Page 173 - Brokenclaw - John Gardner

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appeared to be nailed there, just hanging like some terrible three-dimensional

mural. Then he crumpled, leaving several snakes of blood on the white cement.
Chi-Chi screamed.
She did not stop screaming until Bond put his arms around her and told her it
was okay. ‘It’s over,’ he kept saying. ‘It’s all over.’
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‘No it’s not.’ Bill Tanner stood in the doorway.
‘Get something to cover the girl, Bill,’ Bond said quietly, and a second later,
Ed Rushia was in the room with a blanket over one arm and his eyes averted.
Bond draped the blanket around Chi-Chi’s shaking body. ‘Just stay here,’ he

told her. ‘It’s going to be fine. Look, Ed’s by the door. Nobody’s coming to get
you.’
‘Please don’t leave me, James. Please!’
‘Only for a moment.’ Gently he untangled himself and went into the corridor.
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‘What’s up?’ he asked Tanner.
‘Come and take a look.’
They went further down the narrow passage, past the barred rooms from
which the original hostages were being taken, and then up steps and out into the

waning day.
‘He’s not here.’ Tanner’s voice was dull with disappointment.
‘Lee?’
Tanner nodded.

‘General H’ang?’ Bond asked, and the chief of staff shook his head.
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‘Both of them. They’re both gone.’
‘They can’t have got far.’ They had started to walk back towards the house.
‘We think he had another helicopter stashed away at this end,’ Tanner said

dryly. ‘There’s a small wood to the north, and they’re going up now to see if
it’s like the other hangar. Two of the Special Forces people say they thought
another chopper took off in the middle of the whole business. We’ve alerted
the FAA and all the radar stations. They’ve got aircraft up looking. Fighters

were scrambled from Alameda. So far, no joy.’
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A figure was approaching from the southern side of the house, and Bond
recognised Broderick, the San Francisco FBI Bureau Chief.
‘I understand I’ve an apology to make, Captain Bond,’ Broderick began.

‘No, no time for that.’ Another thought had raced through Bond’s mind.
‘Anyone know of a house in Sausalito where Lee might have stashed Wanda?
Because that’s where she is.’

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