David Morrell - The Fifth Profession

“Lie still,” Savage said. “Don't be stupid and shout for help. Your friend isn't able to hear you.”

“Where's…?”

“He fell overboard,” Savage said.

“You son of a bitch,” the man said.

“We have a proposition,” Akira said. “We'd like you to enjoy a good night's sleep and in the morning make a phone call for us.”

“You're not going to kill me?”

“That's always a possibility.” Akira's eyes expressed greater melancholy. “We'd appreciate your cooperation so you don't join your ancestors needlessly.”

“Ancestors? Is that some kind of Japanese thing?”

“If you wish to call it that. Yes.” Akira's lips formed a thin, bitter smile. “A Japanese thing.”

“What kind of phone call?”

“The ferry reaches Igoumenitsa at seven tomorrow morning. After it continues to Corfu, you'll call your superiors and tell them we spotted you and your partner. You'll tell them we panicked and drove from the ferry at Igoumenitsa. We're escaping eastward, inland, toward Ioannina, on route nineteen.”

“But all of us will really be on the ferry on its way to Corfu?” the man asked.

“Precisely. The reinforcements that would have boarded the ferry at Corfu will then be diverted.”

The man became suspicious. “And then what? What happens when we get to Corfu? We continue toward Italy?”

“Our plans aren't your concern.”

“I mean what the hell happens to me? Why should I make the call? You killed my partner. What stops you from killing me?”

“You have our word you won't be harmed,” Akira said.

The man laughed. “Your word? Hey, give me a break. Your word means shit. As soon as I'm no use to you, I'm dead. You can't afford to let me live to tell Papadropolis where you've really gone.”

Akira's eyes blazed. “My word does not, as you put it, mean shit.”

The man swung his head toward Savage. “Look, you and I are both Americans. That ought to count for something. Damn it, don't you understand my problem?”

Savage sat beside him on the bunk. “Of course. On the one hand, you're worried that we'll kill you after you make the phone call and we don't have further use for you. On the other hand, you're worried that Papadropolis will kill you if he discovers you helped us escape. He won't care if you acted practically in order to save your life. From his point of view, you betrayed him. He'll punish you. Severely. So you've got a problem. I agree. But the issue you have to face is whether you prefer to die now instead of later.”

“And have no doubt, if you refuse, you'll join your partner in the sea,” Akira said. “We do have other ways to escape the trap.”

“Then for Christ's sake, use them.”

“But what would we do with you?” Savage asked. “Right now, Papadropolis isn't our worry. You are. So what are you going to do about that?”

The man darted his frightened eyes from Savage toward Akira, back toward Savage, and finally stared at Rachel.

“Mrs. Papadropolis, don't let them-”

“I hate that name,” she said. “Don't call me that. I'll never use it. I never want to hear it again. My last name is Stone.”

“Miss Stone, please, don't let them kill me. You turned pale when you found out this man”-a nod toward Savage -”killed my partner. You'll feel worse if you let him kill me. You've seen me up close. You've talked to me. My name's Paul Farris. I'm thirty-four. I'm a security specialist, not an assassin. I've got a wife and daughter. We live in Switzerland. If you let these men murder me, even if you don't see them do it, you'll feel guilty for the rest of your life.”

Rachel's brow furrowed. She swallowed.

“Nice try, but we searched you before you woke up,” Savage said. “We went through your wallet. Your name's not Paul Farris. It's Harold Trask. The only true thing in what you said is your age. Rachel, don't get sentimental about him.”

“You think I'm dumb enough to carry real ID when I'm working?” the man asked. “The people I investigate, if they knew who was after them, they might hunt down my wife and kid to get even. It's a sure bet the two of you don't use real ID either.”

“Convincing,” Akira said. “But beside the point. You still didn't solve your problem. Even if Rachel told us not to kill you, it wouldn't matter. Her life isn't at risk. If Papadropolis found her or she decided to return to him-”

“Never!” Rachel said. “I'd never go back to him.”

“-her husband would beat her, no doubt with increased viciousness, but he wouldn't kill her. He would kill us if we knew who we were and managed to catch us. So to silence you would be self-defense.”

“Make up your mind,” Savage said. “Will you cooperate?”

“I call my superiors? Then you let me walk away?”

“We already promised that.”

The man debated. “Apparently I'm forced to.”

“A reasonable man,” Akira said.

The man's eyes became calculating. “Even so…”

“I'm getting impatient.”

“I'll need an extra incentive.”

“Money? Don't press your luck,” Savage said.

Rachel interrupted. “Pay him.”

Savage turned to her, frowning.

“He's taking a risk,” she said. “My husband will be furious if he thinks this man lied.”

“That's right, Miss Stone. I'll have to take my wife and daughter and disappear for a while. It'll be expensive.”

“If you even have a wife and daughter,” Savage said. “How much?”

“A quarter million.”

“You're dreaming.”

“Then make it two hundred thousand,” the man said.

“I'll make it fifty thousand, and you'll be grateful.”

“But how do I know you have it?”

Savage shook his head in disgust. “Do you have a choice?”

The man paled.

“Don't make me impatient,” Savage said.

“All right.” The man swallowed. “You've got a deal. There's just one other matter.”

“You're impossible,” Akira said.

“No, listen. I need you to help me think of a way to stop Papadropolis from coming for me.”

“We'll sleep on it,” Savage said.

“The least you can do is untie my feet and hands.”

“No, what I'd like to do is gag your mouth,” Akira said.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

Akira raised his hands in exasperation. “I don't think I can tolerate this man till tomorrow morning.”

“The look on your face.” Rachel started laughing.

It was ten after seven the following morning. As the ferry left the small town of Igoumenitsa, heading west toward the island of Corfu, Savage, Akira, and Rachel stood tensely beside the man while he made the phone call. Savage kept a tight grip on his arm, listening to what he told his superiors.

“Hey, I know it's a mess. You don't need to tell me. But damn it, it's not my fault. My partner followed too close. The Japanese spotted him. Just before we docked at Igoumenitsa. The Japanese ran. It took us a while to find him. By then, the American and Mrs. Papadropolis were with him. They must have been sleeping in one of the cabins. Hey, what was I going to do, knock on every door and say, ‘Mrs. Papadropolis, are you in there?’ The Japanese was obviously the decoy-to check if the ferry was being watched. If everything looked safe, they'd have continued to Corfu.”

The man stopped talking. Savage heard someone shouting from the other end of the phone.

“No, we couldn't stop them before they drove off the ferry,” the man continued.

More shouting from the other end.

“Hey, I'm telling you it's not my fault. My partner's so scared about fucking up he ran. He figures Papadropolis will kill him.”