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care to remember." She got to her feet, and opened the wardrobe to get her
suede coat. For a moment I thought someone was standing inside the wardrobe,
but there were only two naval captain's uniforms in cleaner's transparent
covers. She put her coat on carefully, watching herself in the mirror as she
buttoned it.
I got out of bed and pulled on one of the captain's dressing gowns. It was a
little too short for me, but at the time I didn't care. Red went into the
living room and picked up a large suitcase, opened the front door, and placed
it outside. She turned back to me. "Look, darling, forget what I said just
now let's not part this way."
"Why don't you tell me what this is all about?"
"There isn't time."
"I'll make time."
"And I'm too mixed up to know myself. Let me take a rain check."
"On a love affair?" I said.
"Please."
Before I could answer, there were voices at the door, and two men barged in.
They were a tough-looking couple, with longish hair and denim jackets. But the
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hair was recently washed and carefully parted, and the denims were cleaned and
pressed, so that the men looked like the sort of college lecturers who smoke
pot.
"Scram," I told them.
They didn't spare me more than a glance. To Red Bancroft one of them said,
"Is that your only bag?"
She pointed to another large case and then turned to me. "I've got to go."
"Who are these creeps?"
One of the men turned to me and said, "You sit down and shut up, and you
won't get hurt."
"I see," I said. I said it as passively as I could and waited until he bent
down to pick up Red's case before lifting the back of his jacket with one
hand, while the other hand snatched the pistol from the holster he wore on his
belt. "Now let's try all over again," I said, as he dropped the case and swung
around at me. I'd already stepped far enough back to avoid any such
counteraction, and while he was still off balance I stepped forward and kicked
the side of his knee, hard enough to make him yell. Without waiting to see him
massaging the graze, I steered the Magnum to where the other one was standing.
Even before I said anything he raised his hands. "High," I told him. "Keep
those hands very, very high."
I went around the back of him and found his gun, too. "You've got to be
quicker than that if you want to keep your gun that far around your belt," I
told them. "Now let's see who you are."
"You know who we are," said the first one. "What do you think we're doing in
this security area?"
"Keep your hands in the air, fatty," I said, "or I'll come over there and
give you a bruise in the other leg."
"We're CIA," said the second man. "We're moving Mrs. Bekuv."
"Well, why didn't you say so?" I said sarcastically.
"And then I would have known that I was being threatened by the good guys."
He didn't answer.
"Let's have your Social Security cards," I said. CIA men rarely carry
identification papers, but they are assigned a special batch of Social
Security numbers that enable them to be identified by fellow operatives, and
also by the Social Security computer if they are found floating in the harbor.
Reluctantly the two men reached for their wallets. They did it one at a time,
and very, very slowly. All this time Red watched the ficisco, but said
nothing. Nor did the expression on her face give an indication of her
feelings, until she said, "All right, children, you've all had your fun. Now
let's get on with the job."
"Okay," I said. I threw the Magnum back to its owner. His catch was so clumsy
that he bared a knuckle on it. I noticed that he pulled the holster around to
the front before putting the pistol back into it. "Now beat it while I say
good night to the lady."
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They picked up the wallets; from the table where I'd left them, walked over
to the door and left, closing it behind them. There was the sudden noise of a
helicopter engine. Red went across to the window. Over her shoulder I could
see some lights and activity, and then I heard the helicopter's rotors turning
as the clutch was engaged.
Red said, "Mrs. Bekuv swims in the big indoor pool every morning before
breakfast. This morning we'll put her in the chopper and be down in
Petersburg, Florida, before it's time for brunch." She turned away from the
window and put one arm around my waist and hugged me. "Are you going to give
me a second chance?" she asked.
I kissed her. She picked up her case and went to the door. I heard the voices
of the two men and then the sound of a car engine. Soon after that the
helicopter roared and lifted up over the rooftops. I still hadn't answered
her.
FIFTEEN
MANNGAVE MRS. BEKUV NO TIME TO SAYgood-bye to her husband: that was all part
of his scheme. We sat in Mann's little office originally intended for the
duty nurse and heard Andrei Bekuv walk down the corridor, calling his wife's
name.
Mann sat hunched over a desk in the corner, watching the dark storm clouds
come racing in from the Atlantic. The rain beat upon the windows, and the
morning was so dark that Mann needed the desk light in order to read. He
looked at me and winked as Bekuv came back.
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