For once, his eyes moved quickly. I got a sharp dark glance. Then he took the dice from the croupier, shook them, and threw them with exactly the same movement.
Three – a crap-out on the first throw, but now meaningless Only an 8 or 7 counted now.
J.B. looked at me, then said carefully: 'General, if you were thinking of working up charges against Mr Carr, that could make a headline, too. The Boss Man is good copy even as a witness.'
Boscolifted his shoulders fractionally and threw 10.
Whitmore's mind found the wavelength with a click. 'Unarmed passenger plane forces down jet fighter. I'd say that was news.'
'Film star bites dog,' Luiz murmured.
Whitmore smiled at Ned. 'That's a great squadron you're running there, Coronel.'
Ned's face shut as tight as a bank vault.
The General threw a 6.
J.B. said flatly: 'If you push charges, you'll get your air force laughed out of the air anywhere anybody can read a newspaper.'
Boscosighed. 'It is possible that persons not familiar with aerial tactics might get the wrong impression.' He threw a 7, the croupier's face went stiff with horror. The General turnedaway, 'So – I lose.Coronel Rafter, I think we would be advised not to proceed against Señor Carr.You find sometimes that an act of mercy is better in the broad view than sticking to the letter of justice.'
It was gracefully done. It only missed out the other side of the coin: that the broad view in a dictatorship sometimes means chopping an innocent head as well.
Ned said tightly: 'You're the general, General.'
Boscosmiled his sad smile. 'I understand your feelings, Colonel. And I commend your zeal. But…' The cigar waved gracefully.
'A training crash,' Ned said.
Bosconodded. 'A training crash. One has also to remember that Ramirez was disobeying orders.'
Ned's face closed up again. Then he looked at me and said slowly: "That makes four. Three in Korea and one here. Another one and you'll be an ace. Don't try and makethat one here, killer.'
'I'm a Dove pilot, Ned.'
'That,' the General said, 'is something we have still to discuss.'
In the silence there was just the faint rumble of dice on the table and then Luiz saying: 'Is this game over or does anybody want some of my money?'
He was rolling the dice hand-to-hand across the table, with the croupier giving him a worried look. But everybody else was looking at Bosco.
Ned said: 'You can't offer him a job in the squadron again – not after he's-'
'Of course. ' The General held up his hand. 'That would hardly improve morale. Although -Señor Carrhas more than lived up to theréputationyou gave him, Coronel. So, it is a pity. But Señor'he looked at me 'your Dove is rather old, I think?'
'About twelve years,' I said slowly. I couldn't see where this was going.
'Ah. ' As if that explained something. 'The authorities at the airport inform me that it is in – a rather regrettable condition. But now I see it is not surprising.'
I knew what it explained now. I said grimly: 'Go on, General.'
The cigar fluttered. 'We have a duty – to others who use the airport, to those who live nearby. We should be failing this duty if we allowed an aeroplane to take off – totry to take off – which was not in proper condition.' He smiled – and not sadly. Not sadly at all. 'I am sure, Señor, that it will not take you long – or cost you much – to bring it up to the standards at which the airport authorities would permit you to take it off.'
'An eye for an eye,' I said grimly. 'A plane for a plane. So I lose the Dove.'
'But no. There is no question. Only it needs – what was the phrase? – ah, yes: a "check four", I think.'
'It isn't due a check four for another hundred hours.'
He smiled again. 'I fear one cannot stand too much on regulations and hours. One must use common sense in matters of air safety – as every newspaper would agree. The authorities believe a check four is needed, so…'
Whitmore said: 'I flew down in that plane, General. Now you're saying it ain't safe?'
'I am sure, Señor Whitmore, that you know much about aircraft engineering. But possibly not quite so much as our qualified engineers.'
J.B. said: 'You confiscate Carr's plane and your jet crash canstill make a headline.'
The General said blandly: 'What crash?'
He looked at Ned, then at Miranda. 'Was there a crash, Capitán?'
Miranda spread his teeth in the big, homely smile of a hungry shark. 'I seem to recall a training crash; mi General -some time last week. Ateniente… teniente…' he snapped his fingers, trying to remember '… Ramirez. I remember now.'
Luiz said suddenly: 'Film star bites dog. Itdoes seem difficult to believe – especially if you cannot produce the dog.'
J.B. started to say something. I put a hand on her shoulder. 'They say the husband's usually the last to know, honey. Not this time. I've lost her.' Just like that. Maybe it's like losing awife; I wouldn't know. I never had a wife. Only an aeroplane. Now, just the cold anger inside.
The General said to Whitmore: 'Naturally I must apologise for die inconvenience this causes you, Señor. But you understand it is also for your safety… Tickets for the Pan American flight to San Juan tonight will await you at the airport.'
'Tonight?' Whitmore said.
'Tonight, ' the General said firmly. He looked around. 'I much regret, Señorita, Señores, but…' he turned to go.
Miranda waited just long enough to say,'Rebelde!'
I said to Ned: 'Only one thing I'm sorry about – that it wasn't Capitán Miranda in the Vamp. Except diat he wouldn't have counted a whole kill, being only half a man.'
It wasn't the season's newest, snappiest insult. But for a man like Miranda it didn't have to be. He took a quick dancing step and led with his right.
I went in under the punch and hit him once just at the bottom of the ribs. Hard. Maybe not hard enough to pay for one confiscated aeroplane, but at least I was trying.
The two bodyguards moved quickly back, groping under their coats. The General snapped something, and they froze. He looked down at Miranda, sitting on the floor and trying to get his head up off his knees. The General said something else and the bodyguards moved warily to pick him up.
Whitmore drawled: 'I'll give you an eye-witness statement about that, too, General.'
'Tonight, 'Boscosaid quietly. 'For your own safety, Señor.'He led the way out.
TWELVE
I looked around for my beer. Ned was still with us, watching me, completely expressionless. Luiz was still playing with the dice; Whitmore and J.B. were frowning ateach other's feet as they chewed over the changed programme.
I found my glass, emptied it, and said: 'I seem to have bitched up the trip pretty thoroughly.'
Whitmore looked up, then shook his head. 'No sweat, fella. If they're going to pick on us, I'd rather it happened now than when we got the full unit in. And I still like the way you drop your shoulder in the punch.' He pulled out his cigarettes. 'So what's a check four gonna cost you, fella?'
'Three thousand pounds. Eight thousand dollars. No – more: they won't have engineers qualified on Doves down here, so I'd have to fly them in and put them up for a couple of weeks.' Then I shook my head. 'It doesn't make any odds. They're going to sit on the plane just as long as they want, no matter what I do or don't do.'
Ned gave one very small nod.
Whitmore grunted. 'Well, looks like you got trouble, fella. Maybe we can figure something out. I'm going to get some chow: we can still take a ride around die sights this afternoon, right? What time's that plane go?'
'About eleven,' Ned said.
Whitmore ignored him. 'Howsabout you, fella?'
'I,' I said firmly, 'am going to do a little drinking.'
He nodded appreciatively. 'Just stick around the hotel. We'll see you make the flight.' Finally he turned to Ned. 'Thanks for everything, Coronel.'
Ned just looked at him, stolid, expressionless. Whitmore and J.B. walked away.