He nodded.
She lay flat on the hard surface snow and reached out the ski pole towards him. It didn’t reach his hand. She inched her way forward, knowing she could also be on the cornice. And it could collapse at any moment. It was impossible to know where the mountain ended and the cornice began. There was a sudden crack and another sheet of ice broke off behind him. He gritted his teeth, not daring to look over his shoulder. He was now barely three feet away from the edge of the precipice. She was at full stretch, not daring to move any closer. The pole was within his reach. His fingers touched the tip and he managed to grab hold of it. She gripped the other end of the pole with both hands, steadying herself. Cracks began to appear in the ice around him and as his fingers curled around the basket a section of ice broke underneath him. He slid backwards, his legs now dangling over the edge of the precipice. She dug her skis into the snow, desperately trying to anchor herself, but she felt herself being dragged towards the precipice as Francia continued to slide further over the edge. In desperation he grabbed the basket with both hands but this only served to pull her even closer to the edge. She knew she couldn’t save him and unless she let go of the ski pole she would be dragged over the edge with him. She began to ease the strap off from around her wrist.
‘No, please,’ he screamed, desperately trying to get a better grip on the basket.
She tugged at the strap until it slid off her hand. For a brief moment he clawed frantically at the ice, then he fell, the wind tearing the scream from his lips. She moved back slowly until she felt she had put enough distance between herself and the edge of the precipice, then got to her feet and wiped her sleeve across her glistening face. What if she had tried to outrun him instead of ducking down behind the slope when she did? What chance would she have had to stop at that speed? She would have been the one who went over the precipice. She shuddered. It had been that close.
She sat down in the snow and leaned back against a large tree. Then, taking the two-way radio from her pocket, she called Graham to arrange for a helicopter to pick her up. She had had enough skiing for one day.
Nine
‘Are you all right?’ Kolchinsky asked anxiously when Sabrina entered his hotel room.
‘It’s just a graze,’ she replied, touching his arm reassuringly.
‘Where’s Michael?’
‘He’s coming,’ she said, gesturing vaguely to the door behind her.
‘How is he?’
‘I’m okay,’ Graham answered from the doorway.
Kolchinsky winced when he looked round at Graham. His left eye was now half-closed and the white dressing secured over his new stitches contrasted vividly with the discoloured bruising on the left-hand side of his face.
‘It’s not as bad as it looks,’ Graham muttered, closing the door behind him.
‘You could have fooled me.’ Kolchinsky smiled grimly.
‘Has Fabio briefed you on what happened this afternoon?’ Sabrina asked, pouring out two cups of coffee from the pot on the tray.
‘He’s told me everything,’ Kolchinsky replied. ‘I was hoping we could all have a meeting as soon as the two of you got back from the hospital. That won’t be possible now. At least not for the time being.’
‘Why, what’s happened?’ Sabrina asked, handing a coffee to Graham.
‘Commissioner Kuhlmann received a call half an hour ago to say that the Francias’ Gazelle helicopter had been found abandoned in a field on the outskirts of Worb. It’s a town about ten miles from here. He’s driven out there with Fabio to take a closer look at it.’
‘No sign of Ubrino or Tommaso Francia?’
‘None at all.’
‘Has Carlo Francia’s body been found?’ Sabrina asked, sitting on the bed.
‘What was left of it,’ Kolchinsky replied.
‘Was anything found at the chalet?’ Graham asked.
‘The police report hasn’t come through yet but you can be sure we’d have been told if they had come up with anything positive.’ Kolchinsky shook his head. ‘No, we won’t have any luck there.’
‘That was to be expected really,’ Sabrina said with a resigned shrug. ‘Ubrino was hardly going to flee the nest without taking the golden egg with him, was he?’
‘Which puts us back to square one again,’ Graham said. ‘And we’ve got less than fifteen hours to go before tomorrow’s deadline. Not that that means anything. We haven’t got a hope in hell of finding him now.’
‘Leaving the Offenbach Centre as our last line of defence,’ Sabrina added, looking at Kolchinsky. ‘What extra security measures are being taken there tomorrow?’
‘Commissioner Kuhlmann has drafted in seventy policemen and thirty policewomen from around the country. They’ll all be in plainclothes.’
‘Why plainclothes?’ Graham said. ‘Surely an extra hundred uniforms would be more daunting to someone like Ubrino?’
‘And frighten him off?’ Kolchinsky replied. ‘Remember, he doesn’t know that we know the vial is destined for the Offenbach Centre. If the grounds were swamped with uniformed guards he might turn back and make his demands from a hideout anywhere in the country. Then where would we be? No, we have to play this as covertly as possible. He’s sure to have a rough idea of how many security staff are employed by the Offenbach Centre. It’s imperative that he isn’t suspicious when he gets there. As you said, we won’t find him now. Tomorrow’s our last chance.’
Graham finished his coffee and got to his feet.
‘Are we still going to have this meeting tonight?’
‘That all depends on when the two of them get back. Why, is there something on your mind?’
‘I’ve got a few questions to put to Calvieri. I can do it now, or later.’
‘Fabio told me about your little theory linking Calvieri to Ubrino. It doesn’t hold any water, Michael. You’re letting your emotions get the better of you.’
‘The fact remains that someone tipped off either Ubrino or the Francia brothers about our movements this afternoon. Who knew we were going to the chalet? You, me, Sabrina, Fabio, Kuhlmann and Calvieri. Who would you suspect?’
‘Calvieri never left this room from the time we had our briefing until the time Kuhlmann received Fabio’s call requesting back-up. When could Calvieri have warned them? I’m the first to take notice of your hunches, Michael, but this time you’re way off the mark.’
‘Someone tipped them off, Sergei. There are two bodies in the mortuary to prove it.’ Graham glanced at Sabrina. ‘And it could so easily have been three.’
‘We don’t know that they were tipped off, Michael. It’s pure speculation.’
‘I still want to talk to Calvieri,’ Graham said.
‘There’s enough tension as it is without you adding to it. Leave him alone. And that’s my final word on the subject.’
Graham threw up his hands in frustration and sat on the edge of the bed.
The telephone rang. Kolchinsky answered it.
‘Sergei, it’s C.W.,’ Whitlock said at the other end of the line.
‘C.W.?’ Kolchinsky replied in surprise. ‘How did you know we were here?’
‘Jacques told me. I can’t talk for long. Young and I are here in Berne.’
‘I know.’
‘You know?’ It was Whitlock’s turn to be surprised.
‘I had a photograph of you sent out from New York. You were recognized by one of the staff at the airport. Where are you staying?’
‘That doesn’t matter at the moment. Young’s setting up a hit on Calvieri.’
‘When?’
‘Now. This is the first chance I’ve had to call you since we got here. Young picked up a case from a locker at the airport. It has to be a high-powered rifle.’