This united state by Colin Forbes

Author:Colin Forbes
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Kidnapping, Tweed (Fictitious character), Fiction, Great Britain, Suspense, Terrorism
ISBN: 9780333754177
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 1999-08-15T07:00:00+00:00

, 'You've thought it out well. Have you had a complaint from the Berne Embassy?'

'Not a cheep, as I think you sometimes say. Obviously he was bluffing. Rather a giveaway.'

'It's after 4 pm,' Tweed said. 'If they stick to their timetable the Minotaur is coming.'

'And here we are at the landing stage.'

* * *

To Paula's surprise Tweed hurried aboard the large launch allocated to them. He then made his way to the bow, one hand holding on to the gunwale, the other gripping the loudhailer.

Even while berthed at the landing stage the launch was swaying. The motion seemed to have no effect on him. He gazed back upriver for his first sight of the barge. The other four launches, crammed with police, were waiting to take off.

Beck's very large launch had a bridge at a higher level. The word Polizei appeared on its sides and stern. Above the bridge was mounted a large searchlight and a prominent horn. Beck came back from his vessel to Tweed's launch.

'The plan is to let the Minotaur pass us, then we go after it when it has gone under the bridge. The current is flowing strongly, so you may be surprised how quickly it will reach the bridge. Good luck...'

The wind cut through Paula's coat like a knife. She was hoping the barge would appear soon. Then one of the policemen from Beck's launch appeared, carrying an armful of oilskins. Handing them to Newman, who had been experimenting with the engine, he called out above the wind.

'All of you put these on. Extra warmth. Stop you getting soaked.'

'Thanks a lot,' said Newman.

'This is better,' said Paula, putting the oilskin over her coat.

Tweed sat down to put on his oilskin, then immediately stood up again. There were no other craft on the Rhine and no public to gawk at them from behind the distant tape. The weather had kept them indoors.

'Here she comes,' Tweed called out.

Round a bend in the river a massive barge loomed into view. The conversion to a passenger craft had been extensive. Huge portholes like giant eyes had been cut out of the hull. Tweed noticed that curtains were closed across all of them. Behind each one a light glowed.

'They've got music,' he called out.

'Didn't expect this,' Paula responded.

'Well, it's supposed to be a pleasure craft,' Newman remarked as he turned off the engine.

He had been surprised at the power it generated. These launches could really move, he decided. The strains of the 'Blue Danube' waltz grew louder. Hardly appropriate for the Rhine, Paula was thinking. There was no sign of anyone on board, but she wouldn't expect passengers to be flaunting themselves on deck in weather like this.

'I can see the helmsman,' Tweed called out. 'In the cabin at the stern.'

'Appears to be by himself,' Marler commented.

'Only takes one man to hold the wheel,' Newman told him.

None of the launches had started their engines. Tweed guessed that Beck had ordered them to maintain silence until the huge barge had passed them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.