Program for a Puppet (41 page)

All Graham's feelings of relief after the liquidation of the assassins evaporated. He flicked off the radio in disgust. The Australian began to worry about the consequences of the result, but quickly tried to put them out of his mind for the moment. Colonel Guichard had given him the car for a couple of weeks in gratitude for his help in finding and eliminating Rodriguez and the Director.
He had got away to an early morning start in search of some real relaxation in the south of France. As the dawn of a clear day broke and the first signposts for Montpellier came up, Graham was brightened and excited by the anticipation of seeing the loving and warm Françoise. After his vacation he would turn his mind to the daunting task of writing the story of the whole investigation. Perhaps the story was not yet over.

About the same time, the wheels of an Aeroflot jet from Moscow screeched to a halt at Charles de Gaulle airport, and the smoke from the tires wafted along the runway. Minutes later the passengers, mainly Russians and French, were filing down the steps. Almost indistinguishable in the long line of innocent-looking businessmen was the stocky, baggy-suited figure of KGB assassin Anatoli Bromovitch.