第87节

'Yes. Thank you."

'Good." Skull-Face barked a command in Japanese.

The two masked guards picked up whipping-canes and positioned

themselves behind Steve's shoulders.

'I won't beat about the bush, Mr Brickman. Neither of us has much time

to spare. You will therefore answer any questions I put to you

directly and without hesitation. As you will soon discover, I know the

score so do not prevaricate and, above all, don't get smart. My job is

to help you escape, and in return you are going to help me. Is that

clear?"

'Yes, but. what happensif I don't know the answers?"

Skull-Face sighed. 'I warned you not to prevaricate,' he said

softly.

'But I see you've forgotten already." He motioned to the black-clad

figures.

ThurWIKK.t ThurWOKK.t Steve gasped as he received two stinging blows

across the shoulderblades in quick succession. Christopher! Those

whipping-canes really bit deep. And arching his back under the impact

of the blows had tightened the noose round his throat and put a

sickening squeeze on his scrotum.

'I hope that will convince you we are not here to play games,' said

Skull-Face. 'If you give me any more trouble, I'll cut your prick and

balls off and send you home with them in this pickle jar." Reaching

both hands behind him, he produced a curved dagger and a capped glass

jar and placed them in front of Steve.

It was the kind of stunt that dear old Uncle Bart might have pulled,

but Steve had a chill feeling that this guy really meant it.

'Okay, Mr Brickman. We know that you're an agent of AMEXICO and that

you have been dealing with a representative of the ruling faction. We

also know that you have come to an arrangement whereby you are to wreck

the Heron Pool project and cause the death of Consul-General Nakane

Toh-Shiba. In return, you have been promised unhindered passage out of

the country with the two long-dogs who delivered the original

flying-horses to Domain-Lord Hiro Yama-Shita. Is that correct?"

There was only one thing to say. 'Yes."

'Good. These arrangements have our approval. You will proceed as

planned. Now - do you know the identity of the man you have been

dealing with?"

'He has never divulged it, but I believe him to be a Herald of the

Inner Court called Toshiro HaseGawa."

'Excellent. We're making progress. I am now going to ask you what

plans you have made for your escape. But before you do so, let me

answer a question which I am sure is in your mind. "Am I in the hands

of people who are working with Hase-Gawa?" No. You are not. As is

already clear, we share certain objectives, but we belong to a... rival

organisation. Which no doubt leads you to ask: "What proof is there of

this?" ' 'Let me give you three facts which I am sure you are certain

the Herald is unaware of. Facts which will demonstrate the extent of

our knowledge and the efficiency of our organisation, and - who knows

may even persuade you to trust us.

'Fact One: we know that it was the female you have just visited who

used her influence to persuade the Consul-General to transfer you from

the post-house to the Heron Pool.

'Fact Two: we know her male companion, who has assumed your identity,

can speak our language fluently.

'Fact Three: we know you have had discussions with a colleague of yours

about taking a boat-trip through the canal-system from Ari-bani to

Bu-faro. Your colleague is disguised as a Mute. He wears a red

bandanna, and his code-name is SideWinder."

Steve tried but failed to hide his astonishment.

Skull-Face eyed him with a thin smile. 'We've known about him for a

long time. We picked him up a few weeks after he was inserted into

Ne-Issan, and we've been doing business with him ever since. In fact,

it was through us he got his present job on the wheelboats."

Already naked, Steve felt as if he was now