"This is the only way," Pitt interrupted. "The Albatros wasn't eaten by a whale, yet it vanished without leaving a stray nut or bolt. Knowing the identity of the pilot could have settled a number of loose ends. We have no choice. The only course that lies open is to search the villa."

"I still think we should take a squad of Air Police," Giordino said morosely, "and crash in through the front door."

Pitt looked at him, then looked once more over his shoulder up the stairway. He knew exactly how Al Giordino felt, for he felt the same way himself…frustrated, unsure, grasping at every string that offered a small touch of hope for obtaining an answer, no matter how small, to the strange events of the past few days. Much depended on the next hour; whether they could enter the villa unseen, whether they found evidence against von Till, whether Teri was a willful member of her uncle's, as yet unknown, scheme. Pitt glanced at Giordino again, saw the set brown eyes, the grim mouth, the knotted hands, saw all the signs of an intense mental concentration; concentration on the possible dangers that lay ahead. There was no better man to have on your side when the odds were long.

"I can't seem to pound it through your thick head," he said quietly. "This is Greek soil. We have no legal right to invade a private residence. I couldn't begin to think of the problems it would cause our government if we broke in von Till's door. As it is now, if we're caught by the Greek authorities, we'll play the roles of a couple of crewmen from the First Attempt who wandered into the underground passage during a guided tour to sleep off a shore leave drunk. They should buy that, they have no reason not to."

"That's why we're not packing any weapons?"

"You guessed it; we'll have to risk a disadvantage to save a possible predicament." Pitt halted at the crumbling archway. The iron grillwork looked different in the daylight, not nearly so massive and indomitable as he remembered it. "This is the place," he said, his fingers idly flaking a spot of dried blood from one of the rusting bars.

"You squeezed through that?" Giordino asked incredulously.

"It was nothing," Pitt replied, broadly grinning. "Just another one of my many accomplishments." The grin quickly faded. "Hurry, we don't have much time. The next tour will be through here in another forty-five minutes."