| It would be so simpleShe had easily learned who the judge was and where he was
staying?the old, painfully thin man three villas awayEverything now was precision, the ?tragic
accident? merely a prelude to the horror that would take place at Villa Twenty in less than an hour
For all of Tranquility?s villas had kerosene lamps in the event of electricity loss and generator
malfunctionA panicked old man with loose bowels, or in plain fear, living through such a storm as
they were experiencing, might well attempt to light a lamp for additional comfortHow tragic that
his upper body would fall into the flowing spilled kerosene, his neck scorched into black tissue, the
neck that had been garroted: Do it, insisted the echoing voices of her imagination
Without Carlos you would have been a headless corpse in Algeria
She would do it?she would do it now
The harsh downpour of the rain on the roof and the windows, and the whistling, roaring louis vuitton denim monogram wind
outside were interrupted by a blinding streak of lightning followed by a deafening crack of thunder
?Jean Pierre Fontaine? wept silently as he knelt beside the bed, his face inches from his
woman?s, his tears falling on the cold flesh of her armShe was dead, and the note by her white
rigid hand said it all: Maintenant nous deux sommes libres, mon amourShe from the terrible pain, he from the price demanded by the
monseigneur, a price he had not described to her, but one she knew was too horrible to payHe had
known for months that his woman had ready access to pills that would end her life quickly if her
living became unendurable; he had frequently, at times frantically, searched for them but he had
never found themNow he knew why as he stared at the small tin of her favorite pastilles, the
harmless droplets of licorice she had popped laughingly into her mouth for years
?Be thankful, mon cher, they might be caviar or those expensive replica gucci bag drugs the rich indulge in!?
They were not caviar but they were drugs, lethal drugsThe nurse! She had come out of her room, but she could not see his woman! Fontaine
pushed himself up from the bed, wiped his eyes as best he could, and hurried to the doorHe
opened it, stunned by the sight of the woman; she stood directly in front of him, her arm raised, the
knuckles of her hand arcing forward to knock
?I believe we startled each other Jean Pierre slipped out, rapidly closing the door behind him
?Regine is finally asleep,? he whispered, bringing his forefinger to his lips?This terrible storm has
kept her up most of the night
?But it is sent from heaven for us?for you?isn?t it? There are times when I think the
monseigneur can order such things
?Then I doubt they come from heavenIt?s not the source of his influence
?To business,? interrupted the nurse, not amused and walking away from the door?Are you
prepared??
?I will be in a repica rolex watches matter of minutes,? replied Fontaine, heading for the table where his killing
equipment lay in the locked drawerHe reached into his pocket and took out the key?Do you want
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
123
to go over the procedure?? he asked, turning?For my benefit, of courseAt this age, details are
often blurred
?Yes, I do, because there is a slight change
?Oh?? The old Frenchman arched his brows?Also at my age sudden changes are not welcome
?It?s only a question of timing, no more than a quarter of an hour, perhaps much less
?An eternity in this business,? said Fontaine as yet another streak of lightning, separated only
milliseconds from its crash of thunder, interrupted the pounding rain on the windows and the roof
?It?s dangerous enough to be outside; that bolt was too near for safety
?If you believe that, think how the guards feel
?The ?slight change,? please? Also an explanation
?I?ll give you no explanation except knock off gucci wallets to say that it is an order from Argenteuil and you were
responsible
?The judge??
?Draw your own conclusions
?Then he was not sent to??
?I?ll say no moreThe change is as followsRather than running up the path from here to the
guards at Villa Twenty and demanding emergency assistance for your ill wife, I will say I was
returning from the front desk where I was complaining about the telephone and saw a fire in Villa
Fourteen, three away from oursThere?ll no doubt be a great deal of confusion, what with the storm
and everyone yelling and calling for helpThat will be your signalUse the confusion; get through
and take out whoever remains at the woman?s villa?make sure your silencer is secureThen go
inside and do the work you have sworn to do
?So I wait for the fire, for the guards and for you to return to Number ElevenStay on the porch with the door closed, of course
?It may take me five minutes or perhaps even twenty, but stay fake white chanel cambon handbags the |
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