Exocet (1983) by Higgins Jack

Author:Higgins, Jack [Higgins, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-03-16T14:25:38+00:00

* * *

Raul Montera didn't care for Donner one little bit. There was something about the man, something inimical, that offended him. Belov, he quite liked. A reasonable enough man, working for his own side, which was fair enough although Montera had never had any great liking for the communist cause.

He brought a tray in from the kitchen and set it down. 'Coffee, gentlemen?'

'Aren't you going to join us, colonel?' Donner asked.

'I never touch the stuff. Bad for the nerves.' Montera went into the kitchen again and returned with a china mug in one hand. 'Tea.'

Dormer laughed and there was an edge to it that indicated the dislike was mutual. 'Rather unusual for a South American, I would have thought.'

'Oh, it's surprising what we dagoes get up to on occasions,' Montera told him. 'The British navy would have a useful opinion on that.'

Belov said smoothly. 'I agree with you, colonel. A very civilized habit, tea drinking. We Russians have existed on the stuff for years.'

Garcia said, 'Perhaps we can get down to business. Maybe Senor Dormer is now prepared to give us more detail about the operation.'

'Of course,' Donner said. 'I was only waiting for Colonel Montera's arrival. The whole thing, with any kind of luck, should be wrapped up within the next couple of days, which is good, because according to the newspapers this morning, the British troops at San Carlos are getting ready to move out.'

Montera lit a cigarette. 'All right, so what exactly have you arranged?'

Donner had always found that a basis of fact made a phoney story sound better.

'As you know, the Libyans have a plentiful supply of Exocets, but due to pressure from the rest of the Arab world, Colonel Qadhafi has not been able to release them to the Argentine as he first intended - or perhaps I should say, not officially. There's always a way round most things in this life, or so I've found.'

'So?' Montera said.

'I've taken a house in Brittany near the coast close to an old wartime bomber station. A place called Lancy. Disused now, but the runways are still perfectly usable. Two days from now, possibly three, a Hercules transport en route from Italy to Ireland will put down at Lancy, quite illegally, of course. There will be ten of the latest mark of Exocet missile on board.'

'Holy Mother of God!' Garcia said.

'You, Colonel Montera, will check that cargo. If you're satisfied, you will phone Senor Garcia here in Paris who will make immediate arrangements to have three million pounds in gold transferred as I direct in Geneva.'

'I must congratulate you, senor,' Montera said softly. 'That really is the way to wage war.'

'I've always thought so,' Donner said. 'I presume, by the way, that you will want to take off with the Hercules when it leaves, not for Ireland, but for Dakar in Senegal. They're very liberally minded there, especially when it comes to business. The Hercules will re-fuel, fly across to Rio, where it will re-fuel again for

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