Kator’s eyes, which gave him a fixed stare, he might have looked bored. He sounded bored.
It took a while before Jesso caught it.
“You mean I take another dive?” It came out calmly, because Jesso didn’t believe it. “You mean I tell you what I know and then hop-skip-jump back into the water?”
“Certainly. More liqueur?”
Jesso nodded automatically. His mouth moved but he didn’t quite know what to do with his voice.
“I can make you talk, Jesso. One way or another. And if it doesn’t work the first time—” Kator shrugged. “We have nine days before making port.”
They looked at each other. Kator went on. “I rarely make bargains, Jesso, except in extremities, and I grant you that I am anxious to hear what you have to say. So I will bargain. You give me the information willingly and your death will be simple; unwillingly, Jesso, and it will be complicated. There is your choice.”
The blanket had dropped off his shoulders and Jesso sat bare, but the sweat stood on his skin like hot glue. He stared at the man across the table without seeing him, thinking furiously, weighing his chance. He had only one advantage. Kator wanted something and wanted it bad. A dead man was no use to him, and that’s how Jesso meant to stay alive.
“Kator, I want some clothes.”
It surprised Kator, and he stopped his glass halfway to his mouth.
“Bravado, Jesso, will get you nowhere.” He finished his drink.
Jesso moved suddenly. He slapped Kator’s hand out of the way and for good measure he grabbed the bottle and threw it across the cabin. It crashed against the bulkhead. The sound of glass breaking was just the overture. Jesso’s neck started to swell, and when he talked it wasn’t politely.
“Now you hear this, you bastard. I know what little Joe said and you know nothing. You pitch me in the drink or run a bullet through my head and you know nothing. You rig it up so I get scared maybe and start yelling uncle, there again you don’t know from Adam. I’ve had my scare, Kator, back there in the white water with the screw sucking me down. That was my scare and it cured me. You scare me like that again and you won’t get the time of day from me. Maybe you got some fancy notions on how to make a man remember things, a trick or two you picked up in a concentration camp maybe—“
“You’re right,” said Kator, who had found his voice again.
“Shutup, you sonofabitch, and hear me out!”
Kator blinked, but then he had to strain to hear the rest. Jesso’s voice had dropped to a vicious whisper and he spat out the words as if they tasted too strong.
“Maybe you think you’ll rattle me with little tricks or something, or peel my skin off till I crack wide open. Like hell you will, you pig-eyed bastard, because you know what’ll come out. I’ll even tell you why. What Snell told me takes remembering, and I’m not good at complicated stuff. You just say boo to me and I can’t add two and two. I’m nervous, I get confused. I can’t remember complicated stuff. You don’t believe me? Go ahead and try, Kator. You’re afraid of losing what I know.”
He stopped there and watched Kator’s face working.
“Mr. Jesso,” and suddenly Kator had a heavy accent, “I do believe you’re bluffing.”
It was Kator’s last try and it didn’t work. Jesso just laughed. He said, “How do you suppose I know your information isn’t all complete?”
Kator gave up then. He picked up the speaker of a phone on the wall and said, “Heinz, bring clothes for Jesso.”
Chapter Seven
He got some underwear and a nice warm sweater. The pants were loose around his waist, so Jesso bunched them up with a belt. He got socks and shoes, and then had a meal. He smoked a cigarette with satisfaction, letting Kator wait, because the next thing was more complicated. Jesso wasn’t worried about his life any longer. The problem now was how to swing a deal. Maybe the biggest deal he’d ever had. Kator was sitting on
It took a while before Jesso caught it.
“You mean I take another dive?” It came out calmly, because Jesso didn’t believe it. “You mean I tell you what I know and then hop-skip-jump back into the water?”
“Certainly. More liqueur?”
Jesso nodded automatically. His mouth moved but he didn’t quite know what to do with his voice.
“I can make you talk, Jesso. One way or another. And if it doesn’t work the first time—” Kator shrugged. “We have nine days before making port.”
They looked at each other. Kator went on. “I rarely make bargains, Jesso, except in extremities, and I grant you that I am anxious to hear what you have to say. So I will bargain. You give me the information willingly and your death will be simple; unwillingly, Jesso, and it will be complicated. There is your choice.”
The blanket had dropped off his shoulders and Jesso sat bare, but the sweat stood on his skin like hot glue. He stared at the man across the table without seeing him, thinking furiously, weighing his chance. He had only one advantage. Kator wanted something and wanted it bad. A dead man was no use to him, and that’s how Jesso meant to stay alive.
“Kator, I want some clothes.”
It surprised Kator, and he stopped his glass halfway to his mouth.
“Bravado, Jesso, will get you nowhere.” He finished his drink.
Jesso moved suddenly. He slapped Kator’s hand out of the way and for good measure he grabbed the bottle and threw it across the cabin. It crashed against the bulkhead. The sound of glass breaking was just the overture. Jesso’s neck started to swell, and when he talked it wasn’t politely.
“Now you hear this, you bastard. I know what little Joe said and you know nothing. You pitch me in the drink or run a bullet through my head and you know nothing. You rig it up so I get scared maybe and start yelling uncle, there again you don’t know from Adam. I’ve had my scare, Kator, back there in the white water with the screw sucking me down. That was my scare and it cured me. You scare me like that again and you won’t get the time of day from me. Maybe you got some fancy notions on how to make a man remember things, a trick or two you picked up in a concentration camp maybe—“
“You’re right,” said Kator, who had found his voice again.
“Shutup, you sonofabitch, and hear me out!”
Kator blinked, but then he had to strain to hear the rest. Jesso’s voice had dropped to a vicious whisper and he spat out the words as if they tasted too strong.
“Maybe you think you’ll rattle me with little tricks or something, or peel my skin off till I crack wide open. Like hell you will, you pig-eyed bastard, because you know what’ll come out. I’ll even tell you why. What Snell told me takes remembering, and I’m not good at complicated stuff. You just say boo to me and I can’t add two and two. I’m nervous, I get confused. I can’t remember complicated stuff. You don’t believe me? Go ahead and try, Kator. You’re afraid of losing what I know.”
He stopped there and watched Kator’s face working.
“Mr. Jesso,” and suddenly Kator had a heavy accent, “I do believe you’re bluffing.”
It was Kator’s last try and it didn’t work. Jesso just laughed. He said, “How do you suppose I know your information isn’t all complete?”
Kator gave up then. He picked up the speaker of a phone on the wall and said, “Heinz, bring clothes for Jesso.”
Chapter Seven
He got some underwear and a nice warm sweater. The pants were loose around his waist, so Jesso bunched them up with a belt. He got socks and shoes, and then had a meal. He smoked a cigarette with satisfaction, letting Kator wait, because the next thing was more complicated. Jesso wasn’t worried about his life any longer. The problem now was how to swing a deal. Maybe the biggest deal he’d ever had. Kator was sitting on
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