I'm sorry."
"Who for? Me, Hannah, or yourself?"
It was brutal enough, I suppose, but she took it well. Strange, but I was almost proud of her when she tilted her chin bravely and looked me straight in the face.
"All right, Oliver, I deserved that, but I'm not going to crawl. I've crawled enough in my time." She stood up. "I hear Justin is going with you."
"That's right."
"Watch him--there's more to this thing than you think."
Which didn't exactly surprise me. I said, "What, for instance?"
She certainly put on a good show of distress and uncertainty. "I don't know, I really don't, but there's something. I just wanted you to know that."
"All right," I said. "You've told me."
And now she was angry again, much more the old Simone I'd known and loved. The glass went sailing over the wall into space. "You bastard," she said, turned and walked rapidly away.
I sat there finishing my drink and thinking about what she'd said, and Barzini appeared. "Langley said I'd find you up here. Heh, I just passed a very angry young woman. When I asked her if I was on the right track for you she told me to go to hell."
"It's not one of her good days." I went back inside to the bedroom and started to dress.
Barzini leaned in the doorway. "Stavrou wants us to have lunch with him. Afterwards he'd like to look over the Palmyra."
"He can wait," I said. "I've more important things on my mind. The way things have turned out, Langley's going to be breathing down our necks from now on and I want a chance to talk to Nino and Angelo Carter alone while there's still time."
"And just how do we do that?"
I grinned. "Just stick with me. To the pure in heart all things are possible."
I moved out on to the terrace, Barzini at my heels, and took one of the back paths down through the garden, avoiding the high terrace where Stavrou was waiting.
The Landrover was standing in the courtyard, the gate was open and no one appeared to be around. Barzini scrambled into the passenger seat and I got behind the wheel. As we moved out through the gateway, Bonetti ran out of the garage shouting, but by then it was too late.
I drove very rapidly down the dirt road and pulled up on the jetty beside Palmyra. Nino and Angelo were lounging in the stern smoking and talking. Gatano was sitting in the prow, the sub-machine gun across his knees.
He stood up, scowling, as I jumped down on deck followed by Barzini. "Heh, what is this? Where's Mr. Langley?"
"Oh, he'll be along," I said. "Any minute now."
I crowded straight into him before he knew what was happening, close enough to get a grip on his shirt, turned my thigh in a simple hip throw that bounced him against the rail. He hung precariously for a moment and then went over, sub-machine gun and all.
We left him floundering and joined Nino and Angelo who were sitting up and taking notice. I squatted in front of them and Barzini said, "You haven't got long. Langley's coming."
I glanced up and saw a Mercedes on its way down and already at the turn in the dirt road. Nino said, "What is this?"
"I wanted a private word, that's all," I said. "There's been a slight change of plan. Langley's joining the team, apparently for the general good, but I'm not so sure about that. There's something else going on here--something a whole lot deeper, so watch him every minute of the day and night. He's the original slippery fish."
"He doesn't look much to me," Angelo observed.
"That's exactly what twenty-one men said about Billy the Kid," I told him. "And look where it got them."
Gatano floundered out of the shallows to the beach and the Mercedes turned onto the jetty and braked to a halt. Langley got out and Moro followed him clutching a Sterling.
Langley seemed amused. He watched Gatano make it to the end of the jetty then looked down at the rest of us. "What was all that about?"
"I bumped into him," I said. "Sheer accident."
"I'm sure it was. Anyway, if you've said what it is you didn't want me to hear, Mr. Stavrou would
"Who for? Me, Hannah, or yourself?"
It was brutal enough, I suppose, but she took it well. Strange, but I was almost proud of her when she tilted her chin bravely and looked me straight in the face.
"All right, Oliver, I deserved that, but I'm not going to crawl. I've crawled enough in my time." She stood up. "I hear Justin is going with you."
"That's right."
"Watch him--there's more to this thing than you think."
Which didn't exactly surprise me. I said, "What, for instance?"
She certainly put on a good show of distress and uncertainty. "I don't know, I really don't, but there's something. I just wanted you to know that."
"All right," I said. "You've told me."
And now she was angry again, much more the old Simone I'd known and loved. The glass went sailing over the wall into space. "You bastard," she said, turned and walked rapidly away.
I sat there finishing my drink and thinking about what she'd said, and Barzini appeared. "Langley said I'd find you up here. Heh, I just passed a very angry young woman. When I asked her if I was on the right track for you she told me to go to hell."
"It's not one of her good days." I went back inside to the bedroom and started to dress.
Barzini leaned in the doorway. "Stavrou wants us to have lunch with him. Afterwards he'd like to look over the Palmyra."
"He can wait," I said. "I've more important things on my mind. The way things have turned out, Langley's going to be breathing down our necks from now on and I want a chance to talk to Nino and Angelo Carter alone while there's still time."
"And just how do we do that?"
I grinned. "Just stick with me. To the pure in heart all things are possible."
I moved out on to the terrace, Barzini at my heels, and took one of the back paths down through the garden, avoiding the high terrace where Stavrou was waiting.
The Landrover was standing in the courtyard, the gate was open and no one appeared to be around. Barzini scrambled into the passenger seat and I got behind the wheel. As we moved out through the gateway, Bonetti ran out of the garage shouting, but by then it was too late.
I drove very rapidly down the dirt road and pulled up on the jetty beside Palmyra. Nino and Angelo were lounging in the stern smoking and talking. Gatano was sitting in the prow, the sub-machine gun across his knees.
He stood up, scowling, as I jumped down on deck followed by Barzini. "Heh, what is this? Where's Mr. Langley?"
"Oh, he'll be along," I said. "Any minute now."
I crowded straight into him before he knew what was happening, close enough to get a grip on his shirt, turned my thigh in a simple hip throw that bounced him against the rail. He hung precariously for a moment and then went over, sub-machine gun and all.
We left him floundering and joined Nino and Angelo who were sitting up and taking notice. I squatted in front of them and Barzini said, "You haven't got long. Langley's coming."
I glanced up and saw a Mercedes on its way down and already at the turn in the dirt road. Nino said, "What is this?"
"I wanted a private word, that's all," I said. "There's been a slight change of plan. Langley's joining the team, apparently for the general good, but I'm not so sure about that. There's something else going on here--something a whole lot deeper, so watch him every minute of the day and night. He's the original slippery fish."
"He doesn't look much to me," Angelo observed.
"That's exactly what twenty-one men said about Billy the Kid," I told him. "And look where it got them."
Gatano floundered out of the shallows to the beach and the Mercedes turned onto the jetty and braked to a halt. Langley got out and Moro followed him clutching a Sterling.
Langley seemed amused. He watched Gatano make it to the end of the jetty then looked down at the rest of us. "What was all that about?"
"I bumped into him," I said. "Sheer accident."
"I'm sure it was. Anyway, if you've said what it is you didn't want me to hear, Mr. Stavrou would
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