@@@@@The woman wept, gasping, trembling, but 238
@@@@@The woman wept, gasping,
trembling, but they were tears not of sorrow but of fearThe sergeant blinked his eyes and raised
his huge headIf any emotion could be defined in his expression, it was an admixture of fury and
bewilderment
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
100
11
?Don?t touch anything,? ordered Bourne as Flannagan and Rachel Swayne haltingly preceded him
into the general?s photograph-lined studyAt the sight of the old soldier?s corpse arched back in the
chair behind the desk, the ugly gun still in his outstretched hand, and the horror beyond left by the
blowing away of the back of his skull, the wife convulsed, falling to her knees as if she might
vomitant grabbed her arm, holding her off the floor, his eyes dazed, fixed on the
mutilated remains of General Norman Swayne
?Crazy son of a bitch,? whispered Flannagan, his voice strained and barely audibleThen
standing motionless, the muscles of his jaw pulsating, he roared?You insane fuckin? son of a
bitch! What did you do it for?why? What do we do now??
?You call the police, Sergeant,? answered Jason
?What?? yelled the aide, spinning aroundSwayne, lurching to her feet?We can?t do that!?
?I don?t think you?ve got a choiceYou may have driven him to kill himself
but you didn?t kill him
?What the hell are you talking about?? asked Flannagan gruffly
?Better a simple if messy domestic tragedy than a far wider investigation, wouldn?t you say? I
gather it?s no secret that you two have an arrangement that?s?well, no secret
?He didn?t give a shit about our, ?arrangement,? and that was no secret, either
?He encouraged us at every opportunity,? added Rachel Swayne, hesitantly smoothing her skirt,
oddly, swiftly regaining her composureShe spoke to Bourne but her eyes strayed to her lover?He
consistently threw us together, often for days at a timeDo we have to stay in here? My God, I
was married to that man for twenty-six years! I?m sure you can understand this is horrible for
me!?
?We have things to discuss,? said Bourne
?Not in here, if you pleaseThe living room; it?s across the hallSwayne,
suddenly under control, walked out of the study; the general?s aide glanced over at the blooddrenched
corpse, grimaced, and followed her?Stay in the hallway where I can see you and don?t move!? he shouted,
crossing to the desk, his eyes darting from one object to another, taking in the last items Norman
Swayne saw before placing the automatic in his mouth
