The explosion was so powerful that the taxicab following the van spun about in the middle of the street. Smith gasped as he saw the bodies fly out of the flaming vehicle like pieces of popcorn over a high flame. Chiun was already out of the cab, and the moment Smith's reflexes could work again, he followed the Oriental toward the wreckage.
They pulled five injured young men from the flaming van. House lights came on along the street and a police siren screamed in the distance, growing louder.
The young men were dying, but still chanted. "Kill."
"Kill for Kali."
"We die and She loves it."
". . . loves it."
Smith looked at Chiun, who pronounced the five young men's death sentences by slowly shaking his head. They would not live.
"Emperor-" he started.
"Not now, Chiun. Wait," Smith snapped. He leaned over one of the cultists and pointed a fountain pen at him. "Who is your leader?" he asked.
"The Holy One. Ban Sar Din."
"No," a youth lying next to him said. "Ban Sar Din has fallen in disgrace. The new Holy One is our leader."
"What's his name?" Smith asked.
"Baynes," the Thuggee said proudly. "He has given all to Kali. And we follow his bidding."
Smith rummaged in the man's pocket and brought out the Air Asia ticket.
As the police and ambulance sirens wailed to a stop, Smith led Chiun back to the throng of bystanders who had gathered on the sidewalk around the wreck.
"Forgive me, Emperor," Chiun said. "I did not mean to interrupt you while you were threatening these cretins with your writing tool-"
"It's a microphone," Smith said, nervously watching as the police moved the injured into ambulances.
"Whatever it is," Chiun said, "I thought you would like to know who is arriving."
"Who?" Smith squinted to see in the direction that Chiun was pointing. Past the blockade of police cars, two figures ran toward them. One of them was Remo. Remo strolled up, surveyed the accident, and said, "I go away for just a few minutes, and look at the mess you two make."
"Maybe if you had been around tending to business-" Smith began.
"Take a hike. I was busy being blown out of the sky," Remo said. "Anyway, I hope this teaches you a lesson."
"What kind of lesson?" Smith asked.
"Sign Chiun's petition. If you have amateur assassins, you're going to have mess after mess, just like this."
"I have one here," Chiun said, reaching a longnailed hand into his kimono.
"No, no, no," Smith said. "Please, Master of Sinanju. Put it away. You and I will discuss that another day."
"Maybe these people standing around would like to sign," Chiun said hopefully. "They must be disgusted by all this noise and waste."
He looked around, but then stopped as Smith suddenly wobbled a little on his feet and began to sink toward the sidewalk. Remo caught him and held him in his arms.
"What happened, Chiun?" he asked.
"The Emperor was assaulted tonight by these creatures. He will be all right."
"I'm okay now," Smith said, pulling himself away from Remo, obviously embarrassed at his momentary display of human weakness. "Let's just collect A. H. Baynes and put him away, and I'll feel fine."
"I figured Baynes," Remo said. "I think he planted a ticket on me while I was sleeping and then rigged a bomb on the plane to try to kill me."
Ivory caught up with them, slightly breathless and wobbling on her high-heeled shoes. She looked around at the accident victims, then placed her hand on Remo's and said, "Is there anything we can do?"
Smith eyed her coldly, then called Remo away from the woman. "Who is she?" he demanded.
"Somebody I met."
"How can you bring a stranger in on the middle of a case like this?" Smith hissed. His anger was visible.
"She doesn't how anything."
"She better not," Smith said. "As it is, she's seen the three of us and-"
"Remo," Ivory called. She was standing behind some shrubs and her face was ashen. He walked over and she pointed down to the body of Holly Rodan. Smith and Chiun came over also.
"She's dead," Remo said, feeling for a pulse.
"There is dirt beneath the fingernails of her right forefinger," Chiun said. "She was trying to write a message in the earth." He looked up at Ivory. "Right where you are standing, madam."
Ivory gasped and moved backward. Just above Holly's finger was the smeared footprint of a highheeled shoe.
"I'm ... so sorry," Ivory whispered.
"It's all right," Remo said gently. He put his arm around her. His eyes were on Smith and in those eyes was a challenge.
Chiun dropped to the ground beside Holly and looked carefully at the earth. "She had written a C," he said. "But that is all I can discern."
"I don't know if it means anything," Ivory said, "but I called you over because of that." She pointed to Holly's left hand. In it was clutched a fragment that looked like stone.
Chiun removed it and held it up. The fragment was in the shape of a small hand.
"The statue?" Remo said.
"Not the statue," Ivory sighed. "It can't be. I've got to see if there are other pieces around." She darted away from Remo into the crowd.
"It is apparently the hand of a statue," Chiun said.