The huge office was crammed with arcane electronic equipment, and the soundproof walls were lined with wafer-thin television sets displaying live scenes from cities around the world. Some of the views were of busy conference rooms, offices, and laboratories, while others showed hotel suites where meetings were taking place. Each set had its own audio system, and even though the volume was barely audible, it was eerie to hear snippets of sentences spoken simultaneously in a dozen different languages.

A caption appeared at the bottom of each screen identifying the cities: Milan . . . Johannesburg . . . Zurich . . . Madrid . . . Athens . . . At the far wall was an eight-tier bookshelf filled with leather-bound volumes.

Tanner Kingsley was seated behind a mahogany desk that contained a console with half a dozen different coloured b.u.t.tons. He was elegantly dressed in a tailored gray suit with a light blue shirt and a blue checked tie.

Tanner rose as the two detectives walked in. 'Good morning, gentlemen.'

Earl Greenburg said, 'Good morning. We're-'

'Yes, I know who you are. Detectives Earl Greenburg and Robert Praegitzer.' They shook hands. 'Sit down, please.'

The detectives took seats.

Praegitzer was staring at the swiftly changing, worldwide pictures on the profusion of television sets. He shook his head in admiration. 'Talk about today's state of the art! This is-'

Tanner raised a hand. 'We're not talking here about today's state of the art, Detective. This technology won't be on the market for another two or three years. With these, we're able to watch teleconferences in a dozen different countries simultaneously. The information that pours in from our offices around the world is automatically categorized and recorded by these computers.'

Praegitzer asked, 'Mr. Kingsley, forgive a simplistic question. What does a think-tank do, exactly?'

'Bottom line? We're problem solvers. We figure out solutions to problems that may lie ahead. Some think-tanks concentrate in only one area-the military or economics or politics. We deal in national security, communications, microbiology, environmental issues. KIG functions as an independent a.n.a.lyst and critic of long-range global consequences for various governments.'

'Interesting,' said Praegitzer.

'Eighty-five percent of our research staff hold advanced degrees, and more than sixty-five percent have Ph.D.s.'

'That's impressive.'

'My brother, Andrew, founded this company to a.s.sist Third World countries, so we're also heavily involved in start-up projects there.'

There was a sudden rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning from one of the television sets. They all turned to look.

Detective Greenburg said, 'Didn't I read something about a weather experiment you were doing?'

Tanner grimaced. 'Yes, it's known around here as Kingsley's folly. It's one of the few major failures KIG ever had. It was the one project that I most hoped would work. Instead, we're closing it down.'

Praegitzer asked, 'Is it possible to control the weather?'

Tanner shook his head. 'Only to a limited degree. A lot of people have tried. As long ago as 1900, Nikola Tesla was doing experiments with weather. He discovered that ionisation of the atmosphere could be altered by radio waves. In 1958, our Defence Department experimented with dropping copper needles into the ionosphere. Ten years later, there was Project Popeye, where the government attempted to extend the monsoon season in Laos, to increase the amount of mud in the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They used a silver iodide nuclei agent, and generators shot banks of silver iodide into the clouds, to become seeds for raindrops.'

'Did it work?'

'Yes, but on a confined local basis. There are several reasons why no one will ever be able to control the weather. One problem is that El Nino creates warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that disrupt the world's ecological system, while La Nina creates cold weather temperatures in the Pacific, and the two of them combined completely negate any realistic weather control planning. The Southern Hemisphere is about eighty percent ocean, while the Northern Hemisphere is sixty percent ocean, causing another imbalance. In addition to that, the jet stream determines the path of storms, and there is no way to control that.'

Greenburg nodded, then hesitated. 'Do you know why we're here, Mr. Kingsley?'

Tanner studied Greenburg a moment. 'I trust that that is a rhetorical question. Otherwise, I would find it offensive. Kingsley International Group is a think tank. Four of my employees have died or disappeared mysteriously within a period of twenty-four hours. We have already started our own investigation. We have offices in major cities around the world, with eighteen hundred employees, and it is obviously difficult for me to keep in contact with all of them. But what I have learned so far is that two of the employees who were murdered were apparently involved in illegal activities. It cost them their lives-but I a.s.sure you, it is not going to cost Kingsley International Group its reputation. I expect our people to resolve this very quickly.'

Greenburg spoke up. 'Mr. Kingsley, there's something else. We understand that six years ago a j.a.panese scientist named Akira Iso committed suicide in Tokyo. Three years ago a Swiss scientist named Madeleine Smith committed suicide in-'

Tanner interrupted. 'Zurich. Neither of them committed suicide. They were murdered.'

The two detectives looked at him in surprise. Praegitzer asked, 'How do you know that?'

There was a hardened tone in Tanner's voice. 'They were killed because of me.'

'When you say-'

'Akira Iso was a brilliant scientist. He worked for a j.a.panese electronics conglomerate called Tokyo First Industrial. I met Iso at an international industry convention in Tokyo. We got along well. I felt that KIG could offer him a better atmosphere than the company he was with. I made him an offer to work here, and he accepted. In fact, he was very excited about it.' Tanner was fighting to keep his voice steady. 'We agreed to keep it confidential until he was legally able to leave that company. But he obviously mentioned it to someone, because there was an item about it in a newspaper column, and . . .' Tanner stopped again for a long moment, then went on. 'The day after the item appeared, Iso was found dead in a hotel room.'

Robert Praegitzer asked, 'Mr. Kingsley, couldn't there have been other reasons that might explain his death?'

Tanner shook his head. 'No. I didn't believe he committed suicide. I hired investigators and sent them and some of my own people to j.a.pan to try to learn what had happened. They couldn't find any evidence of foul play, and I thought that perhaps I was wrong, that possibly there was some tragedy in Iso's life that I knew nothing about.'

'Then why are you so sure now that he was murdered?' Green-burg wanted to know.

'As you mentioned, a scientist named Madeleine Smith supposedly committed suicide in Zurich, three years ago. What you don't know is that Madeleine Smith also wanted to leave the people she worked for and come to our company.'

Greenburg frowned. 'What makes you think the two deaths are connected?'

Tanner's face was stone. 'Because the company she worked for is a branch of the same Tokyo First Industrial.'

There was a stunned silence.

Praegitzer said, 'There's something I don't understand. Why would they murder an employee just because she wants to quit? If-'

'Madeleine Smith wasn't just an employee. Neither was Iso. They were brilliant physicists who were about to solve problems that would have made the company a fortune larger than you can imagine. That's why they didn't want to lose either of them to us.'

'Did the Swiss police investigate Smith's death?'

'Yes. So did we. But again, we could prove nothing. As a matter of fact, we're still working on all the deaths that occurred, and I expect that we will solve them. KIG has far-reaching connections all over the world. If I get any useful information, I will be happy to share it with you. I hope you will reciprocate.'

Greenburg said, 'That's fair enough.'

A gold-plated phone on Tanner's desk rang. 'Excuse me.' He walked over to the desk and picked up the phone. 'h.e.l.lo. . . . Yes. . . . The investigation's coming along very satisfactorily. As a matter of fact, two detectives are in my office at this moment, and they have agreed to cooperate with us.' He glanced over at Praegitzer and Greenburg. 'Right. . . . I'll let you know when we have any further news.' He replaced the receiver.

Greenburg asked, 'Mr. Kingsley, are you working on anything sensitive here?'

'You mean are we working on something sensitive enough to have half a dozen people murdered? Detective Greenburg, there are more than a hundred think tanks around the world, some of them working on exactly the same problems we are. We're not building atomic bombs here. The answer to your question is no.'

The door opened, and Andrew Kingsley walked into the office carrying a stack of papers. Andrew Kingsley bore little resemblance to his brother. His features seemed to be blurred. He had thinning gray hair, a lined face, and he walked in a slightly stooped posture. Whereas Tanner Kingsley was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with vitality and intelligence, Andrew Kingsley appeared to be slow-witted and apathetic. He spoke haltingly and seemed to have trouble putting sentences together.

'Here are those-you know-those notes you asked for, Tanner. I'm sorry I didn't finish-finish them earlier.'

'That's perfectly all right, Andrew.' Tanner turned to the two detectives. 'This is my brother, Andrew. Detectives Greenburg and Praegitzer.'

Andrew looked at them uncertainly and blinked.

'Andrew, do you want to tell them about your n.o.bel Prize?'

Andrew looked at Tanner and said vaguely, 'Yes, the n.o.bel Prize . . . the n.o.bel Prize...'

They watched as he turned and shuffled out of the room.

Tanner sighed. 'As I mentioned, Andrew was the founder of this company, a truly brilliant man. He was awarded the n.o.bel Prize for one of his discoveries seven years ago. Unfortunately, he became involved in an experiment that went wrong and it-it changed him.' His tone was bitter.

'He must have been a remarkable man.'

'You have no idea.'

Earl Greenburg rose and held out his hand. 'Well, we won't take up any more of your time, Mr. Kingsley. We'll keep in touch.'

'Gentlemen-' Tanner's voice was steel. 'Let's get these crimes solved-fast.'

CHAPTER 16.Tanner could not stop brooding about the woman he had thought of as Princess. And the more he thought about how insolent she had been and how she had ridiculed him, the more incensed he became. We're going to have to improve your line, love. Do you have any idea how trite it is?. . . Are you feeling h.o.r.n.y, darling?. . . Get out your little black book and we'll try to find someone who's available for you tonight... It was as though he needed to exorcise her. He decided he would see her once more, to give her the comeuppance she deserved, and then forget about her.

Tanner waited three days and telephoned.

'Princess?'

'Who is this?'

He was ready to slam down the phone. How many G.o.dd.a.m.n men called her Princess?

He managed to keep his voice calm. 'This is Tanner Kingsley.'

'Oh, yes. How are you?' Her tone was completely indifferent.

I've made a mistake, Tanner thought. I should never have called her.

'I thought we could have dinner again sometime, but you're probably busy, so let's forget-'

'What about this evening?'

Tanner was caught off guard again. He could not wait to teach the b.i.t.c.h a lesson.

Four hours later, Tanner was seated across a table from Paula Cooper at a small French restaurant east of Lexington Avenue. He was surprised by how pleased he was to see her again. He had forgotten how vital and alive she was.

'I've missed you, Princess,' Tanner said.

She smiled. 'Oh, I've missed you, too. You're really something. You're very special.'

They were his words coming back to him, mocking him. d.a.m.n her.

It looked like the evening was going to be a replay of their last meeting. On Tanner's other romantic evenings, he had always been the one who controlled the conversation. With Princess, he had the unsettling feeling that she was always one step ahead of him. She had a quick comeback for everything he had to say. She was witty and swift and took no nonsense from him.

The women Tanner dated were beautiful and willing, but for the first time in his life, Tanner felt that perhaps something had been missing. They had been too easy. They were all agreeable, but they were too agreeable. There was no challenge. Paula, on the other hand ...

'Tell me about you,' Tanner said.

She shrugged. 'My father was rich and powerful and I grew up as a spoiled brat-maids and butlers-waiters to serve us at the swimming pool, Radcliffe, and a finishing school-the whole bit. Then my father lost it all and died. I've been working as an executive a.s.sistant to a politician.'

'Are you enjoying it?'

'No. He's boring.' Her eyes met his. 'I'm looking for someone more interesting.'

The next day, Tanner called again. 'Princess?'

'I was hoping you would call, Tanner.' Her voice was inviting.

Tanner felt a small frisson of pleasure. 'Were you?'

'Yes. Where are you taking me to dinner tonight?'

He laughed. 'Anywhere you would like to go.'

'I'd like to go to Maxim's in Paris, but I'll settle for going anywhere if I can be with you.'

She had thrown him off guard again, but for some reason, her words warmed him.

They had dinner at La Cote Basque on Fifty-fifth Street, and throughout dinner, Tanner kept looking at her and wondering why he was so attracted to her. It was not her looks; it was her mind and personality that were dazzling. Her whole essence blazed with intelligence and self-confidence. She was the most independent woman he had ever known.

Their conversations ranged over myriad subjects, and Tanner found her to be remarkably knowledgeable.

'What do you want to do with your life, Princess?'

She studied Tanner a moment before answering. 'I want power- the power to make things happen.'

Tanner smiled. 'Then we're a lot alike.'

'How many women have you said that to, Tanner?'

He found himself getting angry. 'Will you stop doing that? When I say you're different from any woman I've ever-'

'Ever what?'

Tanner said, exasperated. 'You frustrate me.'

'Poor darling. If you're frustrated, why don't you go take a shower-?'

The anger started again. He had had enough. He rose. 'Never mind. There's no use trying to-'