Robin Scott by Second's Chance

Author:Second's Chance [Chance, Second's]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-02-14T19:41:53+00:00

GALAXY

TANGIER STOP MURPHY IN SHOOT OUT STOP INITIAL DAMAGE REPORT INDICATES SEVERAL DEAD AND EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE STOP MURPHY TERMINAL REPORT WILL BE FORWARDED YOU IN TANGIER STOP YOU ARE REMINDED OF PRESIDENT’S CURRENT COST REDUCTION DRIVE STOP

Oh Christ! I thought. I’ll bet he had that damn .375 Magnum with’ him, or maybe even the Armalite. They ought to take it away from him before Ke …

Sick at heart, I burned the cable, reassembled m y Remington and went down to th e dining room. Federov was already there, and he beckoned me to his table with a shaking forefinger. His usual worried expression had deepened.

“You have heard about Tangier?” he said as I sat.

“I have heard about Tangier.”

“Shall we share a cab to the airport after dinner?” I nodded as I stared at the menu and all the different ways they have for preparing Sch weinefleisch in Berlin. Then it hit me. “You mean you’re going to Tangier? You mean Komiev was ..

“Da. Komiev was also in Tangier.” Federov spat a fingernail onto the carpet.

We dined in silence, smoked our cigars in silence and separated to clear our rooms. I packed, met Federov in the lobby a nd rode with him out to Tempelh of. We shared nothing but the fare and a series of resigned sighs.

And then, in the waiting room at Tempelhof, just before our Superson to Rome was due to be called, I was paged. There was a telegram. I left Federov staring gloomily out at the bright lights of the launch area, recovered my razor from my briefcase, and retired to the men’s room to decipher the cable:

FROM: THE OUTFIT TO: MAXWELL REF: OUTFIT 98176 IGNORE INSTRUCTIONS REF STOP PERKINS WILL ASSUME BERLIN/TANGIER CLEAN UP STOP MURPHY PERMANENTLY DISABLED IN TANGIER AFFAIR STOP YOU HEREBY APPOINTED NEW CENTRAL EUROPEAN NUMBER ONE STOP UNLIMITED ACCOUNT ESTABLISHED YOUR NAME BANK SUISSE STOP YOU ARE REMINDED OF PRESIDENT’S CURRENT COST REDUCTION DRIVE STOP

I reassembled my razor in a daze. This was it! Finally it! I was Central European Number One I Thirty-five thousand a year and my own Swiss bank account! All kinds of passion and no more anonymity!

I grew aware of a buzzing and humming to my left. At another sink stood Fe derov, shaving a telegram. As he worked, h is usually gloomy visage brightened visibly. A smile spread from one great drooping ear to the other. He finished and stood grinning at his reflection which was grinning back at him in tfie mirror.

I cleared my throat and He turned away from His satisfied contemplation. “You too?” I asked. “Did Komiev..

There was new dignity in Federov’s voice: “Da. There was a mistake. Comrade Komiev is incapacitated, and I h ave been appointed …” I whirled and crouched, reaching for the minidart in my left sock. Federov leaped in a perfect pas de chat to the protection of a booth; I tried a snapshot at His feet under th e door, and fie climbed atop the toilet and tried a bank shot at me with h is dumdum off the ceiling.

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