| DeSole the Mute Mole, they called him, but would not pay him for his expertise, the very
expertise that prohibited him from going into the private sector, surrounding him with so many
legal restrictions that it was pointless to applySomeday Washington would learn; that day would
not come in his lifetime, so six grandchildren had made the decision for himThe empathetic new
Medusa had beckoned with generosity, and in his bitterness he had come running
He rationalized that it was no more an unethical decision on his part than those made every year
by scores of Pentagon personnel who walked out of Arlington and into the corporate arms of their
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
175
old friends the defense contractorsAs an army colonel once said to him, ?It?s work now and get
paid later,? and God knew that one Steven DeSole worked like hell for his country, but his country
hardly reciprocated in kindHe hated the name Medusa, though, and rarely if ever used it because it
was a symbol from another time, repica rolex watches ominous and misleadingThe great oil companies and railroads
sprang from the chicanery and the venality of the robber barons, but they were not now what they
were thenMedusa may have been born in the corruption of a war-ravaged Saigon, its early funding
may have been a result of it, but that Medusa no longer existed; it had been replaced by a dozen
different names and companiesDeSole, no American-controlled international conglomerate is,? said his
recruiter, ?and it?s true that we seek what some might call unfair economic advantage based on
privileged informationYou see, we have to because our competitors
throughout Europe and the Far East consistently have itThe difference between them and us is that
their governments support their efforts?ours doesn?tDeSole, trade and profits
They?re the healthiest pursuits on earthChrysler may not like Toyota, but the astute MrIacocca
does not call for an air strike against TokyoHe finds ways to join forces with the
Japanese
Yes, mused DeSole as the limousine came white chanel j12 watch to a stop ten feet away from himWhat he did for the
?corporation,? which he preferred to call it, as opposed to what he did for the Company, might even
be considered benevolentProfits, after all, were more desirable than bombs and his
grandchildren would go to the finest schools and universities in the countryTwo men got out of
the limousine and approached him
?What?s this Webb look like?? asked Albert Armbruster, chairman of the Federal Trade
Commission, as they walked along the edge of the parking lot
?I only have a description from the gardener, who was hiding behind a fence thirty feet away
?What did he tell you?? The unidentified associate of the chairman, a short stocky man with
penetrating dark eyes and dark eyebrows beneath dark hair, looked at DeSole?Be precise,? he
added
?Now, just a minute,? protested the analyst defensively but firmly?I?m precise in everything I
say, and, frankly, whoever you are, I don?t like the tone of your voice one bit
?He?s upset,? said Armbruster, as if his louis vuitton replicas associate was dismissible?He?s a spaghetti head from
New York and doesn?t trust anybody
?Who?s to trust in New Yawk?? asked the short, dark man, laughing and poking his elbow into
the wide girth of Albert Armbruster?You WASPs are the worst, you got the banks, amico!?
?Let?s keep it that way and out of the courtsThe description, please?? The chairman looked
at DeSole
?It?s incomplete, but there is a long-ago tie-in with Medusa that I?ll describe?precisely
?Go ahead, pal,? said the man from New York
?He?s rather large?tall, that is?and in his late forties or early fifties and??
?Has he got some gray around his temples?? asked Armbruster, interrupting
?Well, yes, I think the gardener said something to that effect?graying, or gray in his hair, or
something like thatIt?s obviously why he judged him to be in his forties or fifties
?It?s Simon,? said Armbruster, looking at the New Yorker
?Who?? DeSole stopped, as the other two stopped and looked at him
?He called himself Simon, and he knew all about you, MrCIA,? louis vuitton messenger bag said the chairman?About you
and Brussels and our whole thing
?What are you talking about??
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
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?For starters, your goddamn fax machine exclusively between you and that fruitcake in
Brussels
?It?s a buried, dedicated line! It?s locked up!?
?Someone found the key, MrPrecision,? said the New Yorker, not smiling
?Oh, my God, that?s terrible! What should I do??
?Make up a story between you and Teagarten, but do it from public phones,? continued the
mafioso?One of you will come up with somethingBrussels??
?There?s very little I don?t know
?That son of a bitch conned me into thinking he was one of us and he had me by the balls!? said
Armbruster angrily, continuing to walk along the edge of the parking lot, the other two joining him,
DeSole hesitantly, apprehensively?He seemed to know everything, but when I think back, he only
brought up bits and pieces?damned big bits and pieces like Burton and you and Brussels?and I,
like a fucking idiot, filled in a hell of a lot chanel denim bag mor |
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