The Death Dealers (9 page)

Most of the crowd was grouped at the other end of the room, separating, gradually, into smaller huddles of four and five, plying the trade in international diplomacy already, smiles as bland and false as a snake’s, cocktail glasses in their hands to disguise the fact that it was anything but an affair of state.

Apparently the reception line had been run and the formal part was over. It was time for pleasantries and subtleties, and in a mob like this one, anything could happen. I told Harry to grab a glass and circulate, but to stay close to Teish or Sarim Shey whom I could see occupying a corner, carrying on an animated conversation with a half dozen dignitaries. Vey Locca was about ten feet away, surrounded by fascinated men of varied ages totally captivated by this charming Oriental broad. Just thinking of her bedding down with Teish was an ugly thought, but in the world of power and money, some women would do anything.

The latecomers were still being passed through the one door and it was this bunch I picked to follow into the main grouping, trying to figure out a way to get close to the guests of honor without being obstrusive. I knew damn well the place would be loaded with agents and enough knew me by sight to make it rough if I were spotted, so I had to go along on luck. One advantage I had was that I was there, so they’d have to assume I was cleared through by some other authority.

Two of the new arrivals were on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee followed by a Midwestern senator and a New York councilman. I knew them all and turned aside until they passed. Behind them a distinguished type on the portly side with a square-cut beard and bristling mustache minced along, then a few from the .U.N. I had seen over there stepped in. I dropped right in behind them.

I thought I had it made until a finger tapped my shoulder and an Oxford-accented voice said, “I say, old boy, you certainly get around, don’t you?”

I grinned and moved my hand away from the .45. I said, “Talbot, you can get yourself killed awfully fast that way.”

“Oh, I don’t think you’re the type to go for a public display of that sort, now are you?”

“You’d be surprised.” I looked at him squarely. “So what’s your angle, kid? One word from you and I’m on my ear.”

Talbot smiled nicely and patted my arm. “No necessity for that sort of thing.”

“You’ve been detailed to cover me, haven’t you?”

“Along with several others, though I didn’t imagine I’d find you here. Really, you’re leading our chaps an amusing race. How do you do it?”

“It isn’t easy.”

“Well now. Let’s make it that way. Since I can keep you well under surveillance as long as we’re together I think it might be better if I simply played your game and sort of watched out for things, don’t you think?”

“Don’t do me any favors.”

He laughed, then steered me toward the corner where Teish El Abin was holding court. Vey Locca was beside him now, and the court was more hers than his. “I’m here by special invitation, you know,” Talbot told me. “Several years ago I spent some time in Selachin at the request of Her Majesty and knew old Teish on a rather personal level. Seems like he took a fancy to one of our nationals and induced her into his domain for certain earthy relationships, and when her family objected I was selected to, er ... induce her out again.”

“You mean ransom.”

“Ugly word. Doesn’t fit modern diplomacy at all. However, her family was quite wealthy and a simple trade was effected. The king and I got to be rather good friends after that. Seems I hit the nail on the head when he desired a present in return for her services.”

“What was it?”

“You’d never believe it.”

“Try me.”

“Along with the cash settlement he tended to ignore since there was little to buy with money, a 16mm projector and a trunk full of rather risqué films did the trick. The old boy’s quite a lecher, you know. Why he’d settle for movies when the real things were on hand for actual performances, I don’t understand, but all of us have our peculiarities, I guess.”

“What’s yours?”

“I’m the playboy type,” he smiled. “Dashing, clever, all that sort of thing. Really interesting hobby if you can afford to pursue it. Surprising results sometime. I’m thinking of writing a book one day.”

“Sell it to Teish. He’d enjoy it.”

Talbot looked at me indignantly. “My book will be more of a clinical study of the subject. Nothing vulgar. Now, if you were to do an autobiography ...”

“I haven’t lived long enough to write one yet. ”

He grinned again, then led me through the crowd to Teish El Abin. In a business suit he seemed even smaller than before, older, but there was still that crafty face and the eyes that ran ahead of his thoughts, probing their way into new fields of power he could already taste. The bond between him and Talbot was evident, two men sharing a common knowledge, and Teish shook his hand warmly. Somewhere along the line Teish had picked up a conversational command of English accented with overtones of his native tongue, but beside him Vey Locca spoke almost flawlessly to a heavyset American and even above her voice I could hear that of Sarim Shey whose tone and vernacular almost matched that of Talbot’s.

When the two of them finished a minute’s reminiscing, shared a low joke and chuckled over something out of the past, Talbot pulled me forward and said, “May I introduce my good friend, Mr. Mann.”

I knew that crazy Talbot was enjoying my hesitation as I tried to find the right words, but the king saved the situation by saying, “Ah, yes. It is very nice, and please, you may just call me Teish. In my country it is not only a name, but a title and there is no disrespect. After all, your Biblical characters had no last names now, did they? And were not Abraham and Moses great leaders?”

I grabbed his hand, shook it briefly and smiled. “Thank you, sir. I hope you’re enjoying your stay.”

Teish nodded and glanced around him briefly. “I anticipate a fine visit.” Then his eyes seemed to take me in all at once, his mind trying to find a slot to put me in. “Have we met before?”

Talbot said, “My friend here is one of those wealthy American industrialists who collects money. Always lobbying in Washington to try to keep some of it.”

Teish looked interested when the dollar was mentioned. “Oh, and what business are you in, please?”

“Oil,” I lied. “Research and development. I have quite an extensive operation.”

Momentarily, I felt Talbot’s fingers tighten on my arm. He threw me a lead unwittingly and I grabbed hold for all it was worth. Talbot knew the score as well as I did, but anybody can make a mistake and he made his. I had the ball now and he realized I took it away from him. The light in Teish’s eyes was even brighter than when the money was mentioned.

He seemed to twinkle a bit and said, “Very nice. Perhaps we may have a little time to talk later. May I ask the name of your company?”

And now I stuck it in and broke it off. Martin Grady’s syndicate had the controlling interest in the new giant that was emerging on the scene in the oil industry with patents that had some of the older established outfits squirming. I’d be backed up to the hilt in this one and I knew it, so I could play it like an end taking a clean pass from the quarterback and with a little broken field running I could be in the end zone.

“AmPet Corporation. We’re rather new, but ...”

“Ah,” Teish interrupted, “but not unknown. Yes, I have heard of AmPet.” He stopped his visual interrogation of me then, completely intrigued by the thought of oil and the value of AmPet. Apparently the old boy had done plenty of research before he left Selachin for the States. He turned, took Vey Locca’s arm, disengaging her from her admirers with a friendly apology and said, “May I introduce Mr. Mann, my dear. He is an owner of AmPet Corporation of which we have heard so much lately.” He smiled at me as she held out her hand. “Vey Locca,” he said, “my betrothed. We are to be married shortly.”

Her hand was warm and firm in mine. “You are very fortunate,” I told him.

“Yes,” he said, his eyes going up to hers. “We will have many sons. In my country that is of great importance.”

“It is here too,” I said.

Somehow Vey Locca seemed as perceptive as Teish was, smiling and friendly, but strangely puzzled when she looked at me. “How nice to see you, Mr. Mann. I have the feeling we’ve met before.”

“I wish I could have had the pleasure, but I’m afraid not.”

Very gently she squeezed my hand. Nobody could see it, but I could feel the sensual pressure she put there. Her eyes had a smile of their own, a hint of anticipation and I could almost feel the warmth of her penetrating across the short space that separated us. I let her hand go, conscious of a movement to my left..

Vey Locca waved casually and said, “Sarim Shey, Mr. Mann. Our adviser.”

He held out his hand and shook mine with a typically European gesture. “Charmed,” Sarim Shey said, then smiled at Talbot. He held his hand out to him then. “Ah, Mr. Talbot. I have heard so much about you. Funny we haven’t met before. Same school and all, y’know.”

“Large place, Oxford,” Talbot told him. “Believe I was ahead of you.” It only took Talbot a second to provide the interference I needed. He had Sarim Shey to one side rehashing the old days and left me alone, but close enough where I could see him. Out of the comer of my eye I saw Harry moving in, talking earnestly to the guy with the thick beard and mustache and a tall bald-headed man I had seen around the U.N. who never went anywhere without a rosette in his lapel and several miniature decorations pinned to his chest.

I was about to throw out a feeler for conversation when Teish did it for me. He suddenly looked at his watch, then broke into a wrinkled smile. “If you’ll pardon me ... there is a news broadcast I would like to see.”

“Certainly,” I said.

“But please join us, Mr. Mann. There is a television ready in the anteroom next door. I ... must admit to vanity, I’m afraid. They are showing my picture. Do you mind?”

Vey Locca smiled and took my arm. “I’m sure he will be pleased.”

“My pleasure,” I said. I looked around. “Is everyone invited?”

“No, just a few. It is not a very big room.” She glanced over her shoulder and said, “Sarim ... Mr. Talbot, we are ready.”

About twenty of the few hundred present were admitted inside. Those who were lucky enough not to be invited didn’t seem displeased—there were too many waiters with trays loaded with martinis and Manhattans and the day was just beginning for them. Little Harry was more astute than I thought. Somehow be had gotten in with his two companions and was at the rear of the pack trying to look over heads at the TV.

Only one chair was provided, and Teish El Abin sat in it directly in front of the set the way a kid would, squirming eagerly. Vey Locca was on one side, me directly behind her, with Sarim Shey doing the honors of tuning in the news broadcast.

We watched the commercial, then the announcer, and somehow the Washington influence made itself felt because Teish was the first one he mentioned who would be seen right after an important message from the sponsor.

It would have been great, but something started happening to the set. It began to snow, then fuzz out and while Teish let out a little squeal of dismay and a hum went around the room, one of the young guys in a dark business suit who had all the earmarks of an agency man picked up a phone and called the maintenance department. He wasn’t taking any chances on fouling up the guest of honor and was right on the ball. I looked at my watch. A commercial and a little chatter from the announcer before they ran the news film would take about a minute and a half and I hoped somebody was smart enough to anticipate trouble and have another set or a repair man standing by.

Vey Locca looked back at me anxiously and said, “Oh, I hope there won’t be trouble. He wanted so badly to see the program.”

I winked at her. “No sweat. They’ll have a special rerun if it goes off.”

“But it won’t be the same,” she argued.

She didn’t know that the whole phoney deal was already rigged with a closed-circuit setup downstairs to feed Teish’s ego on top of his news spot and I wasn’t about to mention it. I looked at my watch again. The seconds were ticking off and everybody was murmuring sympathetically. Teish was trying to get Sarim Shey to clear the set, but although he began picking up a Boston station, none of the New York channels were coming in.

I didn’t like it a bit. There was something there that didn’t look right and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then someone called out from the back and the crowd parted to let a coveralled man through carrying a standard tool kit, urging him to hurry.

He was a small guy in his late forties, taking impatient crabwise steps to get through the mob, walking directly toward us. He seemed constantly to edge around the right of anyone in front of him until he reached me, and when Vey Locca and I stepped aside he would have passed right beside Teish.

I got it then, all right. I gave her a shove that sent her stumbling into a man’s arms, a look of sudden fright on her face. I grabbed the guy as he reached Teish, slammed a hand across his ear from behind just as he was reaching and I saw a needle slither from his fingers as he went down with a startled yelp. Teish turned, frozen, one hand going out to protect himself.

The damn crowd was too much. They moved like one person and I went off balance. The guy on the floor scrambled to his feet and shot through the crowd like an animal and nobody seemed to know what was happening. I saw the action as a few assigned to protect Teish closed in, reaching predesignated positions, but even they couldn’t get a clean look. I was six feet behind the guy, clawing my way through immobilized bodies, swearing all the way, knowing the guy would make the door if I didn’t reach him.

I saw Harry and his two friends and it was the one with the beard who seemed able to comprehend the situation and act on it. He took what looked like a clumsy swipe at the guy with one fist, connected, and the guy fell. I was on him in a second, pinning him there, but he wasn’t making any move to get away. Two pair of hands lifted me off him as the agency guys took over, cuffing limp hands behind his back, patting him down for any weapons. In five seconds they had him out the door and I forced my way back to Teish.