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“There will have to be,” Eileen McNamara Solomon declared.
“Homicide, Lieutenant Washington.”
“Mariani, Washington. Is Quaire there?”
“No, sir. He is not.”
“Come up here, please, Jason. Right now.”
After he had explained the situation to Lieutenant Washington, Commissioner Mariani was surprised, and a little annoyed, at the amused look on Washington’s face.
“This is not funny, Lieutenant. We better be able to do something, and do it right now.”
“As it happens, Commissioner, there does happen to be a man from Homicide in France right now.”
“How did that happen?”
“Sergeant Payne-two days ago, anyway-was in Paris, sir.”
“I ordered him to take thirty days’ vacation time!”
“Yes, sir. That’s what he’s doing. He and Mr. O’Hara. Sergeant Payne told his mother, and she told me, that Mr. O’Hara is quite taken with the artistic treasures of the Louvre.”
The commissioner waited for him to go on.
“There is a rumor circulating, sir, that Mr. O’Hara and Mr. Kennedy, the city editor of the Bulletin-”
“I know who he is,” Mariani interjected impatiently.
"— exchanged blows in the city room of the newspaper…”
“No kidding?”
“… and that Mr. O’Hara is on a thirty-day sabbatical from his duties. According to my information-again via Sergeant Payne’s mother-Mr. O’Hara is thinking of writing a book about Festung. Anyway, sir, the two of them are in France.”
“How do we get in touch with them?”
“They are-or were-in the George the Fifth Hotel in Paris, sir,” Washington said. “And Mr. O’Hara, I understand, has one of the new worldwide satellite telephones. It shouldn’t be any problem.”
Commissioner Mariani picked up his telephone.
“Put in a person-to-person call to either Sergeant Matthew Payne or Mr. Michael O’Hara in the George the Fifth Hotel in Paris, France,” he ordered.
Ten minutes later, Commissioner Mariani was informed that both Mr. O’Hara and Mr. Payne had checked out of the hotel that morning and left no forwarding address.
“I knew that was too good to be true,” Mariani said. “What about this around-the-world telephone of O’Hara’s? Can you get the number?”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem, sir.”
“Well, get it. Get them on it. Tell them to call me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you better see who else has a passport… Do you?”
“It’s being renewed, sir.”
“Get somebody else started, in case we can’t get through to Payne. Hell, they may be on their way home.”
