"Remo."
"Is that Spanish?"
"It's actually sort of like the name-game version of the Junior Jumble," he replied.
She peered deeply into his eyes, looking for any hint of sarcasm. Finding none, she nodded once. "Nine-thirty," she repeated. With that, she fled the office.
"Why do I feel like I'd be better off without any help?" Remo asked the body of Dieter Groth once she was gone.
Leaving the dead German to ponder the answer to his question, Remo slid silently from the room.
FORTUNATELY FOR REMO, the Hotel Cabeza de Ternera staff was fearful of their domineering German boss. The body of Dieter Groth would be left undisturbed for hours.
Remo managed to pry the Master of Sinanju away from the television and, through the generous application of gratuities, was able to pack up Chiun's trunks and check out of the hotel in less than twenty minutes. In another twenty, the old Korean's luggage was stashed in a less opulent hotel and the two Masters of Sinanju were walking the busy streets of Montevideo.
The city had truly earned its reputation as one of the most beautiful in Latin America. Its tree-lined streets were wide, and the business and residential sections were planned at a time when city planning actually meant something. The buildings were a mixture of both old and new architectural styles.
The Old City that Heidi spoke of was on a small peninsula that had been the city's original location. At the heart of this section was the Plaza Constitucion-the original square of Montevideo. The square was bracketed by the city hall and cathedral, the city's oldest buildings.
In the square was a statue of the national hero General Jose Artigas, leader of the people of the Banda Oriental, which later became Uruguay.
As they approached the statue, Chiun cast a withering gaze up and down the immortalized figure of Artigas.
"Soldiers," he sniffed unhappily. "It is beyond my comprehension why the people of any nation would revere a simple peasant with a boom stick."
"What would you prefer?" Remo asked, suspecting what the answer would be.
"I would prefer that the citizenry appreciate the pivotal role an assassin plays in the development of their society. Namely me."
"That's all well and good, Little Father," Remo said, "but when people think of assassins, they don't automatically think of you."
"They should," the Master of Sinanju said haughtily.
"That's not the point," Remo objected. "They don't. And I'm not sure the public would rally behind a statue for John Wilkes Booth in the Mall in Washington."
"If not an assassin, perhaps the honor should be given to one who brings joy to the hearts of men the world over."
"That would be you again, right?" Remo deadpanned.
"No," Chiun said. "Though it would be right to honor one such as myself, your beloved lunatic Smith insists we toil in anonymity. Therefore, we are not known to the masses. But there is one who brings joy to all in every nation we have ventured to in recent months. I speak of none other than the brilliant comic Rowan Atkinson."
"You're kidding," Remo said flatly. This was the Englishman whose television show Chiun had been watching incessantly for the past three months. "You want a statue to a British TV comic?"
"It does not have to be too large." He looked up disdainfully at the statue of Jose Artigas. "As long as it is bigger than this eyesore, that will suffice."
"Good luck," Remo snorted.
"I will mention it to Smith."
"I'm sure he'll get right on it."
"Do you really think so?" Chiun asked. Fortunately Remo didn't have to answer. He spied Heidi Stolpe coming toward them down the path near the statue.
She was dressed in a green sleeveless T-shirt and baggy khaki pants. Black military boots were laced up around her ankles. A knapsack was slung over her shoulder. Her short blond hair bounced perkily as she strode toward them.
Remo and Chiun walked over to meet her. Heidi's face was flushed.
"I do not know what to make of what I have learned," she said. Her voice was excited. "Hello," she added, smiling at Chiun. The Master of Sinanju tipped his head in response.
"You know where Four is?" Remo asked.
She shook her head. "I am not certain. I have checked with contacts I have in the area about associates of Dieter Groth. There is one name that a few seemed to know. A man by the name of Adolf Kluge." She peered at Remo, trying to see if the name sparked any recognition.
Remo shrugged. "Don't know him."
She nodded. "One man I spoke to said this Kluge could be found in a village in the lower Andes in Argentina. He didn't know the name of the village, but he knew how to get there. When I checked my maps of the area, I found that there was no such place officially listed." She dropped her knapsack to her feet. Crouching, she rummaged around inside it, eventually producing a hastily sketched map. She handed it to Remo. "This is where he said it would be."
Remo studied the roads and landmarks. There was a circle around a few bottomless triangles, which Remo assumed represented the Andes. In it, Heidi had written "IV?"
"That could be it," Remo said, nodding. "You want to check it out?" he asked Chiun.
"Our new lodgings have no television," Chiun said with a bored shrug.
"Thanks," Remo said to Heidi as he pocketed the map. He and Chiun started to walk away from the Artigas statue.
Heidi ran around in front of them, propping a hand against Remo's chest.
"I am going, too," she insisted.
"Sorry," Remo said. "Too dangerous." He skipped around her outstretched arm and continued walking.
Heidi kept pace with them.
"I know the area better than you. I could get there first and warn them," she said quickly.
Remo stopped. "Now, why would a Nazi-hunter want to do that?" he asked wearily.
"I would not want to, but you could force me to do it," Heidi said defiantly. "If you do not let me come."
"I don't have time for nonsense," Remo said. He waggled a warning finger at Heidi. "If you get shot, it's your business. Don't come bleeding to me."
"I will be fine," she said excitedly. "My jeep is parked around the block."
There was a bounce in her step as she slung her knapsack back over her shoulder. She took the lead. Remo and Chiun followed a few yards behind her. Heidi was humming a Spanish-accented version of an old German lullaby.
"Where did you find this one?" Chiun asked quietly.