Page 5 (1/2)

“I know just how you feel,” said Giles, reading his brother-in-law’s thoughts

They continued their snail-like progress past the swiers, neatly laid out in readiness for the sleeping guests to appear later thatHarry tried not to think how much time they had left before …

“Twohis watch

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see the rail at the stern of the ship It was only a few paces away, but, like conquering Everest, he knew the last few feet were going to be the slowest

“Fifty seconds,” said Roberts as they cah rail

“Do you remember e threw Fisher into the river at the end of term?” said Giles

“Could I ever forget?”

“So on the count of three, let’s throw him into the ocean and be rid of the bastard once and for all,” said Giles

“One—” both ed a few inches, “two—” perhaps a couple et, and then, with all the strength left in their bodies, they hurled the vase up into the air and over the back rail As it came down, Harry was convinced it would land on the deck, or at best hit the rail, but it cleared it by a few inches, and landed in the sea with a faint splash Giles raised his arms in triumph, and shouted “Hallelujah!”

Seconds later, the bo them both back across the deck

2

KEVIN RAFFERTY had switched on the For Hire sign the moment he saw Martinez step out of his house on Eaton Square His orders couldn’t have been clearer If the client attempted to make a run for it, he was to assu the second payhaly

The original order had been sanctioned by the area commander of the IRA in Belfast The only reed to was that Kevin could select which of Don Pedro Martinez’s two sons should be elio and Luis had already fled to Argentina, and clearly had no intention of returning to England, Don Pedro himself was the only candidate available for the chauffeur’s particular version of Russian roulette

“Heathrow,” said Martinez as he climbed into the taxi Rafferty drove out of Eaton Square and headed down Sloane Street in the direction of Battersea Bridge, ignoring the noisy protests co, with rain still pelting down, he only passed a dozen cars before he crossed the bridge A few minutes later he pulled up outside a deserted warehouse in Lambeth Once he was certain there was no one around, he jumped out of the taxi, quickly undid the rusty padlock on the building’s outer door, and drove inside He swung the cab around, ready for a fast getaway once the job had been completed

Rafferty bolted the door and switched on the naked, dust-covered lightbulb that hung froun froh he was half Martinez’s age, and twice as fit as he had ever been, he couldn’t afford to take any risks When a ins to pump and he can become superhuman in a final effort to survive Besides, Rafferty suspected this wasn’t the first time Martinez had faced the possibility of death But this ti to be simply a possibility