To begin with, the funds are not available to me...
To begin with, the funds
are not available to me personallyI meet with a man in London to whom I deliver the information,
and he releases an account in Bern, Switzerland, to a name and a number—any name, any
number—that I give himWe’ll skip over my life and the ‘excruciating pain’—I’ve answered
bothLet’s see, what do I know about a blackbird? The Coeur du Soldat is part of that question,
incidentallyI was told that an old man—name and nationality unknown, at least to me, but I
suspect French—approached a well-known public figure and told him he was the target of an
assassinationWho believes a drunken old man, especially one with a long police record looking
for a reward? Unfortunately the assassination took place, but fortunately an aide to the deceased
was by his side when the old man warned himEven more fortunate, the aide was and is extremely
close to my client and gucci women's watches the assassination was a welcome event to bothThe aide secretly passed on
the old man’s informationA blackbird is sent a message through a café known as Le Coeur du
Soldat in ArgenteuilThis blackbird must be an extraordinary man, and now my client wants to
reach himAs for myself, my offices are hotel rooms in various citiesI’m currently registered
under the name of Simon at the Pont-Royal, where I keep my passport and other papers Bourne
paused, his palms outstretched“I’ve just told you the entire truth as I know it
“Not the entire truth,” corrected Santos, his voice low and guttural“Who is your client?”
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
230
“I’ll be killed if I tell you
“I’ll kill you right now if you don’t,” said the Jackal’s conduit, removing Jason’s hunting knife
from his wide leather belt, the blade glistening in the light of the floor lamp
“Why not give me the prada fairy bag information my client wants along with a name and a number—any name,
any number—and I’ll guarantee you two million francsAll my client asks is for me to be the only
intermediaryWhere’s the harm? The blackbird can turn me down and tell me to go to hell
Three million!”
Santos’s eyes wavered as if the temptation were almost too much for his imagination“Perhaps
we’ll do business later—”
“Now
“No!” Carlos’s man pushed his immense body out of the chair and walked toward the couch, the
knife held threateningly in front of him
“Plural,” replied Bourne“A group of powerful men in the United States
“Who?”
“They guard their names like nuclear secrets, but I know of one and he should be enough for
you
“Who?”
“Find out for yourself—at least learn the enormity of what I’m trying to tell youProtect your
blackbird by all means! Ascertain that I’m telling you the truth and in the chanel earrings process make yourself so
rich you can do anything you want to do for the rest of your lifeYou could travel, disappear,
perhaps have time for those books of yours rather than being concerned with all that garbage
downstairsAs you pointed out, neither of us is youngI make a generous brokering fee and you’re
a wealthy man, free of care, of unpleasant drudgeryAgain, where’s the harm? I can be turned
down, my clients turned downMy clients don’t ever want to see himThey want
to hire him
“How could this be done? How could I be satisfied?”
“Invent some high position for yourself and reach the American ambassador in London—the
name is AtkinsonTell him you’ve received confidential instructions from Snake LadyAsk him if
you should carry them out
“Snake Lady? What’s that?”
“MedusaThey call themselves Medusa
Mo Panov excused himself and slid out of the boothHe made his way through the gucci paolo watches crowded
highway diner toward the men’s room, frantically scanning the wall at the far end for a pay phone
There was none! The only goddamned phone was ten feet from the booth and in clear sight of the
wild-eyed platinum blonde whose paranoia was as deeply embedded as the dark roots of her hair
He had casually mentioned that he thought he should call his office and tell his staff about the
accident and where he was, and was instantly met with invective
“And have a swarm of cops coming out to pick you up! Not on your fuckin’ life, Medicine Man
Your office calls the fuzz, they call my devoted Chief Fork-in-Mouth, and my ass is bouncing into
every barbed-wire fence in the countyHe’s in with every cop on the roadsI think he tells ’em
where to get laid
“There’d be no reason for me to mention you and I certainly wouldn’tIf you recall, you said he
might resent me
“Resent don’t chanel classic handbags coun