Гарри Гаррисон - The QE2 Is Missing

“Do you know how I feel now?” Frances said, holding onto her drink with both hands and staring into the depths. “I have the horrible sensation that someone is walking on my grave.” Hank put his hand on hers and held tight. “I know that I’m sounding stupid, and I have never been much of a one for the vapors and female intuition and all that. But just now, at this very moment, I felt a wave of black depression wash over me — completely without reason.”

“Completely with reason. With those Nazis aboard and more on the way, with trouble of some kind coming up — I don’t blame you in the slightest. I blame myself for letting you come with me.”

She shook her head. “No. I would be feeling infinitely worse if I were just sitting at home and worrying myself sick about you. It’s better this way and I’m over my fit — so let’s go down to the cabin and have a matinee.”

“My, but we are being forward today. I bet you think that I’m an easy lay…. “

“I know you are.”

“You’re right. I don’t deny it.” He looked at his watch. “I have to meet Ginzberg in three hours to give him the latest tapes…. “

“That should be just about enough time for what I have in mind for you. Let’s go.”

They stood and Hank left some money on the bar; Sean waved goodbye. The nearest elevator was just beyond the adjoining lounge so they would not have to go out on deck again.

“Have you been to Ginzberg’s cabin yet?” Frances asked. Hank shook his head no.

“We meet at the same place every time — the men’s room on the boat deck. I know it sounds like every other spy movie, but it really works. No one’s ever there, I give him the tape and we leave separately. He’ll tell me if there has been anything new on the old tape, but we’ve heard about all there is by now. That should change now that we’re in Acapulco.”

Hank had his key ready and unlocked the door to their cabin as they came up to it. He pushed it open and stood aside to let Frances in first.

“Robert’s been here making the bed or something,” she said. “He’s closed the curtains and turned the lights off.”

She switched on the lights and gasped. Leandro Diaz stood up from the chair where he had been sitting.

“Please don’t be alarmed,” he said. “I am an associate of your husband.”

“That’s true,” Hank said, closing and locking the door. “But I wish to hell you would knock or something before you came in. I don’t like Frances being startled like this.”

“I am sorry, I apologize most strongly. But it was necessary not to be seen. I waited until this cabin was not being observed…. “

“You have a key to our room!” Frances said angrily.

“No. Just a certain skill with locks.”

While he was talking the door to the bedroom opened and Josep and Concepcion came out. “Better and better,” Frances said in her iciest voice. “Are there any more in there, or is two enough to do whatever little things you do with each other in my bedroom?”

“Frances, please. How these people came here is not important…. “

“Oh, isn’t it? Not to you, perhaps, but I’m afraid that I’m used to a little more in the way of privacy — or politeness.”

She stopped then, realizing that these strangers were completely unconcerned with her feelings; the girl scarcely noticing her. Frances stalked across the room and took out her temper on the curtains, throwing them wide, then looking out at the lashing rain, tapping her fingers angrily on the glass.

“All right, Diaz. What are you doing here and who are these people?” Hank spoke in a low voice, controlling his anger.

“These are my Uruguayan associates…. “

“Tupamaros?” Hank said.

“Yes,” Josep said, crossing the room and picking up the phone. “May I use your telephone?” He was dialling well before he asked; Hank remained silent. Josep spoke a few words in quick Spanish and hung the phone up again. “I am glad we all have the chance to meet at last. And exchange information. You have something to tell us?”

“That depends what you know already. Do you have a transcript of the material delivered in Hawaii?”

“I had one from your people,” Josep said. “I passed a copy on.”

“Then you know almost all that we do. These tapes since then go over the old ground with nothing really new.”

“All right, then I have information for you. The meeting will be aboard this ship. The diamonds will change hands here — and the principals involved will be General Stroessner and Admiral Marquez.”

“The national leaders themselves?”

“Exactly. This provides a rich opportunity for us, as you might imagine…. “

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Let them in,” Josep ordered. “Those are my associates.”

Frances was furious — but silent. Hank unlocked and opened the door and four men slipped in. They appeared to be cultivated and well-dressed Latins. But with the same grim hardness about them that Josep had.

“These people will be staying in this cabin,” Josep said. “They have come aboard the ship illegally and have no quarters of their own.”

“That tears it,” Frances said, stalking across the room and standing before the arrogant Tupamaro. “For all of the brass-bound nerve you take the prize. So take your friends out of here and…. “

Concepcion stepped close and seized Frances by the shoulders, spinning her about and slapping her viciously across the face. Frances moaned with pain and Hank jumped forward, this tiny sound driving all reason from his brain. He seized Concepcion and hurled her to the floor, clenched and raised his fist.

“Enough,” Josep said, seizing Hank’s arm to pull him away. Still possessed by anger Hank spun about and drove his fist hard against the man’s jaw.

Josep fell and rolled and, like a cat, was on his feet in an instant. With a long knife in his hand thrust out before him. His face filled with cold fury; no one struck him and lived. Hank saw this, but would not retreat. He crouched, hands extended and ready, his only chance would be to grab the knife arm, Josep tensed to leap — when Leandro Diaz’s voice called out sharply.

“This is a.45 calibre Webley I am holding,” he said, moving the barrel of the large revolver back and forth to cover them all. “You will put that knife away, Josep. The violence among us will end here. You will put that knife away, Josep. The violence among us will end here. You will tell that little bitch with you that I will kill her, instantly, if she as much as touches Mrs. Greenstein again. You all understand this language, don’t you? Or should I shoot one of you just to make the point clearer? We must work together on this thing, without internal wrangling. Agree now — or get out of here.”

“Agreed,” Josep said in a toneless voice, folding the large clasp knife and putting it away. His hand lashed out, hitting Concepcion so hard that she gasped and fell to the floor. “There. All even now, Mrs. Greenstein. You have had your revenge. Now we will stop these stupid games and go to work. We need each other. We don’t have to like each other. But we will work together for our common goal.”

Leandro looked at Josep, at the other Tupamaros, and knew that he had to make his mind up now. Was Josep telling the truth? Probably. He was correct when he said they needed each other. The tape-recorded information added to what his Paraguayan informants passed on to him, had made this entire operation possible. They all knew that. And the Tupamaros had been brought in as a heavy squad, a job they knew how to do and could do well. For the time being they would all work together for their mutual benefit. But afterward — when the others were no longer needed — what would the Tupamaros do then? That was obvious too; they would do just what they wanted to do, irrespective of anyone else’s needs or desires. So be it. That particular bridge would have to be crossed when they came to it. For now, they would act in alliance.