cc.goldenbuddha-第15部分

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　〃Macau　was　a　Portuguese　possession　from　1537　until　1999；〃　Linda　Ross　noted。　〃Roughly　thirty　thousand　of　the　population　is　Catholic。〃　
　〃Plus　the　Chinese　love　festivals；〃　Mark　Murphy　said。　〃They'll　form　a　parade　at　the　drop　of　a　hat。〃　
　〃Truitt　said　they　are　going　to　do　the　same　as　last　year　and　put　on　a　massive　fireworks　display　over　the　city；〃　Cabrillo　said；　〃fired　from　a　series　of　barges　in　the　bay。〃　
　〃So　the　cover　of　night　and　a　waning　moon　no　longer　apply；〃　Franklin　Lincoln　noted。　
　Lincoln's　friend　Hali　Kasim　couldn't　resist。　〃A　real　shame；　Frankie　you　blend　in　so　well　when　the　sky　is　dark。〃　
　Lincoln　turned　toward　Kasim　and　brushed　his　nose　with　his　middle　finger。　〃That's　okay；　Kaz；　the　fireworks　also　make　it　harder　for　you　lily…white　Hugh　Grant　types。〃　
　〃There's　still　the　question　of　weight；〃　Cabrillo　said；　ignoring　the　exchange。　〃The　Golden　Buddha　weighs　six　hundred　pounds。〃　
　〃Four　men　on　each　side　could　lift　that　weight　without　too　much　strain　on　their　backs；〃　Julia　Huxley　said。　
　〃I　think　I'll　have　Hanley　and　Nixon　fabricate　something；〃　Cabrillo　said。　〃Any　suggestions？〃　
　The　crew　continued　planning　the　operationMacau　was　just　about　a　day's　sail　away。　
　
　THE　CHAIRMAN　OF　the　Tibet　Autonomous　Region；　Legchog　Raidi　Zhuren；　was　reading　a　report　on　the　fighting　just　across　the　border　in　Nepal。　Last　night；　government　forces　had　killed　nearly　three　hundred　Maoist　insurgents。　The　ferocity　of　the　attacks　on　the　munist　rebels　had　been　increasing　since　spring　2002。　After　several　years　of　growing　rebel　activity；　the　Nepalese　government　had　begun　to　feel　threatened　and　finally　started　to　take　firm　action。　The　United　States　had　sent　army　Green　Beret　advisors　to　the　area　to　coordinate　strikes；　and　almost　immediately　the　body　count　had　begun　to　grow。　
　To　prevent　the　fighting　from　spilling　over　across　the　border　into　Tibet；　Zhuren　had　needed　to　call　Beijing　for　additional　troops　to　station　them　on　the　high　mountain　passes　that　led　from　Nepal　to　Tibet。　President　Jintao　had　not　been　happy　about　the　development。　In　the　first　place；　the　cost　to　secure　Tibet　was　increasing　at　a　time　the　president　wanted　to　cut　costs。　In　the　second　place；　the　Special　Forces　advisors　added　a　dimension　of　danger　to　the　mission。　If　a　single　American　soldier　was　wounded　or　killed　by　Chinese　forces　protecting　the　Tibet　border；　Jintao　was　worried　the　situation　might　spiral　out　of　control　and　China　would　be　embroiled　in　another　Korea。　
　What　Legchog　Zhuren　did　not　know　was　that　Jintao　was　starting　to　consider　Tibet　more　of　a　liability　than　an　asset。　The　timing　was　critical　if　the　Tibetan　people　launched　a　popular　uprising　right　now；　China　might　have　another　Tiananmen　Square　on　its　hands；　and　the　world　mood　was　not　the　same　as　in　1989。　With　the　fall　of　munism　in　the　Soviet　Union　and　their　increasingly　close　relations　with　the　United　States；　any　heavy…handed　action　against　the　Tibetan　population　might　be　met　with　force　from　two　fronts。　
　American　forces　could　be　launched　from　carriers　in　the　Bay　of　Bengal　and　from　bases　in　occupied　Afghanistan；　while　Russian　ground　forces　could　sweep　in　from　the　republics　of　Kyrgyzstan　and　Kazakhstan；　as　well　as　the　area　of　far　eastern　Russia　where　it　bordered　northern　Tibet。　Then　there　would　be　a　free…for…all。　
　And　for　what？　A　small；　poor　mountain　country　China　had　illegally　occupied？　
　The　reward　didn't　equal　the　risk。　Jintao　needed　to　find　faceand　he　needed　it　fast。　
　
　Macau　and　into　the　United　States；　would　run　him　another　million　or　so。　As　a　result；　right　at　this　instant；　for　all　practical　purposes；　Spenser　was　broke。　
　The　art　dealer　had　tapped　all　his　available　savings　and　business　lines　of　credit　to　fund　his　nefarious　operationif　he　didn't　have　the　mission　check　lying　before　him　on　the　table；　he'd　be　in　trouble。　If　Spenser　had　not　been　pletely　certain　he　had　a　buyer　for　the　Golden　Buddha；　he　might　be　worried。　Tearing　the　slip　of　paper　from　the　pad；　he　tore　the　note　into　tiny　pieces；　tossed　the　pieces　in　the　toilet　and　flushed。　Then　he　poured　himself　half　a　glass　of　Scotch　to　calm　his　trembling　hands。　It　had　taken　Spenser　a　lifetime　to　build　his　reputation　and　if　his　crime　was　known；　it　would　be　gone　in　seconds。　
　Money　and　gold　can　make　men　do　strange　things。　
　
　WINSTON　SPENSER　TOOK　his　pen　to　paper　to　tally　his　ill…gotten　gains。　The　3　percent　mission　on　the　original　200　million　sale　of　the　Golden　Buddha　was　6　million。　This　was　hardly　a　small　sum。　In　fact；　it　was　just　over　five　times　Spenser's　ine　last　yearbut　it　was　a　drop　in　the　bucket　pared　to　the　money　he　was　about　to　collect　for　selling　it　again。　
　In　the　first　place；　against　the　6　million　mission　check；　he　had　the　cost　of　the　decoy。　The　fabricators　in　Thailand　had　charged　nearly　a　million　for　that。　In　the　second　place；　the　pany　he'd　had　hired　in　Geneva　to　transport　the　Golden　Buddha　to　Macau　and　provide　armored…car　service　to　A…Ma　had　charged　too　much；　a　flat　fee　of　1　million　for　their　services；　while　Spenser　had　quoted　the　billionaire　a　cost　of　one…tenth　of　that　so　as　not　to　arouse　suspicion。　Bribes　now；　and　in　the　next　few　days；　when　Spenser　was　planning　to　transport　the　original　out　of　
　THREE…QUARTERS　OF　THE　way　across　the　globe　and　sixteen　time　zones　distant；　it　was　almost　midnight；　and　the　Silicon　Valley　software　billionaire　was　passing　his　time　making　changes　to　his　newest　yacht。　The　blueprints　for　the　massive　350…foot…long　vessel　had　been　created　on　a　puter；　designed　on　a　puter　and　refined　on　a　puter。　Each　individual　piece　could　be　highlighted　and　changed；　all　the　way　down　to　the　screws　that　attached　the　thirty　toilets　to　the　deck。　Right　now；　the　billionaire　was　playing　around　with　the　furnishings　and　upholstery；　and　his　ego　was　running　rampant。　
　The　puter　would　generate　a　full…bodied　hologram　of　him　to　wele　guests　to　the　main　deck　salon；　and　that　had　been　a　cool　touch；　but　at　this　instant　he　was　deciding　what　font　would　be　best　for　his　initials；　which　were　to　be　sewn　into　the　fabric　on　all　the　couches　and　chairs。　A　few　years　ago；　he'd　bought　himself　a　minor　British　title　that　had　e　plete　with　a　coat　of　arms；　so　he　inserted　the　script　he'd　selected　into　the　emblem；　then　overlaid　that　onto　the　fabric。　A　cameo　of　my　face　might　look　better；　he　thought；　as　he　stared　at　the　royal　crest。　
　Then　people　could　sit　on　my　face。　The　idea　brought　a　smile；　he　was　still　smiling　when　his　Philippine　houseboy　entered　the　room。　
　〃Master；〃　he　said　slowly；　〃I'm　sorry　to　bother　you；　but　you　have　a　long…distance　telephone　call　from　overseas。〃　
　〃Did　they　say　their　name？〃　he　asked。　
　〃He　said　he　was　a　friend　of　the　fat　golden　one；〃　the　man　said。　
　〃Put　him　through；〃　the　billionaire　said；　smiling；　〃at　once。〃　
　
　THE　TIME　WAS　just　before　four　in　the　afternoon　in　Macau；　and　while　he　waited　for　the　software　billionaire　to　e　online；　Spenser　was　fiddling　with　a　voice…alteration　device　that　he　had　placed　over　his　satellite　telephone。　He　had　placed　a　new　battery　in　the　device　and　the　tiny　light　was　blinking　green；　but　still　he　questioned　if　the　scrambler　would　work　as　advertised。　
　〃Yo；〃　the　billionaire　said　as　he　came　on　the　line。　〃What　have　you　got　for　me？〃　
　〃Are　you　still　interested　in　owning　the　Golden　Buddha？〃　a　mechanical…sounding　voice　asked。　
　〃Sure；〃　the　billionaire　said。　At　the　same　time；　he　input　mands　into　the　puter　hooked　to　his　telephone　to　counter　the　effects　of　the　scrambler。　〃But　not　at　two　hundred　million。〃　
　〃I　was　thinking〃the　man's　voice　was　scrambled；　but　then　the　puter　did　its　magic　and　the　voice　cleared〃a　price　of　one　hundred　million。〃　
　A　British　accent；　the　software　billionaire　thought。　Talbot　had　told　him　a　British　dealer　had　made　the　successful　bid　for　the　Buddha；　and　maybe　he　had　acquired　it　for　a　British　collectorbut　that　made　no　sense。　No　one　would　buy　something　for　200　million；　only　to　offer　it　a　few　days　later　for　half　that。　The　dealer　must　have　pulled　the　old　switcherooor　he　was　offering　a　fake。　
　〃How　do　I　know　what　you　are　offering　is　real？〃　the　software　billionaire　asked。　
　〃Do　you　have　someone　who　can　date　gold？〃　Spenser　asked。　
　〃I　can　find　someone；〃　the　billionaire　said。　
　〃Then　I'll　send　you　a　sliver　of　metal　along　with　a　videotape　of　me　removing　it　from　the　bo