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.Romanov continued to stare impassively ahead of him.When the last musician had left the bus Romanov and 'the Colonel' searched up and down the inside of the vehicle and then finally the trunk, despite noisy protests from the driver.Robin eyed them nervously from an upstairs window, as the two of them jumped back into the green Ford and drove off.She continued watching the car until the back lights had faded away in the darkness.The colonel swung out of Wigmore Street towards Baker Street, bringing the car to a halt opposite Baker Street station.Romanov jumped out, walked into a vacant telephone booth and started thumbing through the A-D directory.Only one Robin Beresford was listed and it was the same address as the young agent had read over to him.He dialled the number and after ten unanswered rings smiled at the realisation that she lived alone.He was not surprised."What now?" asked the colonel, once Romanov was back at the car."Where's Argyle Crescent, NWS?""Must be out towards Hampstead," said the colonel."But I'll first check in the London A to Z roadmap.What's the plan?""Rather than waiting for Miss Beresford to come out we will be waiting for her to come in," said Romanov.Robin slipped out of the back of the RPO headquarters about thirty minutes later.She zig-zagged around Portman Square then walked as quickly as she knew how up to the corner.She kept telling herself that Romanov was not coming back, but she found it impossible to stop herself from shaking all the same.She hailed a taxi and was relieved to see one draw up to her side almost immediately.She checked the driver and the back seat, as Adam had advised her, then climbed in.Romanov arrived at Robin's front door a few moments after she had hailed the taxi.The name holder on the side wall indicated that Miss Beresford resided on the fourth floor.The door itself would have proved no problem to any self-respecting petty thief in Moscow and Romanov had secured entry within moments.The colonel quickly joined him before they proceeded silently up the dark staircase to the fourth floor.Romanov slipped the Yale lock faster than Robin could have opened it with her own key.Once inside he quickly checked the layout of the room and assured himself no one else was in the flat.The colonel stood around fidgeting."Settle down, Colonel.I don't expect the lady will keep us waiting too long." The colonel laughed nervously.The taxi drew up outside the house that Robin pointed to.She then jumped out and tipped the cabbie extra because the bewitching hour had long passed and at last she felt safe.It seemed ages since she had been home.All she was looking forward to now was a hot bath and a good night's sleep.Adam stepped off the train at Waterloo East a little after midnight and was pleased to find the underground was still running.He had avoided going on to Charing Cross, as he couldn't be sure which side would have a reception committee waiting for him.He produced a season ticket for the West Indian on the ticket barrier and waited around on the underground platform for some time before the train eventually drew in.There were several stations between Waterloo and his destination, and even at this time of night there seemed to be a prolonged stop at every one.Several late-night revellers got in at the Embankment, more still at Leicester Square.Adam waited nervously at each station, now aware that he must have caught the last train.He only hoped Robin had carried out his instructions faithfully.He looked around the carriage he was sitting in.It was full of night people, waiters, nurses, party returners, drunks — even a traffic warden.The train eventually pulled into his station, at twelve forty.The ticket collector was able to give him the directions he needed.It was a relief to reach his final destination so quickly because there was no one else around to ask the way at that time of night.He moved slowly towards number twenty-three.There were no lights on in the house.He opened the swinging gate and walked straight up the path, removed the bunch of keys from his pocket, putting the Chubb one in the lock.Adam pushed open the door cautiously and then closed it noiselessly behind him.A little after twelve ten the last train from Dover pulled into Charing Cross station.As Adam was nowhere to be seen, Lawrence instructed his driver to take him back to Cheyne Walk.He couldn't understand why the agent whom he had hand-picked hadn't reported in.When Lawrence arrived back at the flat he put the key in his lock, hoping to find Adam was already waiting for him.CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVEHe pushed open the swinging gate and made his way slowly up the path in the pitch darkness.Once he reached the corner of the house he searched for the third stone on the left.When he located the correct stone where he always left his spare key, he pulled it up with his fingers and felt around in the dirt.To his relief the key was still in place.Like a burglar he pushed it into the lock quietly.He crept into the hall and closed the door behind him, switched on the light and began to climb the stairs.Once he had reached the landing he switched off the hall light, turned the knob of his bedroom door and pushed.As he stepped in an arm circled his throat like a whiplash and he was thrown to the ground with tremendous force.He felt a knee pressed hard against his spine and his arm was jerked up behind his back into a half nelson.He lay on the floor, flat on his face, hardly able to move or even breathe.The light switch flashed on and the first thing Adam saw was the colonel."Don't kill me, Captain Scott sir, don't kill me," he implored."I have no intention of doing so, Mr Tomkins," said Adam calmly."But first, where is your esteemed employer at this moment?"Adam kept his knee firmly in the middle of the colonel's back and pressed his arm a few inches higher before the colonel bleated out, "He went back to the Embassy once he realised the girl wasn't going to return to the flat.""Just as I planned," said Adam, but he didn't lessen the pressure on the colonel's arm as he described in vivid detail everything that would now be expected of him.The colonel's face showed disbelief."But that will be impossible," he said."I mean, he's bound to noti - Ahhh."The colonel felt his arm forced higher up his back
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