“I enjoyed that,” he said. “I’ll tie him up, but it will be a few hours at least before he regains consciousness.”
“Wonderful!” Diaz said, clasping the Sergeant’s hand, then pulling him to his chest in an abrazo, the Latin embrace, pounding him in the back with exuberance. “It’s all falling into place. This is the big one and we’re going to win it.”
“I’ve been in the dark about what is happening,” the Sergeant said, looking at Admiral Marquez and his wounded and unconscious aide. The Admiral had finally lost control when faced with the armed Tupamaros and had begun screaming. He was still struggling now, although bound to the chair, and trying to chew the towel with which they had gagged him.
“There is a lot to explain,” Diaz said. “We are in this with the Tupamaros — we need their fire power. It is all working out well. We have control of the entire ship and now we have captured these two cabins. The Germans will be hit next, at breakfast time. The diamonds are in a vault, but it is being cut open and we will have them soon. Then it is a matter of waiting to meet a boat that will take us off — along with our prisoners.”
“Sounds very dangerous,” Pradera said.
“It is. But if we get away with it, we have Marquez and Stroessner as prisoners and the diamonds to finance our campaign. If things go wrong…. “
“Then we are in the shit. But this precious pair will be dead as well. I’ll enjoy shooting them myself.”
“Good. Will you stay here and guard them? We are short of men, just a handful of us controlling the entire ship. We could use your help.”
“Help? This is my pleasure. Leave me here with these roaches and don’t worry about them. I have taken orders enough from this trash.”
“Good. We’ll relieve you at dawn. We can use you when we take the Germans. Their turn is next.”
24
Klaus did not like to see his comrades shot. He had seen enough of that on the Eastern Front which, slowly and surely as the war went on, had turned into a butcher shop. He did not mind killing the enemy, that was the only thing to do with the Slavic mongrels, and he had done enough of that himself. They did not take prisoners in the East. Either side. But as the quick victory never arrived and the second, then the third winter arrived, the attrition grew. There were only a few men from the original company left, when Klaus had been wounded himself and sent to the rear, to hospital. That was when he had been assigned to Dr. Wielgus, a fact that had undoubtedly saved his life. They had been good years since then, easy and good years.
Klaus still did not like to see his comrades shot. If he had been left alone to get a good night’s sleep it might have been different. Everything would have looked better in the morning. But he was stuck here in the little cabin with the wounded Fritz, and had not been able to get to sleep. The injured man was deeply unconscious, but he moaned in his sleep. This, and his deep breathing and the strong smell of drugs on his breath, had kept Klaus awake. He lay now with one arm under his head, smoking yet another cigarette. The ship never stopped heaving up and down and that was disturbing, too. He reached out to pour another schnapps, then changed his mind. That was no solution.
That goddamned fat Czech and the bulging dyke woman of his. They had shot a good German boy, half severed his arm, and they were going to get away with it. Klaus had seen enough wounds like this one to know that the arm would never be the same again. Maybe they could save it, but it would always be withered and hang there and poor Fritz would be ashamed of it and the girls would laugh at him. A good, strong, happy German. Now destroyed by those two. And nothing could be done. Wielgus had said no. Nothing must be done to jeopardize the arms shipment.
Well, the shipment wasn’t in danger. Klaus grubbed out the cigarette and swung his feet to the floor. The diamonds had paid for the shipment. Now he was going to pay a little on Fritz’s account. It wouldn’t affect the business deal. If the Czech had any sense at all he would never mention it. The woman first, because she had fired the shot. Klaus finished tying his shoes and pulled on his jacket. It would be good to work the bitch over. And it wouldn’t show either, not a drop of blood or a bruise. But she would hurt, oh how she would hurt! He grinned widely at the thought and opened his suitcase. Part of the metal frame came away when he tore open the lining. He had made it himself. A spring steel bar with a sharpened end. Came in handy for a lot of things. As a weapon — or a jimmy to open a door. The bitch would get what was coming to her, all right! He slipped the steel under his jacket and opened the cabin door.
“This one is for you, Fritz,” he said.
The ship seemed deserted, the passengers locked away in their steel cubicles, the only reminder of their existence was the faint odor of vomit and the masking, perfumed air spray that hung inescapably in the air. Turning a corner in the passageway, he almost ran into the cabin steward, who was carrying a tray.
“Very sorry, sir.”
“That is all right.”
“I wouldn’t go on deck if I were you, sir. Wet and windy out there. Could be dangerous.”
“No. I would not do that. I thought, perhaps a drink, it is hard to sleep. Is there perhaps a bar open still?”
“Just possibly the Midships Bar, on the quarter deck. Usually a late crowd there.”
“Thank you. I will find my way.”
Klaus went to the elevator, which was a long time coming. He waited patiently; he had always been good at waiting. He went down to the next passenger deck, not up to the bar. This was going to be good; he smiled.
Another deserted corridor. He stood before Aurelia Hortiguela’s door and eased the steel bar out from under his jacket, glancing both ways. Empty. This would take only a second. Before leaving his cabin he had examined the lock mechanism of the door; they would all be the same aboard the ship. Here was the spot, just three fingers-width below the handle. Slide in — and pull.
With a tiny snap the lock broke. Klaus went through the door quickly and closed it behind him. He remembered what they had said about this girl’s ability with the pistol. Hopefully she did not sleep with the thing. Nevertheless, he raised the bar over his head at the same lime as his fingers felt for the light switch. If she had a gun, the bar would get her in the face as she pulled the trigger. There was some risk invovled, but Klaus liked risks; life was too easy at times.
The light came on and he hurled himself to one side, his arm swinging towards the bed.
He did not release the bar because the bed was empty. So was the rest of the room — and the bathroom when he looked inside.
Now what did this mean? Could she be in the bar? He did not think that likely, not at this time of night. Then where else? The Czech’s room; that answer was easy. Maybe they were staying together for mutual defense. Or maybe they were in bed together, screwing. That would be something to see! This was getting better all the time.
There was a Bible on the end table by the bed and he took it up and tore the thick cover off it. Finally one of these was good for something! When he closed the door the cover was over the broken lock, jamming the door shut. Now it appeared to be locked; he did not want to draw attention to the empty cabin until he had finished with these two.
It might be tricky if both of them were in Chvosta’s cabin. He listened at the door but could hear nothing. Better to break the lock, slam the door open and go through fast, knock on the light switch as he went by, then hit the deck in a roll. And stay there if she had the gun on him. This night’s business wasn’t worth getting killed for.
Taking a deep breath, he cracked the lock and went through the door with a rush. As he hit the floor he had a quick glimpse of the empty room and the bed, still made up for the day — and empty.