Take some advice from an old Company man, he said, handing Guy a glass of Scotch. Theres no such thing as a coincidental meeting. There are only planned encounters.
Coincidence or not, said Guy, Willy Maitland could be the break Ive been waiting for.
Or she could be nothing but trouble.
Whatve I got to lose?
Your life?
Come on, Toby! Youre the only one I can trust to give me a straight answer.
It was a long time ago. I wasnt directly connected to the case.
But you were in Vientiane when it happened. You must remember something about the Maitland file.
Only what I heard in passing, none of it confirmed. Hell, it was like the Wild West out there. Rumors flying thickern the mosquitoes.
But not as thick as you covert-action boys.
Toby shrugged. We had a job to do. We did it.
You remember who handled the Maitland case?
Had to be Mike Micklewait. I know he was the case officer who debriefed that villagerthe one who came in for the reward.
Did Micklewait think the man was on the level?
Probably not. I know the villager never got the reward.
Why wasnt Maitlands family told about all this?
Hey, Maitland wasnt some poor dumb draftee. He was working for Air America. In other words, CIA. Thats a job you dont talk about. Maitland knew the risks.
The family deserved to hear about any new evidence. Guy thought about the surreptitious way Willy and her mother had learned of it.
Toby laughed. There was a secret war going on, remember? We werent even supposed to be in Laos. Keeping families informed was at the bottom of anyones priority list.
Was there some other reason it was hushed up? Something to do with the passenger?
Tobys eyebrows shot up. Where did you hear that rumor?
Willy Maitland. She heard there was a Lao on board. Everyones denying his existence, so my guess is he was a very important person. Who was he?
I dont know. Toby wheeled around and looked out the open window of his apartment. From the darkness came the sounds and smells of the Bangkok streets. Meat sizzling on an open-air grill. Women laughing. The rumble of a tuk-tuk. There was a hell of a lot going on back then. Things we never talked about. Things we were even ashamed to talk about. What with all the agents and counteragents and generals and soldiers of fortune, you could never really be sure who was running the place. Everyone was pulling strings, trying to get rich quick. I couldnt wait to get the hell out. He slapped the wheelchair in anger. And this is where I end up. Great retirement. Sighing, he leaned back and stared out at the night. Let it be, Guy, he said softly. If youre rightif someones out to hit Maitlands kidthen this is too hot to handle.
Toby, thats the point! Why is the case so hot? Why, after all these years, would Maitlands brat be making them nervous? What do they think shell
find out?
Does she know what shes getting into?
I doubt it. Anyway, nothingll stop this dame. Shes a chip off the old block.
Meaning shes trouble. Howre you going to get her to work with you?
Thats the part I havent figured out yet.
Theres always the Romeo approach.
Guy grinned. Ill keep it in mind.
In fact, that was precisely the tactic hed been considering all evening. Not because he was so sure it would work, but because she was an attractive woman and he couldnt help wondering what she was really like under that tough-gal facade.
Alternatively, Toby said, you could try telling her the truth. That youre not after her. Youre after the three million bounty.
Two million.
Two million, three million, whats the difference? Its a lot of dough.
And I could use a lot of help, Guy said with quiet significance.
Toby sighed. Okay, he said, at last wheeling around to look at him. You want a name, Ill give you one. May or may not help you. Try Alain Gerard, a Frenchman, living these days in Saigon. He used to have close ties with the Company, knew all the crap going on in Vientiane.
Ex-Company and living in Saigon? Why havent the Vietnamese kicked him out?
Hes useful to them. During the war he made his money exporting, shall we say, raw pharmaceuticals. Now hes turned humanitarian in his old age. U.S. trade embargoes cut the Viets off from Western markets. Gerard brings in medical supplies from France, antibiotics, X-ray film. In return, they let him stay in the country.
Can I trust him?
Hes ex-Company.
Then I cant trust him.
Toby grunted. You seem to trust me.
Youre different.
Thats only because I owe you, Barnard. Though I often think you shouldve left me to burn in that plane. Toby kneaded his senseless thighs. No one has much use for half a man.
Doesnt take legs to make a man, Toby.
Ha. Tell that to Uncle Sam. Using his powerful arms, Toby shifted his weight in the chair. Whenre you leaving for Saigon?
Tomorrow morning. I moved my flight up a few days. Guys palms were already sweating at the thought of boarding that Air France plane. He tossed back a mind-numbing gulp of Scotch. Wish I could take a boat instead.
Toby laughed. Youd be the first boat person going back to Vietnam. Still scared to fly, huh?