Silver Linings, стр. 95

“I said call in the others. Do it now, Howard. And find some flashlights.”

“Yes, sir. I think there's one in the kitchen.”

Crouched in shadows behind a counter, Hugh listened to boot heels ring on marble. The redoubtable Howard was hastening to obey orders.

“Mine,” said Silk in an almost soundless whisper.

Hugh nodded and Silk moved across the short distance to step back into the pantry.

Howard came around the edge of the counter, yanking open drawers and groping inside. Then his gaze fell on Hugh.

“Hi,” Hugh said pleasantly.

Howard's mouth fell open, and he groped for his gun. Silk stepped out of the closet and coshed him. Howard slumped to the floor.

“You keep an eye on the main entrance,” Hugh muttered. “If the rest of them come back, they'll probably come that way.”

“Right. Give my regards to Rainbird. Tell him I'm sure sorry he didn't die six years ago.”

“I'll do that.”

Hugh moved quickly through the gloom of the living room and on down the hall. All of the main rooms opened onto the veranda, where Rainbird was standing. Hugh wanted the shortest approach to his quarry. From the sound of Rainbird's voice when he had given orders to Howard, the library would probably provide the ideal point from which to step out onto the veranda.

As soon as Hugh moved silently into the library, he saw he had calculated correctly. Through the open French windows he saw Rainbird standing with both hands planted on the veranda railing. He was peering into the darkness below him, obviously searching for the men who should have been returning on the double from the hunt for Mattie.

“Howard? Have you recalled them yet? Damn it, I said move, boy. I don't like this setup. Something's wrong. I want every available man back here right now.” Rainbird paused when there was no immediate response. “Howard?”

“Howard's busy, Colonel. You know how it is. Always a lot to do in the kitchen.” Hugh stepped out onto the veranda, his revolver in his hand.

“Abbott.” Rainbird swung around, clawing for a pistol that was stuck in his belt.

Hugh kicked out suddenly, aiming for the pistol. He caught it with the toe of his boot just as Rainbird started to aim. The weapon went flying over the railing.

“Still as fast as ever, aren't you?” Rainbird smiled thinly as he slowly lowered his hand.

“Not quite,” Hugh said. “But fast enough to do this job.”

“Do you think so? You were good, Abbott, but I was always a little quicker than you, remember? And unlike you, I've stayed in training for the past six years. Besides,” Rainbird taunted softly, “we both know you aren't hard enough to pull that trigger on an unarmed man. That was always your biggest weakness, Abbott. That and the fact that you didn't take orders very well.”

“You mean not well enough to walk into that trap you set in Los Rios? Why did you do it, Rainbird? That's the one thing we could never figure out. What was in it for you that made it worth trying to get the rest of us killed?”

“Money, of course. A great deal of money. And the timing couldn't have been better. You, Cormier, and Silk and the others were getting too difficult to control. You were asking too many questions about the jobs. Men who question their orders are useless to a good commander.”

“So you decided to get rid of us. I guess that makes sense from your point of view.” Hugh smiled bleakly. “You were smart to fake your own death when you realized that some of us hadn't died in that ambush. You knew we'd come looking if we thought you were still alive.”

“Cormier thought he'd seen a ghost when I came through the door,” Rainbird said with satisfaction. “You know, the old man was still surprisingly fast, too. He actually had his hands on that old Beretta of his when I shot him.”

“I know.”

Rainbird nodded. “So it was you who found him right afterward. I came back to clean up the place later after I'd secured the island. I realized someone else had been here. Footprints in the blood. Two rented vehicles parked nearby and no sign of anyone. And then I got word that you were looking for whoever had killed Cormier. Once you start something, you don't give up until you've finished, I'll say that much for you, Abbott. I knew I had to take you out along with Silk and the woman.”

“And a poor jerk named Rosey.”

Rainbird shrugged negligently. “He knew too much, and he was going to sell the info.”

“You were right about one thing. I wouldn't have stopped looking until I figured out who killed Paul.”

Rainbird smiled a gentle, vaguely regretful smile. “Yes. I understood that from the beginning.”

“It was a mistake to kill Cormier. But it was an even bigger mistake to involve Mattie in this.”

“Ah, yes. The very interesting Miss Sharpe. I congratulate you on her, Abbott. She is a woman after my own heart. She has spirit and intelligence. And a certain style. I like that. You'll forgive me if I say I'm rather surprised you had the brains to appreciate her. You were never the sort to understand or admire subtlety in a woman.”

“I might be a slow learner, Rainbird, but I do, eventually, catch on.”

“And have you learned to kill a man in cold blood?”

“I think that in your case I'll be able to handle it.”

Rainbird grinned, looking genuinely amused. “No, Abbott, I don't think so. You'll lose your nerve at the last minute. We both know it.”

In that instant a shot roared out through the jungle night, shattering the glass in the French window behind Hugh. Hugh fired over the edge of the railing and leaped for the cover of the darkened library.

Rainbird acted instantly, grabbing the knife out of his boot and launching himself after Hugh. Hugh spun around and raised the revolver. But he wasn't fast enough.

As always, Rainbird's incredible reflexes stood him in good stead.