They called upstairs, and to Jennings' surprise they told him to go to a lobby phone where the Ambassador's office would call him. Jennings did as he was instructed, and in a moment was speaking to Thorn's secretary who wanted to know the sum involved and where a check should be mailed.

"I'd like to explain it to him personally," said Jennings. "I'd like to show him what he's getting for his money."

She replied that that would be impossible as the Ambassador was in a meeting, and Jennings decided to go for broke.

- "To tell you the truth, I thought he could help me with a personal problem. Maybe you could help me instead. I'm looking for a priest. He's a relative. He's had some business at the Embassy, and I thought maybe someone here had seen him and could help me."

It was an odd request and the secretary was reluctant to respond.

"He's a very short fella," added Jennings.

"Is he Italian?" she asked.

"I think he spent some time in Italy," replied Jennings, faking it to see what it was worth.

"Would his name be Tassone?" asked the secretary.

"Well, actually, Fm not sure. See, what I'm doing is trying to trace a lost relative. My mother's brother was separated from her as a child and changed his last name. My mother is dying now and she wants to find him. We don't know his last name, we only have a vague description. We know he's small like my mother,

and we know he became a priest, and a friend of mine saw a priest leaving the Embassy a week or so ago, and this friend said the priest looked exactly like my mother."

"There was a priest here," said the secretary. "He said he was from Rome, and I believe his name was Tassone."

"Do you know where he lives?"

"No."

"He had business with the Ambassador?"

"... I believe so."

"Maybe the Ambassador knows where he lives."

"I wouldn't know. I don't think so."

"Would it be possible to ask him?"

"I guess I could."

"When could you do that?"

"Well, not until later."

"My mother's very sick. She's in the hospital now and I'm afraid the time is growing short."

In Thorn's office, the intercom buzzed; a secretary's voice inquired whether he knew how to contact the priest who had been to see him two weeks before. Thorn paused in his work, suddenly going cold.

"Who's asking?"

"A man who says you broke his camera. The priest is a relative of his. Or he thinks he is."

After a momentary pause, Thorn replied. "Would you ask him to come up, please."