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The old man stared at her, his
thin lips parted in astonishment, his eyes in shockJacques!? he whispered?My God, get out of here!?
?I beg your What??
The aged Frenchman quickly, with difficulty, rose to his feet, his head subtly, swiftly, jerking in
short movements as he scanned the lobby?You cannot be seen here, MrsWebb,? he said, his
voice still a whisper but no less harsh and commanding?Don?t look at me! Look at your watch The Deuxi?me veteran glanced away, nodding aimlessly at several people
in nearby chairs as he continued, his lips barely moving?Go out the door on the far left, the one
used for luggageHurry!?
?No!? replied Marie, her head down, her eyes on her watch?You know me but I don?t know
you! Who are you??
?A friend of your husband
?My God, is he here??
?The question is why are you here??
?I stayed at this hotel once beforeI thought he might remember it
?He did but in the wrong context, I?m afraidMon Dieu, he never would have chosen it
otherwise
?I won?t! I have to find himWhere is he??
?You will leave or you may find only his louis vuitton shoulder bag corpseThere?s a message for you in the Paris
Tribune??
?It?s in my purse?Memom?? ?
?Call in several hours
?You can?t do this to me
?You cannot do this to himYou?ll kill him! Get out of hereNow!?
Her eyes half blinded with fury and fear and tears, Marie started toward the left side of the
lobby, desperately wanting to look back, but just as desperately knowing she could not do soShe
reached the narrow set of glass double doors, colliding with a uniformed bellhop carrying suitcases
inside
?Pardon, madame!?
?Moi aussi,? she stammered, maneuvering again blindly around the luggage and out to the
pavementWhat could she do?what should she do? David was somewhere in the hotel?in the
hotel! And a strange man recognized her and warned her and told her to get out?get away! What
was happening? My God, someone?s trying to kill David! The old Frenchman had said as
much?who was itwho were they? Where were they?
Help me! For God?s sake, Jason, tell me what to dohelp me! She stood,
frozen, as taxis and limousines broke off from the noonday traffic and pulled up to the gucci purse Meurice?s
curb, where a gold-braided doorman under the huge canopy greeted newcomers and old faces and
sent bellboys scurrying in all directionsA large black limousine with a small discreet religious
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
286
insignia on its passenger door, the cruciform standard of some high office of the Church, inched its
way to the canopied areaMarie stared at the small emblem; it was circular and no more than six
inches in diameter, a globe of royal purple surrounding an elongated crucifix of goldShe winced
and held her breath; her panic now had a disturbing new dimensionShe had seen that insignia
before, and all she remembered was that it had filled her with horror
The limousine stopped; both curbside doors were opened by the smiling, bowing doorman as
five priests emerged, one from the front seat, four from the spacious rear sectionThose from the
back immediately, oddly, threaded their way into the noonday crowds of strollers on the pavement,
two forward in front of the vehicle, two behind it, one of the priests whipping past Marie, his black
coat replica tiffany making contact with her, his face so close she could see the blazing unpriestly eyes of a man
who was no part of a religious orderThen the association with the emblem, the religious
insignia, came back to her!
Years ago, when David?when Jason?was in maximum therapy with Panov, Mo had him
sketch, draw, doodle whatever images came to himTime and again that terrible circle with the thin
crucifix appeared invariably torn apart or stabbed repeatedly with the pencil pointThe Jackal!
Suddenly, Marie?s eyes were drawn to a figure crossing the rue de RivoliIt was a tall man in
dark clothes?a dark sweater and trousers?and he was limping, dodging the traffic, a hand
shielding his face from the drizzle that soon would turn into rainThe limp was false! The leg
straightened if only for an instant and the swing of the shoulder that compensated was a defiant
gesture she knew only too wellIt was David!
Another, no more than eight feet from her, also saw what she sawA miniature radio was
instantly brought to the man?s lipsMarie rushed forward, her extended hands the claws of chanel shoulder bag a tigress
as she lunged at the killer in priest?s clothing
?David!? she screamed, drawing blood from the face of the Jackal?s man
Gunshots filled the rue de RivoliThe crowds panicked, many running into the hotel, many more
racing away from the canopied entrance, all shrieking, yelling, seeking safety from the murderous
insanity that had suddenly exploded in the civilized streetIn the violent struggle with the man who
would kill her husband, the strong Canadian ranch girl ripped the automatic out of his belt and fired
it into his head; blood and membranes were blown into the air
?Jason!? she screamed again as the killer fell, instantly realizing that she stood alone with only
the corpse beneath her?she was a target! Then from certain death there was the sudden possibility
of lifeThe old aristocratic Frenchman who had recognized her in the lobby came crashing out of
the front entrance, his automatic weapon on repeat fire as he sprayed the black limousine, stopping
for an instant to switch his aim and shattering the legs of a ?priest? whose weapon was leveled fendi wholesale handbags at
h
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