The Deadly Orbit Mission by Van Wyck Mason

Author:Van Wyck Mason
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, espionage, murder, adventure, spy
Publisher: Wildside Press LLC
Published: 2017-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

1

Colonel Hugh North considered that the value of the calculated risk he’d taken during his last conversation with Sam Stokey was about to be assayed. During those few moments at Ellie Peters’ home that afternoon he’d foreseen Srer Hajji’s ploy as well as he might on the basis of incomplete information and several educated guesses, but too many facts remained missing to allow confidence about happenings in the immediate future.

That Srer Hajji et Cie was running guns into Africa for the Chinese Reds was a certainty, so presumably he had to have Chinese contacts somewhere in Tangier in order to keep his operations moving smoothly.

An operation involving the destruction of the Hot Line relay probably would not be entrusted to some resident Chinese agent—Oriental. Arab, Albanian or whatever—which would seem to argue that some very important Red official must have been imported to direct the plot.

Again, this wasn’t a certainty. but surely it was common sense. While the taxi bumped and slewed through a maze of dim, malodorous streets and ruelles, North thought hard and came to the conclusion that if Hajji really had learned something of value for the Big Man he’d contact him through some local operative. Now what sort of mistake would a duffer in this business like Srer Hajji make that an experienced agent would avoid?

In such an emergency most likely he’d make for home and the presumed security of his private phone on which he’d try to contact the local agent who just might fill him in as to the whereabouts of Mr. Big.

The key to the whole calculation he decided, while easing his .38 into a more comfortable position, lay in Stokey’s estimate of Srer Hajji’s character, which was much the same as Gregory had used—” a self-satisfied, greedy jerk.”

When Ahmed slammed on the brakes at the sound of a loud report ahead Hugh pitched forward but immediately recovered in time to watch the Spitfire skid toward the curb of an empty street and screech to a jolting stop.

Hakkim roared with laughter as he pulled over a long block short of the glossy red sports car. “That idiot has run over bottle and blow out tire!”

Ahmed merely grunted.

The incident might amuse Hakkim but North wanted no delays at this juncture. He thought quickly while watching the gunrunner searching the street for help; of course it wouldn’t occur to such a playboy to change a tire himself.

North snapped, “Tell Ahmed to go help him. Quick!”

Ali Hakkim blinked astonishment but obeyed. Ahmed spat noisily, climbed out of the battered old taxi and wandered down the street, casual as a stray dog.

“Ahmed no like people like that one. Maybe he help only to clobber same.”

“By God, I’ll have his family jewels if he doesn’t obey orders.”

They watched Hajji’s elegant outline whirl, spy the rotund figure and beckon. Ahmed continued to move quite unconcernedly until he drew near the red car.

They saw Srer Hajji feel inside his jacket and produce what looked like a well-stuffed billfold. After

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