Гарри Гаррисон - The QE2 Is Missing

“All right then. We get on with the job,” he said, putting the revolver back into his belt. He did it calmly and surely — but it was the same calm as that of an animal trainer entering a cage of tigers. If he showed fear he would be ripped to shreds.

Frances went numb with something more than shock. She was aware of Hank’s arm around her as he helped her to a chair. She appreciated it and loved him, was immensely glad that he was there. But his presence could not alter the sudden awareness that the world, as she had always known it, was no longer there. She was now living in another and more terrible reality where none of her old values appeared to apply. A world she had read about in the newspapers yet really, truthfully had never thought existed, or rather its existence, for her, was on a par with the reality of the latest novel. Imaginary people, far away, doing imaginary things. As she dropped into the chair, she realized that she had had her first lesson in living in this new world. Keep her mouth shut and forget the social order of things she had always lived in and believed in. She found that she wasn’t humiliated by the discovery, quite the opposite. It was a lesson in survival that she had learned. And she wanted to survive.

Hank had learned the lesson too. But as he leaned on the side of the chair, his arm around Frances, he worked very hard to keep his expression blank and set. Because he was filled with a burning fury that had no outlet. Not yet. So he did not wish anyone here to know his feelings. They would, he promised himself that, they would one day. He knew a good deal more about this other world than Frances did, which was one of the reasons he had been so loathe to expose her to it. He knew that some little bit of happiness had died inside of her, died forever, and he detested these people for doing that to her. Nothing could be done about it at the present time.

He would help them in their plans to shake down their vicious little dictators. He would do this in order to assure that the Nazi war criminals were brought to justice. But when that part of the job was done there would be a personal sorting out. He had no idea yet what form it would take. But it would happen, yes, it would, and he was looking forward to that time with immense pleasure.

The atmosphere was still tense, taut, and no one seemed willing to break the silence. The sudden knocking on the door startled them all since it was a new factor, an outside one that none of them were expecting. But the Tupamaros were survivors of countless sudden interruptions, and moved together without a word, crossing silently to the end of the room where they would be unseen when the door opened. After a moment’s hesitation, Leandro joined them. Josep silently waved Hank forward.

“See what it is,” he whispered. “Get rid of them.” He stood behind the door and put his foot just a few inches from it, so it could be opened no wider than a crack.

Hank unlocked the door and looked out.

“Let me in, quickly,” Uzi Drezner said, “I can’t be seen out here.”

Hank signalled to Josep who stepped back, at the same time slipping a pistol mounted with a cylindrical silencer from his shoulder holster. Uzi came in and looked around at the people in the room with no hint of surprise. He waited until Hank had locked the door again before he spoke.

“I see that we are all here now. Good. What I have to say concerns everybody involved in this affair. You can put the gun away, Josep… that’s right. You do remember me, don’t you?”

The Tupamaro nodded. “That was years ago. You were well introduced and came to me with an interesting offer. Someone you wanted, someone we were happy to be rid of____”

“Butcher Schultz.”

“That was the man. A fat, red-faced butcher who went to work for the government. In the same line of trade. Only butchering people this time.”

“He had done that sort of thing years before. In the camps. We wanted him to go on trial. He did. With your help.”

“You paid well for that help. And promptly.”

“We always pay well for value received. We have cooperated amicably in the past; let us do so in the future. Now I suggest that we all sit down and relax. Would anyone like a drink? Hank, would you be so kind as to oblige?”

It wasn’t so much that Uzi took control of the situation, it was more that he ordered their relationships. Started them working together again. Hank was glad to physically do something, pouring out drinks for the few that wanted anything. “I didn’t know that you were aboard ship, Uzi,” he said, sloshing Scotch over the rocks.

“I came aboard in Hawaii but have been keeping to my cabin. I am sure that some of those Germans know me — they have their intelligence sources, too. But I have not been idle. One of the stewards is Maltese and has a large hungry family at home. He has been supplying me with information. Which is why I came here. I want to hear today’s tape. It appears that the Germans are no longer in the suite next to you.”

“They’ve left the ship?” Hank asked, worried.

“No, they are still aboard, they didn’t even go ashore here in port. It seems that as soon as the other passengers were out of the way this morning they changed cabins, moving to smaller ones on this same deck that have been vacant since the cruise began. Of course the stewards transferred their luggage which is how I found out about it. So now the two large suites are empty.”

“There is no need to listen to the tape,” Leandro Diaz said, accepting a drink from Hank with a nod of thanks. “A report reached me earlier today that General Stroessner left Asunci6n this morning by plane, bound for the military airbase at Maldonado in Uruguay. He will join Admiral Marquez there and they will be coming here. Those suites are for them.”

“Where will they board? Do you know that? I don’t think that the Mexican government would exactly welcome their presence.”

Leandro Diaz shook his head and sipped at the drink. “They would not enter Mexico in any case. They don’t want it known that they are out of their countries. They certainly don’t want it known that they are negotiating a large arms deal. Our sources did not know when or how they were boarding, just that they were coming to the QE2 .”

“We’ll find out soon enough how it will be arranged,” Uzi said. “Since they are not here yet we can use the time to make arrangements. What kind of force do we have aboard the ship? Leandro, how many of your Paraguayans?”

“Three, including myself. We could not book cabin space for any more. Nor would it have made any difference. None of the others are good with weapons.”

“Josep — what about you?”

The Tupamaro leader pointed about the room. “The six of us you see here, and three more in a cabin. There was no more space available, as Leandro says, so these four came aboard as longshoremen and changed their clothes in the crew’s bathroom. All four are sailors, they know their way about ships. Most important of all is Esteban Valverde there.” The serious looking, dark — haired man nodded when they glanced in his direction.

“Esteban is Conception’s brother, and what might be called a sleeper for our organization. He has never taken place in an operation before, not directly, but he has been invaluable in many other ways. He is Captain of a deep-sea fishing boat. Now he joins us to put his expertise at our command. He and the other three sailors make any operations aboard this ship possible.”

“And you want all four of them to stay here in my cabin, don’t you Josep?” Hank said, looking first at the Tupamaro leader, then turning to face Uzi.

“Indeed?” Uzi did not seem shocked by the information. “That will be possible for a short period. We will come back to the point after we have discussed our mutual plans.” He turned to look at Hank as he said it, as though to reassure him that something would be done about it. Hank shrugged and drank his whisky.