| ?There they are!? screamed StJacques, lurching up
but stopped by Marie, who fell across him?I?ll kill the bastards!?
?No!? roared his sister, holding him, helped by a guard whose strong black hands gripped her
brother?s shoulders?At this moment they?re two of the best friends we have
?You don?t know who they are!? cried StJacques, trying to free himself
?Yes, we do,? broke in Marie, lowering her voice, her lips next to his ear?Enough to know they
can lead us to the Jackal??
?They work for the Jackal!?
?One did,? said the sister?The other never heard of Carlos
?You don?t understand!? whispered St?They?re old men??the old men of Paris,? the
Jackal?s army! Conklin reached me in Plymouth and explained they?re killers!?
?Again, one was but he?s not anymore; he has nothing to kill for nowwell, the
other?s a mistake, a stupid, outrageous mistake, but that?s all he is, and thank God for it?for him!?
?It?s crazy,? agreed Marie, nodding to the guard to help her brother up?Come on, Johnny, we
have things to talk about
The storm had blown away like a violent, unwanted intruder racing off into the night leaving
behind the carnage of its rageThe early morning light broke over the eastern horizon, slowly
revealing through the mists the blue-green out islands of MontserratThe first boats cartier roadster cautiously,
dolefully lumbered out to the favored fishing grounds, for the catch of the day meant one more
day?s survivalMarie, her brother and the two old men were around a table on the balcony of an
unoccupied villaOver coffee, they had been talking for the better part of an hour, treating each
point of horror coldly, dissecting facts without feelingThe aged false hero of France had been
assured that all proper arrangements would be made for his woman once phone service had been
restored to the big islandIf it was possible, he wanted her to be buried in the islands; she would
understandThere was nothing left for her in France but the ignominy of a tawdry graveIf it was
possible?
?It?s possible,? said St?Because of you my sister?s alive
?Because of me, young man, she might have died
?Would you have killed me?? asked Marie, studying the old Frenchman
?Certainly not after I saw what Carlos had planned for me and my womanHe had broken the
contract, not I
?When I had not yet seen the needles, understood what was all too obvious??
?Yes
?That?s difficult to answer; a contract?s a contractStill, my woman was dead, and a part of her
dying was because she sensed that a terrible thing had been demanded of meTo go through with
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
128
that demand would deny buy replica louis vuitton that aspect of her death, don?t you see? Yet again, even in her death, the
monseigneur could not be totally denied?he had made possible years of relative happiness that
would have been impossible without himI might have reasoned that I
owed him your life?your death?but certainly not the children?s and most certainly not the rest
of it
?Rest of what?? asked St
?It?s best not to inquire
?I think you would have killed me,? said Marie
?I tell you, I simply don?t knowThere was nothing personalYou were not a person to me, you
were simply an event that was part of a business arrangementStill, as I say, my woman was
gone, and I?m an old man with limited time before mePerhaps a look in your eyes or a plea for
your children?who knows, I might have turned the pistol on myselfThen again, I might not
have
?Jesus, you are a killer,? said the brother quietly
?I am many things, monsieurI don?t ask forgiveness in this world; the other?s another question
There were always circumstances??
?Gallic logic,? remarked Brendan Patrick Pierre Prefontaine, former judge of the first circuit
court in Boston, as he absently touched the raw tender skin of his neck below his singed white hair
?Thank heavens I never had to argue before les tribunals; neither side is ever actually wrong The
disbarred attorney black leather chanel purse chuckled?You see before you a felon, justly tried and justly convictedThe
only exculpatory aspect of my crimes is that I was caught and so many others were not and are
not
?Perhaps we are related, after all, Monsieur le Juge
?By comparison, sir, my life is far closer to that of StThomas Aquinas??
?Blackmail,? interrupted Marie
?No, actually the charge was malfeasanceAccepting remunerations for favorable decisions, that
sort of thingMy God, we?re hound?s-tooth Boston! In New York City it?s standard procedure:
Leave your money with the bailiff, enough for everyone
?I?m not referring to Boston, I?m talking about why you?re here
?That?s an oversimplification but essentially correctAs I told you, the man who paid me to find
out where you?d gone also paid me an additional large sum of money to keep the information to
myselfUnder the circumstances, and because I have no pressing schedule of appointments, I
thought it logical to pursue the inquiryAfter all, if the little I knew brought so much, how much
more might come to me if I learned a little more??
?You talk of Gallic logic, monsieur?? inserted the Frenchman
?It?s simple interrogatory progression,? replied the former judge, briefly glancing at Jean Pierre
before turning back to Marie?However, my dear, I may have glossed over an item balenciaga le dix motorcycle bag black that was
extremely helpful in negotiations with my clientTo put it plainly, your identity was being withheld
and protected by the governmentIt was a strong point that frightened a very strong and influential
man
?I want his name,? said Marie
?Then I must have protection, too,? rejoined Prefontaine
?You?ll have it??
?And perhaps something more,? continued the old disbarred attorney?My client has no idea I
came here, no knowledge of what?s happened, all of which might fuel the fires of his largess if I
described what I?ve experienced and observedHe?d be frightened out of his mind even to be
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
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associated with such eventsAlso, considering the fact that I was nearly killed by that Teutonic
Amazon, I really deserve more
?Am I then to be rewarded for saving your life, monsieur??
?If I had anything of value?other than my legal expertise, which is yours?I?d happily share it
If I?m given anything, that still holds, Cousin
?Merci bien, Cousin
?D?accord, mon ami, but never let the Irish nuns hear us
?You don?t look like a poor man, Judge,? said John St
?Then appearances are as deceiving as a long-forgotten title you so generously useI should
add that my wants are not extravagant, for there?s no one but myself, and my creature comforts do
not require black quilted chanel bag lu |
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