EXTRACTS: The Modesty Blaise Companion Expanded Edition © 2018 The Book Palace (425 PAGES in Full edition)

T H E M O D E S T Y B L A I S E C O M P A N I O N STORY No. 7 DRAWN BY JIM HOLDAWAY START DATE OF STORY 20th September 1965 (Monday) END DATE OF STORY 19th February 1966 (Saturday) Sir Gerald Tarrant has disappeared while on holiday abroad and appears to have defected, taking with him the top secret Acorn File, his personal list of European agents. His assistant, Fraser, who is also under suspicion, secretly visits Modesty and Willie Garvin to tell them the situation. They all agree that Tarrant must have been framed, has been kidnapped or killed and that the real traitor must still be in place. The only other people with access to the Acorn File are Sefton and Ranshaw so the traitor must be one of them. Willie abducts Sefton while Modesty abducts Ranshaw and both are taken to Modesty’s cottage. Using an actor friend, Michael York, the two men are “interrogated”. Sefton proves to be innocent. York tricks Ranshaw into revealing the present location of the Acorn File and that Tarrant is a prisoner of Graf von Schuyler, a freelance spy. The Acorn File is recovered. Modesty and Willie fly to Austria and travel to the remote village near which von Schuyler has his castle. While they are reconnoitring they see one of the villagers try to shoot von Schuyler. The shot misses and the villager is chased by dogs but has not been recognised. Modesty and Willie rescue him and help him to escape. He takes them to his home in the village where they pose as his relatives. Von Schuyler has invited a number of top spies to his castle with the intention of auctioning Tarrant to the highest bidder. He is giving a party for his guests the night before the auction and as lord of the manor, demands some young village girls to entertain his guests. Modesty gets into the castle disguised as one of the village girls and is chosen by one of the spies to spend the night with him. When they reach his bedroom she overpowers him and Willie joins her. They locate Tarrant but are seen trying to get away. They split up, Willie getting clear with Tarrant while Modesty draws off the pursuit. She is caught by von Schuyler on horseback. He tries to run her down and kill her using his boar spear but she throws him from his horse and he is killed. Willie and Tarrant are already safe in the village and Modesty joins them there. They take Tarrant home. When they visit him in hospital some time later, Willie eats all the grapes and regales Tarrant with stories about his girlfriends in an effort to cheer him up. I I 212