johngardner.winloseordie-第13部分

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'First。'　M　began；　'you'll　have　to　run　the　Ihing　solo。　We　can　give　you　only　modest　cover。　Nothing　fancy；　and　certainly　not　the　local　police　。　。　。'　He　went　on　for　the　next　hour；　and　as　he　progressed。　Bond　realised　that；　as　ever；　the　whole　business　would　be　down　to　him。　Sit　there　and　wait　for　a　woman　out　to　kill　him；　and　who　would　possibly　have　a　back…up；　then　outwit　her；　and；　finally；　bring　her　hack　into　the　UK　with　everyone；　including　himself；　alive　and　kicking。
　'Run　of　the　mil！　sort　of　job　really。'　he　said　when　M　slopped　talking。
　〃The　kind　of　ihing　you　should　be　able　to　do；　armed　with　a　butterfly…net　and　a　killing　jar。　007。'
　Til　settle　for　the　killing　jar。'　Bond　smiled。　'Preferably　9mm　with　a　lot　of　kick　toil。　You　know；　the　kind　of　thing　any　Christmas　slalking…horse　carries　around。'
At　just　about　the　same　moment　as　Bond　was　being　apprised　of　how　he　would　spend　a　happy　Christmas。　Harry　and　Bill　were　putting　some　bad　news　to　their　old　friend　the　Petty　Officer　Engineer。
　'It's　not　that　we　don't　like　you。　Blackie；'　Bill　was　saying。　'We're　under　a　certain　amount　of　pressure　ourselves。'
　Ч　mean　we　didn't　know　they　took　photographs　in　that　place；　and　there's　a　fair　old　collection　now　as　you　can　see。'　Harry　laid　out　some　thirty　black　and　white　prints　on　the　table。
　They　were　in　Harry's　room　at　his　usual　Plymouth　hotel。　The　photographs；　with　their　grainy　texture；　looked　almost　as　dirty　as　the　cavortings　they　had　captured　for　all　time。　The　PO　looked　very　miserable。　〃You'd　send　these　to　the　wife？'　It　was　not　so　much　a　question　as　a　shocked　statement
　'No。　〃course　we　wouldn't。'　Harry's　voice　was　low；　soothing。　Oil　on　troubled　waters。　'We're　in　the　mire　as　much　as　you　are；　Blackie。　We　didn't　know。'
　'And　there's　all　that　money。'　Bill　tried　to　look　as　miserable　as　his　colleague。　〃I　mean　we　put　things　on　our　expense　accounts。　Now。　we're　both　in　the　same　boat。　It's　ing　to　something　when　two　panies；　with　two　different　interests；　turn　down　your　expenses。'
　〃And　we　always　understood　that　place　with　the　girls　was　buckshee。　They　never　charged　us　a　penny　before。'
　'How。　。　。　How　much　are　we　talking　about？'The　Petty　Officer　was　chalk…white。　He　could　feel　（he　blood　draining　from　his　cheeks。
　Harry　sighed。　'Seven　thousand；　eight　hundred　and　twenty…five　pounds。'
'And　sixty…two　pence；'　Bill　added。
　'But　I　can't　。　。　。　There's　no　way。　The　wife'II　kill　me　…　at　best　leave　me　…　and　there's　no　way　I　can　get　my　hands　on　that　kind　of　money。'
〃Second　mortgage　on　the　house？'　Harry　asked；
　'First　bloody　mortgage　isn't　paid　off　yet。〃　The　gloom　was　almost　tangible。
　Harry　gathered　the　photographs　up　into　a　neat　pile。　They　have　offered　us　a　way　out；　but　1　said　you'd　as　like　do　it　as　fly　using　your　arms。'
'What　is　it？　The　way　out？'
'Well；　I　don't　think　you'd　want　to　hear　it。'
　Bill；　who　had　poured　them　each　a　stiff　whisky；　interrupted。　'They're　offering　money　on　top；　though。　Best　tell　him。'
　'Well；'　Harry　sighed　again。　〃Okay；　it　gets　us　all　off　the　hook；　and　they'll　throw　in　one　hundred　К　for　you；　Blackie。　seeing　as　how　you'd　be　taking　the　biggest　risk。'
'A　hundred　grand？　For　me'？　Who've　I　got　to　kill？'
　'It's　not　a　matter　of　killing。'　Harry　moved　closer；　and　began　to　make　the　Petty　Officer　the　offer　which；　in　the　circumstances；　he　could　not　afford　to　refuse。
　
　7
See　Naples　and　。。。。
Naples　was　not　James　Bond's　favourite　city。　Now；　sitting　in　a　bumper…to…bumper；　horn…hooting；　yelling　traffic　jam；　cramming　one　of　the　narrow　streets　leading　down　to　the　harbour；　he　placed　it　almost　at　the　bottom　of　his　list。　The　double…lane　Freeway　from　the　airport　had　not　been　loo　bad；　but；　as　ever；　the　city　streets　were　crowded　and　in　a　state　of　chaos。　To　make　matters　worse　it　was　raining：　that　fine；　soaking　misty　rain　that　is　even　more　unpleasant　than　an　out…and…out　downpour。
　This　was　a　city　that　time　had　forgotten。　Bond　reflected；　as　he　eased　（he　uncertain　hired　Fiat　behind　an　unsteady　lorry　overloaded　with　bottled　water。　Naples　had　never　regained　its　status　as　a　tourisl　resort。　Instead　it　had　bee　a　transit　point。　People　arrived　at　the　airport；　maybe　stayed　a　couple　of　nights　to　'do'　Pompeii；　and　were　either　whisked　off　to　Sorrento；　or　made　his　journey　down　to　the　ferries　for　Capri　or　Ischia；　the　two　islands　that　form　the　gate　to　the　Bay　of　Naples。
Constantly　the　two　islands　were　regarded　as　passe　or　outdated；　yet　that　was　where　the　tourists　or　socialites　weni。　The　only　people　who　stayed　were　the　Neapolitans；　or　NATO　sailors　from　the　various　naval　vessels　which　tied　up　off　the　coast；　in　the　safety　of　the　bay。　For　sailors　it　was　one　hell　of　a　city　with　its　blatant　red…light　district　and　the　area　running　down　the　foothills　between　the　Castel　Sant'　Elmo　and　the　Municipal　Building。　This　last　was　crowded　with　bars；　clip…joints　and　gaudy　Heeling　pleasures。　It　was　known；　like　George　V　Street　in　the　old　Malta　days；　as　The　Gut。　The　Gut　saw　every　possible　depravity。　It　was。　Bond　thought；　near　enough　like　some　parts　of　Pompeii　must　have　been　before　Vesuvius　slammed　its　lava　down　over　the　city。　The　traffic　moved　about　six　feet；　and　again　ground　to　a　halt；　while　shouts　from　drivers　and　police　filtered　back　through　the　closed；　steamy　windows　of　the　car。
　in　summer　the　earth…red　houses　and　terracotta　roofs　of　Naples　soaked　up　the　sun　and　filled　the　streets　with　dust；　in　winter　the　same　walls　seemed　to　blot　up　the　rain　so　that　the　buildings　took　on　an　even　more　crumbling　look；　as　though　they　might　turn　to　sludge　and　slide　into　the　sea。　Over　it　all。　threatening　Vesuvius　glowered。
　At　the　Ischia　and　Capri　ferry　points；　cars　and　ramshackle　wagons　stretched　back；　clogging　the　restricted　space。　A　large　black　limo　tried　to　jump　the　line；　and　Bond　watched；　amused；　as　a　police…officer　leaned　into　the　car　and　backhanded　the　uniformed　chauffeur。　In　London　the　cop　would　have　been　in　big　trouble。　Here；　the　driver　probably　knew　he　would　never　work　in　Naples　again　if　he　plained。
　After　the　frustration　of　the　slow　journey　from　the　airport；　the　waiting　cars　and　wagons　boarded　the　ferry　with　relative　speed；　though　with　much　shouting；　waving　of　arms　and　protestations　to　God　and　the　Blessed　Virgin。
　Bond　left　the　car　on　the　vehicle　deck；　and　climbed　through　the　crowd　of　passengers　to　seek　out　a　reasonably　sheltered　part　of　the　ferry。　Shouldering　his　way　to　the　little　bar　he　reluctantly　bought　a　plastic　beaker　of　what　was　supposed　to　be　coffee。　The　liquid　tasted　like　sweet；　coloured　water　but　at　leasl　it　moistened　his　throat。　Once　at　Ihc　Villa　Capricciani　he　would　be　able　to　pick　and　choose　for　himself。
　As　the　ferry　began　to　move　out　into　the　bay。　Bond　looked　back　across　the　black；　oily　water；　wondering　what　Naples　had　looked　like　in　its　days　of　glory。　Once　its　beauty　was　inspirational。　Parthenope　the　Siren　had　thrown　herself　into　the　sea　for　love　of　Ulysses　and　was　washed　up　on　the　golden　shore　that　became　the　Bay　of　Naples。　〃See　Naples　and　die〃。　Bond　smiled　to　himself。　The　old　Italian　saying　had　a　double　edge　at　one　lime：　see　Naples　and　die　for　its　beauty；　then　the　second　edge　when　the　seaport　had　bee　the　focal　point　of　typhoid　and　cholera。　Now？　Well；　there　had　been　slums　and　depravity　here　for　decades；　with　an　increase　since　the　end　of　World　War　Two。　He　decided　that　the　old　phrase　could　bee　triple…edged　now　that　AIDS　was　spreading　across　the　world　like　the　new　Black　Death。　But　ihe　same　was　true　of　most　ancient　ports。
　Perhaps　it　was　the　ihoughtof　age　and　decay；　of　lost　glory　and　of　the　current　world　tensions。　ih；ii　plunged　Bond　into　feelings　of　concern　and　anxiety　as　the　coastline　shrank　in　the　ferry's　wake。　Undercover　once　mure；　he　knew　the　risks　for　he　had　gambled　his　life　in　this　way　on　many　occasions　before。　He　was　aware　thai　the　day　could　easily　e　when　the　odds　would　be　stacked　too　heavily　against　him。　The　last　time　he　had　made　this　trip　had　been　on　a　glorious　summer　day。　when　he　was　looking　forward　to　rest　and　healing　relaxation。　This　time　…　see　Naples　and　。　。　。　what？　Die　or　live？　Win　or　lose？
　So　it　was　in　л　somewhat　sombre　mood　that；　an　hour　later；　he　looked　out　over　the　sea　on　the　port　beam　towards　the　brooding　Aragnnese　Castle；　shaped　like　a　small…scale　model　of　Gibraltar；　with　its　umbilical　road　reaching　towards　Ischia。　Within　ten　minutes　they