The Death Dealers Read Free Page A

enough to squelch our talk, and sat back in the armchair. “Let’s have it, Lennie.”
    He didn’t waste words, getting right to the point. “We got the Skyline signal through London, but the transmission was slow and we don’t know what has elapsed since it was received. Tedesco can be dead by now or not. There’s no word on his activity coming through at all. Central thinks that it’s a deliberate cover-up. Teddy was there illegally and there’s no way of proving he ever entered or came out. Our State Department isn’t talking and neither is the bunch over there. We can’t squawk and they aren’t offering any information. It’s as if the entire situation doesn’t exist at all.”
    “That’s what I thought,” I said.
    “Did you know anything about his mission?”
    “No.”
    Lennie nodded. “It was pretty tight, even with us.”
    “It’s always like that, kid.”
    “Maybe you’re familiar with the topography of Selachin.”
    “Half desert, half mountain range. I’ve flown over it, that’s about all.”
    “Then you have it right. Anyway, like a lot of those undeveloped areas that are hot spots in the political war these days, they keep gaining importance. About two years ago an enterprising engineer from Indiana uncovered a vast oil reserve in the foothills of the east range of hills. However, it wasn’t the usual type of thing. The oil has to be extracted by a new process that one of our major companies has been experimenting with for about ten years.
    “Briefly, if this oil field proves out, it puts this previously small principality in a position of equality with Saudi Arabia. That means both the U.S. and the Commie group will be fighting to get control of the field.
    “Luckily for us, we had the jump. It was one of our men who found it and our experimental processing is years ahead of anybody else’s. To be sure of what we had, Washington sent in two military technicians and began courting Teish El Abin, the King of Selachin, and suddenly this little creep gets off his donkey and blossoms out in Cadillacs. Naturally, the Reds caught the move and scouted around till they found out why. Now it looks like they’re romancing Teish, putting the hook into our men until they can gain the time to develop their own process for the oil recovery.”
    “What happened to the two technicians?”
    “Dead,” Lennie said. “What else? They were caught in an apparent landslide. Teddy’s last report said it wasn’t an accident at all. Those boys were murdered.”
    “Any complaints from State?”
    “There couldn’t be without revealing their hand. They have to play this one cute. If they accuse the Soviets it will bounce back in a fine propaganda move throughout the Middle East of how we’re trying to exploit the poor, poor peasants. Meanwhile, the Reds gain time. They’re closer to the operation than we are and have more latitude of action. What Washington is doing is wooing Teish. He’s due here in two days for some big festivities and comes in with his hand out like all the rest.”
    “Any b.g. on the guy?”
    “Very little. Until now he’s been more like a local chieftain. They have dozens more like him, but he’s got an adviser named Sarim Shey who was educated in London and knows all the ropes and this snake is playing for the highest stakes. What Central is afraid of is one thing ... Sarim Shey is political. When he was a student he tied in with the Commie groups and there’s a strong indication he went the Moscow Institute route too. If that’s the case, he’s strictly leaning toward the Red end.”
    “What was Teddy’s assignment?”
    “To see if there was an oil reserve that could be developed and act as a buffer if any of the Soviets moved in. Someplace along the line he was spotted. Central thinks he’s dead. They couldn’t afford to let him stay alive.”
    “And now I move in,” I said.
    Lennie shook his head. “No. You’re to stay here. Our intelligence thinks there will