"Nellie Mandobar," Remo said, nodding. "That's why he could be away now. He doesn't have anything to do with it."
And in a very quiet part of himself, Remo felt relief. He was glad that a man who was a hero to so many people wasn't involved in something so sinister.
"This does not make sense," the Master of Sinanju said. "Why would this female plot the destruction of this city only to remove her victims from it beforehand?"
"She doesn't know about it," Remo explained. "Caving in Bachsburg was a side scheme Deferens cooked up. And speaking of Casper the GQ Ghost..."
Spinning, he hurried into the hallway. Chiun and Bubu followed, the Luzu jogging to keep up. Marching down four doors, Remo entered the suite. When they crossed to the bedroom, they found the sleeping form of Minister L. Vas Deferens stretched out on the sheets.
"This is where you hid him?" Chiun scowled.
"I'm getting slicker in my old age." Remo grinned.
Reaching down, he tapped one knuckle against the minister's forehead. The pale man's eyes sprang open wide.
"Wakey-wakey," Remo said.
It took Deferens a moment to get oriented. When he did, panic set in. "Where am I?" he demanded, jumping to a sitting position, "What time is it?"
"Bachsburg, premidnight," Remo said. "And unless your shorts are lead-lined, you've got some bombs to deactivate."
"We were in ...my office," Deferens said as he looked around the hotel room in amazement. Remo's words brought his wandering mind back into focus. "The bombs," he gasped. "What time is it right now?"
"Almost seven."
"Seven? But they are going to go off at midnight!"
"So you'll have to work extra fast," Remo said sweetly.
"No, no, no," Deferens insisted. "We have to get out of here."
When he tried to push his way past the trio, Bubu stepped forward to stop him. A bony hand got there first.
Chiun flung Deferens back to the bed.
"How long will it take to pull the plug on all of them?" Remo pressed.
"What? No! We have to-"
He gasped in pain as a pair of talonlike fingernails squeezed the fleshy part of his earlobe.
"Four hours," Deferens yelped. "Five if traffic is bad."
"Let's hope the lights are with us, Little Father," Remo said as Chiun released his grip on the minister's ear.
He spun to face Deferens. "This is just for my benefit, but Willie Mandobar doesn't know anything about all this, right?"
"That senile old mooka?" Deferens scoffed "He and Kmpali are fools. I engineered it all beneath their very noses."
"So it was all Nellie's idea?"
His hesitation was precursor to a lie. But when a long-nailed hand appeared before him, the truth spilled forth.
"I told you before, she knows nothing of the bombs," he insisted.
"You knew it was her before?" Chiun demanded of Remo.
"Hey, he said Mandobar. So sue me for not pinning him down on a gender."
"She came to me with the crime-capital idea when her husband was still in office," Deferens continued. "I crafted it. She considers herself a leader, but she is nothing more than a homicidal maniac."
"Not like you," Remo said, his tone flat.
"I was killing for a purpose," he spit. "That fat mooka sets fire to people for sport."
"Dead's dead," Remo said thinly. "How many bombs we looking at?"
Deferens didn't even try to bluff. "Six," he admitted glumly.
"I'm no nuke expert, but that sounds like overkill to me," Remo said. "Not that any of the guys you wanted to off are even in town anymore."
"What do you mean?" Deferens asked.
"Your mistress has taken them to her city outside Luzuland," the Master of Sinanju intoned.
"City?" Deferens frowned. "What city?" Sensing truth from him, both Masters of Sinanju exchanged a quick glance.
"Guess she doesn't tell you everything, white man," Remo said. "Shake a leg." He dragged Deferens up by the arm.
"Wait!" the defense minister insisted. His eyes were calculating. "If this is true..." He looked to Remo. "May I make a phone call?"
"Um, let me think. No," Remo said. He began hauling the minister to the door.
"It could help you!" Deferens cried. "If you wish to know what she is doing, I can find out!"
Remo stopped. When he looked to the Master of Sinanju, the old man nodded.
"Chief Batubizee would no doubt be curious to know why she is there," Chiun said.
Sighing, Remo scooped up the phone and tossed it to Deferens. "Knock yourself out," he said. "But make it quick. 'Cause if we're late, anyone sitting on the john at midnight's gonna get a nuclear-powered prostate exam."
Chapter 31
"Where have you been?" Nellie Mandobar demanded.
She was in her office at the great meeting hall in her bungalow village. The noise of a raucous party pounded in through the vibrating walls. Her dark, blubbery face was bunched into an angry knot.