"Colors are very powerful. The ancient Egyptians knew this. Pharaoh slept in a red room because it helped him to sleep. And when he died, he was entombed in a room of gold because this helped his body to retain its royalty throughout eternity. In my village it is well-known that scarlet wards off evil demons."
"I don't buy that superstitious bulldooky. Color is color. I don't even have a favorite color."
"Not even pink?"
"Well, maybe pink. Pink is good."
"Pink is exceedingly good."
And they both found themselves smiling at the thought of the color pink.
As they walked along, a sour smell assailed their sensitive nostrils. They followed it.
"Fresh," said Remo.
It was, they discovered when they entered a control room marked in French, Defense D'Entrer.
It was the master control room. There was no mistaking that. There were grids of video monitors showing every approach and attraction in the park. Control consoles literally ringed the room.
And on the main console was a still-dribbling splash of fresh vomit.
"Someone did not take their poison," said Chiun, looking about the empty room.
"No, but someone took him."
"I detect the faint perfume of the French woman."
"Yeah. Great. Now we're the only ones here with the entire French army laying siege outside. Time to call Smitty."
Remo picked up a satellite telephone and tried to dial Harold Smith in America. The trouble was Remo didn't know the country code for U S.A. And when he finally got an operator speaking French, she hung up on him the minute he spoke two words, one of them "please."
Sighing, Remo tossed the handset to the Master of Sinanju. "Just get me past the language barrier."
When Harold Smith came on the line, Chiun tossed the handset back to Remo.
"Smitty. We're not doing well here."
"One moment, Remo," said Smith absently. "This is very strange."
"What is?"
"I have unusual activity on Beasley company credit cards."
"Well, I can guarantee you the big spenders aren't over here in Euro Beasley."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because Chiun and I just penetrated their lower regions, and they're all dead."
"Dead. How dead? I mean, how long dead?"
"A day or two. They took poison."
"Cyanide," hissed Chiun.
"Chiun says cyanide. Looks like Jonestown, except with lollipops."
"Remo, this is very suggestive. Obviously Euro Beasley is not what it seems. It is much more than a theme park."
"So far, every Beasley theme park has been more than a theme park. But we missed one guy."
"You have a prisoner?"
"No, French Intelligence does. For all our troubles, we got yellowed."
"Remo, I think you are breaking up. Did you say yellow?"
"Yeah. The yellow light got us. I'll never look at a canary the same way again. Chiun and I took off for the hills when it hit."
"It is a wise rabbit which knows when to employ the ancient and honorable strategy of retreat," Chiun called out.
"By the time we got back," Remo continued, "that French agent had taken off with the one survivor. Whatever he knows, the French will have it by tomorrow is my guess."
Smith was silent a moment. "This is twice you have encountered mysterious colored lights."
"No," said Remo, "this is twice Chiun and I have been run over by these colored lights. I thought green was bad, but it was over quick. I never want to be yellowed again."
"Yet you enjoyed the pink light."
"Oh, yeah, that," said Remo, breaking into a pleasant smile at the memory. "I'd gladly walk through a football field lit by greens and yellows if there's some pink on the other side."
"Remo, listen carefully. These lights must represent some new technology the Beasley people have discovered. Look around for some sign of controls."
"Controls?"
"Yes, someone had to be controlling the yellow light."
"Hey, Chiun, check around the room. Smitty wants-"
"I have found many buttons with the names of strange colors on them," Chiun announced.
"Smitty, we found it."
"I have found it," Chiun said loudly.
"Remo, I am unable to locate any Beasley corporate officers. That means that man is our only lead. I want you to find him and extract from him what he knows. Only by determining the reason the French have seen fit to quarantine Euro Beasley can we get to the root of this conflict."