When the first note arrived, it was thrown away as the work of a crank. When the next note came--with duplicates to the U.S. State Department and the CIA-- , routine search was made.

Nothing.

So file it and forget it. It's only a rumor.

The notes became more specific, mentioned things that only a handful of men in the whole world knew. So the entire northern coast of Europe was scoured. Again nothing.

It doesn't exist. It's just a rag-tag end of terror propaganda. File it ... .

Then came the proof. And filing it, for-getting it, dismissing it as propaganda, would mean the end of half the world if Durell couldn't find Cassandra within 47 hours.