Shooting Script

Luiz said firmly: 'The old town is cordoned off, by now. Boscogave the orders upstairs, when he heard Jiminez had taken the radio. That is his tactic now: to pin Jiminez down -and to wait. For some jets to become serviceable, to see which way the Army jumps. And the longer he makes Jiminez wait, the less chance Jiminez has of a popular uprising. People do not jump on a bandwagon that is not moving.' And his face was suddenly old, tired; the face of a man who has heard the chariot pass him by. 'It will take time, now. Better get out, Walt.'

Whitmore frowned. 'Yeah? Hell – and we got to be back onthe picture day after tomorrow.'

Luiz smiled a little crookedly. 'And of course, there is that.' Ned was looking at Whitmore, still not quite believing in him. 'This is just a couple of days' holiday from moviemaking – that right, matey?'

'Button up. I got an investment to protect.'

'Aninvestment?'

Isaid: 'He means he's in it for the money, same as you.'

That got me stiff looks from both – but I was still right. It was just cash that had put them on opposite sides. If it had brought them together, they'd have had a perfect understanding.

Whitmore rubbed the slight bristle on his chin with the pistol. 'Well, I guess if it ain't going to finish today, we better pull out.' He sounded honestly reluctant. There must have been bars and brothels he'd hated to leave before closing time, just because he had a picture to make in the morning. But he'd always left. He was a pro – in his own way. 'So, how do we do it? – If the old town's sealed off?'

'You don't,' Ned said. 'You're stuck.' He stood up and held out a hand. 'Like me to take over now – or you want to wait for the shooting?'

Whitmore looked at him. J.B. said quickly: 'There's still the civil airport. Jiminez said there wasn't any fighting up there – and there's a Pan Am flight for Kingston due just after eleven.'

I said: 'If Pan Am knows there isn't any fighting there. They'll probably overfly us.'

'Anyway,' Luiz said, 'it will be booked five times over already. And it would not be a good place to be stranded. It is just a little obvious.'

There was a short, thoughtful silence.

I said: 'That brings us back to the Dove – wherever it may be.'

Ned said: 'Get stuffed.'

'In case you hadn't noticed, you're down to corporal already, Ned. You haven't been exactly a ball of fire even as a jailer, have you? You could be up against the wall with us. Now let's get to hell out of this country.'

He considered me carefully. 'Keith – you don't understand, do you? It ain't just getting me throat cut – but I had a reputation, too. I was a damn good war pilot. You busted that. But we'll have two Vamps serviceable in forty-eight hours. I'vegot to stay for that. I'vegot to pick up the pieces. Or I'm finished. I'll never get another job again.'

In the silence, J.B. said: 'Are we talking about your aeroplane, Keith? Jiminez told us it had been moved over to the air base.'

I nodded. 'So now we know.'

Ned smiled f aintly. 'The old man liked it: had it done up and's been using it as his personal plane.' He nodded at Whit-more. 'Now let's seehim act the scene where he breaks into the big well-defended air base and swipes the General's private aeroplane.'

A phone buzzed.

'Or,' he added, 'ask Boscofor permission. Now's your chance.'

I was on my feet, holding out a hand at Whitmore. 'Give me a gun. He'll believe I'll kill him.' Then I swung Ned's own revolver at him. 'All right – dear old pal. Talk us out of this.'

He eyed the squat, heavy Magnum. 'You nevercould hit a hangar at five paces, Keith.'

I clamped both hands on the gun. 'I'll come as close as it needs and shoot as often as it takes – if you're theman who getsher caught in this town.'

The phone buzzed again – longer.

He waved his hands and his head. 'I didn't think I'd see a pro like you become so bloody amateur.'

Then he stood up, took a deep breath, and snatched up the phone. 'Hello – General?… Sorry, I been in the bathroom…' Luiz leant in cautiously, listening hard.

I kept the revolver pointed at Ned.

He didn't say much, just grunts and a 'yes' and a 'no'. A few geological eras passed. Then he banged the phone down again, glanced contemptuously at Luiz, and said: 'You tell 'em.'

Luiz said evenly: 'The General is going with Capitán Miranda to the base. Señor Rafter is to wait here with hisprisoners. A firing squad is on call downstairs in case…' He shrugged delicately.

Whitmore said: 'So, what now?'

'We wait,' I said. 'Just long enough to let Boscoget settled in his office out there. Then we take Ned's car out, Ned helps us bluff past the guards on the gate, we find the Dove, we climb in -zoom.'

Ned stared incredulously. 'You're barmy.'

'Ned – what have you got to stay for? When Boscofinds out you faked that phone call, you'll be ten ranks below corporal and six feet under ground.'

'No-o.' He shook his head slowly. 'I can bluff that out. Your Hollywood pals could've come inafter the call. One way or another, you won't be around to say they didn't. And Boscoain't going to believehim.' He jerked his head at the guard, squirming around on the sofa and trying to remember which end of the sky had fallen on him. 'So what's your script say now, Keith? Stick a gun in me guts and tell me to drive you through the gate or else…? It always works in the movies.'

THIRTY-ONE

Whitmore took the heavy automatic from his belt, whacked it against his other hand. 'That's exactly dead right, fella. Get moving.'

Ned looked at the gun, expressionlessly, then shrugged. 'You're the dealer.' He took a step towards the door.

I said: 'Hold on.'

Everybody turned. I said: 'Ned – youdo realise we've got a pretty limited choice, don't you? If we can't get to the Dove, we've got to try and break through to Jiminez. With your car, and the firepower we seem to have collected, we might do it.'

'But first you'll put a bullet in me head?' Still expressionless.

I looked down at the gun in my hand. 'No-o. I don't think I could do that. We'll just take you along – and if we get through, turn you over to Jiminez for safe-keeping. How safe he'd keep you, I wouldn't know – but then, I wouldn't have to watch, either.'

His face may have got a little stiff. Then he nodded briefly. 'So I'll get you through the gate.'

'Right,' Whitmore said impatiently. 'So let's get moving.'

I said again: 'Hold on.'

He spun round and his voice was up to cow-punching level. 'Sonow what in hell's bothering you?'

'It didn't work,' I said wearily. 'If he takes us through that gate, he's turning traitor. And I know Ned: he doesn't do things like that, not that easily – not when he's getting a thousand a week to stay loyal. He'll ditch us – somehow. Forget a password, tip them the wink. Something. And whatever happens, he stands a better chance than with Jiminez.'

Whitmore looked at Ned thoughtfully, carefully. Ned stayed completely blank. Whitmore turned back to me. 'So -what now?'

I was looking at Ned myself. Now was the time to think of something that meant more to him than his loyalty to Bosco,more than $1,000 a week. As easy as that.

'You're sure you don't want to cut your losses and come out with us, Ned? There'll be another job waiting, in Africa or somewhere.'

'At the same price? And when they hear I walked out on this job when things got rough?' He smiled faintly.

'You're ready to bet we'll let you live, Jiminez'll let you live, Bosco'll let you live – and you'll redeem yourself when a Vamp gets serviceable again?'

'Keith, I just don't have even a limited choice.'

I nodded, then said quietly: 'It's one hell of a gamble, Ned.'

He smiled again. 'I'm a gambling man – remember?'

'I remember. So I'll roll you dice for it.'

There was a long stunned moment – then everybody was saying something. I waved the Magnum. 'Shut up! I'mhandling this.' Then, to Ned: 'Well?'