During the
daylight hours, guests could admire... During the
daylight hours, guests could admire these docile champions in their well-appointed kennels without
realizing what they really wereNorman Swayne, Pentagon Procurements and alumnus of Medusa,
was merely a dog aficionado, attested to by the quality of his animals’ bloodlinesHe might very
well charge stud fees, but there was nothing in the canon of military ethics that precluded the
practiceIf one such aspect of the general’s “farm” was a sham, it had to follow that the estate
itself was a sham, as false as the “inheritance” that made its purchase possible
One of the two strange three-wheeled carts appeared far across the lawn, out of the shadows of
the house and down the exit road of the circular driveBourne focused on it, not surprised to see the
Weimaraner romp over and playfully race beside the vehicle, yapping and seeking approval from
the driverThe drivers were the handlers! The familiar scent of their bodies was
calming to the dogs, reassuring themThe observation formed the analysis and the analysis
determined his next tacticHe had to move, at least more freely than he was moving
prada fairy now, about the
general’s groundsTo do so he had to be in the company of a handlerHe had to take one of the
roving patrols; he raced back in the cover of the pine trees to his point of penetration
The mechanized, bulletproof vehicle stopped on the narrow path at midpoint between the two
front gates nearly obscured by the shrubbery; Jason adjusted his binocularsThe black Doberman
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
95
was apparently a favored dog; the driver opened the right panel as the animal sprang up, placing his
huge paws on the seatThe man chucked biscuits or pieces of meat into the wide, anticipating jaws,
then reached over and massaged the dog’s throat
Bourne knew instantly that he had only moments to put his uncertain strategy togetherHe had
to stop the cart and force the driver outside but without alarming the man, without giving him any
reason whatsoever to use his radio and call for helpThe dog? Lying in the road? No, the driver
might assume it had been shot from the other side of the fence and alert the houseWhat could he
do? He looked around in the near-total darkness feeling the
cartier pasha watch panic of indecision, his anxiety growing
as his eyes swept the areaThen, again, the obvious struck him
The large expanse of close-cropped manicured lawn, the precisely cut shrubbery, the swept
circular drive—neatness was the order of the general’s turfJason could almost hear Swayne
commanding his groundskeepers to “police the area!”
Bourne glanced over at the cart by the Doberman; the driver was playfully pushing the dog
away, about to close the shielded panelOnly seconds now! What? How?
He saw the outlines of a tree limb on the ground; a rotted branch had fallen from the pine above
himHe crossed quickly to it and crouched, yanking it out of the dirt and debris and dragged it
toward the paved asphaltTo lay it across the drive might appear too obvious a trap, but partially
on the road—an intrusion on the pervasive neatness—would be offensive to the eye, the task of
removing it better done now than later in the event the general drove out and saw it upon his return
The men in Swayne’s compound were either soldiers or ex-soldiers still under military authority;
they would try to avoid reprimands,
see by chloe bag especially over the inconsequentialThe odds were on Jason’s
sideHe gripped the base of the limb, swung it around and pushed it roughly five feet into the drive
He heard the panel of the cart slam shut; the vehicle rolled forward, gathering speed as Bourne
raced back into the darkness of the pine tree
The driver steered the vehicle around the dirt curve into the driveAs rapidly as he had
accelerated, he slowed down, his single headlight beam picking up the new obstruction protruding
on the roadHe approached it cautiously, at minimum speed, as if he were unsure of what it was;
then he realized what it was and rushed forwardWithout hesitation, he opened his side door, the
tall Plexiglas shield swinging forward as he stepped out on the drive and walked around the front of
the cart
“Big Rex, you’re one bad dog, buddy,” said the driver in a half-loud, very Southern voice
“What’d you drag out of there, you dumb bastard? The brass-plated asshole would shave your coat
for messing up his eestate! Rex? Rex, you come here, you fuckin’ hound!” The man grabbed the
limb and pulled it off the road under the pine tree into
chloe dior the shadows“Rex, you hear me! You
humpin’ knotholes, you horny stud?”
“Stay completely still and put your arms out in front of you,” said Jason Bourne, walking into
view
“Holy shit! Who are you?”
“Someone who doesn’t give a damn whether you live or die,” replied the intruder calmly
“You got a gun! I can see it!”
“So do youYours is in your holsterMine’s in my hand and it’s pointed at your head
“The dog! Where the hell’s the dawg?”
“Indisposed
“What?”
“He looks like a good dogHe could be anything a trainer wanted him to beYou don’t blame
the animal, you blame the human who taught it
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
96
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“I guess the bottom line is that I’d rather kill the man than the animal, do I make myself clear?”
“Nothin’s clear! I jest know this man don’t want to get killed
“Then let’s talk, shall we?”
“I got words, but only one life, mister
“Lower your right arm and take out your gun—by the fingers, mister The guard did so, holding
the weapon by his thumb and forefinger“Lob it toward me, please
“What the hell’s this all about?” cried the guard,
prada bags online pleading