Page 149 - Brokenclaw - John Gardner

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‘No, there’s a small bank very close to Beach on Hyde. If you stay at the

corner on Beach, you’ll see me go in and you’ll be ready when I come out.’
Bond wondered if his instructions would allow him to come out at all. ‘This is
a small private bank. Understand?’
Ding shrugged then spoke rapidly t
James Bond OO7 - printing disabled James Bond OO7 - printing disabledo Pu. Bond climbed into the car and they James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
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drove slowly up to Beach Street, pulling in exactly where he directed them.
‘How long?’ Ding asked.
‘Fifteen minutes at the most,’ Bond lied.
‘If you not out fifteen minutes, then we come.’

‘You come, and you’re dead,’ Bond spat, climbing from the car, slamming
the door on a fuming Ding and marching off up Hyde Street, crossing the road
and heading for the small branch of the Sino-Republican Bank which had only
set up for business during the past forty-eight hours and where three of Grant’s
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men waited for him.
The office was obviously closed for a complete interior overhaul and
refurbishing. He pressed the security buzzer.
A tinny voice said, ‘Who goes?’

‘Custodian.’
The lock buzzer sounded and Bond pushed the door open.
The front area was quite bare, but one of the CIA men stood in a doorway at
the back leading to a very ordinary-looking utilitarian office.

‘The phone’s over there.’ The welcoming party remained very low-key, the
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one man staying by the door while the other two sat watching silently as Bond
came in and went straight to the phone.
Before picking up the instrument he told them the bank draft was to be made

out to Black & Black, Inc. One of them nodded and began to work while the
other started tapping at the keys of a computer. ‘And much good will it do the
noble house of Black & Black,’ the computer operator muttered. ‘I’ve got it
here. Hong Kong based, subsidiary of Trivex which is in turn owned by

Cummings Technology and I can’t figure out who owns them.’
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As the computer man spoke, Bond tapped in the number that would get him
directly to M. The distant end purred twice, then M was on the line, ‘Curve
One.’

‘Custodian, sir.’
‘Yes, where?’
‘At the bank. Checklist’s still with our friend. You want directions?’

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