‘That,’ said Jean-Pierre, ‘will not be possible.’
‘How are the baccarat and blackjack coming on?’ continued Robin.
‘I have lost $37 in five weeks, which includes my member’s fee at the Claremont and the Golden Nugget.’
‘It all goes on expenses,’ said Stephen. ‘That puts the bill up to $563,619.’
The others laughed. Only Stephen’s lips did not move. He was in sober earnest.
‘James, how is your handling of the van going?’
‘I can reach Harley Street from St Thomas’s in 14 minutes. I should be able to do the actual run in Monte Carlo in about 11 minutes, though naturally I shall want to do some practice runs the day before. To start with I’ll have to master driving on the wrong side of the road.’
‘Strange how everybody except the British drives on the wrong side of the road,’ observed Jean-Pierre.
James ignored him.
‘I’m not sure of all the continental road signs either.’
‘They are detailed in the Michelin guide that I gave you as part of my dossier.’
‘I know, but I’ll still feel easier when I’ve experienced the actual run and not just studied maps. There are quite a few one-way streets in Monaco and I don’t want to be stopped going down the wrong one with Harvey Metcalfe unconscious in the back.’
‘Don’t worry. You’ll have ample time when we’re there. So, that only leaves Stephen, who’s about the most competent medical student I’ve ever had. You’re confident of your newly acquired knowledge, I hope?’
‘About as confident as I am with your American accent, Robin. Anyway, I trust that Harvey Metcalfe will be in no state of mind to worry about such trivialities by the time we meet up.’
‘Don’t worry, Stephen. Believe me, he wouldn’t even register who you were if you introduced yourself as Herr Drosser with a Van Gogh under both arms.’
Robin handed around the final schedule of rehearsals for Harley Street and St Thomas’s, and once again consulted the green file.
‘I’ve booked four single rooms on different floors at the Hôtel de Paris and confirmed all the arrangements with the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace. The hotel is reputed to be one of the best in the world — it’s certainly expensive enough — but it’s convenient for the Casino. We fly to Nice on Monday, the day after Harvey is due to arrive on his yacht.’
‘What do we do for the rest of the week?’ inquired James innocently.
Stephen resumed controclass="underline"
‘We master the green dossier backward, frontward and sideways for a full dress rehearsal on Friday. The most important thing for you, James, is to get a grip of yourself and let us know what you intend to do.’
James sunk back into gloom.
Stephen closed his file briskly.
‘That seems to be all we can cover tonight.’
‘Hang on, Stephen,’ said Robin. ‘Let’s strip you off once more. I’d like to see if we can do it in 90 seconds.’
Stephen lay down slightly reluctantly in the middle of the room, and James and Jean-Pierre swiftly and carefully removed all his clothes.
‘87 seconds. Excellent,’ said Robin, looking down at Stephen, naked except for his watch. ‘Hell, look at the time. I must get back to Newbury. My wife will think I have a mistress and I don’t fancy any of you.’
Stephen dressed himself quickly while the others prepared to leave. A few minutes later, James stood by the front door, watching them depart one by one. As soon as Stephen was out of sight, he bounded downstairs into the kitchen.
‘Did you listen?’
‘Yes, darling. They’re all rather nice and I don’t blame them for being cross with you. They’re being very professional about the whole venture, while you sounded like the only amateur. We’ll have to think up something good for you to match them. We’ve over a week before Mr Metcalfe goes to Monte Carlo and we must use the time constructively.’
James sighed: ‘Well, let’s enjoy tonight. At least this morning was a triumph.’
‘Yes, but not yours. Tomorrow we work.’
12
‘Passengers for flight 017 to Nice are now requested to board the aircraft at gate No. 7,’ boomed the loudspeaker at Heathrow’s No. 1 terminal.
‘That’s us,’ said Stephen.
The four of them took the escalator to the first floor, and walked down the long corridor. After being searched for guns, bombs, and whatever else terrorists are searched for, they proceeded down the ramp.
They sat separately, never speaking or even looking at each other. Stephen had warned them that the flight could well be sprinkled with Harvey’s friends, and each imagined himself to be sitting next to the closest of them.
James gazed moodily at the cloudless sky and brooded. He and Anne had read every book they could lay their hands on that even hinted at stolen money or successful duplicity, but they had found nothing they could plagiarize. Even Stephen, in between being undressed and practiced upon at St Thomas’s, was becoming daunted by the task of finding a winning plan for James.
The Trident touched down at Nice at 13.40, and the train journey from Nice to Monte Carlo took them a further twenty minutes. Each member of the Team made his own way to the elegant Hôtel de Paris in the Place du Casino. At 7 pm they were all present in room 217.
‘All settled into your rooms?’
The other three nodded. ‘So far, so good,’ said Robin. ‘Right, let’s go over the timing. Jean-Pierre, you will go to the Casino tonight and play a few hands of baccarat and blackjack. Try to acclimatize to the place and learn your way around. In particular, master any variations in the rules there might be from the Claremont, and be sure you never speak in English. Do you foresee any problems?’
‘No, can’t say I do, Robin. In fact I may as well go now and start rehearsing.’
‘Don’t lose too much of our money,’ said Stephen.
Jean-Pierre, resplendent in beard and dinner jacket, grinned and slipped out of room 217 and down the staircase, avoiding the lift. He walked the short distance from the hotel to the famous Casino.
Robin continued:
‘James, you take a taxi from the Casino to the hospital. On arrival you will leave the meter running for a few minutes and then return to the Casino. You can normally rely on a taxi to take the shortest route, but to be sure, tell the driver it’s an emergency. That’ll give you the opportunity of seeing which traffic lanes he uses under pressure. When he’s returned you to the Casino, walk the route from there to the hospital and back. Then you can assimilate it in your own time. After you’ve mastered that, repeat the same procedure for the route between the hospital and Harvey’s yacht. Never enter the Casino or even get close enough to the boat to be seen. Being seen now means being recognized later.’
‘What about my knowledge of the Casino on the night of the operation?’
‘Jean-Pierre will take care of that. He’ll meet you at the door because Stephen won’t be able to leave Harvey. I don’t think they will charge you the 12 franc entrance fee if you’re wearing a white coat and carrying a stretcher, but have it ready to be sure. When you’ve completed the walk, go to your room and stay there until our meeting at 11 am tomorrow. Stephen and I will also be going to the hospital to check that all the arrangements have been carried out as cabled from London. If at any time you see us, ignore us.’
As James left room 217, Jean-Pierre arrived at the Casino.
The Casino stands in the heart of Monte Carlo overlooking the sea, surrounded by the most beautiful gardens. The present building has several wings, the oldest of which was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera House. The gambling rooms, which were added in 1910, are linked by an atrium to the Salle Garnier in which operas and ballets are performed.