璇玑之心刃·冷血悍将-第116章

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tes；　and　the　still…damp　film　was　wiped　clean　and　handed　over　yet　again　to　an　intelligence　officer。　It　was　better　than　good。　The　film　was　run　from　one　spool　to　another　over　a　flat　glass　plate　under　which　was　a　pair　of　fluorescent　lights。
‘Well；　Lieutenant？‘　a　captain　asked　tensely。
‘Okay；　sir；　wait　one　。。。‘　Turning　the　spool；　he　pointed　to　the　third　image。　"；There‘s　our　first　reference　point。。。　there‘s　number　two；　she　was　right　on　course　。。。　okay；　here‘s　the　IP　。。。　down　the　valley；　over　the　hill　…　there；　sir！　We　have　two；　three　frames！　Good　ones；　the　sun　was　just　right；　clear　day　…　you　know　why　they　call　these　babies　Buffalo　Hunters？　It‘s　…‘
‘Let　me　see！‘　The　Captain　nearly　shoved　the　junior　officer　out　of　the　way。　There　was　a　man　there；　an　American；　with　two　guards；　and　a　fourth　man　…　but　it　was　the　American　he　wanted　to　see。
‘Here；　sir。‘　The　Lieutenant　handed　over　a　magnifying　glass。　‘We　might　get　a　good　face　off　of　this；　and　we　can　play　with　the　negative　some　more　if　you　give　us　a　little　time。　Like　I　said；　the　cameras　can　tell　the　difference　between　a　male　and　a　female　…‘
‘Mmmmm。‘　The　face　was　black；　meaning　a　white　man　on　the　negative。　But　…　‘Damn；　I　can‘t　tell。‘
‘Cap‘n；　that‘s　our　job；　okay？‘　He　was　an　intelligence　officer。　The　Captain　was　not。　‘Let　us　do　our　job；　sir。‘
‘He‘s　one　of　ours！‘
‘Sure　as　hell；　sir；　and　this　guy　isn‘t。　Let　me　take　these　back　to　the　lab　for　positive　prints　and　blowups。　The　air　wing　will　want　a　look　at　the　port　shots；　too。‘
‘They　can　wait。‘
‘No；　sir；　they　can‘t；‘　the　Lieutenant　pointed　out。　But　he　took　a　pair　of　scissors　and　removed　the　relevant　shots。　The　remainder　of　the　roll　was　handed　to　a　chief　petty　officer；　while　the　Lieutenant　and　the　Captain　went　back　to　the　photo　lab。　Fully　two　months　of　work　had　gone　into　the　flight　of　Cody…193；　and　the　Captain　lusted　for　the　information　he　knew　to　be　on　those　three　two…and…a…quarter…inch　frames。
An　hour　later　he　had　it。　An　hour　after　that；　he　boarded　a　flight　to　Danang。　Another　hour　and　he　was　on　a　flight　to　Cubi　Point　Naval　Air　Station　in　the　Philippines；　followed　by　a　puddle…jumper　to　Clark　Air　Force　Base；　and　а　КС…135　that　would　fly　directly　to　California。　Despite　the　time　and　rigors　of　the　next　twenty　hours　of　flying；　the　Captain　slept　briefly　and　fitfully；　having　solved　a　mystery　whose　answer　just　might　change　the　policy　of　his　government。
C4
　　　　CHAPTER　4
First　Light
Kelly　slept　nearly　eight　hours；　again　arising　at　the　sound　of　the　gulls　to　find　that　Pam　wasn‘t　there。　He　went　outside　and　saw　her　standing　on　the　quay；　looking　out　over　the　water；　still　weary；　still　robbed　of　the　ability　to　get　the　rest　she　needed。　The　Bay　had　its　usual　morning　calm；　the　glassy　surface　punctuated　by　the　circular　ripples　of　bluefish　chasing　after　insects。　Conditions　like　this　seemed　so　fitting　to　the　start　of　a　day；　a　gentle　westerly　breeze　in　his　face；　and　the　odd　silence　that　allowed　one　to　hear　the　rumble　of　a　boat‘s　motor　from　so　far　away　that　the　boat　could　not　be　seen。　It　was　the　sort　of　time　that　allowed　you　to　be　alone　with　nature；　but　he　knew　that　Pam　merely　felt　alone。　Kelly　walked　out　to　her　as　quietly　as　he　could　and　touched　her　waist　with　both　his　hands。
‘Good　morning。‘　She　didn‘t　answer　for　a　long　time；　and　Kelly　stood　still；　holding　her　lightly；　just　enough　that　she　could　feel　his　touch。　She　was　wearing　one　of　his　shirts；　and　he　didn‘t　want　his　touch　to　be　sexual；　only　protective。　He　was　afraid　to　press　himself　on　a　woman　who‘d　suffered　that　kind　of　abuse；　and　could　not　predict　where　the　invisible　line　might　be。
‘So　now　you　know；‘　she　said；　just　loudly　enough　to　be　heard　over　the　silence；　unable　to　turn　and　face　him。
‘Yes；‘　Kelly　answered；　equally　quiet。
‘What　do　you　think？‘　Her　voice　was　a　painful　whisper。
‘I‘m　not　sure　what　you　mean；　Pam。‘　Kelly　felt　the　trembling　start；　and　he　had　to　resist　the　urge　to　hold　her　tighter。
‘About　me。‘
‘About　you？‘　He　allowed　himself　to　get　a　little　closer；　altering　his　hold　until　his　arms　wrapped　around　her　waist；　but　not　tightly。　‘I　think　you‘re　beautiful。　I　think　I‘m　real　glad　we　met。‘
‘I　do　drugs。‘
‘The　docs　say　you‘re　trying　to　quit。　That‘s　good　enough　for　me。‘
‘It‘s　worse　than　that。　I‘ve　done　things　…‘　Kelly　cut　her　off。
‘I　don‘t　care　about　that；　Pam。　I‘ve　done　things；　too。　And　one　thing　you　did　for　me　was　very　nice。　You　gave　me　something　to　care　about；　and　I　didn‘t　ever　expect　that　to　happen。‘　Kelly　pulled　her　tighter。　‘The　things　you　did　before　we　met　don‘t　matter。　You‘re　not　alone；　Pam。　I‘m　here　to　help　if　you　want　me　to。‘
‘When　you　find　out。。。‘　she　warned。
‘I‘ll　take　my　chances。　I　think　I　know　the　important　parts　already。　I　love　you；　Pam。‘　Kelly　surprised　himself　with　those　words。　He‘d　been　too　afraid　to　voice　the　thought　even　to　himself。　It　was　too　irrational；　but　again　emotion　won　out　over　reason；　and　reason；　for　once；　found　itself　approving。
‘How　can　you　say　that？‘　Pam　asked。　Kelly　gently　turned　her　around　and　smiled。
‘Damned　if　I　know！　Maybe　it‘s　your　tangled　hair　…　or　your　runny　nose。‘　He　touched　her　chest　through　the　shirt。　‘No；　I　think　it‘s　your　heart。　No　matter　what‘s　behind　you；　your　heart　is　just　fine。‘
‘You　mean　that；　don‘t　you？‘　she　asked；　looking　at　his　chest。　There　was　a　long　moment；　then　Pam　smiled　up　at　him；　and　that；　too；　was　like　a　dawn。　The　orange…yellow　glow　of　the　rising　sun　lit　up　her　face　and　highlighted　her　fair　hair。
Kelly　wiped　the　tears　from　her　face；　and　the　wet　feel　of　her　cheeks　eliminated　whatever　doubts　he　might　have　had。　‘We‘re　going　to　have　to　get　you　some　clothes。　This　is　no　way　for　a　lady　to　dress。‘
‘Who　says　I‘m　a　lady？‘
‘I　do。‘
‘I‘m　so　scared！‘
Kelly　pulled　her　against　his　chest。　‘It‘s　okay　to　be　scared。　I　was　scared　all　the　time。　The　important　part　is　to　know　that　you‘re　going　to　do　it。‘　His　hands　rubbed　up　and　down　her　back。　He　hadn‘t　intended　to　make　this　a　sexual　encounter；　but　he　found　himself　being　aroused　until　he　realized　that　his　hands　were　rubbing　over　scars　made　by　men　with　whips　or　ropes　or　belts　or　other　odious　things。　Then　his　eyes　looked　straight　out　over　the　water；　and　it　was　just　as　well　that　she　couldn‘t　see　his　face。
‘You　must　be　hungry；‘　he　said；　stepping　away　from　her；　holding　on　to　her　hands。
She　nodded。　‘Starving。‘
‘That　I　can　fix。‘　Kelly　led　her　by　the　hand　back　to　the　bunker。　Already　he　loved　her　touch。　They　met　Sam　and　Sarah　ing　from　the　other　side　of　the　island　after　a　morning‘s　walk　and　stretch。
‘How　are　our　two　lovebirds？‘　Sarah　asked　with　a　beaming　smile；　because　she‘d　already　seen　the　answer；　watching　from　two　hundred　yards　away。
‘Hungry！‘　Pam　replied。
‘And　we‘re　getting　a　couple　of　screws　today；‘　Kelly　added　with　a　wink。
‘What？‘　Pam　asked。
‘Propellers；‘　Kelly　explained。　‘For　Sam‘s　boat。‘
‘Screws？‘
‘Sailor　talk；　trust　me。‘　He　grinned　at　her；　and　she　wasn‘t　sure　if　she　could　believe　it　or　not。
‘That　took　long　enough；‘　Tony　observed；　sipping　coffee　from　a　paper　cup。
‘Where‘s　mine？‘　Eddie　demanded；　irritable　from　lack　of　sleep。
‘You　told　me　to　put　the　fucking　heater　outside；　remember？　Get　your　own。‘
‘You　think　I　want　all　that　smoke　and　shit　in　here？　You　can　die　from　that　monoxide　shit；‘　Eddie　Morello　said　irritably。
Tony　was　tired　as　well。　Too　tired　to　argue　with　this　loudmouth。　‘Okay；　man；　well；　the　coffeepot‘s　outside。　Cups　are　there　too。‘
Eddie　grumbled　and　went　outside。　Неnrу；　the　third　man；　was　bagging　the　product　and　kept　out　of　the　argument。　It　had　actually　worked　out　a　little　better　than　he‘d　planned。　They‘d　even　bought　his　story　about　Angelo；　thus　eliminating　one　potential　partner　and　problem。　There　was　at　least　three　hundred　thousand　dollars‘　worth　of　finished　drugs　now　being　weighed　and　sealed　in　plastic　bags　for　sale　to　dealers。　Things　hadn‘t　gone　quite　as　planned。　The　expected　‘few　hours‘　of　work　had　lingered　into　an　all…night　marathon　as　the　three　had　discovered　that　what　they　paid　for　others　to　do　wasn‘t　quite　as　easy　as　it　looked。　The　three　bottles　of　bourbon　they‘d　brought　along　hadn‘t　helped　either。　Still　and　all；　over　three　hundred　thousand　dollars　of　profit　from　sixteen　hours　of　work　wasn‘t　all　that　bad。　And　this　was　just　the　beginning。　Tucker　was　just　giving　them　a　taste。
Eddie　was　still　worried　about　the　repercussions　of　Angelo‘s　demise。　But　there　was　no　turning　back；　not　after　the　killing；　and　he‘d　been　forced　into　backing　Tony‘s　play。　He　grimaced　as　he　looked　out　of　a　vacant　porthole　towards　an　island　north　of　what　had　once　been　a　ship。　Sunlight　was　reflecting　off　the　windows；　of　what　was　probably　a　nice；　large　power　cruiser。　Wouldn‘t　it　be　nice　to　get　one　of　those？　Eddie　Morello　liked　to　fish；　and　maybe　he　could　take　his　kids　out　sometime。　It　would　be　a　good　cover　activity；　wouldn‘t　it？
Or　maybe　crab；　he　told　himself。　After　all；　he　knew　what　crabs　ate。　The　thought　evoked　a　quiet　bark　of　a　laugh；　followed　by　a　brief　shudder。　Was　he　safe；　linked　up　with　these　men？　They　…　he　…　had　just　killed　Angelo　Vorano；　not　twenty…four　hours　earlier。　But　Angelo　wasn‘t　part　of　the　outfit；　and　Tony　Piaggi　was。　He　was　their　legitimacy；　their　pipeline　to　the　street；　and　that　made　him　safe　…　for　a　while。　As　long　as　Eddie　st