Red Alert

Red Alert by Alistair MacLean Page B

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Authors: Alistair MacLean
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James. The American Ambassador and I go back a long way.'
    'You've got it all worked out, haven't you?' Whitlock said. 'So whatever way you look at it, I've been set up to take the fall.'
    'Not if you're smart and do as you're told,' Wiseman replied.
    'So why exactly are we going to Rome?' Whitlock asked at length.
    'To find my brother's killer,' Wiseman said.
    'To find him, or to kill him?'
    'It amounts to the same thing,' Wiseman said.
    'It gets better by the minute. I suppose my prints will be found on that murder weapon as well?'
    'Officially, neither of you is in Italy. You'll both be travelling on false passports. Vie, get his passport.'
    Young crossed to an attache case, took out a passport, and tossed it on to the table in front of Whitlock.
    Whitlock picked it up. 'Raymond Anderson?' He ropened it and saw the space for the photograph.
    'We'll take a Polaroid of you in a moment,' Wiseman Isaid with a shrug, then gestured to Young. 'Vic's travelling pis Vincent Yardley. Remember the name.'
    'What about you?' Whitlock asked Wiseman.
    'I'm going to Rome to collect my brother's body. And tiat's not a cover story.'
    'What happened to him?'
    93
    " Wiseman picked up a folder from the floor beside his chair and handed it to Whitlock. 'It's all in there. Newspaper clippings, American mostly.'
    Whitlock opened the folder. He had already seen many
    of the clippings, which had been included in his dossier.
    .;* He leafed through them, pausing occasionally to read
    " something that caught his eye. 'Why did the Red Brigades
    f shoot him?'
    5 'That's what I want to find out,' Wiseman replied, his | jaw hardening. 'He'd never harmed anyone in his life. All | he cared about was his work. I could have understood it if they had come after me. A decorated soldier with strong NATO connections. I know I'm a target in their eyes. But why David? What really got to me was that the bastards actually gloated about it publicly. That was a mistake. A big mistake.'
    Whitlock closed the folder and handed it back to Wiseman. 'I'm sorry about your brother. But I don't see where I fit in.'
    'You were recommended to me as the best wheelman either side of the Atlantic,' Wiseman said. 'Vie may need you for a fast getaway. It all depends on where and when the hits take place.'
    'Hits? You said your brother's killer, not killers. How many hits are there going to be?'
    Two at least. The gunman, and the person who authorized the killing. And if it turns out that others are inŤ volved, they too will be targeted. I want justice, Mrj Alexander, no matter what it takes.'
    'Why this personal vendetta? Why don't you leave kj to the police and let them bring the killers in?'
    'I'm a soldier, Mr Alexander. The Red Brigades are the enemy. And I've been taught to kill the enemy.'
    'So why don't you, instead of hiring us to do youi
    94
    dirty work for you?' Whitlock's expression was challenging.
    Wiseman removed his gloves and held up his hands. Both index fingers were missing. 'The Vietcong cut them off in '69 when they found out I was a sniper. I was one of the lucky ones. I'm still alive. I've had several rifles made for me since then, all with the trigger housed in the butt. They're no substitute for the real thing, though. I only use them for game shooting now. If I don't kill a deer with my first shot I can always rely on a second shot to finish it off. It would be another matter if I could only wound a human target, especially one that was armed. It's not that I'm scared of dying, Mr Alexander, I just want to be sure that the job's done properly. That's why I chose the two of you. Vie was in my platoon in Vietnam. He's still one of the best snipers in the business. And as I said earlier, you're regarded as the best wheelman around. I don't see how the two of you can fail.'
    'It's decision time, Alexander. Are you in or out?' ;' 'I didn't realize I had a choice,' Whitlock countered sarcastically.
    'It's very simple,' Young said. 'If you're in, you'll be paid

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