@@@@@“Not by name, of course, but he told me you
@@@@@“Not by name, of course, but he told me
you might bring up his sainthoodIt was how I’d know you were—his colleague
“How is he? We hear stories, of course“Banal gossip, by and large
Wounded in the futile Vietnam, alcohol, dismissed, disgraced, brought back a hero of the Agency,
so many contradictory things
“Most of them true; he’s not afraid to admit thatHe’s a cripple now, and he doesn’t drink, and
he was a heroAgain stories, rumors, who can believe what? Flights of fancy out of Beijing, Hong
Kong—some concerning a man named Jason BourneOur saint said you would need lodgings, clothes purchased en
scène, as it were, French to the core
“A small but varied closet,” agreed Jason“I know where to go, what to buy, and I have
sufficient money
“Then we are concerned with lodgingsA hotel of your choice? La Trémoille? George Cinq?
Plaza-Athénée?”
“Smaller, much smaller and far less expensive
“Money is a problem, then?”
“Not at allI’ll tell you what, I know MontmartreI’ll find a place myself
What I will need is a car—registered under another name, preferably a name that’s a dead end
“Which means a dead manIt’s been arranged; it is in the underground garage on the Capucines,
near the Place Vend?me Bernardine reached into his pocket, pulled out a set of keys, and handed
them to Jason“An older Peugeot in Section EThere are thousands like them in Paris and the
license number is on the tab
“Alex told you I’m traveling deep?”
“He didn’t really have toI believe our saint scoured the cemeteries for useful names when he
worked here
“I probably learned it from him