Odyssey of an Assassin

Jason Shexnaider, a jaded, middle-aged espionage agent, specializing in political assassinations, has lost his soul to his work. He''s been ordered now to recruit a candidate for a special mission and then to become responsible for her. He recruits Flo Guzman, a ghetto bred but saucy little sexpot from Wilmington, Delaware, who''s also the object of the twisted sexual fantasies of Mel Strawbridge, a coworker in the same machine shop. However, Rennie Decordova, a Honduran immigrant and,...
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Jason Shexnaider, a jaded, middle-aged espionage agent, specializing in political assassinations, has lost his soul to his work. He''s been ordered now to recruit a candidate for a special mission and then to become responsible for her. He recruits Flo Guzman, a ghetto bred but saucy little sexpot from Wilmington, Delaware, who''s also the object of the twisted sexual fantasies of Mel Strawbridge, a coworker in the same machine shop. However, Rennie Decordova, a Honduran immigrant and, although highly educated, an exotic dancer in New Orleans, becomes the eventual candidate. She''s to be the instrument of an assassination plot devised by Colonel Quentin Horschact, director of the U. S. Department of Intelligence. Its target a Latin American terrorist chieftain so protected by layers of security as to be virtually invulnerable. He has one weakness, though. Women. The plan, therefore, is to send in a woman with a disability, which in no way can detract from her attractiveness, but which, however, practically guarantees her to be harmless. "Well, how about blind then?" suggests Horschact, knowing already what the response will be. "Well, bloody blind it is then. Bully!" But she will carry a surgically implanted device in her body, a remotely detonated bombt. And the signal to detonate this bomb is to be buried in a radio commercial that will saturate the airwaves until the mission is completed. However, the girl is not to turn on her implanted receiver until, either, she needs help or she''s in bed with the target. None of this does Decordova know, obviously, but Shexnaider does. He knows about a pre-planned accident that will explain the surgery. He knows that this mission, disguised as reconnaissance, is actually suicide. And Jason Shexnaider, who has always done his duty, never questioning it, finds that he has a conscience after all. Decordova is to let them know she''s penetrated the layers of this man''s security as deeply as one could ever hope to. To his very bedroom, in fact. And, having done so, she''s to tap out the tune of Lili Marlene on her kneecap, in which both the bomb and the receiver have been installed; whereupon the receiver will turn on and the next time some radio station plays the fatal commercial -- boom! Mission accomplished. Phoenix Flower is the name of the nonexistent perfume. The campaign to promote it has been bought and paid for by Horschact. The campaign itself is the brainchild of Ward Sutton, New York ad executive, who, anticipating success and a big TV campaign to follow, selects Decordova to be his Phoenix Flowergirl. Thus bringing her to the attention of Horschact, who assigns her to Shexnaider. It''s Decordova''s attitude, her courageous acceptance of blindness, her stalwart willingness to serve her adopted country, albeit for the promise of a sizeable financial reward if she survives. It is these things, and above all her spirit, that convince Shexnaider she''s too good to be lost this way. He talks to the department doctor, Dr. Lodi, about undoing the surgery he was ordered to perform. It''s at this point that word comes down from the office of the Secretary of Intelligence that, due to recent changes in the diplomatic climate in Latin America, no missions of any kind are to be carried out in that area. Horschact is distraught. This mission is his most brilliantly planned. It''s precious to him. On the other hand, it can never become known. If it were successful it never would be known. But now ... simply hanging ... what can they do to hide it? Enter Mel Strawbridge, who''s been hiding in the wings since this drama began. When Guzman goes to Washington he follows her. And he''s hanging around the safe house in which candidates for the mission are being quartered when Decordova takes over and Guzman moves out. His frustration has built to the point that he''s become desperate. And, besides, this one is so much more attractive. Class, real class, man. And when he sees that Decordova is blind he acts. She can never identify him. He abducts her. Now all hell breaks loose. Horschact fears she''s fallen into the hands of people who mean harm to the United States. And should they discover what she has in her knee ... well, this simply cannot be allowed. He orders all radio stations to be persuaded, at whatever cost, to begin playing their commercial. "If she can that girl is going to tap out Lili Marlene on her bloody kneecap. And we''ll find whatever''s left of her after the explosion," he declares. He also orders Shexnaider shadowed. Horschact has begun to suspect his best field man of getting soft. "If he moves follow him. He may ruddy well know where that girl is." Meanwhile, Shexnaider, who''s been made aware of Strawbridge by a PI friend, has his own ideas. Encouraged by what he''s learned from Phil Moinahan, the PI, Shexnaider thinks Strawbridge has kidnapped Decordova. If they can find Strawbridge they''ll find her. And the race is on. Shexnaider on the ground in his Jaguar roadster, Horschact''s men both on the ground and in the air, and all the while the Phoenix Flower commercial is all over the dial on the radio. The final scene plays out in an isolated cabin in the Allegheny Mountains in northwest Virginia, where Strawbridge has taken his bound and helpless victim for fun and games. Decordova can''t tap her knee. But her legs are free. She entices Strawbridge to come between them. Suddenly locking them about his neck and, simultaneously throwing herself into a twisting turn, she breaks his neck and flees. At the top of the hill from the cabin she''s halted by a barbed wire fence. With the help of the barbs she''s about to free herself of her bonds when Shexnaider arrives and almost on top of him Horschact''s men in a helicopter. There''s a fight, of course, from which Shexnaider emerges victorious. Horschact''s two men are dead, their orders to kill both Shexnaider and the girl dead with them. And there lingers in the cold night air the suggestion that Shexnaider has not seen the last of this girl, Decordova.