Page 16 (1/2)

"I was Anything wrong with that? What have you been doing with the Chinese girl? Playing ot to his feet He stitched ie on his face in equal quantities "Now look here, Mr Scara onlike God Al a lot of tommyrot about the Secret Service, and you expect me to kneel down and lick your boots Well,address If you're dissatisfied with the job I', just hand over the thousand dollars and I'll be on a s wise to that sooner than you think, shaed "Okay, okay But just you remember this, mister If it turns out you're not who you say you are, I'll blow you to bits Get er ones Just so it lasts a heck of a long tune Right? Now you'd better get so with Mr Hendriks at ten in the conference room And I don't want to be disturbed After that the whole party goes on an excursion on the railroad I was tellin' you about It'll be your job to see that that gets properly organized Talk to theya" Scaraa walked into the clothes cupboard, brushed Bond's suit aside, and disappeared There caot to his feet He said "phew!" at the top of his voice and walked off into the bathroom to wash the last two hours away in the shower

He awoke at 6:30, by arrangement with that curious extrasensory alarm clock that some people keep in their heads that always see trunks and went out to the beach and did his long swia co his towel, hethuht of it, entered the hotel by the main entrance, and moved quickly down the corridor to his room He listened at histo , then he took the iven him and slipped across the corridor to Number 20 and was quickly inside He left the door on the latch Yes, there was his target, lying on the dressing table He strode across the rooun, and slipped out the round in the cylinder that would next coun down exactly as he had found it, got back to the door, listened, and then was out and across the corridor and into his own rooa was still at it It was an aain him just that fraction of a second that--he felt it in his bones--was going to be life or death for him in the next twenty-four hours In his ht whiff of ses At any o up in flaht, and Ja between hiunmen but his own quick hand and the Walther PPK So every shade of odds that he could shift to his side of the board would be hile Undismayed by the prospect, in fact rather excited by it, he ordered a large breakfast, consu pin out of the ballcock in his lavatory, went along to the ave a thin , Mr Hazard Can I help you?" Leiter's eyes were looking beyond Bond, over his right shoulder Mr Hendriks materialized at the desk before Bond could answer

Bond said, "Good "

Mr Hendriks replied with his little Germanic bow He said to Leiter, "The telephone operator is saying that there is a long-distance call from my office in Havana Where is the most private place to take it, pliss?"

"Not in your bedroom, sir?"

"Is not sufficiently private"

Bond guessed that he too had bowled out the microphone

Leiter looked helpful He came out from behind his desk "Just over here, sir The lobby telephone The box is soundproof"

Mr Hendriks looked stonily at him "And the machine That also is soundproof?"

Leiter looked politely puzzled "I'm afraid I don't understand, sir It is connected directly with the operator"

"Is no matter Show me, pliss" Mr Hendriks followed Leiter to the far corner of the lobby and was shown into the booth He carefully closed the leather-padded door and picked up the receiver and talked into it Then he stood waiting, watching Leiter come back across the , sir?"

"It'swith the ballcock Is there anywhere else?"

"I'ineer look at it at once Yes, certainly There's the lobby toilet The decoration isn't completed and it's not officially in use, but it's in perfectly good working order" He lowered his voice "And there's a connecting door with my office Leave it for ten minutes while I run back the tape of what this bastard's saying I heard the call was coh Don't like the sound of it May be your worry" He gave a little bow and waved Bond towards the central table with azines on it "If you'll just take a seat for a few moments, sir, and then I'll take care of you"