let’s cut out the funny talk.’
Girland raised his head, his eyebrows lifting.
‘I wouldn’t have thought any of this funny, Oscar,’ he said.
‘Suppose we begin at the beginning. You broke into my Paris apartment and planted this T.S. in my suitcase. I can only imagine you were obeying Dorey’s orders. There was a time when I began to wonder if you had turned double agent, but I decided you wouldn’t have the brains for that kind of a job.’
Bruckman nearly fell out of his chair.
‘What the hell are you saying? Me ... a double agent?’
‘Relax. Oscar. You’ll bust your truss if you go on like this. I decided you weren’t a double agent. This T.S. is dynamite, so Dorey must have made a mistake in giving it to you. Right?’
‘I’m not talking to you. Hand it over Girland!’ Bruckman leaned forward, his heavy face flushed, his eyes glittering. ‘I know you’re a crook, but I hope you won’t be that low as to start a third world war! Now, hand it over and I’ll take it back to Paris.’
‘The trouble with you. Oscar,’ Girland said sadly, ‘is you have no appeal. Don’t give me that stuff about a third world war. Dorey started this. He picked on me, and he couldn’t care less what happened to me so I couldn’t care less what happens to him. Just what had he in mind? And Oscar, don’t try any bright lying. I haven’t been wasting my time since I’ve been here. I know all about Mala Reid. Let’s have the whole story, then I could give you the T.S., but you’re not getting it until I know the story.’
Bruckman’s eyes shifted to the gun on the table.
‘Oh Oscar, don’t revert to type,’ Girland said, watching him. ‘The T.S. is somewhere where you won’t find it, but if you murder me - as I know you’re longing to - sooner or later. Mr. Kosygin will have it. Now come on what was this plan Dorey dreamed up in his retarded mind?’
Bruckman hesitated.
‘How do I know if I tell you, you’ll hand it over?’ he demanded.
‘Well, of course, you don’t know, but I will. Don’t laugh right now, but you will have to trust me.’
‘One of these days,’ Bruckman said furiously, ‘I’ll fix you! Make no mistake about that! I’ll fix you for good!’
‘What dialogue,’ Girland said, shutting his eyes. ‘Boy! Have you missed your vocation! Television would love you.’
Bruckman considered his position He wondered if he should cable Dorey for further instructions. This situation was something he couldn’t handle. Then he remembered what Dorey had told him ... make any deal. His job was to get this document back to Dorey. It was then up to Dorey to take it from there.
‘Okay.’ he said. ‘This was the setup,’ and he told Girland of Dorey’s plan to use him as a smoke screen to get Latimer into Prague.
Girland listened, his eyes closed. When Bruckman stopped talking, Girland opened his eyes and smiled at Bruckman.
‘So the money is in the wooden angel?’
‘It’s there. I put it there myself.’
‘Dorey! What a lovable little midget he’s turned out to be,’ Girland said ‘Well. I guess he has reason to try to fix me. I’ll give him that. Okay, Oscar, now we go to work.’ He sat up and swung his legs off the bed. ‘Tonight, you will go to Mala’s apartment and collect the money. I’ll be watching on the sidelines. We will meet at the airport. You will give me the money ... I will give you the T.S. You will then fly off to Paris and give Dorey my love. But don’t get any bright ideas about alerting the police that I will be leaving with thirty thousand dollars. I assure you, if they arrest me, I’ll buy myself out of trouble by telling them the contents of the T.S. Does all this sink into the thing you call a brain?’
Bruckman glared at him.
‘I couldn’t have believed any decent American could act like this.’ he said. ‘All you think about is money. You are ...’
‘Oh, skip it, Oscar. You’ll have me sobbing on your shoulder. What’s so
Girland raised his head, his eyebrows lifting.
‘I wouldn’t have thought any of this funny, Oscar,’ he said.
‘Suppose we begin at the beginning. You broke into my Paris apartment and planted this T.S. in my suitcase. I can only imagine you were obeying Dorey’s orders. There was a time when I began to wonder if you had turned double agent, but I decided you wouldn’t have the brains for that kind of a job.’
Bruckman nearly fell out of his chair.
‘What the hell are you saying? Me ... a double agent?’
‘Relax. Oscar. You’ll bust your truss if you go on like this. I decided you weren’t a double agent. This T.S. is dynamite, so Dorey must have made a mistake in giving it to you. Right?’
‘I’m not talking to you. Hand it over Girland!’ Bruckman leaned forward, his heavy face flushed, his eyes glittering. ‘I know you’re a crook, but I hope you won’t be that low as to start a third world war! Now, hand it over and I’ll take it back to Paris.’
‘The trouble with you. Oscar,’ Girland said sadly, ‘is you have no appeal. Don’t give me that stuff about a third world war. Dorey started this. He picked on me, and he couldn’t care less what happened to me so I couldn’t care less what happens to him. Just what had he in mind? And Oscar, don’t try any bright lying. I haven’t been wasting my time since I’ve been here. I know all about Mala Reid. Let’s have the whole story, then I could give you the T.S., but you’re not getting it until I know the story.’
Bruckman’s eyes shifted to the gun on the table.
‘Oh Oscar, don’t revert to type,’ Girland said, watching him. ‘The T.S. is somewhere where you won’t find it, but if you murder me - as I know you’re longing to - sooner or later. Mr. Kosygin will have it. Now come on what was this plan Dorey dreamed up in his retarded mind?’
Bruckman hesitated.
‘How do I know if I tell you, you’ll hand it over?’ he demanded.
‘Well, of course, you don’t know, but I will. Don’t laugh right now, but you will have to trust me.’
‘One of these days,’ Bruckman said furiously, ‘I’ll fix you! Make no mistake about that! I’ll fix you for good!’
‘What dialogue,’ Girland said, shutting his eyes. ‘Boy! Have you missed your vocation! Television would love you.’
Bruckman considered his position He wondered if he should cable Dorey for further instructions. This situation was something he couldn’t handle. Then he remembered what Dorey had told him ... make any deal. His job was to get this document back to Dorey. It was then up to Dorey to take it from there.
‘Okay.’ he said. ‘This was the setup,’ and he told Girland of Dorey’s plan to use him as a smoke screen to get Latimer into Prague.
Girland listened, his eyes closed. When Bruckman stopped talking, Girland opened his eyes and smiled at Bruckman.
‘So the money is in the wooden angel?’
‘It’s there. I put it there myself.’
‘Dorey! What a lovable little midget he’s turned out to be,’ Girland said ‘Well. I guess he has reason to try to fix me. I’ll give him that. Okay, Oscar, now we go to work.’ He sat up and swung his legs off the bed. ‘Tonight, you will go to Mala’s apartment and collect the money. I’ll be watching on the sidelines. We will meet at the airport. You will give me the money ... I will give you the T.S. You will then fly off to Paris and give Dorey my love. But don’t get any bright ideas about alerting the police that I will be leaving with thirty thousand dollars. I assure you, if they arrest me, I’ll buy myself out of trouble by telling them the contents of the T.S. Does all this sink into the thing you call a brain?’
Bruckman glared at him.
‘I couldn’t have believed any decent American could act like this.’ he said. ‘All you think about is money. You are ...’
‘Oh, skip it, Oscar. You’ll have me sobbing on your shoulder. What’s so
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