Cub travels to London and drops in to see Copper and Trapper who are now running a garage. Cub has come down for a job interview after responding to an advert that offers £10,000 to a man physically fit, able to furnish the highest references, familiar with lethal weapons and able to speak French. The advert was sent to Cub by Gimlet. Going to the mysterious interview, Cub meets Rudolf Vanderskell, an American citizen and the richest man in the world. Vanderskell has been the victim of kidnappers due to his vast wealth. Fifteen years ago, his two year old daughter, Anne, was kidnapped and never seen again, believed murdered after he went to the police. Now his fourteen year old son, Johnny, has been kidnapped. Vanderskell is willing to pay to get his son back. Vanderskell has good reason to believe that his son is in Vallonceau, a remote French town in the mountains of Provence. Cub gets the job and he, Copper, and Trapper head for Vallonceau.