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.But his hands trembled."I don't know.I've always suspected it.A man like you doesn't retire fromintelligence work.We went through too many years together for me not to knowPage 67ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthe signs."Smith thought back to his OSS days, searching his mind for the most painlessmethod of death he could administer."I never dreamed you knew," Smith said, looking stonily ahead."I didn't want you to worry about my knowing, silly.""Of course not," Smith said hollowly."Don't look so pained, dear.I've never mentioned to anyone that you werestill with the CIA.""CIA?" asked Smith in a blank voice."Yes.Your retirement was a ruse, wasn't it?" Smith rose from his packing.Hesucked down a climbing sob.Tears of relief came, the first he could remembercrying in decades."Yes, dear," said Dr.Harold W.Smith, grateful that he would not have to killhis wife to protect his country."My retirement was a ruse.Congratulations onguessing the truth."Maude Smith stood up and gave her husband a motherly peck on the cheek."Vickie called today.She's planning on coming for the weekend.""How is she?" Smith asked."Just fine.She asks about you constantly.""She's a wonderful daughter," Smith said, wishing he could see her one moretime before he went."Will you be back in time?""I doubt it," Smith said quietly.And Mrs.Smith read more into that quiet statement than her husband would havedreamed."Harold?" she asked tentatively."Yes?""Are you in a terrible rush?""Very.""Can you spare just a few minutes for me? For us?"And Smith saw that her chin trembled, just as it had on their wedding night,so many years ago.He took off his jacket and held her in his arms."I've always loved you," shesaid."Every minute of every day."He could only respond, "I know," and hold her tighter.In San Diego, Captain Lee Enright Leahy was dining on pork chops and bakedpotatoes when a lieutenant strode into the base officers' mess and offered hima salute and a packet of sealed orders.Captain Leahy thought he was having an attack of deja vu when he read thoseorders in the privacy of his quarters.The orders were to prepare to return toSinanju.Today.Captain Leahy picked up the phone and did something that should have gottenhim court-martialed.He called the admiral to protest top-secret orders.The admiral said, "I have no idea what orders you are talking about.""Thank you very much for your cooperation, sir!" barked Captain Lee EnrightLeahy, sounding very much like an angry Annapolis cadet given extra crap.Kingduty.He thought the admiral was observing proper protocol by denyingknowledge of the orders he had signed.What Captain Lee Enright Leahy did not know, and never suspected, was that theadmiral really didn't know anything about the order to return to Sinanju.Orany previous Sinanju mission, although his signature had appeared on them all.He was as much in the dark as anyone.Except Dr.Harold W.Smith, who had made it all happen.Chapter 14Remo stopped between the Horns of Welcome, high over the rocky Sinanju beach.Down a shell-strewn path, he could see the simple shack of Mah-Li, and he saton a damp flat rock to try to sort out his feelings.He had known love before.In the days before Sinanju, he had loved a girlnamed Kathy Gilhooly.They had been engaged but Remo's arrest had ended that.There was Ruby Gonzales, whom Remo wasn't sure if he ever loved, but they hadbeen friends.Ruby was the only other person ever to work for CURE and whenshe decided to quit the organization, she disappeared.And there had beenPage 68ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlJilda, the Scandinavian warrior woman he had met when he was last in Sinanju,during the so-called Master's Trial.Remo's commitment to Sinanja had gottenin the way of their love and she had gone before Remo learned, too late, thatshe had been carrying his child.He wondered where she was now.Had the childbeen born? Was it a boy or a girl?But Remo had never felt a pull like the one he felt toward Mah-Li.It was asif she were the other half of him, lost and unsuspected for all his life.Nowthat they had found each other, even in the turmoil he felt, she put him atease.It seemed that every time Remo had found someone important, he was cheated byfate.Now, it was happening again.Remo stood on the beach with his hands in his pockets, wondering what to do.He felt his wallet, dug it out.It contained a sheaf of bills, useless inSinanju, some credit cards, a few fake identity cards supplied by Smith, allin different names.He looked through them.There was an FBI agent's card inthe name of Remo Pelham, a private detective license in the name of RemoGreeley, and a fire marshal's card in the name of Remo Murray."Screw this," Remo said, sending the cards skipping, one by one, across theBay of Sinanju."From now on I'm just Remo Williams."He tore the bills to pieces, shredded the leather wallet, and tossed it intothe surging tide too.There was a bunch of coins in the other pocket.Remo dugthem out and started to pitch them across the waves one by one.Each coin flewfarther than the others.Remo was down to his last few pieces of change, thinking that with each tosshe was ridding himself of another piece of his past, when he saw the conningtower push up from the surging surf.And the American flag painted on itsside."Shit," said Remo, wondering if he should just disappear.But when he saw,across the miles, Dr.Harold W.Smith emerge topside and step into aninflating rubber raft, he instead sat down on a rock to wait for him.Smith came alone.He wore the inevitable gray three-piece suit, and the evenmore inevitable briefcase lay at his knees.Salt spray wet them both.Remogrinned at the absurd sight.Smith let the raft beach itself before stepping out.Remo went down to meethim [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]