rl.thebourneultimatum-第18章

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　〃That's　it？〃
　〃That's　it；　Professor。　And　considering　the　fact　that　the　aircraft　in　question　had　a　Four　Zero　government　classification；　which；　incidentally；　in　my　letter　to　the　attorney　general　I　so　specified；　I　think　I've　earned　my　ten　thousand　dollars。〃
　〃You　drunken　scum…〃
　〃Again　you're　wrong；　Randy；〃　interrupted　the　judge。　〃Alcoholic；　certainly；　drunk　hardly　ever。　I　stay　on　the　edge　of　sobriety。　It's　my　one　reason　for　living。　You　see　in　my　cognizance　I'm　always　amused…by　men　like　you；　actually。〃
　〃Get　out　of　here；〃　said　the　professor　ominously。
　〃You're　not　even　going　to　offer　me　a　drink　to　help　support　this　dreadful　habit　of　mine？　。。。　Good　heavens；　there　must　be　half　a　dozen　unopened　bottles　over　there。〃
　〃Take　one　and　leave。〃
　〃Thank　you；　I　believe　I　will。〃　The　old　judge　walked　to　a　cherry…wood　table　against　the　wall　where　two　silver　trays　held　various　whiskies　and　a　brandy。　〃Let's　see；〃　he　continued；　picking　up　several　white　cloth　napkins　and　wrapping　them　around　two　bottles；　then　a　third。　〃If　I　hold　these　tightly　under　my　arm；　they　could　be　a　pile　of　laundry　I'm　taking　put　for　quick　service。〃
　〃Will　you　hurry！〃
　〃Will　you　please　open　the　door　for　me？　I'd　hate　like　hell　dropping　one　of　these　while　manipulating　the　knob。　If　it　smashed　it　wouldn't　do　much　for　your　image；　either。　You've　never　been　known　to　have　a　drink；　I　believe。〃
　〃Get　out；〃　insisted　Gates；　opening　the　door　for　the　old　man。
　〃Thank　you；　Randy；〃　said　the　judge；　walking　out　into　the　hallway　and　turning。　〃Don't　forget　the　bank　check　at　the　Boston　Five　in　the　morning。　Fifteen　thousand。〃
　〃Fifteen。。。？〃
　〃My　word；　can　you　imagine　what　the　attorney　general　would　say　just　knowing　that　you'd　even　consorted　with　me？　Good…bye；　Counselor。〃
　Randolph　Gates　slammed　the　door　and　ran　into　the　bedroom；　to　the　bedside　telephone。　The　smaller　enclosure　was　reassuring；　as　it　removed　him　from　the　exposure　to　scrutiny　inherent　in　larger　areas…the　room　was　more　private；　more　personal；　less　open　to　invasion。　The　call　he　had　to　make　so　unnerved　him　he　could　not　understand　the　pull…out　flap　of　instructions　for　overseas　connections。　Instead；　in　his　anxiety；　he　dialed　the　operator。
　〃I　want　to　place　a　call　to　Paris；〃　he　said。
　
　6
　Bourne's　eyes　were　tired；　the　strain　painful　as　he　studied　the　results　of　the　puter　printouts　spread　across　the　coffee　table　in　front　of　the　couch。　Sitting　forward；　he　had　analyzed　them　for　nearly　four　hours；　forgetting　time；　forgetting　that　his　〃control〃　was　to　have　reached　him　by　then；　concerned　only　with　a　link　to　the　Jackal　at　the　Mayflower　hotel。
　The　first　group；　which　he　temporarily　put　aside；　was　the　foreign　nationals；　a　mix　of　British；　Italian；　Swedish；　West　German；　Japanese　and　Taiwanese。　Each　of　them　had　been　extensively　examined　with　respect　to　authentic　credentials　and　fully　substantiated　business　or　personal　reasons　for　entering　the　country。　The　State　Department　and　the　Central　Intelligence　Agency　had　done　their　homework。　Each　person　was　professionally　and　personally　vouched　for　by　a　minimum　of　five　reputable　individuals　or　panies；　all　had　long…standing　munications　with　such　people　and　firms　in　the　Washington　area；　none　had　a　false　or　questionable　statement　on　record。　If　the　Jackal's　man　was　among　them…and　he　might　well　be…it　would　take　far　more　information　than　was　to　be　found　in　the　printouts　before　Jason　could　refine　the　list。　It　might　be　necessary　to　go　back　to　this　group；　but　for　the　moment　he　had　to　keep　reading。　There　was　so　little　time！
　Of　the　remaining　five　hundred　or　so　American　guests　at　the　hotel；　two　hundred　and　twelve　had　entries　in　one　or　more　of　the　intelligence　data　banks；　the　majority　because　they　had　business　with　the　government。　However；　seventy…eight　had　raw…file　negative　evaluations。　Thirty…one　were　Internal　Revenue　Service　matters；　which　meant　they　were　suspected　of　destroying　or　falsifying　financial　records　and/or　had　tax　havens　in　Swiss　or　Cayman　Island　accounts。　They　were　zero；　nothing；　merely　rich　and　not　very　bright　thieves；　and；　further；　the　sort　of　〃messengers〃　Carlos　would　avoid　like　lepers。
　That　left　forty…seven　possibles。　Men　and　women…in　eleven　cases　ostensibly　husbands　and　wives…with　extensive　connections　in　Europe；　in　the　main　with　technological　firms　and　related　nuclear　and　aerospace　industries；　all　under　intelligence　microscopes　for　possibly　selling　classified　information　to　brokers　of　the　Eastern　bloc　and　therefore　to　Moscow。　Of　these　forty…seven　possibles；　including　two　of　the　eleven　couples；　an　even　dozen　had　made　recent　trips　to　the　Soviet　Union…scratch　all　of　them。　The　Komitet　Gosudarstvennoi　Bezopasnosti；　otherwise　known　as　the　KGB；　had　less　use　for　the　Jackal　than　the　Pope。　Ilich　Ramirez　Sanchez；　later　Carlos　the　assassin；　had　been　trained　in　the　American　pound　of　Novgorod；　where　the　streets　were　lined　with　American　gas　stations　and　grocery　stores；　boutiques　and　Burger　Kings；　and　everyone　spoke　American　English　with　diverse　dialects…no　Russian　was　allowed…and　only　those　who　passed　the　course　were　permitted　to　proceed　to　the　next　level　of　infiltrators。　The　Jackal　had；　indeed；　passed；　but　when　the　Komitet　discovered　that　the　young　Venezuelan　revolutionary's　solution　for　all　things　disagreeable　was　to　eliminate　them　violently；　it　was　too　much　for　even　the　inheritors　of　the　brutal　OGPU。　Sanchez　was　expelled　and　Carlos　the　Jackal　was　born。　Forget　about　the　twelve　people　who　had　traveled　to　the　Soviet　Union。　The　assassin　would　not　touch　them；　for　there　was　a　standing　order　in　all　branches　of　Russian　intelligence　that　if　Carlos　was　tracked　he　was　to　be　shot。　Novgorod　was　to　be　protected　at　all　cost。
　The　possibles　were　thus　narrowed　to　thirty…five；　the　hotel's　register　listing　them　as　nine　couples；　four　single　women　and　thirteen　single　men。　The　raw…file　printouts　from　the　data　banks　de　scribed　in　detail　the　facts　and　speculations　that　resulted　in　the　negative　evaluation　of　each　individual。　In　truth；　the　speculations　far　outnumbered　the　facts　and　were　too　often　based　on　hostile　appraisals　given　by　enemies　or　petitors；　but　each　had　to　be　studied；　many　with　distaste；　for　among　the　information　might　be　a　word　or　phrase；　a　location　or　an　act；　that　was　the　link　to　Carlos。
　The　telephone　rang；　breaking　Jason's　concentration。　He　blinked　at　the　harsh；　intrusive　sound　as　if　trying　to　locate　the　source；　then　he　sprang　from　the　couch　and　rushed　to　the　desk；　reaching　the　phone　on　the　third　ring。
　〃Yes？〃
　〃It's　Alex。　I'm　calling　from　down　the　street。〃
　〃Are　you　ing　up？〃
　〃Not　through　that　lobby；　I'm　not。　I've　made　arrangements　for　the　service　entrance；　with　a　temporary　guard　hired　this　afternoon。〃
　〃You're　covering　all　the　bases；　aren't　you？〃
　〃Nowhere　near　as　many　as　I'd　like　to；〃　replied　Conklin。　〃This　isn't　your　normal　ball　game。　See　you　in　a　few　minutes。　I'll　knock　once。〃
　Bourne　hung　up　the　phone　and　returned　to　the　couch　and　the　printouts；　separating　three　that　had　caught　his　attention；　not　that　any　of　them　contained　anything　that　evoked　the　Jackal。　In　stead；　it　was　seemingly　offhand　data　that　might　conceivably　link　the　three　to　each　other　when　no　apparent　connection　existed　between　them。　According　to　their　passports；　these　three　Americans　had　flown　in　to　Philadelphia's　International　Airport　within　six　days　of　one　another　eight　months　ago。　Two　women　and　a　man；　the　women　from　Marrakesh　and　Lisbon；　the　man　from　West　Berlin。　The　first　woman　was　an　interior　decorator　on　a　collecting　trip　to　the　old　Moroccan　city；　the　second　an　executive　for　the　Chase　Bank；　Foreign　Department；　the　man　was　an　aerospace　engineer　on　loan　to　the　Air　Force　from　McDonnell…Douglas。　Why　would　three　such　obviously　different　people；　with　such　dissimilar　professions；　converge　on　the　same　city　within　a　week　of　one　another？　Coincidence？　Entirely　possible；　but　considering　the　number　of　international　airports　in　the　country；　including　the　most　frequented…New　York；　Chicago；　Los　Angeles；　Miami　…　the　coincidence　of　Philadelphia　seemed　unlikely。　Stranger　still；　and　even　more　unlikely；　was　the　fact　that　these　same　three　people　were　staying　at　the　same　hotel　at　the　same　time　in　Washington　eight　months　later。　Jason　wondered　what　Alex　Conklin　would　say　when　he　told　him。
　〃I'm　getting　the　book　on　eac