They were
his network, his couriers throughout... They were
his network, his couriers throughout EuropeWho suspects decrepit old men, whether they’re
beggars or whether they’re just holding on to the last remnants of mobility? Who would think of
interrogating them, much less putting them on a rackAnd even then they’d stay silentTheir deals
were made—are made—and they move with impunity
For a moment, hearing the strange, hollow voice of his friend, the frightened Conklin stared at
the dashboard, unsure of what to say“David, I don’t understand youI know you’re upset—we’re
all upset—but please be clearerOh, I’m sorry, Alex, I was going backTo put it simply, Carlos scoured Paris looking
for old men who were either dying or knew they hadn’t long to live because of their age, all with
police records and with little or nothing to show for their lives, their crimesMost of us forget that
these old men have loved ones and children, legitimate or not, that they care forThe Jackal would
find
chloe black them and swear to provide for the people his about-to-die couriers left behind if they swore the
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
30
rest of their lives to himIn their places, with nothing to leave those who survive us but suspicion
and poverty, which of us would do otherwise?”
“They believed him?”
“They had good reason to—they still haveScores of bank checks are delivered monthly from
multiple unlisted Swiss accounts to inheritors from the Mediterranean to the BalticThere’s no way
to trace those payments, but the people receiving them know who makes them possible and why
Forget your buried file, AlexCarlos dug around Hong Kong, that’s where his penetration was
made, where he found you and Mo
“Then we’ll do some penetrating ourselvesWe’ll infiltrate every Oriental neighborhood, every
Chinese bookie joint and restaurant, in every city within a fifty-mile radius of D
“Don’t do anything until I get thereYou don’t know what to
omega 18k watch look for, I doIt’s kind of
remarkable, reallyThe Jackal doesn’t know that there’s still a great deal I can’t remember, but he
just assumed that I’d forgotten about the old men of Paris
“Maybe he didn’t, DavidMaybe he’s counting on the fact that you’d rememberMaybe this
whole charade is a prelude to the real trap he’s setting for you
“Then he made another mistake
“Oh?”
“I’m better than thatJason Bourne’s better than that
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
31
4
David Webb walked through the National Airport terminal and out the automatic doors onto the
crowded platformHe studied the signs and proceeded across the walkway leading to the Short-
Term Parking areaAccording to plan, he was to go to the farthest aisle on the right, turn left, and
continue down the row of parked cars until he saw a metallic gray 1986 Pontiac LeMans with an
ornamental crucifix suspended from the rearview mirrorA man would be in the driver’s
cartier roadster replica seat
wearing a white cap, the window loweredWebb was to approach him and say, “The flight was
very smooth If the man removed his cap and started the engine, David was to climb in the
backseatNothing more would be said
Nothing more was said, not between Webb and the driverHowever, the latter reached under the
dashboard, removed a microphone and spoke quietly but clearly“Our cargo’s on boardPlease
commence rotating vehicle cover
David thought that the exotic procedures bordered on the laughable, but since Alex Conklin had
traced him to the Rockwell jet’s departure area at Logan Airport, and, further, had reached him on
Director Peter Holland’s private override telephone, he assumed the two of them knew what they
were doingIt crossed Webb’s mind that it had something to do with Mo Panov’s call to him nine
hours agoIt was all but confirmed when Holland himself got on the phone insisting that he drive
down to Hartford and take a commercial flight
old omega watches out of Bradley to Washington, adding enigmatically
that he wanted no further telephone communication or private or government aircraft involved
This particular government-oriented car, however, wasted no time getting out of National
AirportIt seemed as if in only minutes they were rushing through the countryside and, only
minimally less rapidly, through the suburbs of VirginiaThey swung up to the private gate of an
expensive garden apartment complex, the sign reading VIENNA VILLAS, after the township in
which it was locatedThe guard obviously recognized the driver and waved him through as the
heavy bar across the entrance was raisedIt was only then that the driver spoke directly to Webb
“This place has five separate sections over as many acres, sirFour of them are legitimate
condominiums with regular owners, but the fifth, the one farthest from the gate, is an Agency
proprietary with its own road and securityYou couldn’t be healthier,
hermes vintage