No Mercy (27 page)

As they emerged into the open, Paula saw larger waves
than she had expected. Tweed was gripping a handrail,
peering over the steel sheet. He seemed to be in his element despite the swaying movements of the
Capulet.
He grabbed
a sou'wester hat from a deep shelf, clapped it on his head.
Spray was now spattering them on the bridge as the vessel
plunged down the far side of a wave. Tweed took off his
horn-rimmed glasses, tucked them in his suit pocket under
the oilskin. As on earlier occasions he found he could see
just as well without them. Sometimes he wondered why he
bothered with them. Fumbling in a pocket, he found his
monocular. Cardon had increased speed and they were
racing away from the mainland.

Looking back, Paula was enthralled by the view. Now she could clearly see that vast limestone amphitheatre enclosing
the city from a distance. The sun's glare was reflecting off
the limestone so strongly she blinked. A panoramic sight she
would never forget.

'I'm picking up speed.' Cardon explained, 'because it
occurred to me the
Oran
may arrive at Oiseaux earlier - to get under cover of the island.'

'We must expect trouble when we're close to the gulch on
this side,' Marler warned. 'They're bound to guard the only
other landing place. If possible, we should avoid the sound
of shooting,' he told Butler and Nield, who had joined them.
'Leave it to me if you can.'

'So they won't hear you,' Harry said sarcastically.

Marler showed him the Armalite. Paula had noticed that
the barrel seemed longer than she remembered it. Marler tapped the tip of the weapon.

'This is an advanced silencer invented by the boffins down
in Park Crescent's basement. I brought it with me through
the Waterloo checkpoint. As I'd hoped, wrapped in a special
material it wasn't picked up by a metal detector. So, if it
works, leave the killing to me.'

Paula was gazing at the He du Chateau d'If as they passed
a good way to its north. A brutal-looking rock — just the
place to keep Alexandre Dumas's captive hidden for years. Beyond it the lie des Oiseaux came into view, its triangular shape now clearly visible. Tweed was staring through his
monocular at the approaching gulch.

Cardon had slowed down, to make less noise. They were
close in now and the savage narrow gulch was clearly visible
with the naked eye. Tweed studied it with his monocular
from the flat base projecting into the sea up its twisting
climb.

'No sign of life,' he reported. 'Some convenient
limestone chunks at intervals which could be used as firing
platforms.'

'I saw them from when we were at the Notre-Dame
viewing point,' Paula recalled. 'Let's hope
the brigands aren't
waiting for us behind them.'

Tension was rising aboard the vessel. No one showed it
outwardly but Paula could sense it. Cardon had explained
the vessel would have to be moored to the rock platform
with huge hooks he'd had attached to another set of mooring
lines.

Harry leaped ashore with one rope while Marler, at the prow, took another hooked rope. Rusty rings sunk into the
platform were used to secure the
Capulet.

'Proceed with great caution,' Tweed warned before
jumping on to the platform, gripping his Walther.

It seemed strangely still and silent on the little-used
platform, an atmosphere Tweed didn't like. Crouching low,
he darted into the entrance to the gulch with Marler, looking up. He kept moving with the others at his heels. The surface
of the gulch was an ankle-breaker. Small rocks scattered
everywhere as the walls closed round them. Still no sound,
no sign of life.

Marler was in front now while Tweed followed with Paula
by his side. Arriving at a massive chunk of limestone as big
as a small house, Marler peered round it. All he saw was the
steep incline of the gulch climbing above him. He began to
move faster, Armalite held at the ready.

They negotiated a stretch of path no wider than passage
for one person at a time, past another massive limestone chunk. Marler paused frequently to listen, to stare up. The
only sound was the lap of the waves against the platform way
below them now.

They reached the summit suddenly - so unexpectedly that
Marler dipped his head. Tweed and Paula peered over the edge. They were stunned by what they saw below beyond the edge of the summit sloping steeply downwards.

'It's been and gone!' exclaimed Paula.

'They came in more quickly than I'd thought possible.'
said Garden, who had followed them up, risking leaving the
Capulet
unattended. 'And they've dumped their cargo.
Why?'

They had a clear view of the landing platform at the edge of the sea. It was littered with large bales, some burst open,
spilling their contents. Tweed was using his monocular to scan the
Oran.
The large freighter was broadside on as it
headed out to the open sea.

'That ship has a large square dent near the prow on the port side,' he observed. 'Must at some time have slammed
into a harbour wall. It also has a lot of Arabs on deck - far
more than I would have thought were needed to crew the
vessel.'

'But why dump their cargo?' Cardon persisted. 'It looks
like fibrous materials used in Muslim food mixed with other
ingredients.'

'Taken aboard at Algiers to give it a legitimate reason for
sailing,' Tweed told him. 'I suspect its real purpose is to
collect something else from another destination. Paula, see
the large wheeled landing stage shoved off the edge. Visible
because the water is so clear.'

A strong breeze was increasing in strength. Waves washed
over the platform, sweeping the bales back into the sea. Tweed pocketed his monocular, turned to Cardon.

'I want us to get back to your launch fast. We need to
shadow the
Oran
for a distance. I want to know which
course she takes when she gets out into the main channel.'

'I suggest we get back very fast,' Paula warned. 'They've
left guards behind on this island.'

All eyes turned to where she was staring. Six Arabs armed
with automatic weapons had appeared a distance away to
their left. They were hurrying towards Tweed's team.
Garden rapped out an order.
'Run like hell for the gulch.
We've got to get down to my launch and away from here
pretty damned quick.'

Harry, carrying his Sten, led the way, his short legs
working like pistons as he disappeared down the gulch.
Tweed followed him with the others at his heels.
Scrambling down the large crevice was harder than climbing
it. Their feet slithered on small limestone chips. Marler
stayed behind as Paula passed him. Nield was ahead of her and they'd both lost sight of Cardon, who was darting down
the gulch like a fox running after hounds. Marler was now
lying full length on the ground behind a small rock.

The six Arabs had divided up into two sections with three
men in each. They were moving faster than anyone had
expected. Marler aimed his Armalite at the right-hand, near section. He fired three times rapidly. Three shots, and three
Arabs sagged to the ground. The second section had located
him. Machine-gun bullets spat up alarmingly close to him.

He jumped up, ran, disappeared down inside the gulch.
He was moving so fast he failed to notice Paula had slipped,
turning an ankle behind a massive limestone rock. She was
on her own now.

Paula peered round the side of the limestone block, which
gave her a view of the lower gulch. The team was spread out
in a line at a point where the narrow path ran straight. She
heard the crunch of boots coming down from above.

Three huge Arabs hugging machine pistols were moving
fast down the gulch. They only had to pass her rock,
continue a short distance, then they could stand and aim a
lethal fusillade, killing every member of her team.

She reached inside her shoulder bag and extracted the
'egg' given to her by Harry. A grenade of great explosive power, she felt sure. Her crawl behind the rock had covered
her from head to foot in limestone dust. She realized she
merged with the ground she was lying on. Her ankle was
half-killing her. She gritted her teeth, gripping the grenade.

The tallest of the three Arabs gave an order in Arabic. She
didn't understand a word. But she understood the act of the
three levelling their weapons, barrels aimed downwards. It
was going to be a slaughter.

She pressed the red button, as instructed by Harry. With
an agonizing effort, she eased herself round the rock, saw the
three Arabs standing still, machine pistols aimed at their
target. The whole team. She lobbed the grenade, saw it land
at the heels of the tall Arab. She jerked her head back.

The explosion, penned inside the gulch walls, was
deafening. A round ball-like object, covered in blood, shot
up the gulch past her rock. It was the head of the tallest Arab. Peering round again, she saw a horrible mess of
shattered bodies. Easing herself back behind the rock, she
extracted a water bottle and her scarf from the shoulder bag.
After soaking the cloth in water, she stuffed it down inside
her boot. The relief was indescribable. Hauling herself
upright, she found she could walk. She hobbled down the
gulch, past the shattered Arab bodies, continued on down
until she reached the platform where the launch was
tethered.

'Where's Paula, for God's sake?' Tweed was shouting.

'Bloody Paula is here,' she yelled back. 'What is this -
women and children last?'

'I thought you were ahead of us,' Tweed replied, rushing
over to her.

'Didn't damned well think at all, did you?' she blazed.

'What was that explosion?' Harry asked.

'Your flaming egg detonating. Killing three Arabs seconds
before they blasted you all to kingdom
come.'

'Oh, heavens! I'm so sorry,' Tweed said, grasping her by
the arm to help her hobble aboard the launch.

'Won't forgive any of you for one hell of a long time,' she
shouted. 'Cardon, hadn't you better get this old tub moving?
Tweed wants to check the Draw's course.'

Marler ran forward to where she sat on the bridge. He
had the sense to say nothing. With a first-aid kit tucked
under his arm he carefully removed her boot, checked her ankle after gently taking off the scarf. He examined it,
squeezed ointment from a tube over it. Paula sighed with
the pleasure of the coolness, bent down and kissed Marler. He looked up, winked. Then he slowly wrapped a bandage
round her ankle and told her to hit him if it hurt. He used
only one layer of bandage, told her she might be able to get
her boot back on and this would give support. She didn't
look at Tweed, who was checking the route the launch was taking.