Not only was there a third life in the balance, a third unrelated, unwarranted death, but a killer who
could be his shortcut to the crimes of the new Medusa, and those crimes were his bait for the
Jackal! A diversion, a magnet, a trap the flares?part of the equipment he had brought with him
to ManassasThe two emergency ?candles? were in his left rear pocket, each six inches long and
bright enough to be seen for miles; ignited together yet spaced apart they would light up Swayne?s
property like two searchlightsOne in the south drive, the other by the kennels, possibly waking the
drugged dogs, bewildering them, infuriating them?Do it! Hurry
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
135
Jason scrambled across the lawn, his eyes darting everywhere, wondering where the stalking
killer was and how the innocent quarry that Cactus had enlisted was evading himOne was
experienced, the other not, and Bourne could not permit the latter?s life to be wasted
It happened! He had been spotted! Two cracks on either side of him, bullets from a silenced
pistol slicing the airHe reached the south leg of the paved drive and, racing http://www.ooluxury.com/category_3_Chloe_1.html" target="_blank across it, dived into
the foliageRipping a flare from his pocket, he put down the weapon, snapped up the flame of his
lighter, ignited the fuse and threw the sizzling candle to his rightIt landed on the road; in seconds
it would spew out the blinding fireHe ran to his left beneath the pine trees toward the rear of the
estate, his lighter and the second flare in one hand, the automatic in the otherHe was parallel to the
kennels; the flare in the road exploded into bluish-white flamesHe ignited the second and threw it
end over end, arcing it forty yards away to the front of the kennels
The second flare burst into sputtering fire, two balls of blinding white light eerily illuminating
the house and grounds of the estate?s south sideThree of the dogs began to wail, then made feeble
attempts to howl; soon their confused anger would be heardAgainst the west wall of
the white house?it moved, caught in the light between the flare by the kennels and the houseThe
figure darted for the protection of the shrubbery; it crouched, an immobile but intrusive part of the
silhouetted foliageWas it the killer or the killer?s target, http://www.enluxury.com/scategory_21_Tiffany-Jewelry.html" target="_blank the last ?brother? recruited by Cactus?
There was one way to find out, and if it was the former and he was a decent marksman, it was not
the best tactic, but still it was the quickest
Bourne leaped up from the underbrush, yelling in full view as he lunged to his right, at the last
half second plunging his foot into the soft dirt and pivoting, lowering his body and diving to his
left?Head for the cabin!? he roaredAnd he got his answerTwo more spits, two more cracks in
the air, the bullets digging up the earth to his rightThe killer was good; perhaps not an expert but
good enough57 held six shells; five had been fired, but there had been sufficient time to
reload the emptied cylinderAnother strategy?quickly!
Suddenly another figure appeared, a man running up the road toward the rear of Flannagan?s
cabinHe was in the open?he could be killed!
?Over here, you bastard!? screamed Jason, jumping up and firing his automatic blindly into the
shrubbery by the houseAnd then he got another answer, a welcome oneThere was a single spit, a
single crack in the air and then no moreThe killer had not reloaded! Perhaps he had no http://www.muluxury.com/scategory_30_Cartier-Watches.html" target="_blank more
shells?whatever, the primary target was now on the high groundBourne raced out of the bushes
and across the lawn through the opposing light of the flares; the dogs were now really aroused, the
yelps and throated growls of attack becoming louderThe killer ran out of the shrubbery and into
the road, racing through shadows toward the front gatesJason had the bastard, he knew itThe
gates were closed, the Medusan was corneredBourne roared: ?There?s no way out, Snake Lady!
Make it easy on yourself??
A spit, a crackThe man had reloaded while running! Jason fired; the man fell in the roadAnd
as he did so, the intermittent silence of the night was ripped open by the sound of a powerful,
racing engine, the vehicle in question speeding up the outside road, its flashing red and blue lights
signifying the policeThe police! The alarm must have been wired into the Manassas headquarters,
a fact that had never occurred to Bourne; he had assumed that such a measure was impossible
where Medusa was concernedIt wasn?t logical; the security was internal; no external force could
be permitted for Snake LadyThere was too much to http://www.naluxury.com/categorys_89_Coco-Chanel-Jumbo-Flap-Bag_1.html" target="_blank learn, too much that had to be kept secret?a
cemetery!
The killer writhed in the road, rolling over and over toward the bordering pine treesThere was
something clutched in his handJason approached him as two police officers got out of the patrol
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
136
car beyond the gateHe lashed his foot out, kicking the man?s body, releasing whatever it was in
his grip and reaching down to pick it upIt was a leather-bound book, one of a set, like a volume of
Dickens or Thackeray, the embossed letters in gold, more for display than for readingIt was crazy!
Then he flipped open a page and understood it was not crazy at allThere was no print inside, only
the scrawl of handwritten notes on blank pagesIt was a diary, a ledger!
There could be no police! Especially not nowHe could not allow them to be aware of his and
Conklin?s penetration into MedusaThe leather-bound book in his hand could not see the official
light of day! The Jackal was everythingHe had to get rid of them!
?We got a call, mister,? intoned a middle-aged patrolman walking toward the grilled gate, a
younger associate joining http://www.culuxury.com/scategory_25_Gucci-Watches.html" target="_blank h