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combination of the five remaining names through the machine. The memory spat back at me stuff
     I had keyboarded in only a month ago. The second five oilmen’s names yielded the name Saleh. Abdel Saleh. When Sonderberg
     was hit, that confirmed it for me.” He handed Dartley a second sheet with five names on it.
    Gary Sonderberg (Global, California)
    Nicholas Avedesian (Shell, North Sea)
    Peter Ligeti (unemployed, whereabouts unknown)
    Paul Egan (Global, Zaire)
    Harrison Murdoch (National Science Foundation, Antarctica)
    “Abdel Saleh is a power in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards,” Malleson resumed. “The vast majority of members of the Guards
     are still illiterate peasant fanatics, the sort that throw themselves in a human waveagainst Iraqi machineguns. The top leaders are skilled manipulators and power brokers, vying with one another to show which
     of them is the most zealous in doing the Ayatollah Khomeini’s will. Rafiq Dost has been the acknowledged top dog for some
     time.”
    Charley said, “He’s believed to have backed the Hezballah group in Lebanon, the one responsible for bombing the U.S. Marine
     barracks and embassy in Beirut.”
    “Right,” Malleson agreed. “Nowadays Syria seems to be backing Amal militia in its fight with the Hezballah militia in Beirut.
     Furthermore, Syria has withdrawn its support from Iran in its war with Iraq and is helping Iraq move its oil to the Mediterranean
     through a Syrian pipeline. Abdel Saleh may be using Rafiq Dost’s previous ties in the Revolutionary Guards. He’s spelling
     his name out in dead Americans. That’s the kind of writing the Ayatollah understands.”
    “What are we doing?” Dartley asked.
    “I’ve been in touch with World American and Global about Avedesian,” Charley said. “They have already warned him of course,
     but will now stress to him that he’s next on the list, so far as we can see. They have contacts at Shell who know all about
     this and they will be contacting me. So far as I know, Avedesian is on one of their installations in the North Sea, about
     halfway between Scotland and Norway. He should be reasonably safe there.”
    Malleson shook his head. “I wouldn’t bet on it,Charley. I agree that Sonderberg was working offshore from Santa Barbara and was not hit until he went to Las Vegas. But these
     people are careful not to repeat themselves. They’ve hit some of these targets while at work, others during off-work hours,
     Hill and Sonderberg while taking pleasure trips. I wouldn’t bet on them waiting for Avedesian to come ashore.”
    Dartley asked, “Did you tell them I’d take the job?”
    Charley nodded.
    “Anything of special interest about the Sonderberg hit?”
    Malleson nodded. “From what your uncle tells me, it points to a lone operator. A man or woman gave the Hill boy that cassette,
     we have to assume, certainly not a heavily armed guerrilla band. There were no signs of forced entry to Sonderberg’s hotel
     room—the local cops suggest he might have known the person or that it was a sexual assignation. Again, in all probability
     it was a lone operator. The hotel and casino security people would have spotted terrorists lurking about the place. They would
     also have noticed anyone of conspicuous Middle East appearance. So I think we can be fairly sure that if these killings are
     all the work of one person—and I now believe they are, without being able to prove it—that person, male or female, is not
     immediately recognizable as an Iranian or an Arab. The fact that things have gone so smoothly for him or her makes me feel
     that these executions have a certain professionalslickness about them. That of course could mean only one thing.”
    “What’s that?” Charley wanted to know.
    Malleson stubbed out his cigarette. “The Iranians have hired themselves a professional assassin. Dartley here may be up against
     someone with the same skills as himself.”
    Dartley changed planes at Heathrow,