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

E X P A N D E D E D I T I O N WENG (continued) STORY 54: “SWEET CAROLINE”: STRIP 5842 Serves tea when Sir Gerald Tarrant brings his friend Mrs Laura Crofton to Modesty and Willie to discuss the pay up or we kill you threat she has had from Sweet Caroline. Takes the call that sets up the meeting between Modesty and Sweet Caroline at a remote rendezvous and is fully aware of her plans to attend it. When she is double crossed and taken prisoner at the meeting he is overhead piloting the microlight plane that enables him to follow her and her captors back to their base and keep Willie on their trail in a car. Very glad that Modesty made belt and braces arrangements to be followed and greatly admires her caution. STORY 55: “THE RETURN OF THE MAMMOTH” TEXT ONLY STRIP 5919A Informed by Sir Gerald Tarrant that Modesty has left on an urgent trip to Helsinki in pursuit of Willie and that Tarrant has her car which is available to be picked up at his office. STORY 56: “PLATO’S REPUBLIC”: STRIP 6019 He hands the tools to Modesty while helping her hang some pictures in the penthouse. He claims that she is doing the actual hanging only because he is terrified of heights. Tells her that Melinda Krolli is at the reception desk asking to see her and serves tea while Melinda tells her that her father, Phil, is dying and longs to see her. He arranges their flights to Athens and then tries to telephone Willie in the country to tell him what is going on. His call is intercepted by Willie’s latest girlfriend, Ingrid, who is a Salamander Four agent. Later Willie arrives at the penthouse with Ingrid, and tells him that Modesty is an S 4 prisoner and Ingrid is there to pick up Modesty’s Network files and take them and Willie to join Modesty. He helps Willie to deceive Ingrid into being over confident and sets up a twenty four radio watch. Acts as link between Modesty on Voulakis and Willie, who has been taken to Athens. They speak in Cantonese and Arabic for security. WENG (continued) STORY 57: “THE SWORD OF THE BRUCE” TEXT ONLY STRIP 6116 Tells Willie that Modesty is away but will be listening out daily at noon on her usual frequency. She is testing a new glider designed by her friend Sam Loman by flying it from John O’Groats to Land’s End. STORY 60: “THE DOUBLE AGENT”: STRIP 6499 He reports to Willie that Modesty has not returned to the penthouse after leaving the cottage. When she calls him he tells her that Willie was attacked in Chamonix and had come home with concussion and slight amnesia and had wanted to warn her that although he did not know what, something strange and dangerous was happening. He feared an attempt was to be made to murder Sir Gerald Tarrant and he is going to the golf course with Maude Tiller to to try to find him. Modesty tells him she will also head for the golf course and will have a message for him once she knows where she is but anyway to ring Jack Fraser and send some men and an ambulance to Farleigh Grange to pick up Hakil’s damaged hit team. Told to stand by for her next call in about an hour. STORY 63: “THE VAMPIRE OF MALVESCU”: STRIP 6779 Receives a call from Modesty in Transylvania asking him to get what information he can on an organisation called Europe’s Fist from Sir Gerald Tarrant. He calls Tarrant who is brought out of a card game at his club to tell Weng what Modesty wants to know. It is not much and he passes this on to her at once, speaking in free cryptic and in Cantonese for security. Thanked by Modesty and told to listen out on the usual sked. STORY 64: “SAMANTHA AND THE CHERUB”: STRIP 6891 On the morning after Lucy Kolin has been kidnapped Modesty wakes Willie with a cup of tea in bed which makes him wonder if Weng has gone on strike. She tells him he is on his way to Stefan Kolin’s house posing as a decorator and will stay with Stefan and keep him company and that she had just arranged it that morning. 187 T H E M O D E S T Y B L A I S E C O M P A N I Drawn by Neville Colvin Strip 6499A Not published in the Evening Standard Drawn by Romero Strip 6779 24th September, 1987 Drawn by Neville Colvin Strip 5885 9th March, 1984 Drawn by Neville Colvin Strip 6080 17th December, 1984 Drawn by Romero Strip 6891 3rd March, 1988