Chapter 4 spy at the end of the rainbow

When Rand first heard of Rainbow's End, he was in Cairo looking for Layla Gade.It has been two years since they escaped the city together in a helicopter, pursued by the Egyptian Air Force.In the past two years, Cairo has changed a lot.Most importantly, the Russians have withdrawn.In addition to some outdated soldiers, thousands of technicians and military experts have been withdrawn to Russia. Rand preferred Cairo without the Russians, although he acknowledged that their withdrawal would do little to ease tensions in the Middle East.Terrorists are still rampant, and terrorist incidents occur almost every week.The killings and the threat of war from both sides remain.In the general peace of the world, Cairo is still a good place for espionage.

He was looking for Layla partly because he wanted to see her again, but mostly because her colleague, a Cairo University archaeologist, had suddenly become the focus of British intelligence.This case did not fall under the purview of the Secret Communications Agency, but Hastings did not hesitate to list Rand's name, considering that his old friend Leila might be able to provide useful information. So, on a warm April day, he arrived in Cairo.Unfortunately, Layla Gade is not in Cairo.Rand went to the university first and asked about her whereabouts."Layla went to the end of the rainbow," a grinning Greek professor told him.

"The end of the rainbow?" Rand asked, thinking of a pot of gold. "It's the new Holiday Inn in Falls Bay. There's a world conference of archaeologists going on there, and we're sending two people to it." While seemingly hopeless, Rand poses the question anyway. "Was it Herbert Fanger with Layla?" The Greek professor's smile widened. "You still know Professor Fang?" "Just heard about it." "That's right. The two of them represented the University of Cairo together. Since the meeting is being held in our country, we cannot ignore it."

"Is Russia also represented?" "Russia, US, UK, France and China. A veritable international conference." Rand took out his notepad. "Maybe I'll check there. Can you tell me how to get to the end of the rainbow?" The Gulf of Fur is a small bay on the western shore of the Red Sea, nestled in southeastern Egypt (for Rand, the name of this ancient land has always been Egypt, and he would not change his name to the United Arab Republic), it lies just north of Sudan The boundary line, which almost intersects with the Tropic of Cancer, is a barren rock area where not a single grass grows.This, Rand thought, was probably the most unlikely place in the world to build a Holiday Inn.

But when he drove off the main road in his rented car, he saw a green oasis dotted with white houses and a sweeping view of the bay.He passed a colorful sign that said the end of the rainbow, and drove on a colorful path that continued to the main building. After he parked his car, the first person he encountered was an armed security guard.Rand felt very strange why there was a need for security guards in such a remote place, but he still followed the man into the office building.Behind a large white desk, a small Englishman in a knitted summer suit stood up and greeted him: "What is your business?"

Rand revealed his identity: "I have something very important to discuss with Miss Layla Gade. As far as I know, she is a resident of this hotel." The man in front of him bowed slightly: "My name is Felix Bowlinger, the manager of the Rainbow's End Hotel. We welcome all guests, even British intelligence personnel." "I took a look at it. It's a nice place. Who does it belong to?" "A company headquartered in London. In fact, we are still under construction. This conference of archaeologists is also a kind of trial operation." "You also made these irrigation facilities?"

The little man nodded: "The cost of irrigation and cleaning the bay is the highest. I recently submitted a petition to the government to change the name of Fall Bay to Rainbow Bay. A name like Fall Bay won't attract tourists." "Good luck." Rand looked out at the water, which still had scum and dirt floating on it. "You want to see Miss Gad. According to the plan, it's free time now. I think she should be with the others at the swimming pool side, and you can go there to find her," he pointed to a door. "From here go out." "thanks."

"Let her show you around. You must have never seen a place like the end of the rainbow before." "That's exactly what I mean." Rand went through the door he was pointing to and followed another path of seven colors all the way to the swimming pool.Six people were playing in the pool, and he recognized Leila Gade in a bikini at a glance.She has black hair and is petite and exquisite.She pulled herself up and landed, her shapely body and gleaming skin. "Hello, see you again," he said, handing over a towel, "remember me?" She looked up, squinting in the sunlight. "It's Mr. Rand, isn't it?"

"You are still so polite." Her face was even younger than he remembered, with high cheekbones and deep black eyes that always seemed to mock him. "I dare not ask you why you moved here," she said. "Same as before, work." He glanced at the others in the pool.Four middle-aged men, and one woman, about Leila's age, maybe older—maybe thirty.One of the men was clearly from the East.The others were all in bathing suits, and Rand couldn't make out their nationalities. "Where is the best place for us to talk?" he asked. "To the bay?" She pulled on a terry cloth coat.

"Bowlinger said you could show me around. How about it?" "Okay." She led him, along the same path, towards the main building.That's when they meet another man who looks younger than the rest. "You're not leaving me, are you?" he asked Layla. "Just showing an old friend around. Mr. Rand, from London—this is Harvey Northgate, from Columbia University in America. He's here for a conference." They shook hands, and the American said, "Rand, take good care of her. There are only two women here." He continued down the path toward the swimming pool.

"It seems very easy-going." Rand commented. "They're all very easygoing people. This was the most fun meeting I've ever been to," she asked, squinting at Rand beside her. "How did you get here? They let you parachute in?" "Of course not. Didn't you come back too?" "That was with the help of the university. Then, of course, the Russians withdrew, which eased the situation a bit," she led him into the middle of a courtyard surrounded by white buildings, "each building has nine The big guest room, you can see, there are nine buildings here, plus an office building. But the eight buildings over there are not finished yet. Only the one we live in has been completed." "Then there are only eighty-one guest rooms in total," Rand said. "Enough, for the room rates they plan to charge! There are rumors that Bowlinger's company intends to make the hotel show a profit and then sell the entire hotel to Hilton," she pointed at the colorful stripes as they came down the path, "See? These colors of the rainbow are your guide. Blue is for the pool, yellow for the lounge." Like several other buildings, the completed one has two floors.There are four suites on the first floor and five suites on the second floor. "How can you afford that?" "They haven't officially opened yet, and they gave a good discount for this meeting. And the meeting between Professor Fang and I was funded by the university," she led him into the hall, "each room has a different color The design theme - the seven colors of the spectrum, plus black and white. This room is mine - between orange. The walls, hangings, bedding, shower curtain - even the ashtray and phone - are all orange ,” she opened an orange ceramic cigarette case, “Look, even the cigarettes are orange! Professor Fanger’s is yellow, but he doesn’t smoke at all.” "Who lives among the blacks?" "American, Harvey Northgate. He didn't like it when he heard about it, but it was a nice room. All black with white trim. I like all the rooms, except maybe the purple one. I recommend Bowringer replaced it with pink." "You said Professor Fang lived in the yellow room?" "Yes. A bright and cheerful room." "I'm here from London to find out if he's an ex-Russian spy we've been hunting for years. Last week we arrested a man in Liverpool who had Fang on his contact list." Layla Gade sneered. "Have you ever met Herbert Fange?" "Not yet," he admitted. "He's the least spy-looking guy." "This kind of person is best suited to be a spy." "No, I'm serious! He's fat, in his forties, and he imagines himself as a man who is popular with women. He always wears imported clothes, in bright colors that most men don't want to choose." , even these days. I can't imagine him as a humble spy." "We hear he's retired. His code name for Russia was Sphinx." "If he's retired, why are you looking for him?" "Because he knows a lot of things, especially the spies who worked with him. Although some are retired now, many are still active, spying for other countries." "What do you want me to do?" she asked skeptically. "I've swam the Nile and climbed the pyramids for you. I'm not going to sell Herbert Fang to British intelligence. I like it." This little man, he's interesting. Whatever he was ten years ago, it's gone." "At least you can introduce me to him, okay?" "I think so." She reluctantly agreed. "Was he among those swimming?" "God, of course not. He never sees people in a bathing suit. I think he should be watching TV in the lounge." "TV, is it far away from Luo?" "It's CCTV, only in the hotel. Some old movies." As she expected, Herbert Fange was in the lounge, but he wasn't watching an old movie.He was concentrating on talking to the hotel manager Bowlinger.When Rand and Layla entered the room, they stopped immediately.Bowlinger said, "Oh, Mr. Rand! Did she show you around us?" "After the visit, the impression is even more impressive." "Come back when we officially open in the fall. Then your eyes will be opened." "Can I stay here tonight? It's too far back to Cairo." Bollinger frowned and thought for a while, "Let me see... there is still space between the blue, if you like." "Can." "I'll get you the key. Although you're not here for the meeting, you can still enjoy the preferential room rate." After he left in a hurry, Leila introduced Fange, "Professor Herbert Fange, he may be the world's authority on Cleopatra himself and his time." "Nice to meet you," Rand said. Fang was wearing a bright red sweatshirt and checked pants, which accentuated his bump.After meeting him, Rand had to admit that he was the least likely spy. "We were talking about this place," he said to Rand, "how much do you think it cost?" "I dare not even guess." "Tell him, Felix," he said when the manager came back with Rand's key. Bowlinger proudly replied: "Irrigation and landscaping, plus cleaning up the bay, totaled nearly seven million dollars. Highest per unit spend on a Holiday Inn." Rand was amazed.After chatting for a while, he remembered the purpose of his trip. "Professor, may I have a private chat with you? It's about some of my research." "About Cleopatra?" "About the Sphinx." Something flickered in Fang's eyes.He said hello and left with Rand.Seeing no one around, he said, "You're a British agent, right? Bowlinger told me all about it." "Correct Communications, to be exact. I know this country well, so they sent me to find you." "I retired in the mid-sixties." "We know. It took us a long time to track you down. We're not after you, just interested in the many names you have in mind. We want to make a deal." Fang's eyes flickered again. "I might be interested. I don't know. It's probably a mistake for you to come here and talk openly with me about it." "You mean there's someone here—" "Look, Rand, I'm forty-seven years old, and I've put on a lot of weight. I retired while I didn't lose my life, and I don't want to take any chances now. Espionage is a young man's game, and it's always Yes. Your Somerset Maugham retired after World War I and went to write a book. After I retired, I went to play with women." "How about luck?" "Here?" he snorted. "I think Leila is a little girl of twenty-eight, and the French woman is a slut with no choice." "What is the purpose of this meeting?" "Just to discuss recent archaeological discoveries. Five countries each sent a representative, and the University felt that Leila and I should also be present. There are no dark secrets here—I can assure you of that! "But his eyes were not so determined. "Then why are there armed security patrols here?" "You'll have to ask Bowlinger—I guess he'll reply that there's a lot of homeless people stealing things. If there's no security, this place's a fat place." "How far is the nearest town from here?" "It's more than a hundred miles to Aswan by land—nowhere nearer, just a few indigenous villages and deserts." "It's strange as a meeting place; it's even more strange as a place to build a luxury hotel." "The Suez Canal is open again, and Bowlinger is hoping that a lot of guests will arrive by boat - rich people with yachts and all. Who knows? He might make it. Once the bay of Faur is cleared, it's a natural mooring." pier." They wandered outside, among the white buildings in various stages of construction.Rand realized they had strayed from the point.He hadn't come all the way here to discuss the Holiday Inn with Herbert Fange.Just then, Layla and another man from the meeting—a man with striking silver hair and a neatly trimmed pointed beard—walked toward them.Rand remembered seeing him by the pool.Leila introduced them and they shook hands. "Oh, Mr. Rand, here is one of your countrymen. Dr. Wayne Evans, from Oxford." The bearded Dr. Evans beamed: "Nice to meet you, Rand. I always have to explain that I'm not a doctor and I don't represent Oxford. I just live in Oxford and have written a few books on archaeology." Book." "Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you," Rand said.He saw that Fanger took the opportunity to slip away, but it didn't matter, he could go to him later, "I just want them to tell me frankly the purpose of this meeting, but everyone falters and falters." Dr. Evans sneered. "The best thing you can do is come to our morning meeting. You'll be bored, but at least you'll know as much as we do." "I'll go," Rand said.He watched Evans leave along the path to the swimming pool, then changed his mind and walked to the lounge.Rand turned his attention to Layla, who had been standing beside him. "Since you're staying here tonight, you can dine with me," she said, "and your long journey will not be in vain." He responded to the mischievous smile on her face with the same smile, "How do you know that my visit will be in vain this time?" "Because I've known Herbert Fang for three years, and he's never answered any questions frankly. I guess you can't do anything about him either." "You're right," he admitted. "Come on, let's eat." He looked at the cyan allotted to him, and it wasn't as depressing as he imagined.Like between black and white, the main color of the room is surrounded by a circle of white, which makes people feel very comfortable.He began to feel that if anyone could afford it, the end of the rainbow would be a hit. At dinner, Leila introduced him to other attendees who hadn't met yet—Jeanne Bisser from France, Liang Tao from the People's Republic of China, and Ivan Rusanov from Russia.There were also Fang, Northgate, and Evans he had met before, not counting Leila, there were six participants in total. "Dr. Tao should live among the yellows," Rand whispered to Layla, "if Bowringer had a little imagination." "I guess you'll assign Rusanov to the reds?" "certainly!" "Well, according to you, it should be. But Dr. Tao is between the greens." "And that Frenchwoman, Jeanne Bisset, lives among the purples?" "Wrong! She's in the white. Bowlinger left the teal and purple empty, and now you live in the teal." "But he says there's only one room available. I wonder what's going on between the purples." "There's no doubt about it, it must be a secret place—since it's opened by you British people." "I should be angry," he said with a smile.He liked having her by his side, it made him feel at home and at ease. After dinner, other people chatted in small groups.Rand saw the Chinese talking to the Russians as the American Harvey Northgate walked past him. "With so many empty rooms, why do you think Bowlinger would let Americans live in the black?" Rand asked, as they strolled to the bay. "Maybe he's anti-American, who knows?" "Your attitude is not very serious." "Should I be serious, Mr. Rand?" "Can't you change your name?" "I never knew your full name." "C Jeffrey Land, I never tell anyone what C stands for." "The name Geoffrey doesn't suit you," she said, looking at him with her head on one side. "Winston would be better." "Maybe one day I will be prime minister." She took his arm and turned him, facing the brightly lit building. "When you really become the Prime Minister, I will accompany you on an adventure. For now, let's stay honest. The last time I accompanied you on an adventure, I swam across the Nile to spy on a Russian yacht!" "Interesting, isn't it?" "Of course. And climbing the pyramids in the middle of the night. My legs hurt for days." It was late when they got back to the guest house.There are still some people in the lounge, but the lights in most of the guest rooms have been turned off. “Here we get tired early,” she said, “I guess because of the fresh air and the amount of exercise.” "I see what you mean. I also drove a long time today." He glanced at his watch and realized that it was past ten o'clock.They walked and talked for longer than he expected, "One more thing. I want to continue our conversation if Fang is still up." "Would you like me to accompany you?" she suggested, "and then we can listen to his sloppy eye." "Come on. He'll surprise you." Fangge's Yellow is at the end of the first floor, next to the emergency exit.Rand knocked on the door. He didn't answer, and just as they were about to go to the lounge to find him, Rand noticed a drop of wet orange paint on the carpet under the door. "strangeness." "what?" "Paint. Not dry yet." "Rand, the door is unlocked." They pushed open the door and turned on the overhead lights.The sight in front of me was unbelievable.The entire room—ceiling, walls, floor—was splashed with paint of every color.Reds, blues, greens, blacks, whites, purples and oranges - all splashed and smeared across the room.Moreover, ashtrays and towels in other rooms were also thrown on the floor.Fangge's yellow cigarette case was overturned, and blue and yellow cigarettes, green and cyan towels, and even an orange ashtray were scattered nearby.The whole room is like a surreal dreamland, the colorful colors at the end of the rainbow mixed with black and white. And in the corner of the room, Herbert Fange's body was half hidden by a chair.The bright red blood stained the yellow wall behind him, which looked inconspicuous against the backdrop of colorful paint.He was stabbed several times in the chest and abdomen. "Oh my god," Leila gasped, "this is hell!" "Call the nearest police station," Rand said. "We need help." But just as they were about to turn to leave, a voice came from the corridor: "Mr. Rand, I'm afraid this is impossible. No one here will call." Felix Bowlinger and a security guard stood at the door , the security guard held a pistol and pointed it at the two of them. Rand held up his hands reluctantly, and Layla Gade next to him sighed and said, "You got me involved again, didn't you, Rand?" They were taken to Bowlinger's private office, the door locked behind them.Only then did the security guard put away the revolver.He stood against the door, and Bowlinger sat behind the desk. "Mr. Rand, you must understand that I don't want the police to investigate at the end of the rainbow." "I get it now." "You and Miss Leila Gade will stay here until we have cleared the room and disposed of Herbert Fang's body." "You want me to keep quiet about this?" Rand asked. "I'm here on a mission involving Herbert Fang. He's been killed, and that's a big deal to the British government. " "This is no longer British territory, Mr. Rand. It has been independent for decades." "But you are a British citizen." "Only when it's profitable." "What the hell happened here? Why were there armed guards? Why was Fang killed?" "This has nothing to do with you, Mr. Rand." "You killed him?" "of course not!" Rand changed his sitting position. "Then the murderer is among the others. Let me go and I can find the murderer for you." Bollinger narrowed his eyes. "how do you want to do it?" "Since the murderer spilled paint all over the place, he must have had some. There was a drop of orange paint on the carpet outside the door, which looked like it came from the sole of a shoe. Just let me check everyone's Clothes, I can find the murderer." The manager is a decisive person. "Fine, as long as you promise me not to contact the police." "Sooner or later we will contact you." "Let's talk about it later. If we hand over the murderer, then things will be fine." Rand stood up. "I want to see Fange's room too. Put someone on guard at the door, don't clean it up." "What about the corpse?" "Let's put it there first," Rand made a decision, "We'll be able to catch the murderer in an hour or two." Layla followed him out of the office, still stunned. "How did you do it? Ten minutes ago, he was pointing a gun at us. Then you convinced him to let us go!" "Not yet. His security guards are still watching us. Listen, you go wake everyone up and get them to the pool." "Okay," she agreed, "but why?" "We're going to check for paint marks." Initially, American Harvey Northgate refused to check.The Russians also asked to call the embassy in Cairo.But when Rand explained the situation, they calmed down.The only trouble was that Rand and Layla found no paint marks on anyone.Sounds impossible, but it's true.Rand originally wanted to solve the murder case quickly, but in the end it came to naught. After the others were allowed to leave and return to their rooms, it was Bowlinger who offered an explanation. "I found the source of the paint buckets and other items. You see, the side door of this building is only a few steps away from the guest building that is under construction. There are paint buckets, boxes of towels and ashtrays, and even paint. Workers' smocks are available." "Take me to see it," Rand said.He looked around for Layla, only to find that she had left.Maybe the day had really worn her out. The hotel manager led Rand into the unfinished building.Seeing the piles of paint buckets, Rand had no doubt that the graffiti killer's raw materials came from this.He opened a box of red bath towels and a box of blue ashtrays. "What else is here?" he asked. "Just some ornaments. Apparently he didn't have time to get them." "Where's the rug? Where's the soap and the cigarettes?" "They were stored elsewhere. He took what he had. He put a painter's smock over his own." "I think so," Rand agreed.The paint is still fresh and sticky to the touch. "What I want to know is why—why risk being found out and make the room like this? He has to make at least two trips, once to get the paint bucket , returned the smock a second time, and threw those things in the room. Does anyone know where these things are stored?" "They all know. The first day they arrived, I showed them around here." "Smocks," Rand muttered, "but no shoes. No shoes with orange paint." "Probably lost. He may have dropped it in the bay." "Okay," Rand admitted reluctantly, "I've hit a dead end. We've got to call the police." "No." "What do you mean 'no'?" "Just 'no.' These people don't want to be identified. Neither do I." "They're not archaeologists, are they?" "Yes." Bowlinger admitted. "So what are Layla and Fang doing here?" "Something went wrong. Cairo University believed our cover and sent them to a meeting. Fanger is a retired intelligence agent and knew it from the beginning. Then you came and scared one of them to kill." "You have to tell me what the hell is going on here," Rand said. "Meeting." "Britain, America, France, Russia, and China. A secret meeting in such a remote place, with armed security guards," he remembered. "What's going on between the purples? Who lives in it?" "You're asking too many questions. Here's a list of all our guests." Rand took the paper, scanned it quickly, and deepened his memory: Layer: Red - Ivan Rusanov (Russia) Orange - Layla Gade (Egypt) Yellow - Herbert Fange (Egypt) Green - Dr. Tao Liang (China) Level 2: Blue - Dr. Wayne Evans (UK) Cyan - Rand Purple-- White - Jeanne Bisset (France) Black - Harvey Northgate (USA) "Is the purple suite available?" Rand asked. "empty." Rand put the list in his pocket, "I'm going to look around." "We've cut the phone line. It's useless for you to try to contact the outside world. Only the hotel line is still working." "Thank you for your reminder, it saved me a lot of effort," he thought of another thing, "You know, some suspects are not included in this list—that's you and your men." "I'm not going to destroy a room. My men will use guns instead of knives." "And what about the cooks and cleaners? What about the painters who work in other buildings?" "Interrogate them if you want," he said, "and you'll find nothing." Rand left him, walked across the lounge and up the stairs.He couldn't wait to check out the purple room.It was already late at night, and although no one else could be seen, Rand couldn't help wondering if they had all gone to bed. He stopped at the doorway between the purples and tried to turn the handle.The door was unlocked, and he wondered if another body would be found.Fange's door was unlocked, and the killer returned to the room after taking the paint bucket.He wondered why this room wasn't locked either, but soon he had an answer. "Felix? Is that you?" A woman's voice came from the bedroom.It was the Frenchwoman, Jeanne Bisset. "No, it's me." Rand said, turning on the light. She sat on the bed, amazed, "What are you doing here?" "This is neither my room nor yours. I'm sorry Felix Bowringer is late. I'm a little busy tonight." "I……" "You don't need to explain. I wondered why he left this room empty, and now I know." He looked around at the purple furniture, which he decided was the least attractive room. "Have you caught the murderer?" She regained her composure and asked.She was a beautiful woman, older than Layla, and Rand could not help guessing that she and Bowlinger had known each other before this week. "Not yet," he said frankly. "If you'd be honest with me, you'd be doing me a great favor." She blinked, "What truth?" "The purpose of this meeting." She thought for a moment.At last she said, "Give me a cigarette from my bag, and I'll tell you all I know." He picked up the bag, found a box full of white cigarettes with black borders, and handed her one. "What's so good about homemade cigarettes?" he asked. "I only smoke American cigarettes, but now I'm trying to quit it." "These cigarettes are free and readily available," she said, lighting one up, "just like Felix himself." "You're going to talk about this meeting," he reminded. "Yes, this conference. A gathering of reformers trying to change the world. But the world can't be changed, can it?" "That depends. So you're not an archaeologist?" "No. Although the Russian named Rusanov knew enough to put on a show and make a few speeches after Fang and Miss Gade arrived. No, Mr. Rand, in fact, we're just a bunch of peacekeepers. Activists. Our five countries — the U.S., France, U.K., China and Russia — are the only ones with full-fledged nuclear weapons.” "So that's it! I should have thought of it earlier!" "We're meeting here - funded by some of our country's peace organizations and the Prohibition Council - to work out some cooperation plans. As you can see, we're not cynics, but sincere middle-aged idealists." "Why are there only five of you? Why did you choose such a remote place for the meeting?" "Large conferences will alarm the media—especially after Dr. Tao and Ivan return to China. It is very dangerous. We heard that this place is still under construction, and it is a perfect venue for our conference." "Do you remember who suggested it be held here?" Her cheeks were flushed. "Actually, it was me. I met Felix Bowringer in Paris last year, and—" "I see," Rand said. "You put some sort of statement in the papers as a cover. Cairo University believed it." "Exactly." "Is there anyone among you whom Fang knows?" She looked blank. "He never said he knew any of us." "Okay," he said with a sigh, "thank you for the information." He left the room and went to find Layla Gade. He eventually found her in her own room - the last place he'd ever thought of.The orange all over the room stimulated his eyes, but she seemed to like the exaggerated decoration. "I think I've found the murderer," she announced, "and I've found a code for you to solve." "I thought there would be no such thing in this case. First tell me who the murderer is." "American - Northgate! I found a pair of shoes in the trash by the incinerator. Look - orange paint on the soles! Made in America!" "It's not conclusive evidence, but it's interesting. What's the code?" With a triumphant expression on her face, she held up a small notepad, "I went to Professor Fanger's room again and found this in his stuff. He's been taking notes on it, so I thought it might be a clue .Look here—on the last page, he writes: Invite to room, confirm tritan." "Tritan? What's this?" "Well, I guess he spelled it wrong, it's a triton, a mythical creature with a man's body and a fish's tail—like a male mermaid. He's implying a good swimmer, right? I Having seen them swim, I daresay Northgate is the best swimmer of the bunch." "Fanger wants to confirm this in his room? How—fill the room with water?" "This..." She stopped hesitantly, "What else could it mean?" Rand didn't answer, just said: "Come on, let's go and meet Northgate." The American opened the door sleepily, and growled angrily: "Don't you know it's late at night?" Rand put the pair of shoes in front of his eyes, and he fell silent. "Want us to come in?" "Okay." He reluctantly agreed, stepping aside. "It's your shoe, isn't it?" Denial is useless. "Yes, mine." "After Fang was killed, did you ever go into his room?" “我是去过，但是我没有杀他。他已经死了。他请我去他房间喝一杯，房门没锁，我走进去，发现他死了，房间里一片狼藉。我怕被怀疑，就跑了。但是后来我发现我踩在橙色油漆上了。你们让我们去游泳池边集合，检查油漆印，我一慌，就把鞋子扔了。” 兰德相信了他的话。因为真正的凶手会更加小心谨慎地处理可以作为证物的鞋子。“好吧，”他说，“现在让我们谈谈这次会议。让娜·碧塞已经把实情告诉我了——为了在你们五国中建立无核化。芳格知道这件事吗？” “我想他察觉到了，”美国人承认说，“这就是他想见我的原因。他想向我打听这里的一个人——一个他觉得他认识的人。” "who is it?" “他还来不及告诉我，就死了。” “一个间谍可以对这次会议带来什么样的损害？”兰德询问道。 诺斯格特考虑了一下，“没什么大碍。我想，如果他是俄国或中国方面的间谍的话，他只会把如萨诺夫和陶博士的名字报告给他们的政府就可以了，不过如此。” “以后我可能还有问题要问你。”兰德说。 “他可能是被一个阿拉伯工人杀死的。”兰德和蕾拉正要出门时，诺斯格特提议道。 回到一楼，蕾拉说：“也许他是对的。可能这不过是一起劫杀案。” “那么为什么费力气把房间搞成这样？一定有理由的。唯一合理的解释就是凶手企图掩盖身份。” 蕾拉拿出一支橙色的香烟，“在酒店房间里泼洒油漆来掩盖凶手身份？怎样掩盖？” “这就是我不知道的。”他又把死者的记事本掏了出来，注视着最后的一条记录：邀请至房间，确认tritan。这不是triton的误拼。堂堂一个开罗大学的教授不会犯这种错误。 他的目光移到蕾拉的香烟上，突然间他恍然大悟。 韦恩·埃文斯博士打开门，把他们让进屋。他的头发和胡须很整齐，显然他还没有就寝。“好吧，怎么了？”他问道，“还要调查？” “最后一次了，埃文斯博士，”兰德瞥了一眼蓝色的房间，说道，“是你杀了芳格教授。” “噢，又来了！”埃文斯瞄了一眼蕾拉，看她是否相信。 “是你杀了他，因为他认出你是一个曾经和他做过交易的间谍。他请你到他的房间去，想确认一下。他向你挑明后，你们厮打起来，而后你杀了他。我猜一开始就是你这把胡子让他对你的身份犹豫不决。” “你就是这样和同胞说话的吗，兰德？我来这里执行重要任务。” “我能猜到你的任务——破坏这次会议。” 埃文斯向后退了一步，好像权衡考虑着什么，“你认为是我杀了他，然后搞乱房间的？” “是的。房间被漆得像个彩虹似的，从旁边的楼里拿来的毛巾等物品被扔得到处都是。但是，就在刚才，我想起来有些香烟也撒在地上，就在摔坏的瓷烟盒旁。而在旁边的楼里并没有存放香烟。我想，你和芳格厮打的时候，他撕坏了你的衣袋，你口袋里的香烟掉了出来。而桌子也被掀翻了，他自己的烟盒摔碎了。你的烟和他的烟混在了一起。这就是原因——整个房间被搞成这样的原因。为了掩藏蓝色的香烟。” 韦恩·埃文斯博士嗤之以鼻，“故事编得真好！你知道，我只要把蓝色的烟捡起来就可以了。” “但是你不能，”兰德说，“因为你是个色盲。” 埃文斯突然发难，一把抓住蕾拉，兰德还没反应过来，他就已经挟持住了她。他不知从哪儿变出一把刀，抵着她的喉咙。“好了，兰德，”他平静地说，“放我走，否则这女孩儿就没命了。我不在乎再杀一个。” 兰德暗自咒骂自己疏于防范，咒骂自己再次让蕾拉身处险境。“兰德！”刀刃更加用力地抵住她的脖子，她惊呼道。 “好吧，”他说，“放了她。” “给宝灵格打电话。告诉他我要一辆加满油的汽车，还有一桶备用汽油。十分钟之内准备好，否则这女人就死定了。” 兰德遵从着，吐字清晰而流利地把要求转达给经理。他挂断电话，埃文斯背靠着房门，仍然死死地抓着蕾拉。“我们不能谈谈吗？”兰德建议道，“我来这里不是要抓你。如果可以——我的意思是到底发生了什么？” “你是怎么知道我是色盲的？” “芳格在他的记事本上留下了一条记录。邀请至房间，确认tritan。这只不过是tritanopia的缩写罢了。这是一种视觉缺陷，视网膜无法对蓝色和黄色做出反应。这种病不像红绿色盲那么常见，当芳格认出了你时，他想可以在他的黄色之间里确认这一点。命运弄人，你正好被安排在了蓝色之间。你们厮打时，你的香烟掉了出来，你只有两个选择——捡起所有的香烟，蓝色和黄色的，或者把它们留在那儿，用别的方法掩盖它们的存在。” “长话短说，”埃文斯说，“还有三分钟我就要离开。” “如果你捡起了所有香烟，那么就要冒着在尚未妥善处理前被人从你身上搜出来。即使你把它们冲进马桶，还有一个问题。大家都知道，芳格是不抽烟的，警察想搞清楚为什么凶手要把烟拿走。如果你的色盲症被发现，就会有人猜到答案了。但是用油漆泼洒房间，用所有你能找到的颜色的物品，不仅可以掩盖香烟的存在，还能以一种很狡猾的方法将注意力从色盲患者身上转移开。” 埃文斯背过手，把门打开，“你真聪明，兰德。” “哪里。我开始怀疑你是色盲后，就想起昨天你曾经被彩虹色的小径搞得一时糊涂了。你先沿着蓝色的小路去游泳池，又改变了主意，踏上了去休息室的黄色小径。当然了，两种颜色在你眼里都是灰的。” “向后退，”埃文斯对蕾拉叫道，“你和我一起走。” “是谁雇你潜入这次会议的？”兰德问道，“哪个国家？” “国家？”埃文斯嗤之以鼻，“芳格认识我的时候我就为国家工作。现在我为钱做事。” 他拖着蕾拉向走廊移动。兰德也跟了上去。费里克斯·宝灵格站在门口，拉开大门，服务周到的经理将离开的客人领到汽车旁。 “离我远点儿。”埃文斯对他说。 “我希望你在这里住得愉快。”宝灵格说。他从背后掏出一把枪，一枪正中埃文斯的额头——蕾拉·盖德灌下一杯苏格兰威士忌，对兰德说道：“你竟然为了救我，放他走！我必须说这种做法很不专业。” “我有我的弱点。”兰德承认道。 费里克斯把自己杯中的酒一饮而尽，又伸手去拿酒瓶。“真是一次糟糕的开业。总部会不高兴的。” “是谁雇佣了埃文斯？”蕾拉发问，“又为什么雇佣他？” “我们会调查他的，”兰德说，“但是我想，在当今世界上存在着各种各样的势力，抵制无核化进程。在美国，他们管这个叫做军工综合征。其他国家也有类似的说法。只要他们有钱，政府一旦倒台，他们就能接手掌控一切。埃文斯的幕后老板可能是美国的一家火箭制造公司，或者是俄国的潜艇制造商，还可能是法国的战斗机供应商。” “没有地方能避过这一切吗？”蕾拉问。 费里克斯说出了答案：“没有，亲爱的，没有地方。就连这里，彩虹尽头，也难逃魔爪。”

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Notes: 中一句名言：There is a pot of gold a tend of every rainbow．每条彩虹的尽头都有一罐金子。