• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

'What kind of a hold?'

'I was a colonel in the SS during the war. There is a warrant out for me from the War Crimes Tribunal at Ludwigsburg about a certain incident. Not a shred of truth in it of course, but you know what these witch-hunts are like.'

Manning shook his head. 'I'm tired of being pushed around, Viner. This is where it stops. Those bloody Cubans took me for everything I had in Havana. Well, upstairs in my room I've got someone they'd pay a lot more than my business was worth to get back. Am I right?'

Viner hesitated, obviously on the point of denying all knowledge of what Manning was talking about and then he cracked. 'Yes, damn you.'

'I thought you'd know all about it,' Manning said. 'Now this is what I'm going to do. Orlov isn't too happy about being here in case the authorities try to hold onto him, but I've promised to help. He trusts me.'

'Ah, I see now,' Viner said. 'You'd be willing to make a deal?'

'With either you or the Russians. It's all one to me.'

'How much?'

'One hundred thousand dollars American, and it's cheap at the price.'

'It would take me some time to contact my principals.'

Manning shook his head. 'Nothing doing. Either I meet the boss man myself or the whole thing's off.'

Viner shrugged. 'Suit yourself, but we must go after dark.

'How far?'

'Two hours' run, no more.'

'One of the cays off Exuma?'

Viner smiled. 'My dear Harry, do you take me for a fool?'

'Not exactly.'

'Very well. We'll go in your boat. I'll meet you at the jetty around eight o'clock.'

'Fair enough,' Manning said, 'but Orlov stays here with Seth. They're my insurance against you trying to pull something on me out there.'

'What about a crew?' Viner said.

Hans was sitting up, holding his face and moaning slightly. Manning nudged him with his toe. 'Laughing boy here should be fit enough by then.'

As he reached the door, Viner said, 'What about Morrison? He's still here?'

'I know,' Manning said. 'I've just seen him. I told him Garcia was dead. That I was lucky to be back here in one piece.'

'You didn't mention me?'

'No, but I could; remember that.'

He closed the door, pushed his way through the crowd and went back upstairs. Orlov was sitting on the edge of the bed in a bathrobe and Morrison stood at the window.

They both turned expectantly and the Russian said, 'Well, what happened?'

'Nothing much,' Manning said. 'I've agreed to sell you, that's all.'

'You've agreed to what?' Morrison demanded.

'I'm going to do a deal with Viner's friends. I'm meeting him on the jetty at eight. We're going to their headquarters in my boat.'

'Did he say where?'

Manning shook his head and pulled off his shirt. 'Two hours' run. That would take us down to the cays north of Exuma or the other side of Cat Island. No way of knowing.'

'How do you know they won't cut your throat as soon as they get their hands on you?'

'Orlov stays here, so does Seth. Viner provides me with a deckhand. You've nothing to worry about. I put on a pretty convincing display. I asked for a hundred grand and he didn't even blink.'

Morrison was already moving towards the door.

'I've got things to do if we're going to get this set-up in time.'

Manning paused in the doorway to the bathroom. 'Get one thing straight, Morrison. This is going to work. If you try bringing in the Navy or extra police, they'll smell a rat and we'll lose out.'

'I've still got to get things alerted in Nassau so we can move in on this place as soon as we know where it is.'

'See that's all you do,' Manning told him and he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

16

Greek Fire

It was the slight breeze lifting in from the sea that brought him awake so gradually that he lay there in the cane chair on the balcony, only half-conscious, not quite sure of where he was.

He was naked except for a towel about his waist and he shivered slightly and swung his legs to the floor. The heat of the day was over and the sun was dropping towards the horizon.

He paused just inside the French windows, listening to