“I didn’t go into it, but the section of reef...
“I didn’t go into it, but the section
of reef north of Falmouth where he bought it is called Devil’s Mouth, and it’s not the kind of place
that’s advertisedCharters just stay away from it, and no one boasts about the number of lives and
boats it’s claimed
“So?”
“So assuming the Jackal told the CG where to rendezvous, someplace obviously close to Devil’s
Mouth, how the hell did the Jackal know about it?”
“Your two commandos didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what? I sent them right over to Henry to give him a full report while we took care of
youThere wasn’t time to sit down and talk and I figured every moment counted
“Then Henry knows by now; he’s probably in shockHe’s lost two drug boats in two days, and
only one is likely to be paid for, and he still doesn’t know about his boss, the so honorable Crown
governor, lackey of the Jackal who made fools of the Foreign Office by passing off a small-time
Paris hit man as a venerable hero of FranceThe wires will be burning all night between
Government chanel jewelry necklace House and Whitehall
“Another drug boat? What are you trying to tell me? What does Henry know now—what could
my guards tell him?”
“Your question a minute ago was how did the Jackal know about the reef off the coast of
Antigua called Devil’s Mouth
“Take my word for it, Doctor Webb, I remember the questionHow could he?”
“Because he had a third man here, that’s what your Royal Commandos have told Henry by now
A blond-haired son of a bitch who heads up Montserrat’s drug patrols
“Him? Rickman? The one-man British Ku Klux Klan? By-the-Rules-Rickman, scourge of
anybody who’s afraid to yell back at him? Holy Christ, Henry won’t believe it!”
“Why not? You just described a likely disciple of Carlos
“I suppose I did, but it seems so unlikelyHe’s the original sanctimonious deaconPrayer
meetings before work in the morning, calling on God to aid him in his battle against Satan, no
alcohol, no women—”
“Savonarola?”
“I’d say that fits—from what I remember reading for history courses
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182
“Then I’d say he’s prime meat for the JackalAnd Henry will believe it when his lead boat
doesn’t come back to Plymouth and the bodies of the crew float up on shore or simply don’t show
up for the prayer meetings
“That’s how Carlos got away?”
“Yes Bourne nodded and gestured at the couch several feet in front of him, the space between
taken up by a glass-topped coffee table
“What have we been doing?”
“Not about what has happened, Bro, but about what’s going to happen
“What’s going to happen?” asked StJacques, lowering himself on the couch
“No!” cried the younger man, shooting to his feet as if propelled by a bolt of electricity“You
can’t!”
“I have toHe knows our names, where we live
“Where are you going?”
“Paris
“Goddamn it, no! You can’t do that to Marie! Or to the kids, for Christ’s sakeI won’t let you!”
“You can’t stop me
“For God’s sake, David, listen to me! If Washington’s too cheap or doesn’t give a shit, believe
me, Ottawa’s cut from better stockMy sister worked chanel purse white for the government and our government
doesn’t kiss people off because it’s inconvenient or too expensiveI know people—like Scotty, the
Doc and othersA few words from them and you’ll be put in a fortress in CalgaryNo one could
touch you!”
“You think my government wouldn’t do the same? Let me tell you something, Bro, there are
people in Washington who’ve put their lives on the line to keep Marie and the children and me
aliveSelflessly, without any reward for themselves or the governmentIf I wanted a safe house
where no one could touch us, I’d probably get an estate in Virginia, with horses and servants and a
full platoon of armed soldiers protecting us around the clock
“Then that’s the answerTake it!”
“To what end, Johnny? To live in our own personal prison? The kids not allowed to go over to
friends’ houses, guards with them if they go to school and not tutored by themselves, no over
nights, no pillow fights—no neighbors? Marie and I staring at each other, glancing over at the
searchlights spy bag replica outside the windows, hearing the footsteps of the guards, the occasional cough or
sneeze, or, heaven forbid, the crack of a rifle bolt because a rabbit disturbed a garden? That’s not
living, that’s imprisonmentYour sister and I couldn’t handle it
“Neither could I, not the way you describe itBut what can Paris solve?”
“I can find him
“He’s got the manpower over there
“I’ve got Jason Bourne,” said David Webb
“I don’t buy that crap!”
“Neither do I, but it seems to workI’m calling in your debt to me, JohnnyTell
Marie I’m fine, not hurt at all, and that I’ve got a lead on the Jackal that only old Fontaine could
have provided—which is the truth, actuallyA café in Argenteuil called Le Coeur du SoldatTell
her I’m bringing in Alex Conklin and all the help Washington can provide
“But you’re not, are you?”
“NoThe Jackal would hear about it; he’s got ears up and down the Quai d’Orsay
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“Don’t you think she’ll know that?”
“She’ll suspect it, but she can’t be chanel j 12 cer