Scene 5

The uncoded text message came from Marie Soussent. It contained an unmistakeable note of teasing as well as feminine innuendo – in her fantasy, Marie seemed to have seen Maille being marooned at this spot for a while. She was possibly the finest secretary in the world, but she needed her powers of imagination quite like a sporting gun, shooting deep holes in any noble attitude. Information from the «Office» said that the professor's signal had come from a ship that had been anchored since weeks somewhere just outside the Goree harbour – and that it was a yacht called «Seagull». Evidently, Roff had arranged for a small boat from which he wanted to closely observe the yacht and the activities aboard it. The «Seagull» could not be overlooked, really, because it was the only boat anchored outside the harbour – a blue motorboat, the appearance of which suggested that it could house just a single family. From the shore it seemed as though it was unoccupied. The boat was the picture of opulence, with its white sun screens, sleek bathing platform and state-of-the-art fittings. In the midst of such luxury one was sure to hear the clink of an ice-cube in a whisky glass. Definitely, the owner indulged in a daily spot of sun-tanning and floated along the yacht's polished teakwood floors in a bathrobe that had either his initials or the name of sloop embroidered on it – in gold, most probably.

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