As Carter neared the back building, he heard a commotion. "Hey, come here! You aren't supposed to leave yet. The boss still wants to talk to you. There's more stuff to look at."
A figure appeared in the window, did a roll tuck, and hit through the frame with a shower of glass. Sam Zachary landed outside, brushed some of the glass from his shoulders, and started moving.
"Hey! I've got to shoot if you don't stop!"
"Shoot away," Zachary called. "I'm not stopping."
There were two warning shots fired at Zachary, but he didn't stop or look back. Carter angled toward him, ducked beside a building, found a rock, and tossed it. The rock caught Zachary's attention. He looked up, saw Carter, and smiled. "I don't have any weapons."
"Later," Carter said. "We'll get you some."
They put about half a mile between them and the activity back at the compound before stopping to catch up.
"I take it they made you an offer," Carter said.
"We hadn't reached that point yet." Zachary explained. "Bezeidenhout wanted me to see the operation. He was coming on slow, trying to impress me with all the resources. He also thought I'd be a good minister in the field. Expense accounts. Travel. Seeing a lot of potential customers. I think he had Chepe pegged as his man in the field."
"How come they had you and Chepe separated?"
"Psychology. If one of us went, then the other would be likely. Same tricks as when you go in to buy a new car."
"Not quite," Carter said, and he told Zachary how Munoz had bought it from the LT.
Zachary watched him for a moment. "Screw it, let's go get 'em."
"I'm way ahead of you," the Killmaster said.
"My vote." Zachary said, "is that we finish up with what we started this morning. Let's knock as many vehicles out of commission as we can."
Carter agreed. They spread out the Mossad map and set two rendezvous points.
"As far as I'm concerned," Zachary said, "the only reason for bringing Bezeidenhout in will be if he doesn't get hurt on the way. You follow me?"
Carter nodded. "I'd like to talk to him if possible. Get some details squared away." Another muffled explosion sounded in the distance. "You may notice an occasional bit of help from Abdul Samadhi," Carter said. "He's after his own revenge and his own justice." He gave Zachary his automatic and a bandoleer of shells, then started back to see what was left of the compound that had been bombarded by Samadhi and his band.
Uniformed LT men were having trouble bringing the fire under control, getting the debris set aside, and trying to keep the flames away from anything explosive. Carter could see the problem. Some of the officers might have made it to the rank of sergeant in some armies, but they were clearly not lieutenants or captains, standing there, berating their men and shouting louder and louder.
Carter circled his way back to one of the larger motor pools. Here, he had to begin making contact with the guards. There were about twelve of them in varying degrees of walking patrol, maintaining surveillance over a sector of the park, and, in one case, performing actual repairs on a command car.
The Killmaster brought Hugo out and went at the most remote of the guards, over by the large troop transports. Carter got the man squarely in the neck and quickly hefted the body into the back of one of the large transports.
He cut the fuel lines on two of the large vehicles and moved on to the next guard, whom he was able to overcome with a neck pinch and finally a sharp rabbit punch. Taking no chances, Carter used the man's belt and his bandoleer to secure him. The man's automatic weapon made a good substitute for the one Carter had given to Zachary. Carter helped himself to pockets full of clips.
He decommissioned two trucks and a Jeep, cut fuel lines on another, and now began to approach two of the VW Baja buggies. A guard sat asleep in one and Carter decided he'd pushed his luck as much as possible. He doubled back to the farthest point he'd worked, ran some rags through spilled fuel, thumbed his lighter, and produced a torch.
Two trucks caught immediately and the trail of fuel led quickly to others, the burning fuel beginning to make a roar. Someone noted the flames and began shouting. Soon there were others taking up the cry. Carter paused to watch until it became clear that there was going to be a lot of damage, then he melted away from the light and started toward the main compound where he'd overheard the conversation between Bezeidenhout and Chepe Munoz.
He cut carefully through the open-air amphitheater and came back to the large barracks. Movement was more difficult now. The LT cadres were out in force organizing patrols.
Inching his way to the side of the building, he placed his listening device against a wooden slat. The device immediately brought in the sound of a familiar voice. "We are sincerely pleased to have you with us, even though there seem to be some minor disturbances."
"Sounds to me like your security system isn't so hot for an organization your size." The voice belonged to Rachel Porat, and there was a note of scorn in her tone.
Piet Bezeidenhout was not flapped. "There are a lot of loose ends to be ironed out for an organization this large, but I can assure you I have a powerful security committee. Anders Koven, my chief, has been with some of the major multinational organizations."
Rachel Porat hooted in derision. "Apparently Abdul Samadhi can come into your encampment and raise hell whenever he chooses. It makes me wonder why an organization as good as yours is supposed to be can't handle a small gang of PLO. It also makes me wonder what you could possibly have that would interest us." Rachel was really pouring it on now. "Why should we pay Lex Talionis for a number of things we could do cheaper and better ourselves?"
"You see," Bezeidenhout said, "you forgot the obvious. If you want something of sensitivity or delicacy done, you must be positive in advance that your security is excellent and that there are no traitors. When your people, for instance, eliminated Abu Jihad…"
"There is no proof whatsoever that we were involved with that," Rachel protested.
Bezeidenhout laughed. "All the world is the proof, my dear lady. There is not a country in the world that doesn't think you people did that, simply because you didn't deny it at the proper time. But look, let's get to some specifics. We have within the Lex Talionis two of the most elite action squads. One is, at this very moment, headed to the North Sea to arrange an event on an oil platform. I can tell you no more than that because of security reasons, but when the worldwide headlines break, you will say to yourself, "I was told by the head of Lex Talionis about this very event. "
"Go on," Rachel Porat said.
"My second action squad is about to cause aviation history. There will be a disaster — a tragedy, you might say — and a major manufacturer of passenger aircraft will be discredited to the detrement of its market position." There was a moment of pause, and Carter wished he could see the Israeli spy's expression.
"I see your scorn plainly on your face, but look at the Americans and their defense department scandals. Big money is at stake here, with organizations willing to do drastic things to achieve their long-range goals."
"So get to the point," Rachel said.
"The point is that I ask you to join me. There are not many good women in your profession. You will go far."
"And live here, amidst all these dregs of humanity who can get jobs in no other way other than to sell their very souls?"
"My dear, you don't understand. This is to be the main base of Lex Talionis, but there is no reason to spend time here except for occasional strategy meetings. You no doubt favor a warm climate. Say the right word and by this time next week, you will be in a condominium in the Pacific Heights section of Honolulu, looking out one balcony at Diamond Head, the other at Waikiki Beach."