Page 89 - Brokenclaw - John Gardner

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When the bedroom door closed he went to the phone again and tapped out the

number Myra had given to him. It rang for quite a long time before a gruff,
accented voice answered with a grunt.
‘I had a message to call you,’ Bond said.
‘Your name?’
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He took a deep breath and prayed that Franks and Orr had got it right. ‘Peter
Abelard.’
‘So you’ve arrived. Is Héloise with you?’
‘Yes, but she’s pretty tired. It’s been a long trip.’

‘We have your wellbeing at heart.’ The voice became strong and not
unpleasant. ‘That’s why we arranged an overnight stop before you come on to
San Francisco. You leave tomorrow night, or tonight in your case, for it must
be after midnight. American Airlines Flight 15, leaving JFK at nine fifteen. The
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tickets are being held in your names at the desk. Just be there before eight
fifteen to pick them up. You get in here about half past midnight, and you will
call this number as soon as you’re through the gate. You understand?’
‘We’ll be there.’

‘Good.’
Bond stood, silent and looking at the handset for a few seconds after they
had disconnected, then he called to Chi-Chi, ‘Bring her out here, we’ve a
whole lot of talking to do.’

Chi-Chi did not have Myra under restraint when the women came back into
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the room, and it was obvious that the tall girl was confused and upset; her eyes
were red and filled with tears.
Chi-Chi sat her down in one of the leather chairs. ‘Tell my friend what

you’ve told me.’ Her voice had almost a parade ground snap in it.
Myra looked up at Bond, and then away again quickly, as though very
frightened. ‘Just tell him,’ Chi-Chi commanded again.
‘I was expecting my old friend, Jenny,’ she began.

‘Yes, we all know that. Tell him why you were expecting her.’
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She bit her lip. ‘They told me that she was one of the people who would
come during the period from twenty-seventh of September until seventh of this
month.’ She was still very tearful.

‘And you were to identify her for them? Whoever “they” happen to be.’
‘No . . . No . . . No,’ in rapid succession, with a wild shaking of the head.
‘No, they had no idea that I’d ever known anyone by the name of Jenny Mo.’

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