alistairmaclean.seawitch-第39章

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　a　million　men。　The　fact　that　most　of　them　were　his　own　men　would　seem　to　be　beside　the　point。　I　don't　hunt；　I　don't　shoot　game；　I　don't　even　fish。　I　mean；　I　like　lamb　as　much　as　the　next　man；　but　I　wouldn't　put　a　hook　in　one's　throat　and　drag　it　around　a　field　for　half　an　hour　before　it　dies　from　agony　and　exhaustion。　All　I　do　is　exterminate　vermin。　To　me；　all　crooks；　armed　or　not；　are　vermin。〃
　〃Is　that　why　you　and　John　got　fired　from　the　police？〃
　〃Do　I　have　to　tell　you　that？〃
　〃Have　you　ever　killed　what　you；　what　I；　would　call　a　good　person？〃
　〃No。　But　unless　you　shut　up…〃
　〃In　spite　of　everything；　I　think　I　might　still　marry　you。〃
　〃I've　never　asked　you。〃
　〃Well；　what　are　you　waiting　for？〃
　Mitchell　sighed；　then　smiled。　〃Marina　Worth；　would　you　do　me　the　honor…〃
　Behind　them；　Lord　Worth　coughed。　Marina　swung　round。　〃Daddy；〃　she　said；　〃you　have　a　genius　for　turning　up　at　the　wrong　moment。〃
　Lord　Worth　was　mild。　〃The　right　moment　I　would　have　said。　My　unreserved　congratulations。〃　He　looked　at　Mitchell。　〃Well；　you　certainly　took　your　time　about　it。　Everything　shipshape　and　secured　for　the　night？〃
　〃As　far　as　I　can　guess　at　what　goes　on　in　Cronkite's　mind。〃
　〃My　confidence　in　you；　my　boy；　is　total。　Well；　it's　bed　for　me…I　feel；　perhaps　not　unaccountably；　extremely　tired。〃
　Marina　said：　〃Me；　too。　Well；　goodnight；　fiance〃。〃　She　kissed　him　lightly　and　left　with　her　father。
　For　once；　Lord　Worth's　confidence　in　Mitchell　was　slightly　misplaced。　The　latter　had　made　a　mistake；　though　a　pletely　unwitting　one；　in　sending　the　radio　officer　off　duty。　For　had　that　officer　remained　on　duty　he　would　undoubtedly　have　picked　up　the　news　flash　about　the　theft　of　the　nuclear　weapons　from　the　Netley　Rowan　Arsenal：　Mitchell　could　not　have　failed　to　put　two　and　two　together。
　During　the　third　hour　of　Lord　Worth's　conscience…untroubled　sleep　Mulhooney　had　been　extremely　active。　He　had　discharged　his　fifty　thousand　tons　of　oil　and　taken　the　Torbello　well　out…to　sea；　far　over　the　horizon。　He　returned　later　with　two　panions　in　the　ship's　only　motorized　lifeboat　with　the　sad　news　that；　in　the　sinking　of　the　tanker；　a　shattering　explosion　had　occurred　which　had　decimated　his　crew。　They　three　were　the　only　survivors。　The　decimated　crew　were；　at　that　moment；　taking　the　Torbello　south　to　Panama。　The　official　condolences　were　widespread；　apparently　sincere　and　wholly　hypocritical：　when　a　tanker　blows　up　its　motorized　lifeboat　does　not　survive　intact。　The　republic　had　no　diplomatic　relations　with　the　United　States；　and　the　only　things　they　would　cheerfully　have　extradited　to　that　country　were　cholera　and　the　bubonic　plague。　A　private　jet　awaited　the　three　at　the　tiny　airport。　Passports　duly　stamped；　Mulhooney　and　his　friends　filed　a　flight　plan　for　Guatemala。
　Some　hours　later　they　arrived　at　the　Houston　International　Airport。　With　much　of　the　ten　million　dollars　still　remaining　at　his　disposal；　Cron…kite　was　not　the　man　to　worry　about　incidental　expenses。　Mulhooney　and　his　friends　immediately　hired　a　long…range　helicopter　and　set　out　for　the　Gulf。
　In　the　fourth　hour　of　his　sleep；　which　had　remained　undisturbed　by　the　sound　of　a　considerable　underwater　explosion；　Lord　Worth　was　unpleasantly　awakened　by　a　call　from　a　seethingly　mad　Cronkite；　who　accused　him　of　killing　two　more　of　his　men　and　warned　that　he　was　going　to　extract　a　fearful　vengeance。　Lord　Worth　hung　up　without　bothering　to　reply；　sent　for　Mitchell　and　learned　that　Cronkite　had　indeed　made　another　attempt　to　sabotage　the　western　leg。　The　depth　charge　had　apparently　done　everything　expected　of　it；　for　their　searchlights　had　picked　up　the　bodies　of　two　divers　floating　on　the　surface。　The　craft　that　had　been　carrying　them　could　not　have　been　seriously　damaged　for　they　had　heard　the　sound　of　its　diesels　starting　up。　Instead　of　making　a　straight　escape；　it　had　disappeared　under　the　rig；　and　by　the　time　they　had　crossed　to　the　other　side　of　the　Seawitch　it　was　long　gone　into　the　darkness　and　rain。　Lord　Worth　smiled　happily　and　went　back　to　sleep。
　In　the　fifth　hour　of　his　sleep　he　would　not　have　been　smiling　quite　so　happily　if　he　had　been　aware　of　certain　strange　activities　that　were　taking　place　in　a　remote　Louisiana　motel；　one　exclusively　owned　by　Lord　Worth　himself。　Here　it　was　that　the　Seawitch's　relief　crews　spent　their　time　off　in　the　strictest　seclusion。　In　addition　to　abundant　food；　drink；　films；　TV　and　a　high…class　bordello；　it　offered　every　amenity　off…duty　oil…rig　men　could　ever　have　wished　for。　Not　that　any　of　them　would　have　wanted　to　leave　the　pound　gates　anyway：　nine　out　of　ten　of　them　were　wanted　by　the　law；　and　total　privacy　was　a　paramount　requirement。
　The　intruders；　some　twenty　in　all；　arrived　in　the　middle　of　the　night。　They　were　led　by　a　man　named　Gregson：　of　all　Cronkite's　associates；　he　was　by　far　the　most　dangerous　and　lethal　and　was　possessed　of　the　morality　and　instincts　of　a　fer…de…lance　with　a　toothache。　The　motel　staff　were　all　asleep　and　were　chloroformed　before　they　had　any　opportunity　of　regaining　consciousness。
　The　rig　relief　crew；　also；　were　all　asleep　but　in　a　somewhat　different　fashion　and　for　different　reasons。　Liquor　is　forbidden　on　oil　rigs；　and　the　relief　crews　on　the　night　before　returning　to　duty　generally　made　the　best　of　their　last　chance。　Their　dormant　states　ranged　from　the　merely　befuddled　to　the　paralytic。　The　rounding　up　of　them；　most　of　whom　remained　still　asleep　on　their　feet；　took　no　more　than　five　minutes。　The　only　two　relatively　sober　members　of　the　relief　crew　tried　to　offer　resistance。　Gregson；　with　a　silenced　Beretta；　gunned　them　down　as　if　they　had　been　wild　dogs。
　The　captives　were　transported　in　a　pletely　standard；　albeit　temporarily　purloined；　moving　van　to　an　abandoned　and　very　isolated　warehouse　on　the　outskirts　of　town。　Somewhat　less　than　salubrious；　it　was　perfectly　fitted　for　Gregson's　purpose。　The　prisoners　were　neither　bound　nor　gagged；　which　would　have　been　pointless　in　the　presence　of　two　armed　guards　who　carried　the　customary　intimidating　machine　carbines。　In　point　of　fact；　the　carbines　too　were　superfluous：　the　besotted　captives　had　already　drifted　off　into　a　dreamless　slumber。
　It　was　in　the　sixth　hour　of　Lord　Worth's　equally　dreamless　slumber　that　Gregson　and　his　men　lifted　off　in　one　of　Lord　Worth's　helicopters。　The　two　pilots　had　been　reluctant　to　accept　them　as　passengers；　but　Schmeissers　are　powerfully　persuasive　agents。
　It　was　in　the　seventh　hour　of　Lord　Worth's　slumber　that　Mulhooney　and　his　two　colleagues　touched　down　on　the　empty　helipad　of　the　Georgia。　As　Cronkite's　own　helicopter　was　temporarily　marooned　on　the　Seawitch；　he　had　no　punction　in　impounding　both　the　helicopter　and　its　hapless　pilot。
　At　almost　exactly　the　same　moment　another
　helicopter　touched　down　on　the　Seawitch　and　a　solitary　passenger　and　pilot　emerged。　The　passenger　was　Dr。　Greenshaw；　and　he　looked；　and　was；　a　very　tired　elderly　man。　He　went　straight　to　the　sick　bay　and；　without　even　trying　to　remove　his　clothes；　lay　down　on　one　of　the　cots　and　posed　himself　for　sleep。　He　should；　he　supposed；　have　reported　to　Lord　Worth　that　his　daughter　Melinda　and　John　Roomer　were　in　good　hands　and　good　shape；　but　good　news　could　wait。
　On　the　eighth　hour；　with　the　dawn　in　the　sky；　Lord　Worth；　a　man　who　enjoyed　his　sleep；　awoke；　stretched　himself　luxuriously；　pulled　on　his　splendidly　embroidered　dressing　gown　and　strolled　out　onto　the　platform。　The　rain　had　stopped；　the　sun　was　tipping　the　horizon　and　there　was　every　promise　of　a　beautiful　day　to　e。　Privately　congratulating　himself　on　his　prescience　that　no　trouble　would　occur　during　the　night；　he　retired　to　his　quarters　to　perform　his　customary　and　leisurely　morning　ablutions。
　Lord　Worth's　self…congratulations　on　his　prescience　were　entirely　premature。　Fifteen　minutes　earlier　the　radio　operator；　newly　returned　to　duty；　had　picked　up　a　news　broadcast　that　he　didn't　like　at　all　and　gone　straight　to　MitchelTs　room。　Like　every　man　on　board；　even　including　Larsen　and　Palermo；　he　knew　that　the　man　to　contact　in　an　emergency　was　Mitchell：　the　thought　of　alerting　Lord　Worth　never　entered　his　head。
　He　found　Mitchell　shaving。　Mitchell　looked　tired…less　than　surprising；