There was the sound of heavy footsteps behind her, and she turned. A large man in an overcoat was coming toward her.
“Excuse me,” the man called out in a heavy Remanian accent.
“Are you lost?”
She was filled with relief He was probably a policeman. “Yes,” she said gratefully. “I want to go back to-“
There was the sudden roar of a car racing up behind her and then the squeal of brakes. The pedestrian in the overcoat grabbed Mary. She could smell his hot, fetid breath and feel his fat fingers bruising her wrist. He started pushing her toward the open door of the ear. “Get in!” the man growled.
“No!,” Mary was fighting to break free, and screaming, “Help! Help me!”
There was a shout from across the street, and a figure came racing toward them. The man who had accosted her stopped, unsure of what to do.
The stranger yelled, “Let go of her!” He grabbed the man in the overcoat and pulled him away from Mary. She found herself suddenly free.
The man behind the wheel got out of the car to help his accomplice, but then from the far distance came the sound of an approaching siren, and the two men leaped into the car and it sped away.
A blue-and-white car with the word militia on the side and a flashing light on top pulled up in front of Mary. Two men in uniform hurried out. In Remanian one of them asked, “Are you all right?” And then in halting English, “What happened?”
Mary was fighting to get herself under control. “Two men. They-they tr-tried to force me into their car. If-if it hadn’t been for this gentleman-” She turned around. But the stranger was gone.
MARY fought all night long, struggling to escape the men, waking in a panic, falling back to sleep and waking again. She kept reliving the scene. Had they known who she was? Or were they merely trying to rob a tourist?
When Mary arrived at her office, Mike Slade was waiting for her as usual. He brought in two cups of coffee and sat down across from, her. The coffee was delicious, and she realized that having .coffee with Mike had become a morning ritual.
“How was the theater?” he asked.
“Fine.” The rest was none of his business.
“Did you get hurt when they tried to kidnap you?”
“I-How do you know about that?”
His voice was filled with irony. “Madam Ambassador, Remania is one big open secret. It wasn’t very clever of you to go for a stroll by yourself.”
“I’m aware of that now. It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” His tone was brisk.,”Did they take anything?”
“No.”
He frowned. “It makes no sense. If they had wanted your coat or purse, they could have taken them -from you on the street. Trying. to force you into a car means it was a kidnapping.”
“Who would want to kidnap me?”
“It wouldn’t have been Ionescu’s men. He’s trying to keep our relations on an even keel. It would have to be some dissident group.” He took a sip of his coffee. “May I give you some advice?”
“I’m listening.”
“Go home.”
“What?”
Mike Slade put down the cup. “Send in a letter of resignation, pack up your kids, and go back to Kansas’, where you’ll be safe.”
Mary could feel her face getting red. “Mr. Slade, I made a mistake. It’s not the first one I’ve made, and it probably won’t be the last one. But I was appointed to this post by the President of the United States, and until he fires me, I don’t want you or anyone else telling me to go home.” She fought to keep control of her voice. “I expect the people in this embassy to work with me, not against me. If That’s too much for you to handle, why don’t you go home?”
Mike Slade stood up. “I’ll see that the morning reports are put on your desk, Madam Ambassador.”
The attempted kidnapping was the sole topic of conversation at the embassy that morning. How had everyone found out? Mary wondered. And how had Mike Slade found out? Mary wished she could have learned the name of her rescuer so that she could thank him. In the quick glimpse she had had of him, she had gotten the impression of an attractive man, probably in his early forties. He had had a foreign accent.
An idea started to gnaw at Mary, and it was hard to dismiss. The only person she knew of who wanted to get rid of her was Mike Slade. What if he had set up the attack to frighten her into leaving? He had given her the theater tickets. He had known where she would be.
THERE was a cocktail party at the French embassy that evening in honor of a visiting French concert pianist. Mary was tired and nervous, but she knew she had to go.
When she arrived, the embassy was already crowded with guests. As she was exchanging pleasantries with the ambassador .She caught sight of the stranger who had rescued her from the kidnappers. He was standing in a corner talking to the Italian ambassador and his aide.
“Please excuse me,” Mary said, and moved Across the room toward her rescuer.
He was saying, “Of course I miss Paris, but I hope-” He broke off as he saw Mary approaching. “Ah, the lady in distress.”
“You know each other?” the Italian ambassador asked. “We haven’t been officially introduced,” Mary replied. “Madam Ambassador, may I present Dr. Louis Desforges.”
The expression on the Frenchman’s face changed. “Madam Ambassador? I beg your pardon! I had no idea.” His voice was filled with embarrassment. “I should have recognized you.”
“You did better than that.” Mary smiled. “You saved me.”