chapter one<br >Into the Trap<br >THE HOUSE IN CUERNAVACA， A LANGUID AND FRAGRANT COMMUNITY<br >sixty miles southwest of Mexico City， was known as the Villa of<br >Roses. Since the death of its owner， an architect， four years before， it<br >had remained unoccupied， its rooms stripped and shuttered and col-<br >lecting must， its grounds overgrown. But the scale of the house was<br >ample， and the promise of the gardens substantial. There were many<br >flower beds and terraces， and there was a swimming pool as well. Most<br >impressive of all was the location. The Villa of Roses stood at the end<br >of a cul-de-sac， and backed onto a river. For good measure， it was<br >enclosed by a high wall. No stranger could come near the villa without<br >being observed. To Robert Armao， the isolation of the villa was the<br >all-important factor， and he rented it on sight. He knew it was far<br >from perfect， but these days everything was relative.<br > Before the day was over， Armao， a tall， slender， dark-haired man in<br >his early thirties with a brisk manner and a tendency to speak in<br >bursts， had recruited two dozen strangers-most of them Americans<br >from the city s sizable colony of expatriates-and， with their help，<br >collected the beds and bedding and kitchen utensils he would need for<br >his client and the client s family. Some of the strangers loaned furni-<br >ture they were using themselves. One dotted the house with antiques.<br >Another gave up his own desk. A third even loaned her servants. In<br >two days， the house was ready for occupancy， and Armao signaled his<br >client to come along.，，.<br > Armao s client was the Shah of/_ran. Since early January， when the<br >INTO<br >Shah<br >witho<br >pect<br >call， 1<br >to se~<br >presu<br > Ar<br >tions<br >was 1<br >serve<br >prent<br >New<br >imity<br >lems<br >leade<br >Rock<br >leade<br >form，<br >Shah:<br >work<br >const<br >befor<br >telepl<br >break<br >Shah <br > Ea<br >receb<br >and tl<br >princ<br >had s<br >Arm~<br >peopl<br >counl<br >tense<br >volviJ<br >in Pa<br >tainir<br >meir~<br >foe o<br ><br >