Topaz - Leon Uris [121]
Divisions of Army and Marines were combat-ready and poised to swarm into Cuba by land, by air, and by sea.
Other fighter-bombers with close to a hundred percent destructive capability were straining to make a beeline to wipe out the Cuban missile sites.
This, the quickest, quietest, and most brilliant roundup of military power, had been accomplished without major detection. It was now in place and coiled to back up the words of the young man who now spoke to a startled world.
In the Soviet Embassy, they sat shaken and un-moving after the President had left the air. Even Vasili Leonov’s years of studied poise abandoned him.
He knew he had made the ancient blunder. The bully’s bluff had been called. Not only had the myth of the President’s lack of courage been exploded but he had made a shrewd decision. He had taken his own strongest point, his navy, and pitted it against the Soviet Union’s weakest point, their navy. He had skillfully chosen a battlefield to give him every advantage ... a meeting on the high seas.
The Organization of American States unanimously and swiftly backed the American position.
In the United Nations, the outraged American Representative called the Soviet Union to task and demanded the dismantling of the Cuban bases.
And on the high seas, ships of the Soviet Union with their death cargoes inched toward Cuba for the confrontation with the United States Navy. And while the American people arose in anger, they and the entire human race wondered if they were living the last moments of its final folly.
9
ANDRÉ PARKED HIS CAR several blocks from the Place de la Madeleine and continued on foot in order to shake his followers. They were a clumsy pair and he was able to lose them quickly.
He entered the red velvet world of Lucas Carton’s restaurant. Alex and a half-dozen members of the staff greeted him with great warmth for this was the restaurant of generations of Devereaux.
“How is your father?” Alex asked.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to get to Montrichard this trip, but he’s faring quite well.”
“Please tell him I asked for him.”
“Thank you.”
Alex personally escorted André to one of the private dining salons on the second floor. In a moment a bottle of bourbon was produced and Alex went through the ritual of hand-crushing the ice with a small hammer for André’s Manhattan while André studied the menu. He decided on Sole à la Carton, a specialty of the house.
“Madame Devereaux has arrived.”
“Please show her up.”
There was no embrace or touch or scarcely a word as she was seated. She asked for a drink and lit up nervously. After the drink arrived they were closed in, and André asked that they not be disturbed until he rang for further service.
Nicole had that facility to always rise to a given situation with an appearance of loveliness. He commented on how beautiful she looked.
“Thank you.”
“I haven’t been able to answer your calls,” André said, “for the usual reasons. I run out of hours in a day.”
“I know you must be very busy during this crisis.”
“Yes, Nicole.... I asked you to come to Paris because of Michele. She’s taken the disappearance of François Picard extremely hard.”
“Is there no word?”
“No. I can’t even get information from Robert.”
“What do you think?”
“I think he’ll never return and we’ll probably never learn what really happened to him.”
“Oh Lord....”
“I’m afraid it’s what you call a clean job. They intended to make an example of him. Michele is going to have to go through a long and difficult period of adjustment. She’d better start now. Her place is with you. You can give her the time and the comfort she needs.”
“She hasn’t even answered my phone calls, André.”
“Don’t take that personally. She’s pent it all up inside. Just before I came I talked to her, told her you were coming to take her to Montrichard. She finally opened up. She’s crying it out now ... and she said ... she wants her mother very much.”
“Poor baby ... André, let