@@@@@I?ll reach you tomorrow, late in the 269
@@@@@I?ll reach you tomorrow, late in the eveningWill you be at home??
?Not for a phone call from youI?ll dine alone at the Lastochka, a late supperWhat will you be
doing tomorrow??
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
378
?Making certain you are right The Jackal had disappeared into the crowds of the cathedral
That was over twenty-four hours ago and Rodchenko had heard nothing to upset the schedule
Perhaps the psychopath had returned to Paris, somehow convinced that his paranoid suspicions
were groundless, his need to keep moving, racing, flying all over Europe superseding his
momentary panicWho knew? Carlos, too, was an enigmaPart of him was a retarded sadist, a
savant perhaps in the darkest methods of cruelty and killing, yet another part revealed a sick,
twisted romantic, a brain-damaged adolescent reaching for a vision that wanted nothing to do with
himWho knew? The time was approaching when a bullet in his head was the answer
Rodchenko raised his hand for the waiter; he would order coffee and brandy?the decent French
brandy reserved for the true heroes of the Revolution, especially the survivorsInstead of the
waiter, the manager of Lastochka came rushing to the table, carrying a telephone
?There is an urgent call for you, General,? said the man in the loose-fitting black suit, placing
the phone on the table and holding out the plastic knob of the extension cord that was to be placed
into the walled receptacle The manager left and Rodchenko inserted the device?Yes??
?You?re being watched wherever you go,? said the voice of the Jackal
?By whom??
?Your own people
?I don?t believe you
?I?ve been watching all dayWould you like me to describe the places you?ve been for the past
thirty hours? Starting with drinks at a caf? on the Kalinin, a kiosk in the Arbat, the Slavyanky for
lunch, an afternoon walk along the Luznekaya??
?Stop it! Where are you??
?Come outside the Lastochka
Rodchenko hung up and signaled the waiter for his checkThe aproned man?s instant response
was due less to the general?s status than to the fact that he was the last diner in the restaurant
Leaving his money on top of the bill, the old soldier said good night, walked through the dimly lit
foyer to the entrance and let himself outIt was nearly 1:30 in the morning, and except for a few
stragglers with too much vodka in them, the street was desertedIn moments an upright figure,
silhouetted in the wash of a streetlamp, emerged from a storefront, perhaps thirty meters away on
the rightIt was the Jackal, still in the black cloth and the white collar of a pr
