chapter 56: every one i come near dies

He stole a car in Marseilles. It was a Fiat 1800 Spider convertible, parked on a dimly lit side street. It was locked and there was no key in the

ignition. No problem. Looking around to make sure he was not observed, Robert made a rip in the canvas top and shoved his hand inside to

unlock the door. He slid inside the car, reached under the dashboard, and pulled out all the wires of the ignition switch. He held the thick red wire in

one hand while, one by one, he touched the other wires to it until the dashboard lit up. He hooked two wires together and touched the remaining

ones to the two wires hooked together until the engine began to turn over. He pulled out the choke and the engine roared to life. A moment later,

Robert was on his way to ParisHis priority was to get hold of Li Po. When he reached the Paris suburbs, he stopped at a phone booth. He telephoned Li’s apartment and

heard the familiar voice on the answering machine: Zao, mes amis … Je regrette que je ne sois pas chezmoi m