Gallivan just as he was leaving the hotel by way of the kitchens. Once the harpoon was in him, the floodgates of confession opened wide. You know about his dealings with former Nazis, Mark?”
Again I nodded.
“I suppose Miss Morse would tell you,” Chambrun said. He turned to the Captain. “So far as I know, Pappas, you’ve not yet harmed anyone. Just taken orders. If you choose to be a cooperative witness against Gallivan, it’s just possible we might forget a kidnapping charge against you.”
Pappas looked wilted. “Where do you want me to take you, sir?”
“Back to your Seventy-Third Street mooring,” Chambrun said. He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “What was it Gallivan said to you, Mark? ‘Sooner or later, no matter how decent his intentions, man is corrupted by his private sickness—drink, drugs, sexual deviation.’ He left out his own private sickness in that catalogue—a lust for power. He had been a good friend to Nikos, a sound financial adviser. But his lust for power did him in. Schwartzkopf took him to the mountaintop and showed him the whole world. He knew how Nikos would react, and so—” Chambrun shrugged. “I think you should find your Miss Morse and tell her she can put away her track shoes. Gallivan’s chasing days are over.”
I turned to go.
“Oh, an unrelated fact, Mark,” Chambrun said. “There was a cable for you. It seems your girl Shelda couldn’t wait another ten days to tell you how she feels. She arrives at Kennedy in the morning.” He chuckled. “The world is full of choices, friend. Yours seem rather delectable to a middle-aged hotel manager.”
He turned to the rail to watch the Coast Guard cutter coming up the North River.
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copyright © 1969 by Judson Philips
cover design by Julianna Lee
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Contents
Part One
1
2
3
Part Two
1
2
3
Part Three
1
2
Copyright