Midnight Man

Elmo Wimpler develops WIMP, a black metallic paint that absorbs light, but the Friends of Inventors rejects his demonstration and keeps his evaluation fee. His parents’ estate trustee has invested his remaining money in gold on margin and mortgaged his home without authorization, leaving him broke. Wimpler begins burglarizing homes. He assaults Mrs. Mason while she sleeps but leaves before further harm; later he kills federal witness Romeo for Jack and Tony, then kills both men at the Brooklyn docks and takes money from Jack. Remo and Chiun investigate the skull-crushing deaths. Wimpler kills his neighbor Curt and sexually assaults Phyllis, then kills the FOI partners.

Chiun recognizes the light-absorbing paint from chips found at the dock and in the Wimpler home. Wimpler attacks Remo and Chiun at Sheep Meadow; eight knife-wielding attackers die, while Wimpler escapes. Smith placed an “Ice an Emir” advertisement to draw out would-be assassins. Princess Sarra says her advertisement was intended to help her brother; James Riggs placed another ad and negotiated a $100,000 fee with an unseen respondent to kill his business partner. Wimpler later kills that partner, but the source does not explicitly identify the respondent as Wimpler. Slits Wilson and three accomplices attack Remo and die; a separate attacker using false FBI identification also dies.

Pakir, the Emir’s aide and security chief, has replaced the U.S. agents with his own men and conspires with Bislami’s new revolutionary government to kill the Emir for payment. Remo and Chiun stop the takeover, and the Emir shoots Pakir. Wimpler attacks Remo and Chiun at sea with invisible knives, but his painted clothing swells in the water, trapping him; he drowns. The Emir dies naturally in his sleep shortly afterward. Remo places Sarra on a plane; the source does not identify its destination. Smith says saved paint samples and Wimpler’s car may allow the United States to reproduce the paint.