Читать книгу The Spoilers / Juggernaut - Desmond Bagley, Desmond Bagley - Страница 26

Follet’s plan was so diabolical that it raised the hairs on the back of Warren’s head. He said, ‘You’ve got an evil mind, Johnny.’

‘I guess so,’ said Follet insouciantly. ‘There’s a part for everyone – the more the merrier. But for Christ’s sake take it seriously; it’s got to look good and real.’

Tell me more about this man.’

‘He’s assistant to the Chief Clerk in the Stores Department of the company. That means he issues goods against indents and keeps the books on quantities. He’s just the guy to have the information you need – or to be in a position to get it. There’s no money involved because he never handles it; all that is done by the main office. That’s a pity in a way because we lose a chance of really hooking him.’

‘Why don’t we just bribe him?’ asked Tozier.

‘Because the guy’s honest, that’s why – or a reasonable facsimile. Suppose we tried to bribe him and it didn’t take? He’d report to his bosses and the information would be whisked out of that office so fast that we wouldn’t get another chance at it. And they might tell the police and then we’d be in trouble.’

‘They might not tell the police,’ said Warren. ‘We don’t know how much this firm is involved with Speering, but it’s my guess that it’s in on the whole thing. It must be. Any firm issuing certain chemicals and equipment has a damned good idea of what they’ll be used for. It’s my guess that this crowd is in it up to its collective neck.’

‘What thing?’ asked Follet alertly.

‘Never mind, Johnny; carry on with what you were saying.’

Follet shrugged. ‘This guy – Javid Raqi – is a bright boy. He speaks English well, he’s had a good education and he’s ambitious. I guess that chief clerk won’t last long with friend Javid on his heels. He has only one flaw – he’s a gambler.’

Tozier smiled. ‘Your flaw, Johnny?’

‘Not mine,’ said Follet promptly. ‘He’s a sucker gambler. Now, that doesn’t mean he’s a fool. He’s learned to play poker – the guys working on the gas line taught him – and he’s a good player. I know because he’s gotten some of my dough right now, and I didn’t have to let him win it, either – he gouged it out of me like a pro. But it means he can be got at – he can be had; and once he’s been got at then we squeeze him goddam hard.’

Warren wrinkled his nose distastefully. ‘I wish there were some other way of doing this.’

‘Never give a sucker an even break,’ said Follet, and turned to Tozier. ‘The whole scheme hinges on that videotape gadget. How well does it work?’

‘I have it set up in my room; it works very well.’

‘That I have to see for myself,’ said Follet. ‘Let’s all go up there.’

They all went up to Tozier’s room and Tozier switched on the TV and pointed to the videotape machine. ‘There it is. It’s already connected to the TV set.’

The machine looked very much like an ordinary tape recorder, although bulkier than most. The tape, however, was an inch wide and the reels were oversized. Follet bent down and examined it interestedly. ‘I’d like to get this just right; this gadget will take in everything – sight and sound both?’

‘That’s it,’ said Tozier.

‘How’s the quality?’

‘If you use the video-camera there’s a bit of blurring, particularly on movement, but if you take a taping of a TV programme then the reproduction is indistinguishable from the original.’ He looked at the TV screen. ‘I’ll show you now.’

A man was speaking and his voice was heard as Tozier turned up the volume. Warren did not know the language but it seemed to be a news broadcast because the man disappeared and a street scene replaced him, although his voice continued. Tozier bent down and flicked a switch and the reels began to turn, much faster than a normal recording machine. ‘We’re recording now.’

‘That tape’s fairly whipping through,’ commented Follet. ‘How long can you record?’

‘An hour.’

‘Hell, that’s plenty.’ He regarded the television screen for a while, then said, ‘Okay, let’s have a repeat.’

Tozier ran the tape back and switched the television set to a previously selected unused channel. He stopped the recorder and set it to playback, then snapped the starting switch. On the television screen appeared the street scene they had just witnessed, together with the voice of the announcer.

Follet bent forward with a critical eye on the screen. ‘Hey, this quality’s fine. It’s just about as good as the original, like you said. This is going to work.’

He straightened. ‘Now, look, the action starts on Saturday and you’ve got to get it right. Not only have you got to get every word right, but the way you say the word. No false notes.’ He looked at them appraisingly. ‘You’re amateurs at this game, so we’ll have some rehearsals. Imagine we’re putting on a play and I’m the producer. You only have to play to an audience of one.’

‘I can’t act,’ said Bryan. ‘I never could.’

‘That’s okay – you can work this television gadget. As for the rest of us – I’ll play the easy guy, Andy does the hard-nosed stuff, and Warren can be the boss.’ Follet grinned as he saw the expression on Warren’s face. ‘You don’t say much and you say it quietly. The way I figure it the less acting you do the better. An ordinary conversational tone can sound real menacing in some situations.’

He looked about the room. ‘Now, where do we put Ben and the videotape?’

Tozier went to the window, opened it and looked out. ‘I think I can run a line into your room, Johnny. We can settle Ben in there.’

‘Good enough,’ said Follet. He slapped his hands together, ‘Okay, first rehearsal – beginners, please.’