Sulikov offered nothing but a stiff, cold...
Sulikov offered nothing but a stiff, cold handshake and a stiffly
upholstered armchairHe stood in front of the suite’s narrow mantel of white marble as though it
were a classroom blackboard, his hands clasped behind him, an agitated professor about to question
and lecture simultaneously an annoying, disputatious graduate student
“To our business,” said the Russian curtly“You are aware of Admiral Peter Holland?”
“Yes, of courseHe’s the director of the Central Intelligence AgencyWhy do you ask?”
“Is he one of you?”
“No
“Are you quite sure?”
“Of course I am
“Is it possible he became one of you without your knowledge?”
“Certainly not, I don’t even know the manAnd if this is some kind of amateurish interrogatory,
Soviet style, practice on someone else
“Ohh, the fine expensive American attorney objects to being asked simple questions?”
“I object to being insultedYou black fendi spy made an astonishing statement over the phoneI’d like it
explained, so please get to it
“I’ll get to it, Counselor, believe me, I’ll get to it, but in my own fashionWe Russians protect
our flanks; it’s a lesson we learned from the tragedy and the triumph of Stalingrad—an experience
you Americans never had to endure
“I came from another war, as you well know,” said Ogilvie coolly, “but if the history books are
accurate, you had some help from your Russian winter
“That’s difficult to explain to thousands upon thousands of frozen Russian corpses
“Granted, and you have both my condolences and my congratulations, but it’s not the
explanation—or even the lack of one—that I requested
“I’m only trying to explain a truism, young manAs has been said, it’s the painful lessons of
history we don’t know about that we are bound to repeatYou see, we do protect our flanks, and
if lady dior bag some of us in the diplomatic arena suspect that we have been duped into international
embarrassment, we reinforce those flanksIt’s a simple lesson for one so erudite as yourself,
Counselor
“And so obvious, it’s trivialWhat about Admiral Holland?”
“In a momentFirst, let me ask you about a man named Alexander Conklin
Bryce Ogilvie bolted forward in the chair, stunned“Where did you get that name?” he asked,
barely audibleSomeone called Panov, Mortimer or Moishe Panov, a Jewish physician, we
believeAnd finally, Counselor, a man and a woman we assume are the assassin Jason Bourne and
his wife
“My God!” exclaimed Ogilvie, his body angled and tense, his eyes wide“What have these
people got to do with us?”
“That’s what we have to know,” answered Sulikov, staring at the Wall Street lawyer“You’re
obviously aware of each one, aren’t you?”
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE miu miu coffer ULTIMATUM
343
“Well, yes—no!” protested Ogilvie, his face flushed, his words spilling over one another“It’s
an entirely different situationIt has nothing to do with our business—a business we’ve poured
millions into, developed for twenty years!”
“And made millions in return, Counselor, may I be permitted to remind you of that?”
“Venture capital in the international markets!” cried the attorney“That’s no crime in this
countryMoney flows across the oceans with the touch of a computer buttonNo crime!”
“Really?” The Soviet consul general arched his brows“I thought you were a better attorney
than that statement suggestsYou’ve been buying up companies all over Europe through mergers
and acquisitions using surrogate and misleading corporate entitiesThe firms you acquire represent
sources of supply, often in the same markets, and you subsequently determine prices balenciaga dix motorcycle between
former competitorsI believe that’s called collusion and restraint of trade, legal terms that we in the
Soviet Union have no problems with, as the state sets prices
“There’s no evidence whatsoever to support such charges!” declared Ogilvie
“Of course not, as long as there are liars and unscrupulous lawyers to bribe and advise the liars
It’s a labyrinthine enterprise, brilliantly executed, and we’ve both profited from itYou’ve sold us
anything we’ve wanted or needed for years, including every major item on your government’s
restricted lists under so many names our computers broke down trying to keep track of them insisted the Wall Street attorney emphatically
“I’m not interested in such proof, CounselorI’m only interested in the names I mentioned to
youIn order, they are Admiral Holland, Alexander Conklin, DrPanov and, lastly, Jason Bourne
and his wifePlease tell me about sac hermes kelly them