Sepulchre by James Herbert Page A

others will feel.' She was suddenly anxious. 'I'm not assuming too much, am I? You have accepted the assignment.'
    'Oh yes,' he replied softly and again, there was something disconcerting in his eyes when he smiled. 'But there are certain ground rules he'll have to agree to.' Halloran reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and drew out a folded sheet of paper. 'A simple list of Do's and Don't's,' he said, handing it to Cora. 'Make sure he reads through it today. If Kline's willing to go by them, call Shield later this afternoon, talk to Mather.'
    'And if Felix isn't willing?'
    'Then we've got problems. Possibly Shield will turn down the assignment.~
    'May I see the list?'
    'Of course. You'll be part of the set-up.'
    Cora unfolded the sheet of paper and ran her eyes over the lines of type. She nodded her head. 'It all seems straightforward enough.'
    Hall oran reached over and tapped the corner of the paper. 'Point three there. Does Kline have a chauffeur?'
    'Yes. One of his bodyguards. Janusz Palusinski.'
    'Is Palusinski familiar with anti-kidnap driving techniques?'
    'I . . . I don't know.'
    'It's important.'
    'I'm sorry, I really have no idea. Palusinski has been with Felix a lot longer than I have.'
    'Okay. If he isn't he'll have to spend a day or so with one of Shield's drivers. He'll need to learn the handbrake turn, the reverse turn, how to break through a road-block - that kind of thing. None of it's too difficult to master for an experienced driver. Until then, I'll do any driving for Kline.'
    Cora looked down at the list again. 'Covert signals?' she asked.
    'We'll work out a system of identifying each other with code-words. Handy for telephone conversations, knocking on doors and the like. We'll arrange non-verbal signals too for emergencies where words either won't help or might put us at risk. Nothing fancy, just simple signs. There'll be other key words for use in a kidnap situation, words that will let us know if Kline is hurt, the number of abductors, maybe even clues to his location if he's aware of it himself. If he sticks to the rules there shouldn't be any need for those.'
    Cora shivered, caught by a breeze skimming off the river. 'This is scary,' she said.
    'Sure it is. But that's how it should be - scary enough to keep you both on your toes.'
    'That isn't very reassuring.'
    'You're hiring my company for Kline's protection, not far giving false comfort. I've got to be frank with you, Cora: if an organisation, be it terrorist or hoodlum, is out to get someone, it's virtually impossible to prevent them from at least making the attempt - and that's usually when people get hurt. We can only do our best to minimise the risk. But if it's any consolation, it's far easier to assassinate someone than it is to kidnap them.'
    She visibly paled.
    Halloran leaned forward again and gripped her lower arm. 'I didn't mean to alarm you. We are only talking about a kidnap and ransom situation here, aren't we? Nobody's threatened his life?'
    Cora slowly shook her head and Halloran withdrew his hand.
    'What is it, Cora? What's upsetting you? As I understand it, all we're going on is a "feeling" Kline has that he's in some kind of danger, with no hard evidence of that really being the case.'
    'You don't know Felix, you've no idea of his psychic ability. He has powers . . .' Her voice trailed off.
    'Yeah, I know - powers that are secret.' Halloran looked away from her, towards the river. 'Well that's between Magma and Kline. My only interest is protecting a man made of flesh and blood, someone as vulnerable as the rest of us. But if he knows something about this particular predicament he's in - or imagines he's in - he'd better tell me. What is it that's frightened him so much, Cora"
    She bowed her head for a moment. Her fingers curled around the base of her gin glass, which was now empty; she twisted the glass, sunlight glistening off its rim. A group at a nearby table laughed at a shared joke. The microphone-voice from a