Shooting Script

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?'

He stared curiously. 'You're betting I'll get you through that gate, without tricks – against what?'

'We leave you here when we make a run for Jiminez. Tied up, locked in – but here. In one piece.'

He thought it over. 'You're crazy, rolling dice with me. But-'

'I'll say he is! ' Whitmore exploded.

'Then think of something better.'

'Christ, I can think of a stack of things better'n shooting craps when you got a revolution going on downstairs-'

'Like going downstairs and starting shooting people?' I sneered. 'Look, Mr Whitmore, this is the one chance we've got of getting through that gate: getting Ned on our side. Nothing else'll work, not with that base as nervy as it'll be now. It's been attacked once today already – you rememberthat?'

He lifted the automatic. 'Hell, we could still do it by-'

'Wait,' Luiz said warningly, 'quiet down.' Without anyone noticing, he'd reached the sub-machine gun. Now it pointed, just casually, at Whitmore. Tut down the gun, Walt,' he said pleasantly. 'Don't tempt yourself. This is Carr's play.'

Whitmore stared, totally disbelieving. Then, as the idea sank slowly in, he bent down and flicked the automatic across the carpet. Luiz kicked it under the sofa. 'Thank you. Proceed, gentlemen.'

J.B. said quietly: 'Even if your friend loses' – and I liked that 'even if – 'why should we believe he'll keep his word?'

'Because I know him. He'll cheat us blind, deaf, and dumb – he's a fighter pilot. I told you something about that. But he's also a gambling man – and one thing he'll never do is welsh on a bet. Never. That's the one thing he believes in.'