Simon Hawke - Batman - To Stalk A Specter.pdf

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To Stalk A Specter - Batman
Simon Hawke
PROLOGUE
"Excuse me, Ambassador," said the maŒtre d', as he came up to the table. "There's a telephone call
for you, sir. The gentleman did not identify himself, but he said it was important. Do you wish to take the
call?"
"Yes, thank you, Phillipe. I'll take it."
The maŒtre d' handed him a remote phone handset.
The ambassador turned to his lunch companions and said, "Please excuse me for a moment," then put
the handset to his ear and identified himself.
"You requested my services," the caller said, speaking with a Continental accent. "There is a
telephone stall across the street. Go there now, please."
The connection was abruptly broken.
The ambassador made a pretense that there was still someone on the line. "Yes, I see," he said. "No,
no, I understand. I will have to see to it myself. I will be there directly." He handed the phone back to the
maŒtre d', turned to his companions, and said, "I fear something has come up at the embassy that
requires my immediate attention."
His companions assured him that they understood, and he excused himself and left the restaurant. He
stood on the sidewalk for a moment, waiting for a break in the busy lunch-hour traffic, then quickly
crossed the street to the phone stall opposite the restaurant. He walked up to the stall, looked around
briefly, and waited. A moment later, he heard someone behind him shout, "Hey, why don't you watch
where the hell you're going?"
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"Up yours, buddy."
"What did you say to me?"
"You heard me. I said, up yours!"
Behind him, two men were squared off in a confrontation on the sidewalk. The phone rang. He
picked it up at once.
"This is Specter," said the voice with the Continental accent.
The ambassador glanced around nervously. The two men behind him were shouting at each other
loudly and looked as if they were about to come to blows.
"The argument is merely a diversion to mask our conversation from any microphones in the vicinity,"
said the man who called himself Specter. "Forgive the elaborate precautions, but you are known to
frequent that particular restaurant, and its lines might have been tapped."
"You are a very careful man," the ambassador said.
"The nature of my work requires caution. I have decided to accept the contract."
Behind the ambassador, the argument was heating up and a crowd was gathering.
"The fee will be one million dollars inU.S.currency," said the Specter.
"One million!" the ambassador said with disbelief.
"It is non-negotiable. You will be contacted for the payment at your embassy reception next Friday.
The contact shall be a blond woman, wearing a black velvet cocktail dress with a diamond, star-shaped
brooch. You will compliment her on the dress and ask if it is a designer original. She will respond by
saying, 'Believe it or not, I made it myself from a pattern in a magazine,' and she will wink at you."
"You expect me to turn one million dollars over to her at the reception?" said the ambassador,
astonished.
"Of course not. You will be seen flirting with her. She will make it easy for you. You will leave the
reception with her and she will accompany you home, where you will deliver the money, in packets of
one-hundred-dollar bills. For the sake of appearances, she will remain with you for several hours, then
you will send her home in your car. She will instruct the driver where to let her out. As this will not be an
unusual pattern of behavior for you, it should arouse no suspicion in the event that you are being
watched."
"I beg your pardon!" protested the ambassador. "How would you know about---" But the man had
already hung up.
"Don't push me!"
"Why, what are you gonna do about it, jerk?"
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"Who you callin' a jerk?"
"I'm callin' you a jerk, you jerk!"
"Get your damn hands off me! You push me one more time and so help me, I'll . . ."
"You'll what? Come on, you want a piece of me? Come on! Put 'em up!"
"All right, break it up, break it up," said a cop, pushing his way through the crowd.
The ambassador hung up the phone and quickly crossed the street, heading toward his waiting
embassy car. The two antagonists on the sidewalk instantly calmed down in the presence of the police
officer and, after a few admonishing words from him, went their separate ways. The crowd dispersed.
"You get anything?" said the federal agent in the car across the street.
His partner took off his headphones, lowered the small dish mike, and shook his head. "What, with all
that noise? Forget it. I couldn't make out a thing."
"Terrific. You think it was a setup?"
"Nah, he was probably calling some bimbo. Didn't want to do it from the restaurant, where he could
be overheard. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time."
"Why didn't he just use the car phone?"
"Hmm. Good question."
"You got a good answer?"
"Nope."
"Neither do I."
"You don't suppose he spotted us?"
"I don't know." The agent reached for the cellular phone. "I don't like it. There's something going on."
"You think it's about Garcia?"
"I don't think it's about some bimbo." He spoke into the phone. "This is Jernigan. Put me through to
Chambers."
Chapter One
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"Good evening. This is Roger Greeley, and here is tonight's news. The controversy over the arrest of
Latin American strongman Desiderio Garcia continues unabated. At a press conference earlier this
afternoon, the White House made its first official response to the protests over the capture of General
Garcia. For details on that story, we go to Connie Williams, inWashington."
The camera cut to an attractive, dark-haired, extremely well-groomed woman standing on the stairs in
front of the State Department building.
"Roger, for the first time since the daring midnight raid on the private fortress villa of General
Desiderio Garcia by a crack team of Delta Force commandos and agents of the CIA, the White House
has issued a statement in reply to protests lodged by several foreign governments concerning the manner
of General Garcia's capture. Atfour o'clockthis afternoon, White House Press secretary Walter Davies
made a short statement concerning the arrest of General Garcia and then took questions from the White
House press corps."
The camera cut to a tape of the press conference. Press Secretary Davies, a heavy-set, balding man
in a dark blue suit, stood behind a bank of microphones at the podium.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "I will read a short statement, and then I will take your
questions. 'It is the position of the government of theUnited Statesthat the arrest of General Garcia was
conducted in a manner according to our laws and was entirely justified. In addition to illegally nullifying
the free and democratic elections of his country, General Garcia is, and has been for quite some time, an
international drug-trafficker, with known connections to a number of terrorist organizations, which he has
not only supported with arms and funds from his traffic in cocaine, but also provided with bases for use
as training camps. His arrest was executed in accordance with a federal warrant, citing his drug smuggling
and terrorist activities, as well as his direct involvement in a plot involving a planned assassination attempt
against a number of delegates to the United Nations. Pending his trial in federal court at Gotham City,
General Garcia will be accorded the same rights and legal representation as any American citizen, under
due process of law.' That concludes the statement. I will take your questions now."
"Mr. Davies, has the President made any response to the protests from China, Cuba, and a number of
the Mideast countries?"
"The President's position on the matter is reflected by the statement I've just read," Davies replied.
"What about the claim that General Garcia was seized illegally, kidnapped on his own soil?"
"Our laws give us the right to execute federal warrants on foreign soil when it concerns terrorists who
pose a threat to the security of the people and government of the United States," said Davies.
"What about the opinion of the World Court?"
"It is just that, Sam, an opinion. We are not legally bound by it."
"Does the government have any documented proof of General Garcia's involvement in drug traffic?"
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"We feel that we have ample evidence that will stand up in a court of law," said Davies.
"What about this alleged assassination plot? Can you give us any more details? Who, specifically,
were the targets, and how does General Garcia tie into it?"
"I am not, at this moment, at liberty to go into that," said Davies.
"But you said he was directly involved."
"That is correct. We have evidence of that."
"What form of evidence?"
"I am not at liberty to say."
"Does the government have a witness?"
"I believe I've already answered that question."
"What about international opinion?"
"Great Britain has expressed support of our action," Davies replied, "saying that it was fully justified,
and we have received statements of support from the governments of Canada, Australia, France, and a
number of other nations as well. I might also add that we have overwhelming support from the American
people?"
"Mr. Davies, in light of the protest from Russia, do you think this will affect the upcoming summit and
our growing relations with that country?"
"A great deal of that will depend on them, but no, I do not believe it will."
"What about the general's claim, as reported by his attorneys, that as someone who is not a citizen of
the United States, he isn't subject to our laws?"
"General Garcia is entitled to claim anything he wants," said Davies. "The matter will be up to the
courts to decide. Thank you very much. That will be all for now."
There were several more shouted questions, but Davies ignored them and left the podium. The
camera cut back to Connie Williams.
"Press Secretary Davies left a number of key questions unanswered," she said, "such as the details of
the alleged assassination plot against members of the UN and the specific nature of the evidence the
government has against General Garcia. It would be logical to assume that the government has at least
one witness who can testify to these allegations, but Mr. Davies did not confirm or deny that. As for the
popular support that Secretary Davies cited, according to our own poll, that support is, indeed,
overwhelming. When asked if they supported the actions of the government in the arrest of General
Garcia, sixty-eight percent of those polled said yes, ten percent said no, and twenty-two percent had no
opinion. Reporting from the State Department, this is Connie Williams."
The camera cut back to the anchorman. "In other news tonight, an autopsy confirmed drug overdose
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