anyone who spots them, official or otherwise. If somebody does, he won’t come running back to you, he’ll come
on
to the lady and a few thousand dollars will close his mouth. You’ve been away too long, fellas, this isn’t the land of Oz. Except for places like this, it’s poverty row from island to island.”
“How would you have done it?” said Cooke.
“The way you should have,” replied Hawthorne. “You say she has to have access to the offshore banks, that’s your key; nobody down here provides large amounts of money to strangers except face-to-face. Concentrate on the islands with those facilities, which cuts you down to twenty or twenty-five. Between the two of you, you’ve covered most if not all of them during your tours here. Reach your blinds with a great deal of cash and have
them
make their own arrangements with the authorities. The back door down here is far more effective than the front entrance. I’m surprised I have to tell you that.”
“I can’t fault your reasoning, chap, but I’m afraid we don’t have time. Paris estimates that she’ll be here for a minimum of a fortnight; London believes far less, say five to eight days maximum.”
“Then you’ve thrown your jockey at the starting gate. You’ve lost the race down here; she’ll stay out of your net.”
“Not necessarily,” said code name Richelieu.
“London was responsible for the strategy,” Cooke explained. “And we didn’t overlook the corruption to which you refer. Accompanying the alert is an addendum that can scarcely be ignored. The governments of England, France, and the U.S. have pledged a million American dollars apiece for information that leads to the capture of the two fugitives. Conversely, should it be learned that such information was withheld, punishment in the extreme will be administered.”
Hawthorne whistled. “Wow,” he said softly. “The hardball is made of concrete. It’s open up for three million dollars or close out with a bullet in your head in one of those dark alleys.”
“Precisely,” agreed the veteran of MI-6.
“You stole it from the old NKVD—even the KGB was prettier.”
“Hardly. It goes back to Beowulf. Very effective.”
“
Time
, Tyrell!” said Ardisonne. “We must move quickly.”
“When was the alert sent out? The descriptions?”
Cooke looked at his watch. “Approximately six hours ago, five A.M ., Greenwich time.”
“Where’s the base of operations?”
“Temporarily Tower Street, London.”
“MI-6,” said Hawthorne.
“You mentioned ‘certain conditions,’ Tyrell,” said Cooke. “May we assume that in the interests of global stability, you’ll join us?”
“You can’t assume a thing. I have no affection for the assholes who run this planet. You want me in, you’ll pay, whether or not they get blown away, and you’ll pay up front.”
“That’s hardly cricket, chap—”
“I don’t play cricket. For my brother and me to really make a go of this business we need two more boats—used, but good, class-A boats. That’s seven fifty apiece, a total of one million five. In my bank on Saint T. by tomorrow morning. Early.”
“Isn’t that rather excessive?”
“
Excessive
? When you’re willing to pay three million dollars to some informer who may accidentally stumble on this Bajaratt and the kid? Come off it, Geoffrey. Pay up or I’m off to Tortola at ten A.M . tomorrow.”
“You’re a self-important son of a bitch, Hawthorne.”
“Then drop out and I’ll sail for Tortola.”
“You know I can’t do that. However, I wonder if you’re worth the money.”
“You won’t know that until I’m paid, will you?”
C ENTRAL I NTELLIGENCE A GENCY , L ANGLEY , V IRGINIA
The gray-haired Raymond Gillette, director of the CIA, stared at the uniformed naval officer sitting in front of his desk, his gaze an admixture of reluctant respect and disgust. “MI-6, with some help from the Deuxième, did what you couldn’t do, Captain,” he
on
to the lady and a few thousand dollars will close his mouth. You’ve been away too long, fellas, this isn’t the land of Oz. Except for places like this, it’s poverty row from island to island.”
“How would you have done it?” said Cooke.
“The way you should have,” replied Hawthorne. “You say she has to have access to the offshore banks, that’s your key; nobody down here provides large amounts of money to strangers except face-to-face. Concentrate on the islands with those facilities, which cuts you down to twenty or twenty-five. Between the two of you, you’ve covered most if not all of them during your tours here. Reach your blinds with a great deal of cash and have
them
make their own arrangements with the authorities. The back door down here is far more effective than the front entrance. I’m surprised I have to tell you that.”
“I can’t fault your reasoning, chap, but I’m afraid we don’t have time. Paris estimates that she’ll be here for a minimum of a fortnight; London believes far less, say five to eight days maximum.”
“Then you’ve thrown your jockey at the starting gate. You’ve lost the race down here; she’ll stay out of your net.”
“Not necessarily,” said code name Richelieu.
“London was responsible for the strategy,” Cooke explained. “And we didn’t overlook the corruption to which you refer. Accompanying the alert is an addendum that can scarcely be ignored. The governments of England, France, and the U.S. have pledged a million American dollars apiece for information that leads to the capture of the two fugitives. Conversely, should it be learned that such information was withheld, punishment in the extreme will be administered.”
Hawthorne whistled. “Wow,” he said softly. “The hardball is made of concrete. It’s open up for three million dollars or close out with a bullet in your head in one of those dark alleys.”
“Precisely,” agreed the veteran of MI-6.
“You stole it from the old NKVD—even the KGB was prettier.”
“Hardly. It goes back to Beowulf. Very effective.”
“
Time
, Tyrell!” said Ardisonne. “We must move quickly.”
“When was the alert sent out? The descriptions?”
Cooke looked at his watch. “Approximately six hours ago, five A.M ., Greenwich time.”
“Where’s the base of operations?”
“Temporarily Tower Street, London.”
“MI-6,” said Hawthorne.
“You mentioned ‘certain conditions,’ Tyrell,” said Cooke. “May we assume that in the interests of global stability, you’ll join us?”
“You can’t assume a thing. I have no affection for the assholes who run this planet. You want me in, you’ll pay, whether or not they get blown away, and you’ll pay up front.”
“That’s hardly cricket, chap—”
“I don’t play cricket. For my brother and me to really make a go of this business we need two more boats—used, but good, class-A boats. That’s seven fifty apiece, a total of one million five. In my bank on Saint T. by tomorrow morning. Early.”
“Isn’t that rather excessive?”
“
Excessive
? When you’re willing to pay three million dollars to some informer who may accidentally stumble on this Bajaratt and the kid? Come off it, Geoffrey. Pay up or I’m off to Tortola at ten A.M . tomorrow.”
“You’re a self-important son of a bitch, Hawthorne.”
“Then drop out and I’ll sail for Tortola.”
“You know I can’t do that. However, I wonder if you’re worth the money.”
“You won’t know that until I’m paid, will you?”
C ENTRAL I NTELLIGENCE A GENCY , L ANGLEY , V IRGINIA
The gray-haired Raymond Gillette, director of the CIA, stared at the uniformed naval officer sitting in front of his desk, his gaze an admixture of reluctant respect and disgust. “MI-6, with some help from the Deuxième, did what you couldn’t do, Captain,” he
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