sorry, sir. I guess I'm a little edgy because of the conference."
"That isn't like you at all, Nick," he said seriously. "You always keep your cool. That's why I consider you my best. What is it with you, anyway? You know you can level with me."
I looked at him. He had a strange effect on me, and I couldn't figure out why. I liked the man, and somehow I felt very close to him, though I'd never laid eyes on him before yesterday morning. It was weird. "I'll be all right, sir," I said. "You can count on me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"All right. If you discover anything, you can find me at the security headquarters."
When he left, I felt like punching my fist into a wall. I might look like Nick Carter, but I wasn't acting like him. And Hawk was noticing. If I wasn't more careful, I'd blow the whole mission.
By conference time, the palace was impossibly hectic. The halls were jammed with people. There were hundreds of reporters from all over the world. Flashbulbs were going off every minute, and there was a great deal of shouting and gesturing. When the principals arrived at the conference room, the crowd around them was so thick you could barely see them.
Seeing them again at close range, I felt such hostility, such open hatred for them that I had to turn away. I couldn't even watch them go into the room. After a few minutes everyone was inside, and the big double doors were shut behind them. The conference had begun.
When I'd gotten to the palace and checked out the conference room I'd made a point of noticing the water carafe on the long mahogany table. It was identical to the one I'd be given later, at the noon recess. It had been sitting there on a tray, along with about a dozen sparkling crystal glasses. By noon, whatever water was left in the carafe would be stale, and it would be natural for the palace staff to bring in fresh water for the afternoon session.
The morning seemed a year long. I paced restlessly up and down the long corridor. The other security people looked at me. The halls were full of them. Two Venezuelan guards, one CIA man, and one Secret Service agent stood guard at the entrance of the conference room. Every one of them knew Nick Carter, and no one had given me a second glance when I'd inspected the room earlier.
At about eleven-thirty, half an hour before the recess, the corridor outside the conference room began to fill again. I was feeling the awful tightness in my chest, and my head was beginning to ache. But this time the pain was almost pleasurable. I knew it would disappear immediately after I'd carried out my mission.
Just before recess a CIA agent came up to me. He obviously knew me, and I was supposed to know him. I concentrated, and his face began to look familiar, though of course it wasn't. It was all conditioning, and I didn't have time to worry about how it worked. Still, these confrontations made me nervous. One slip could destroy the whole mission.
"Where have you been, Carter?" the man asked. "We haven't seen you around here for a couple of days."
"Oh. I've been checking out some leads," I said tightly, trying hard to sound natural.
"Leads?"
"I saw a suspicious-looking man at the reception the other night, but it turned out to be a dead end."
"Oh, yeah, I heard about that. I also heard you were shacking up with some German girl for a while. Any truth in that?" he sneered.
The grin suddenly reminded me of the one on the American Vice-President's face when he had introduced me to the President. "Why don't you get lost, you incompetent bastard!" I snarled.
Suddenly I noticed Hawk and Vincent standing just a few feet away, staring at me. I hadn't seen them walk up.
"You ought to keep this one on a leash," the CIA man said angrily as he walked quickly past Hawk and Vincent and moved on down the corridor.
Hawk stood there studying me for a minute. When he spoke, his voice was calm and quiet. "Come with us, Nick," he said.
"I'd like to be here when they come out,"
"That isn't like you at all, Nick," he said seriously. "You always keep your cool. That's why I consider you my best. What is it with you, anyway? You know you can level with me."
I looked at him. He had a strange effect on me, and I couldn't figure out why. I liked the man, and somehow I felt very close to him, though I'd never laid eyes on him before yesterday morning. It was weird. "I'll be all right, sir," I said. "You can count on me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"All right. If you discover anything, you can find me at the security headquarters."
When he left, I felt like punching my fist into a wall. I might look like Nick Carter, but I wasn't acting like him. And Hawk was noticing. If I wasn't more careful, I'd blow the whole mission.
By conference time, the palace was impossibly hectic. The halls were jammed with people. There were hundreds of reporters from all over the world. Flashbulbs were going off every minute, and there was a great deal of shouting and gesturing. When the principals arrived at the conference room, the crowd around them was so thick you could barely see them.
Seeing them again at close range, I felt such hostility, such open hatred for them that I had to turn away. I couldn't even watch them go into the room. After a few minutes everyone was inside, and the big double doors were shut behind them. The conference had begun.
When I'd gotten to the palace and checked out the conference room I'd made a point of noticing the water carafe on the long mahogany table. It was identical to the one I'd be given later, at the noon recess. It had been sitting there on a tray, along with about a dozen sparkling crystal glasses. By noon, whatever water was left in the carafe would be stale, and it would be natural for the palace staff to bring in fresh water for the afternoon session.
The morning seemed a year long. I paced restlessly up and down the long corridor. The other security people looked at me. The halls were full of them. Two Venezuelan guards, one CIA man, and one Secret Service agent stood guard at the entrance of the conference room. Every one of them knew Nick Carter, and no one had given me a second glance when I'd inspected the room earlier.
At about eleven-thirty, half an hour before the recess, the corridor outside the conference room began to fill again. I was feeling the awful tightness in my chest, and my head was beginning to ache. But this time the pain was almost pleasurable. I knew it would disappear immediately after I'd carried out my mission.
Just before recess a CIA agent came up to me. He obviously knew me, and I was supposed to know him. I concentrated, and his face began to look familiar, though of course it wasn't. It was all conditioning, and I didn't have time to worry about how it worked. Still, these confrontations made me nervous. One slip could destroy the whole mission.
"Where have you been, Carter?" the man asked. "We haven't seen you around here for a couple of days."
"Oh. I've been checking out some leads," I said tightly, trying hard to sound natural.
"Leads?"
"I saw a suspicious-looking man at the reception the other night, but it turned out to be a dead end."
"Oh, yeah, I heard about that. I also heard you were shacking up with some German girl for a while. Any truth in that?" he sneered.
The grin suddenly reminded me of the one on the American Vice-President's face when he had introduced me to the President. "Why don't you get lost, you incompetent bastard!" I snarled.
Suddenly I noticed Hawk and Vincent standing just a few feet away, staring at me. I hadn't seen them walk up.
"You ought to keep this one on a leash," the CIA man said angrily as he walked quickly past Hawk and Vincent and moved on down the corridor.
Hawk stood there studying me for a minute. When he spoke, his voice was calm and quiet. "Come with us, Nick," he said.
"I'd like to be here when they come out,"
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