Page 20 - Brokenclaw - John Gardner

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the elevator, Bond went down into the hotel lobby and out into the night,

walking briskly down the hill and turning left on a path that would take him
into Chinatown.
Within ten minutes, he knew that someone was following him.
James Bond OO7 - printing disabledas just a feeling born of immense experience of such things. Around James Bond OO7 - printing disabled
First it w
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him, the nightlife seethed. Garish neon signs beckoned the unwary and, as he
moved deeper into Chinatown, more sordid aspects of the city at night were
blatantly displayed – girls for sale along the pavements, scantily dressed,
watched over by shadowy figures who lurked in doorways or in full view

leaning against buildings. At every intersection, he also caught sight of the
dealers who did not have to hassle as much as the whores, for their clientele
was ready made. The market for crack cocaine, straight heroin, and even grass
was secure. Sometimes a car would pull up near the kerbside, its occupant
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calling low to ask if he wanted some action. For ‘action’ read ‘crack’, ‘ice’, or
even ‘speed’. The results of the dealers’ work could be seen everywhere in
drawn faces, empty or wild eyes. The atmosphere took on a more dangerous,
almost tangible, feel the further Bond went, fending off girls and dealers who

approached him with monotonous regularity.
He turned left into an alleyway, took ten paces and then turned back, going
on to the street again, glancing to his right as he did so. He saw, among the
many people along the sidewalk, one man falter in his stride, eyes flicking

from left to right as he recovered himself and carried on walking. Caucasian,
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Bond noted, mid-thirties, clean-shaven, well-built, around a hundred and forty
pounds, brownish hair brushed straight back, casually dressed in well-cut
jeans and a denim jacket with soft grey leather Sperry Topsider shoes. The

jeans were probably Levi 501s and the glance to the left and right could mean
that he was working with a team. Remember the shoes, Bond told himself. If it
was a well-trained team they would change positions, even clothes, but they
seldom had time to alter their shoes.

Bond quietly recited a couple of lines from Alice’s Adventures in
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Wonderland—

‘Will you walk a little faster?’ said a whiting to a snail,
‘There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.’

Immediately, the tail became ‘Porpoise’ in his mind.

He took another left turn, literally walking around the block. When he came

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