Quiller: The Pekin Target (1982) by Adam Hall

Author:Adam Hall [Hall, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Amazon: B000M6355Y
Publisher: Fontana
Published: 1979-12-13T22:00:00+00:00

I glanced at the ancient man in the gloom, but couldn't get any kind of impression as to his personality; he sat in perfect stillness, his back bent only a little and his sightless eyes giving away nothing; he looked like one of the stone Buddhas that inhabited every shrine. "From what he says," I asked Li-fei, "do you think he's naive? Does he really know what kind of man Tung Kuo-feng is?"

"He's very religious, but I don't think he's naive; and he knows Tung: he called him a 'bad devil'. Of course there are good devils and bad-" she broke off, uncertain of how to put it - "in French we'd say 'the Devil himself', or 'a disciple of the Devil', something like that."

In a moment she was going to tell me all I wanted to know: whether I still had a mission or whether it was going to be taken out of my hands; but I couldn't wait for her; I had to ask. It wasn't easy.

"Does he know where I can find Tung Kuo-feng?"

"He hasn't said anything about that."

I took a breath. "Ask him."

She turned to the priest, and as she began speaking he lifted his head to listen; then for a while he was silent, and I had to wait, and not think of anything.

Then he spoke, and she turned to me again.

"Yes. He knows where Tung is now."

I suppose I didn't believe it, right away. It looked as if we'd got access for Jade One, after five days of running blind and drawing blank and trying to stay alive; for five days the Bureau had been shaking the whole of the international network for information and as it had started coming in it was sealed forever in death - Sinclair's, Jason's, Spur's. But now the luck was breaking, and we stood a chance.

Second question.

"And will he tell me?"

Then I had to wait again while she asked him, while he listened and was silent, sitting with his head turned to me as if he were watching me, trying to sense what kind of man I was, and whether I could be trusted to follow the path he believed was good, according to his gods and his teachings.

There was nothing I could do to persuade him; I didn't know enough about him; it could be dangerous: a wrong word could slam the door on hope.

When he spoke, it was only a word or two, and I turned to look at Li-fei.

She nodded to me. "Yes," she said, "he will tell you."

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