rl.thebourneultimatum-第94部分

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ase。　And　when　you've　done　that；　go　find　a　Chinese　restaurant　and　bring　us　back　the　best　they've　got。　。。。　Frankly；　I'm　partial　to　spare　ribs　and　lemon　chicken。〃
　Holland　proved　to　be　half　right。　The　first　hearing　of　Panov's　session　under　the　serum　was　agonizing　to　listen　to；　the　voice　devastating；　the　emotional　content　blurring　the　information；　especially　for　anyone　who　knew　the　psychiatrist。　The　second　hearing；　however；　produced　instantaneous　concentration；　engendered　without　question　by　the　very　pain　they　heard。　There　was　no　time　to　indulge　in　personal　feelings；　the　information　was　suddenly　everything。　Both　men　began　taking　copious　notes　on　legal　pads；　frequently　stopping　and　replaying　numerous　sections　for　clarity　and　understanding。　The　third　hearing　refined　the　salient　points　further；　by　the　end　of　the　fourth；　both　Alex　and　Peter　Holland　had　thirty　to　forty　pages　of　notes　apiece。　They　spent　an　additional　hour　in　silence；　each　going　over　his　own　analysis。
　〃Are　you　ready？〃　asked　the　CIA's　director　from　the　couch；　a　pencil　in　his　hand。
　〃Sure；〃　said　Conklin；　seated　at　the　desk　with　his　various　electronic　equipment；　the　tape　machine　at　his　elbow。
　〃Any　opening　remarks？〃
　〃Yes；〃　replied　Alex。　〃Ninety…nine　point　forty…four　percent　of　what　we　listened　to　gives　us　nothing；　except　to　tell　us　what　a　terrific　prober　this　Walsh　is。　He　hopscotched　around　picking　up　cues　faster　than　I　could　find　them；　and　I　wasn't　exactly　an　amateur　when　it　came　to　interrogations。〃
　〃Agreed；〃　said　Holland。　〃I　wasn't　so　bad　either；　especially　with　a　blunt　instrument。　Walsh　is　good。〃
　〃Better　than　that；　but　that　doesn't　concern　us。　What　he　pulled　out　of　Mo　does…again　with　a　'but。'　It's　not　in　Panov's　recapturing　what　he　revealed　because　we　have　to　assume　he　revealed　almost　everything　I　told　him。　Instead；　it's　in　what　he　repeated　having　heard。〃　Conklin　separated　several　pages。　〃Here's　an　example。　'The　family　will　be　pleased　。。。　our　supreme　will　give　us　his　blessing。'　He's　repeating　someone　else's　words；　not　his　own。　Now；　Mo　isn't　familiar　with　criminal　jargon；　certainly　not　to　the　point　where　he　would　automatically　make　a　connection；　but　the　connection's　there。　Take　the　word　'supreme'　and　change　it　by　removing　one　vowel　and　inserting　another。　'Supremo'…capo　supremo；　hardly　a　heavenly　supreme　being。　Suddenly；　'the　family'　is　light　years　away　from　Norman　Rockwell；　and　'blessing'　is　interchangeable　with　a　reward　or　a　bonus。〃
　〃Mafia；〃　said　Peter；　his　eyes　steady　and　clear　despite　a　number　of　drinks　that　had　obviously　been　burned　out　of　his　system。　〃I　hadn't　thought　that　one　through；　but　I　marked　it　instinctively。　。。。　Okay；　here's　something　else　along　the　same　lines；　the　same　lines　because　I　also　picked　up　on　the　unlike…Panov　phrases。〃　Holland　flipped　through　his　legal　pad　and　stopped　at　a　specific　page。　〃Here。　'New　York　wants　it　all。'　〃　Peter　continued　slapping　over　the　pages。　〃Again　here。　'That　Wall　Street　is　something。'　〃　Once　more　the　DCI　progressed　through　his　legal　pad。　〃And　this　one。　'Blondie　fruits'…the　rest　is　garbled。〃
　〃I　missed　that。　I　heard　it；　but　it　didn't　make　any　sense　to　me。　
　〃Why　should　it；　Mr。　Aleksei　Konsolikov？〃　Holland　smiled。　〃Underneath　that　Anglo…Saxon　exterior；　education　and　all；　beats　the　heart　of　a　Russian。　You're　not　sensitive　to　what　some　of　us　have　to　endure。〃
　〃Huh？〃
　〃I'm　a　WASP；　and　'blondie　fruits'　is　but　one　more　pejorative　description　given　us　by；　I　must　admit；　other　trampled…upon　minorities。　Think　about　it。　Armbruster；　Swayne；　Atkinson；　Burton；　Teagarten…'blondies'　all。　And　Wall　Street；　certain　firms　in　that　originally　WASP　financial　bastion；　at　any　rate。〃
　〃Medusa；〃　said　Alex；　nodding。　〃Medusa　and　the　Mafia。　。。。　Holy　Christ。〃
　〃We've　got　a　telephone　number！〃　Peter　leaned　forward　on　the　couch。　〃It　was　in　the　ledger　Bourne　brought　out　of　Swayne's　house。〃
　〃I've　tried　it；　remember？　It's　an　answering　machine；　that's　all　it　is。〃
　〃And　that's　enough。　We　can　get　a　location。〃
　〃To　what　end？　Whoever　picks　up　the　messages　does　it　by　remote；　and　if　he　or　she　has　half　a　brain；　it's　done　from　a　public　phone。　The　relay　is　not　only　untraceable　but　capable　of　erasing　all　other　messages；　so　we　can't　tap　in。〃
　〃You're　not　very　into　high　tech；　are　you；　Field　Man？〃
　〃Let's　put　it　this　way；〃　replied　Conklin。　〃I　bought　one　of　those　VCRs　so　I　could　watch　old　movies；　and　I　can't　figure　out　how　to　turn　off　the　goddamn　blinking　clock。　I　called　the　dealer　and　he　said；　'Read　the　instructions　on　the　interior　panel。'　I　can't　find　the　interior　panel。〃
　〃Then　let　me　explain　what　we　can　do　to　an　answering　machine。　。。。　We　can　jam　it　externally。〃
　〃Gee　willikers；　Sandy；　what's　next　for　Orphan　Annie？　What　the　hell　is　that　going　to　do？　Other　than　kill　the　source。〃
　〃You're　forgetting。　We　have　the　location　from　the　numbers。〃
　〃Oh？〃
　〃Someone　has　to　e　and　repair　the　machine。〃
　〃Oh。〃
　〃We　take　him　and　find　out　who　sent　him　there。〃
　〃You　know；　Peter；　you've　got　possibilities。　For　a　neophyte；　you　understand；　your　current　outrageously　undeserved　position　notwithstanding。〃
　〃Sorry　I　can't　offer　you　a　drink。〃
　Bryce　Ogilvie；　of　the　law　firm　Ogilvie；　Spofford；　Crawford　and　Cohen；　was　dictating　a　highly　plex　reply　to　the　Justice　Department's　antitrust　division　when　his　very　private　telephone　line　rang；　it　rang　only　at　his　desk。　He　picked　up　the　phone；　pressed　the　green　button　and　spoke　rapidly。　〃Hold　on；〃　he　ordered；　looking　up　at　his　secretary。　〃Would　you　excuse　me；　please？〃
　〃Certainly；　sir。〃　The　secretary　got　out　of　her　chair；　walked　across　the　large　impressive　office　and　disappeared　beyond　the　door。
　〃Yes；　what　is　it？〃　asked　Ogilvie；　returning　to　the　phone。
　〃The　machine　isn't　working；〃　said　the　voice　on　the　sacrosanct　line。
　〃What　happened？〃
　〃I　don't　know。　All　I　get　is　a　busy　signal。〃
　〃That's　the　best　equipment　available。　Perhaps　someone　was　calling　in　when　you　called。〃
　〃I've　been　trying　for　the　past　two　hours。　There's　a　glitch。　Even　the　best　machines　break　down。〃
　〃All　right；　send　someone　up　to　check　it　out。　Use　one　of　the　niggers。〃
　〃Naturally。　No　white　man　would　go　up　there。〃
　
　25
　It　was　shortly　past　midnight　when　Bourne　got　off　the　métro　in　Argenteuil。　He　had　divided　the　day　into　segments；　splitting　the　hours　between　the　arrangements　he　had　to　make　and　looking　for　Marie；　going　from　one　arrondissement　to　another；　scouting　every　café；　every　shop；　every　large　and　small　hotel　he　could　recall　having　been　a　part　of　their　fugitive　nightmare　thirteen　years　ago。　More　than　once　he　had　gasped；　seeing　a　woman　in　the　distance　or　across　a　café…the　back　of　a　head；　a　quick　profile；　and　twice　a　crown　of　dark　red　hair；　any　of　which　from　a　distance　or　in　a　café's　dim　light　might　have　belonged　to　his　wife。　None　of　these　had　turned　out　to　be　Marie；　but　he　began　to　understand　his　own　anxiety　and；　by　understanding　it；　was　better　able　to　control　it。　These　were　the　most　impossible　parts　of　the　day；　the　rest　was　merely　filled　with　difficulty　and　frustration。
　Alex！　Where　the　hell　was　Conklin？　He　could　not　reach　him　in　Virginia！　Because　of　the　time　difference；　he　had　counted　on　Alex　to　take　care　of　the　details；　swiftly　expediting　the　transfer　of　funds；　primarily。　The　business　day　on　the　eastern　seaboard　of　the　United　States　began　at　four　o'clock；　Paris　time；　and　the　business　day　in　Paris　stopped　at　five　o'clock　or　before；　Paris　time。　That　left　barely　an　hour　to　release　and　transfer　over　a　million　American　dollars　to　one　Mr。　Simon　at　his　chosen　bank　in　Paris；　and　that　meant　said　Mr。　Simon　had　to　make　himself　known　to　the　aforementioned；　as　yet　unchosen；　Paris　bank。　Bernardine　had　been　helpful。　Helpful；　hell！　He　had　made　it　possible。
　〃There's　a　bank　on　the　rue　de　Grenelle　that　the　Deuxième　frequently　uses。　They　can　be　acmodating　in　terms　of　hours　and　the　absence　of　an　authentic　signature　or　two；　but　they　give　nothing　for　nothing；　and　they　trust　no　one；　especially　anyone　associated　with　our　benevolent　socialist　government。〃
　〃You　mean　regardless　of　the　teletypes；　if　the　money's　not　there　you　don't　get　it。〃
　〃Not　a　sou。　The　president；　himself；　could　call　and　he　would　be　told　to　pick　it　up　in　Moscow；　where　they　firmly　believe　he　belongs。〃
　〃Since　I　can't　reach　Alex；　I've　bypassed　the　bank　i