Jack Higgins Read Free Page A

inside?”
    He grinned wickedly. “The girl, Jack, the girl on the speedboat. That feller Aleko’s sister-in-law or whatever. She was sitting on the terrace. She gave me a hand with you.” He wiped sweat from his eyes with the back of one hand. “By God, Jack, there’s a woman for you. Worth any ten I ever seed.”
    â€œAnd who undressed me?”
    â€œWhy, she did, Jack, who else? They had to come off. You were soaked. Shivering like a baby and that’s a woman’s work. They got the touch.” He cackled. “Anyway, my hands was dirty.”
    What a woman indeed . I got up and went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, the Saunder’s onlyconcession to modern living. It was lukewarm, but refreshing. I started to live again.
    Morgan leaned in the doorway and filled his old pipe. “Guyon came by to see you.”
    â€œHow was he?”
    â€œFine. He said the doctor told him to lay off diving for a week. I was thinking that might be convenient.” He hesitated. “Maybe I could help out.”
    I came out of the shower towelling myself briskly and shook my head. “Thanks, Morg, that’s good of you, but we’ll see how things work out.”
    It was a game we played, something to bolster up his self-esteem. He would never dive again. Once was all it would take and he was a dead man or insane for whatever span was left to him. He knew that and so did I, but the game kept him happy along with the drink.
    â€œGuyon was real excited about the Mirage, Jack,” he went on. “You could make a real killing there. Those Gypos should pay plenty for that baby. And I told him about that Ibrahim guy asking all those questions.”
    I pulled on a clean shirt and started to button it up. “What did he say?”
    â€œNothing much.” Morgan scratched his unshaven chin. “Hell, Jack, you know how Guyon is. He’s a funny guy to figure. He sure went off in a hurry, though.”
    I felt that coldness in my belly again and for the second time that day pushed it away, refused to acknowledge that something was wrong. The truth was that Sara Hamilton had filled my mind to the exclusion of all else, a disturbing sensation at my age. Not that I was against women. I was all for them in regular doses, but in their proper place which meant not intruding into the more important aspects of life.
    â€œYou going down to the bar now, Jack?” Morgan demanded eagerly.
    â€œI owe the man a drink, remember?”
    â€œAnd the girl.”
    He wiped a hand across his mouth, eyes bright, and I punched him in the shoulder gently. “All right, you old soak. You can come down.”
    He grinned like a schoolboy and scurried to get the door open for me. We went along the passage, still dark because of the power failure, and down a dozen broad marble steps into the hotel foyer.
    Kytros was behind the reception desk talking to his clerk. He waved. “I hear you tried to commit suicide again today.”
    â€œIt all depends on your point of view, Yanni,” I said. “But I’m alive and well and living in Bir el Gafani. You can buy me a drink on the strength of it.”
    â€œIn a little while,” he said. “Business—always business.”
    The bar was a large square room with french windows to one side giving a view over the harbour. There was gaming in the next room, but not until later, and to one side was the eighth wonder of the world, the famous Saunder’s long bar, about a mile of Victorian mahogany presided over by three of the most immaculate barmen I have ever seen anywhere, eager and able to serve you with any drink known to man or woman, however esoteric.
    It was early and the place was deserted except for Lady Sara Hamilton who sat at a beautiful old Schied-mayer square piano, another relic of Empire. It was Yanni’s especial pride, mainly because it said in faded gold lettering inside Specially made for the