The Game of X: A Novel of Upmanship Espionage by Robert Sheckley Page B

hindrance.”
    I felt ashamed of myself for asking. Hurriedly I said, “How bad is Karinovsky’s arm?”
    “Bad enough. It gives him considerable pain. But he has a truly fine stamina and determination. Also he has great faith in you, Mr. Nye. I hope you can bring him through.”
    ’1 hope so, too,” I muttered.
    “Now I had better arrange for my own departure,” Guesci said. “Good luck!”
     
    He hung up. I did the same, and realized I had forgotten to resign. Typical of me, Anyhow, I couldn’t run out with the boys in their present shot-up state. That kind of cowardice takes more courage than I possess.
    Mavis said, “My God, you really are in trouble.”
    I nodded morosely.
    “Can’t you get out of it?”
    “It’ll be all over in another day,” I assured her. And so it would, one way or the other.
    We arranged to meet in Paris in a week. She kissed me and told me that I was an imbecile and made me promise to take care of myself. Then I kissed her, and so forth, and Agent X came near to retiring from the Organization, effective immediately. But Mavis spotted a man lounging not far from the building, and I recognized Carlo’s sharp features. It was time for Pepe Le Moko to flee once more over the rooftops of the Casbah.
     
     

 
    11
     
     
    I left by a convenient back alley, eluding Carlo without difficulty. It was late morning, and I had considerable time to kill. I took a gondola to the Rialto Bridge and had coffee near the telegraph office. Then I walked around for a while, and then bought a ticket for the afternoon performance at the Teatro Fenice. I slumbered through Aïda , left at four-thirty and went for a drink. By five o’clock all was still well. I began to experience a considerable uplift of spirits. This gave me an appetite for the first time in two days, so I went to Leonardi’s and gorged on pasta and soup and shrimps Veneta. I paid my bill at six-fifteen and started to leave.
    Someone was smiling at me from a table near the door. I smiled back automatically, and then saw that it was none other than Forster. He had just finished his dinner, too. I began to experience a considerable downpress of spirits.
    “Mr. Nye,” he said, “may I speak with you for a moment?”
    “What do you want?” I asked, keeping my distance.
    “Really,” Forster said, “I won’t bite. Do you expect me to machine-gun you here in the restaurant?”
    “A silenced pistol would be better,” I suggested.
    “No, no, not here,” Forster said. “Not in Leonardi’s.” He grinned at me, determined to exercise his whimsy. “This particular place serves the finest scampi in Venice, and therefore has been declared an inviolate sanctuary by all the secret services. Except for the Albanians, of course, who don’t count. But an Albanian would never be allowed in here anyhow.”
    “Nice to hear the local rules,” I said, taking a chair.
    “We try to keep up appearances. A glass of wine?”
    “No, thank you.”
    “You are cautious about the wrong things,” Forster said.
    “What did you want to talk to me about?”
    “Your departure.”
    “Am I going somewhere?”
    Forster took a long envelope out of his pocket and put it on the table. “Inside this you will find the sum of five thousand American dollars. Also a ticket on Alitalia flight 307 to Paris. Your seat is reserved, and the plane leaves in approximately one hour.”
    “That’s very thoughtful of you,” I said, not touching the envelope.
    “I enjoy doing favors,” Forster said. “It is a part of my nature. Besides, you will be doing something for me in return. You will tell us where to find Karinovsky, and also save us the trouble of killing you.”
    “Five thousand isn’t much for all that,” I said.
    “I consider it more than generous. Your departure really isn’t worth any more to me.”
    “Then I think I’'ll stay, if it’s all the same to you.”
    Forster frowned and said, “No, it is not all the same to me. Obviously, it would