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out what was going on.'
    'You searched her suitcase?'
    'Yes, if you must know ...'
    'I must know. Please continue.'
    'Found she'd hung up most of her stuff in the wardrobe. In the case I found her handbag with her passport. I took that. Oh, there was also a swimsuit.'
    'Didn't that make you wonder?'
    'Why should it? Most days she'd take a dip in the swimming pool.'
    'She was clever. I'm not sure it was so clever to remove her passport. She'd know you'd searched.'
    "That gave her identity.' Brand took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one. 'I suppose I can smoke in the holy of holies?'
    'You know I don't smoke. Would you be so good as to kill that?'
    Brand savagely stubbed out the cigarette in an ashtray Moloch had produced from his drawer. He made a great performance of it, screwing the cigarette round and round. Moloch leant back in his chair, arms folded.
    'Joel, what happened when the Venetia had anchored outside Falmouth harbour?'
    'I've told you...'
    'Please tell me again. It's important.'
    'It was evening. I was strolling round the deck to make sure everything was shipshape and Bristol fashion. Then I saw her - wearing her swimsuit and poised to dive over the side. I ran forward to stop her but got there too late except I thumped her.'
    "Thumped her, Joel?'
    'Yes, bloody well thumped her on the back with this.' He clenched his huge fist. 'But she was already diving off the deck.'
    'You injured her?'
    'Didn't look like it. She was swimming like a fish towards the shore. I had to run to my cabin to get my rifle. When I got back on deck she was miles away and a mist blurred her. I fired one shot. Don't think I hit. Then the mist closed in round the ship.'
    'You didn't send out powerboats or dinghies after her?'
    'How the hell could I?' Brand blustered. 'That mist was like a fog. We wouldn't have known where to start looking.'
    'You fired a shot?'
    'I just told you.'
    'I think that was unwise. It could have been heard if a small yacht was about. So she must have reached the shore and is now somewhere in Britain. This is very serious. We have one of the most formidable men in the world on our track. Tweed c'

    There was a stunned silence while Brand absorbed what Moloch had said. Eventually the big man reacted.
    'You've told me about this Tweed. How the hell does he come into the picture? You must be wrong.'
    'I'm never wrong.' Moloch smiled without humour. 'I've made it my business to learn about that secretive outfit. People he knows in the States talked to me too much. While you were sailing to Monterey, Tweed's right arm, a woman called Paula Grey, was staying at Spanish Bay. I'm quite certain she wasn't there on holiday. She had been sent by Tweed to nose around about what I was up to.'
    'How can you be sure?' Brand demanded obstinately.
    'Because I check anything which has a whiff of suspicion. While you were crossing the Atlantic I had some of my people from my headquarters near Big Sur trawl around the harbour at Monterey. A first-class woman detective enquired all over the harbour. Eventually she came up with gold.'
    'Gold? What gold?'
    'She played up to a drunken man called Floorstone who had been standing in as harbour master. He told her about meeting an attractive dark-haired English girl. She was very interested in the Venetia when you left Monterey harbour - wanted to know if I was aboard. The detective got a description of her and it fits with descriptions I have of Paula Grey. Also I have another source of information about Grey's stay at Spanish Bay. There's no doubt that Tweed is on our track.'
    'So maybe we should liquidate this Paula Grey. And Tweed.'
    Moloch froze. He leaned forward, his expression grim, his ice-blue eyes glittering.
    'Are you out of your skull? First, these people are world professionals ...'
    'That guy - whoever he is - you call The Accountant could do the job...'
    Moloch said nothing. He stared at Brand, went on staring at Brand, his body motionless. The big man stared back at the