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little village called Fourqueux； just outside St Germain； deliver his stuff to the duty officer at our HQ； and report back to SHAPE by seven…thirty。 Rather than go through all this built…up area； for security reasons his orders are to take this N307 to St Nom； turn right…handed on to D98 and go under the autoroute and through the forest of St Germain。 The distance is about twelve kilometres； and taking it easy he'll do the trip in under a quarter of an hour。 Well； yesterday it was a corporal from the Corps of Signals； good solid man called Bates； and when he hadn't reported back to SHAPE by seven…forty…five they sent another rider to look for him。 Not a trace； and he hadn't reported at our HQ。 By eight…fifteen the Security Branch was on the job； and by nine the roadblocks were up。 The police and the Deuxième were told and search parties got under way。 The dogs found him； but not till the evening around six； and by that time if there had been any clues on the road they'd have been wiped out by the traffic。〃 Head of F handed the map to Bond and walked back to his desk。 〃And that's about the lot； except that all the usual steps have been taken … frontiers； ports； aerodromes and so forth。 But that sort of thing won't help。 If it was a professional job； whoever did it could have had the stuff out of the country by midday or into an embassy in Paris inside an hour。〃
Bond said impatiently： 〃Exactly！ And so what the hell does M expect me to do？ Tell SHAPE Security to do it all over again； but better？ This sort of thing isn't my line at all。 Bloody waste of time。〃
Head of F smiled sympathetically。 〃Matter of fact I put much the same point of view to M over the scrambler。 Tactfully。 The old man was quite reasonable。 Said he wanted to show SHAPE he was taking the business just as seriously as they were。 You happened to be available and more or less on the spot； and he said you had the sort of mind that might pick up the invisible factor。 I asked him what he meant； and he said that at all closely guarded headquarters there's bound to be an invisible man … a man everyone takes so much for granted that he just isn't noticed … gardener； window cleaner； postman。 I said that SHAPE had thought of that； and that all those sort of jobs were done by enlisted men。 M told me not to be so literal…minded and hung up。〃
Bond laughed。 He could see M's frown and hear the crusty voice。 He said： 〃All right； then。 I'll see what I can do。 Who do I report back to？〃
〃Here。 M doesn't want the St Germain unit to get involved。 Anything you have to say I'll put straight on the printer to London。 But I may not be available when you call up。 I'll make someone your duty officer and you'll be able to get them any time in the twenty…four hours。 Russell can do it。 She picked you up。 She might as well carry you。 Suit you？〃
〃Yes；〃 said Bond。 〃That'll be all right。〃
The battered Peugeot； mandeered by Rattray； smelled of her。 There were bits of her in the glove partment … half a packet of Suchard milk chocolate； a twist of paper containing bobby pins； a paperback John O'Hara； a single black suede glove。 Bond thought about her as far as the Etoile and then closed his mind to her and pushed the car along fast through the Bois。 Rattray had said it would take about fifteen minutes at fifty。 Bond said to halve the speed and double the time and to tell Colonel Schreiber that he would be with him by nine…thirty。 After the Porte de St Cloud there was little traffic； and Bond held seventy on the autoroute until the second exit road came up on his right and there was the red arrow for SHAPE。 Bond turned up the slope and on to N184。 Two hundred yards farther； in the centre of the road； was the traffic policeman Bond had been told to look out for。 The policeman waved him in through the big gates on the left and he pulled up at the first checkpoint。 A grey…uniformed American policeman hung out of his cabin and glanced at his pass。 He was told to pull inside and hold it。 Now a French policeman took his pass； noted the details on a printed form clipped to a board； gave him a large plastic windscreen number and waved him on。 As Bond pulled in to the car park； with theatrical suddenness a hundred arc…lights blazed and lit up the acre of low…lying hutments in front of him as if it was day。 Feeling naked； Bond walked across the open gravel beneath the flags of the NATO countries and ran up the four shallow steps to the wide glass doors that gave entrance to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe。 Now there was the main Security desk。 American and French military police checked his pass and noted the details。 He was handed over to a red…capped British MP and led off down the main corridor past endless office doors。 They bore no names but the usual alphabetical abracadabra of all headquarters。 One said STRIKFLTLANT AND SACLANT LIAISON TO SACEUR。 Bond asked what it meant。 The military policeman； either ignorant or； more probably； security…minded； said stolidly： 〃Couldn't rightly say； sir。〃
Behind a door that said Colonel G。 A。 Schreiber； Chief of Security； Headquarters mand； was a ramrod…straight； middle…aged American with greying hair and the politely negative manner of a bank manager。 There were several family photographs in silver frames on his desk and a vase containing one white rose。 There was no smell of tobacco smoke in the room。 After cautiously amiable preliminaries； Bond congratulated the Colonel on his security。 He said： 〃All these checks and double checks don't make it easy for the opposition。 Have you ever lost anything before； or have you ever found signs of a serious attempt at a coup？〃
〃No to both questions； mander。 I'm quite satisfied about Headquarters。 It's only the outlying units that worry me。 Apart from this section of your Secret Service； we have various detached signal units。 Then； of course； there are the Home Ministries of fourteen different nations。 I can't answer for what may leak from those quarters。〃
〃It can't be an easy job；〃 agreed Bond。 〃Now； about this mess。 Has anything else e up since Wing mander Rattray spoke to you last？〃
〃Got the bullet。 Luger。 Severed the spinal cord。 Probably fired at around thirty yards； give or take ten yards。 Assuming our man was riding a straight course； the bullet must have been fired from dead astern on a level trajectory。 Since it can't have been a man standing in the road； the killer must have been moving in or on some vehicle。〃
〃So your man would have seen him in the driving…mirror？〃
〃Probably。〃
〃If your riders find themselves being followed； do they have any instructions about taking evasive action？〃
The Colonel smiled slightly。 〃Sure。 They're told to go like hell。〃
〃And at what speed did your man crash？〃
〃Not fast； they think。 Between twenty and forty。 What are you getting at； mander？〃
〃I was wondering if you'd decided whether it was a pro or an amateur job。 If your man wasn't trying to get away； and assuming he saw the killer in his mirror； which I agree is only a probability； that suggests that he accepted the man on his tail as friend rather than foe。 That could mean some sort of disguise that would fit in with the set…up here … something your man would accept even at t