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Pedralez swiveled his head like a praying mantis and scanned the low rooftops Three snipers, placed at different locations, ain

“It seems you don’t believe entirely in the forces of fate What do you want?”

“I simply want to knons the Baja Tortilla factory”

“I do, of course It’s quite profitable, really”

“What about the underwater laboratory in the cove? What do you know about that?”

“I’m a busy man, Mr Austin, so I will tell you the story, and then ill part Two years ago soo He had a proposition Someone wanted to build a factory They would pay for its construction, and I would take all the profits There were conditions It had to be isolated, and it had to be on the water”

“I want to knoas built in the water”

“I don’t know A large ship ca into the cove and deliberately sank it Connections were made to the factory People came and went I asked no questions”

“What do you know about the explosion?”

He shrugged “Someone called afterward and said not to worry They would ood on my loss That’s all I know The police don’t care”

“This laho handled the deal, as his name?”

“Francis Xavier Hanley Now I o I have told you all I can”

“Yes, I know, you’re a busy man”

Pedralez waved his hand The ot up from the tables and formed a corridor to the sidewalk on either side of him The Mercedes appeared out of nowhere; the door opened with uards piled into two Jeep Cherokees ahead of and behind the Mercedes

“Mr Pedralez,” Austin called out “A deal’s a deal You forgot the pistols”