to the Russian border. Over six hundred million bucks’ worth. Money’s flowing like…like money.’ He laughed.
‘Indeed!’ said Warren. He was not very interested.
‘IMEG’s bossing the show—that’s you British. Me—I’m with Williams Brothers, who are doing the goddam work. Call that a fair division of labour?’
‘It sounds like a big job,’ said Warren evasively. He shifted his position and saw Follet at the other end of the bar.
‘The biggest.’ The American swallowed his drink. ‘But the guys who are going to take the cream are the Russkis. Christ, what a set-up! They’ll take Iranian gas at under two cents a therm, and they’ve pushed a line through to Trieste so they can sell Russian gas to the Italians at over three cents a therm. Don’t tell me those Bolshevik bastards aren’t good capitalists.’ He nudged Warren. ‘Have a drink.’
‘No, thanks,’ said Warren. ‘I’m expecting a friend.’
‘Aw, hell!’ The American looked at his watch. ‘I guess I’ve gotta eat, anyway. See you around.’
As he left, Tozier came up to the bar with his drink in his hand. ‘Who’s your friend?’
‘A lonely drunk.’
‘I’ve seen your man,’ said Tozier. ‘He looks like another drunk. What now?’
‘Now we don’t lose him.’
‘And then?’
Warren shrugged. ‘Then we find out what we find out.’ Tozier was silent for a while. He pulled out his cigarette case, lit a cigarette and blew out a long plume of smoke. ‘It’s not good enough, Nick. I don’t like acting in the dark.’
‘Sorry to hear it.’
‘You’ll be even sorrier when I pull out tomorrow.’ Warren turned his head sharply, and Tozier said, ‘I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but you can’t run this operation by keeping everything under wraps. How the hell can I do a job if I don’t know what I’m doing?’
‘I’m sorry you feel that way about it, Andy. Don’t you trust me?’
‘Oh, I trust you. The trouble is that you don’t trust me. So I’m pulling out, Nick—I’ll be back in London tomorrow night. You’ve got something on Johnny Follet, and you might have something on Ben Bryan for all I know. But I’m clean, Nick; I’m in this for honest reasons—just for the money.’
‘So stay and earn it.’
Tozier shook his head gently. ‘Not without knowing what I’m getting into—and why. I told you once that I like to have something to shoot back with if someone shoots at me. I also like to know why he’s shooting at me. Hell, I might approve of his reasons—I might even be on his side if I knew the score.’
Warren’s hand tightened on his glass. He was being pushed into a decision. ‘Andy, you do jobs for money. Would you smuggle dope for money?’
‘The problem has never come up,’ said Tozier reflectively. ‘Nobody has ever made the proposition. Are you asking me, Nick?’
‘Do I look like a dope smuggler?’ said Warren in disgust.
‘I don’t know,’ said Tozier. ‘I don’t know how a dope smuggler behaves. I do know that the straightest people getbent under pressure. You’ve been under pressure for quite some time, Nick; I’ve watched you struggling against it.’ He drained his glass. ‘Now that the question has arisen,’ he said, ‘the answer is no. I wouldn’t smuggle dope for money. And I think you’ve turned into a right son of a bitch, Nick; you’ve tried to con me into this thing and it hasn’t worked, has it?’
Warren blew out his cheeks and let the air escape in a long sigh. Internally he was cheering to the sound of trumpets. He grinned at Tozier. ‘You’ve got the wrong end of the stick, Andy. Let me tell you about it—around the corner out of the sight of Speering.’
He took Tozier by the arm and steered him to a table and in five minutes had given him the gist of it. Tozier listened and a slightly stupefied expression appeared on his face. He said, ‘And that’s all you have to go on? Have you gone out of your mind?’
‘It’s
‘Indeed!’ said Warren. He was not very interested.
‘IMEG’s bossing the show—that’s you British. Me—I’m with Williams Brothers, who are doing the goddam work. Call that a fair division of labour?’
‘It sounds like a big job,’ said Warren evasively. He shifted his position and saw Follet at the other end of the bar.
‘The biggest.’ The American swallowed his drink. ‘But the guys who are going to take the cream are the Russkis. Christ, what a set-up! They’ll take Iranian gas at under two cents a therm, and they’ve pushed a line through to Trieste so they can sell Russian gas to the Italians at over three cents a therm. Don’t tell me those Bolshevik bastards aren’t good capitalists.’ He nudged Warren. ‘Have a drink.’
‘No, thanks,’ said Warren. ‘I’m expecting a friend.’
‘Aw, hell!’ The American looked at his watch. ‘I guess I’ve gotta eat, anyway. See you around.’
As he left, Tozier came up to the bar with his drink in his hand. ‘Who’s your friend?’
‘A lonely drunk.’
‘I’ve seen your man,’ said Tozier. ‘He looks like another drunk. What now?’
‘Now we don’t lose him.’
‘And then?’
Warren shrugged. ‘Then we find out what we find out.’ Tozier was silent for a while. He pulled out his cigarette case, lit a cigarette and blew out a long plume of smoke. ‘It’s not good enough, Nick. I don’t like acting in the dark.’
‘Sorry to hear it.’
‘You’ll be even sorrier when I pull out tomorrow.’ Warren turned his head sharply, and Tozier said, ‘I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but you can’t run this operation by keeping everything under wraps. How the hell can I do a job if I don’t know what I’m doing?’
‘I’m sorry you feel that way about it, Andy. Don’t you trust me?’
‘Oh, I trust you. The trouble is that you don’t trust me. So I’m pulling out, Nick—I’ll be back in London tomorrow night. You’ve got something on Johnny Follet, and you might have something on Ben Bryan for all I know. But I’m clean, Nick; I’m in this for honest reasons—just for the money.’
‘So stay and earn it.’
Tozier shook his head gently. ‘Not without knowing what I’m getting into—and why. I told you once that I like to have something to shoot back with if someone shoots at me. I also like to know why he’s shooting at me. Hell, I might approve of his reasons—I might even be on his side if I knew the score.’
Warren’s hand tightened on his glass. He was being pushed into a decision. ‘Andy, you do jobs for money. Would you smuggle dope for money?’
‘The problem has never come up,’ said Tozier reflectively. ‘Nobody has ever made the proposition. Are you asking me, Nick?’
‘Do I look like a dope smuggler?’ said Warren in disgust.
‘I don’t know,’ said Tozier. ‘I don’t know how a dope smuggler behaves. I do know that the straightest people getbent under pressure. You’ve been under pressure for quite some time, Nick; I’ve watched you struggling against it.’ He drained his glass. ‘Now that the question has arisen,’ he said, ‘the answer is no. I wouldn’t smuggle dope for money. And I think you’ve turned into a right son of a bitch, Nick; you’ve tried to con me into this thing and it hasn’t worked, has it?’
Warren blew out his cheeks and let the air escape in a long sigh. Internally he was cheering to the sound of trumpets. He grinned at Tozier. ‘You’ve got the wrong end of the stick, Andy. Let me tell you about it—around the corner out of the sight of Speering.’
He took Tozier by the arm and steered him to a table and in five minutes had given him the gist of it. Tozier listened and a slightly stupefied expression appeared on his face. He said, ‘And that’s all you have to go on? Have you gone out of your mind?’
‘It’s
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