Warren Murphy Destroyer 089 Dark Horse

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online.
Out in California, he discovered, Harmon Cashman lay recovering from surgery.
His condition was described as "stable." Details were sketchy, but it appeared
that the most recent political attack had been directed at him. Smith frowned.
Was someone trying to nullify the election? If so, why?
He settled back in his chair, massaging his tired eyes, as he attempted to put
the pieces together.
It was known that the late General Emmanuel Nogeira was almost unquestionably
behind these attacks. It was also known that some of the attackers were tools
of the Medellin Cartel. Nogeira and the cartel had past history together.
Sometimes troubled history, but history nonetheless.
The most likely candidate behind these events is Rona Ripper, Smith reasoned.
Black was a notorious but harmless flake. Ripper, however, was out there
building concentration camps. There had already been violence, when the one
Remo had discovered was destroyed to conceal its discovery.
It kept coming back to Nogeira. Had he been funding the Ripper campaign? What
would Nogeira want with a vehement no-smoking candidate?
Then it hit Smith. "Outlaw tobacco! Stimulate cocaine sales!"
It fit. It made perfect sense.
All Harold Smith had to do was prove it before election day.
He began inputting the name "Emmanuel Alejandro Nogeira" into his terminal.
Somewhere, he knew, there would be a kernel of datum that would connect the
two. He just hoped he could find it in time to send Remo and Chiun in the
right direction.
Chapter 31
It was growing dark by the time Remo reached Napa Valley. On either side of
the undulating road, tractors were pulling yellow gondolas through the grape
vines. Migrant workers paused in the act of dumping crates of champagne grapes
into the gondolas to wave greetings. All around them, brown hills enclosed the
lushness of the valley in a protective ring.
"You really plan to take this treasurer's job?" Remo asked after a period of
protracted silence.
"Lord Treasurer," Chiun said. "And I have not yet decided. I have many things
on my mind."
"Well, I hope you don't," Remo said quietly.
Chiun turned, his eyes interested. "Yes?"
"But I'll understand if you do."
"You will, Remo?"
"Of course," Remo added. "I expect you to understand if I ever do anything you
don't like."
"What have you done to displease me now?" Chiun snapped.
"Who says I have?"
"A father can tell," Chiun sniffed. "It is about Cheeta, is it not?"
Remo swallowed. There was never going to be a good time to break the news, but
it seemed unavoidable now.
Remo opened his mouth as the car rounded a hill and the Esperanza mansion came
into view. It was breathtaking, a Spanish-style hacienda perched on a verdant
hill.
"We will discuss this later," Chiun said aridly.
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"Deal," Remo said, relieved. "I'm going to pull off the road."
"Why?"
"We might as well test Esperanza's security while we're barging in," Remo
said, easing the car to a stop.
"An excellent idea," said Chiun. "We will show him once again that he needs no
others than us at his side."
They got out of the car and walked along, the heavy smell of grapes in their
nostrils. The air was good here.
From the other direction, a car slithered up to the open gate, and through it
unchallenged.
"Did you see that?" Remo said. "There's no one at the gate!"
"And I recognized the man who was driving," Chiun said, low-voiced.
"Yeah?"
"He is a member of a rival camp."
"Yeah? Whose?"
"The loud fat woman."
"I knew it!" Remo said, breaking into a floating run. "I knew it!" Chiun
followed, his pipe-stem arms pumping.
They entered the grounds, which were lavish. An arbor-shaded circular driveway
wound up to the looming mansion.
The car had pulled into the shadow of a guest house in the shadow of the great
hacienda, and two men got out. They slipped up to the guest house door.
"Recognize the other one?" Remo asked.
"No," said Chiun.
They reached the house and found a window that was spilling light.
Remo snapped the driver's-side mirror off the car and, hunkering down under [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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