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he told her. "Let's get back to this attempt to do you in." "What do you
suspect?"
"That it, obviously, ties in with the death of your brother," he replied. "And
the murder of Eve Bascom."
"That awful woman." She gave an angry shake of her head. "Do you think she's
responsible for what happened to Arnie?"
"Other way around," he said. "Whilst he was in Managua, Nicaragua, he found
out something that certain folks didn't want him to make known."
"And he tried to use that information to turn some kind of profit for
himself?."
Gomez nodded. "That's a pattern of his?"
"It wasn't easy being Arnold Maxfield, Jr." His sister looked out into the
night. "Arnie was never really quite up to the job. He was forever looking for
ways to get ahold of big money of his own. His ambition was to start a
communications network of his own--to rival my father's." She shook her head.
"He never would have succeeded."
"You were down there the same time he was."
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"On separate business," Karla said, "following up a report on a romance
between a couple of pea brained vidwall stars for my fax weekly
"Any idea what your brother stumbled onto?" "Not at all. He never much
confided in me." "Somebody apparently believes he did." "That I
can't help." Leaning forward, Gomez rested his hand on his knee. "He ever
mention something called Surrogate 13 to you?" "No--what is it?"
"Quin sabe? We sure don't know as yet," he said. "Who else was he especially
cordial with in Managua? Somebody who
I'
could've been a source of the dangerous information he picked
! up?"
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Karla said, "I don't know if Eve ever found out about this, but
Arnie was also having an affair of sons with a woman who teaches at the
Federal Univ--"
"Ay!" He sat up. "Was it Dr. Izabel Morgana?"
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"Yes, that's her." Her eyes widened. "How'd you--"
"Her name's come up before, though not in this context."
Karla told him, "Arnie always denied this, but I'm fairly certain that
Izabel is tied in with the Angeles Rojos."
"The Red Angels, huh? That's the killer squad that, unofficially, takes care
of enemies of the state."
"Yes, and I've been wondering if she didn't have them take care of my
brother," she said. "I was sure from the beginning that his death wasn't
accidental."
"We're planning to head for Nicaragua soon. Dr. Morgana is someone
I'll look up."
"Approach her very carefully," she advised. "And you might find out about
Dominic Hersh. He's supposedly just an Executive
Diplomatic Secretary with our American Embassy. I think he's an
OCC man and is pretty much running American intelligence operations in
Nicaragua. Arnie had dealings with Dominic, too."
Gomez asked, "Anything else?"
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"I almost wish I could head back down there with you," she said. "But
I've wangled an invitation to travel for a while with
President Brookmeyer's Cracker Barrel Express."
"Got a lead on some scandal?"
She smiled. "It just might be a big one."
"Details?"
"Nothing to do with your case."
"Don't let me spoil your scoop, then." He stood. "Well,
buenas noches."
"You're doing it again."
JAKE MOVED BACK from the spy hole sliding out his stun gun "You carrying a
weapon?" he asked Quatermain.
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"I have a lazgun on me," answered the bearded guide. "But if you want any
fancy shooting, that's extra money."
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"Just back me up." Jake started back down the narrow alley. "I don't require
anybody shot."
Inside the building the robot slapped the girl yet again. "Somebody had better
start talking," warned Anger. Jake halted next to the doorway.
Then he leaped into the light, aimed and fired at Sunny.
The beam of the stun gun shoved the robot ahead, away from the fire.
He dropped the girl and she fell at his feet. As Sunny went stumbling forward,
he tripped over her, went sprawling and then dropped flat out on the stone
floor, disabled. "Set down your gun, Nate," suggested
Jake, stepping further into the room.
"Like hell." The oeo agent threw himself to the side. He slammed into a high
bookshelf, started to swing his lazgun around to fire at Jake.
Jake dived for the floor. Before he had a chance to fire at Anger, a young man
had grabbed up his own stun rifle and shot at the agent.
The beam hit him in the chest. He went bumping into the bookshelf, arms
flapping. He sat abruptly, passed over into unconsciousness. A
dozen or more heavy books came falling down to hit at him.
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Walking over, Jake picked up the dropped lazgun. Tucking it away in a jacket
pocket, he turned his attention to the fallen young woman.
"How're you doing?"
"I'm okay--sort of." She accepted his hand and got, somewhat shaky still, to
her feet.
The other Bookworms, gathering up their weapons, had rushed from the building
and scattered.
From the doorway Quatermain inquired, "Will you be wanting any shooting now?"
"Nope." Jake turned to the young woman. She was thin, wearing a dark tunic and
dark trousers tucked into black boots. "There's no reason for you to trust me,
but I hope you will. I'm Jake Cardigan, with the
Cosmos Detective Agency."
"My name's Janine," she said. "And, yeah, I trust you--you saved me from those
two bastards."
He gestured at Sunny and Anger. "They're with the Office of
Clandestine Operations," he told her. "Apparently they're hunting for the same
person I am."
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"Alicia Bower, would that be?" "Is she down here somewhere?" Janine nodded.
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"Yes." "Do you know where?"
"It's not a very safe place to go, but I can take you," she offered.
"Sock him with a hefty fee," advised Quatermain.
"No charge," she said to Jake. "I owe you one."
QUATERMAIN MADE A grumbling sound. "This, pilgrim, is as far as I
go."
They were deeper underground now, the air was mustier and the light dimmer.
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