The Spoilers / Juggernaut. Desmond Bagley

turned to him. ‘Indeed! And where do you come in on this? It seems that Parker is doing all the work.’

      Abbot smiled easily. ‘Let’s say I’m his manager.’

      ‘There are no passengers in the organization,’ she said flatly.

      Parker broke in. ‘Me an’ Mike are mates – I go where he goes, an’ vicey-versey. Besides, I’ll see he works hard – I can’t do it all meself.’

      ‘It’s a package deal, you see,’ said Abbot. ‘And you talk business to me.’

      ‘The profits on smuggling gold are not very big,’ she said doubtfully.

      ‘Oh, come off it,’ said Abbot in disgust. ‘You’re not smuggling gold – you’re running dope.’

      She looked at Eastman and then back at Abbot. ‘And how do you know that?’ she asked softly.

      ‘Just putting two and two together. There was a whisper in London – that’s why we came out here.’

      ‘That was one whisper too many,’ she snapped.

      Abbot smiled. ‘I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I was a professional in the whisper-listening business. It was just a matter of chance, and coming out here was a hell of a long shot.’ He shrugged. ‘But it’s paid off.’

      ‘Not yet,’ she said pointedly. ‘How much do you want?’

      Twenty per cent of the take,’ said Abbot promptly.

      She laughed. ‘Oh, what a stupid man we have here. Don’t you think so, Jack?’ Eastman grinned, and she said seriously, ‘You will get one per cent and that will make you very rich, Monsieur Michael Abbot.’

      ‘I may be stupid,’ said Abbot, ‘but I’m not crazy enough to take one per cent.’

      Eastman said, ‘I think you are crazy if you expect to get any kind of a percentage. We’re not going to work that way.’

      ‘That’s right,’ said Delorme. ‘We’ll give you a flat rate for the work. What would you say to a hundred thousand American dollars?’

      Abbot raised his eyebrows. ‘Each?’

      She hesitated fractionally. ‘Of course.’

      ‘I’d say it’s not on,’ said Abbot, shaking his head. ‘We’d want at least double that. Do you think I don’t know what the profits are in this racket?’

      Eastman chuckled raspingly. ‘You’re both stupid and crazy. Hell, you’ve given us the idea anyway. What’s to prevent us going ahead without you?’

      ‘Now who’s being stupid?’ asked Abbot. He pointed to Parker. ‘Torpedo mechanics aren’t easy to come by, and those who can do a conversion like this are even rarer. But a mechanic who can and is willing to run dope is as rare as a hen’s tooth. You can’t do it without us – and you know it.’

      ‘So you figure you’ve got us over a barrel.’ said Eastman ironically. ‘Look, buster; a week ago we didn’t even know you existed. We don’t need you, you know.’

      ‘But it’s still a good idea, Jack,’ said Delorme thoughtfully. ‘Maybe Abbot will meet us half way.’ She turned to him. ‘This is final – take it or leave it. Three hundred thousand dollars for the two of you. One hundred thousand deposited in a bank here on the successful completion of trials – the rest when the job is done.’

      Abbot said, ‘What do you think, Dan?’

      Parker’s mouth was open. He closed it, and said, ‘You have the business head; I’ll leave it to you, Mike.’ He swallowed convulsively.

      Abbot pondered for a long time. ‘All right; we’ll take it.’

      ‘Good!’ said Delorme, and smiled radiantly. ‘Order some more champagne, Jack.’

      Abbot winked at Parker. ‘Satisfied, Dan?’

      ‘I’m happy,’ said Parker faintly.

      ‘I think payment by result is the best way,’ said Abbot, and looked sideways at Eastman. ‘If we’d have stuck to a percentage, Jack here would have cheated the pants off us. He wouldn’t have shown us the books, that’s for certain.’

      Eastman grinned. ‘What books?’ He held up a finger and the sommelier came running.

      Delorme said, ‘I’d like to dance.’ She looked at Abbot who began to rise, and said, ‘I think I’ll dance with … Mr Parker.’

      Abbot subsided and watched her allow the bemused Parker to take her on to the floor. His lips quirked into a smile. ‘So that’s the boss. Something I hadn’t expected.’

      ‘If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking – forget it,’ advised Eastman. ‘Jeanette isn’t a girl to be monkeyed around with. I’d just as soon fight a buzz-saw with my bare hands.’ He nodded towards the dance floor. ‘Is Parker as good as he says he is?’

      ‘He’ll do the job. What’s the cargo?’

      Eastman hesitated briefly, then said, ‘You’ll get to know, I guess. It’s heroin.’

      ‘A full cargo – the whole five hundred pounds?’

      ‘Yeah.’

      Abbot whistled and calculated briefly. He laughed. ‘That’s worth about twenty-five million dollars, at least. I topped Jeanette’s one per cent, anyway.’

      ‘You’re in the big time now,’ said Eastman. ‘But don’t forget – you’re still only a hired hand.’ He lit a cigarette. ‘That whisper you heard in London. Who did it come from?’

      Abbot shrugged. ‘You know how it is – a piece comes from here and another from there. You put them all together and get some sort of picture. I’ve had experience at it – I was a reporter.’

      ‘I know,’ said Eastman calmly. ‘You’ve been checked out. We’ve got nothing on Parker yet, though.’ He stared at Abbot with hard eyes. ‘You’d better not still be a reporter, Abbot.’

      ‘I couldn’t get a job on the Tolpuddle Gazette,’ said Abbot bitterly. ‘Not with the reputation I’ve got now. If you’ve been checking on me you know I was given the bum’s rush. That’s why I decided to come on this lark and make some real money.’

      ‘Just a penny ante blackmailer,’ agreed Eastman.

      ‘They couldn’t prove anything,’ said Abbot defensively.

      ‘Just keep your nose clean while you’re with us,’ said Eastman. ‘Now, what can you tell us about Parker? The boss wants him checked out, too. She’s very security-minded.’

      Abbot obligingly gave him a run-down on Parker, sticking entirely to the known facts. There was no harm in that because the truth was exactly what would serve best. He had just finished when Jeanette and Parker returned to the table, Parker pink in the face.

      Jeanette said, ‘I don’t think Dan is accustomed to modern dancing. What about you, Mike Abbot?’

      Abbot stood up. ‘Would you like to test me on a trial run?’

      In reply she opened her arms as the opening bars of music started and he stepped forward. It was a slow and rather old-fashioned number so he took her in his arms and said, as they stepped on to the floor, ‘What’s a nice girl like you doing in a business like this?’

      ‘I like the money,’ she said. ‘Just as you do.’

      ‘You must be making quite a lot,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘It’s not everyone who can lay hands on a hundred thousand dollars’ loose cash – that’s the boodle for the successful trial, in case you’ve forgotten. I take it this