Black Horn (34 page)

"She
sounds like a formidable woman."

Creasy
thought about that, then said, "I think she may be now. It's not often
that you see people change, but I think she has changed." He glanced at
Tony and said, "By the way you'll be getting a bonus."

"A
bonus?"

"Yes.
You were hired to ferry this boat to Honk Kong and back and to pick us up from
the beach, not to storm a junk with eight armed men aboard."

"How
much?"

"The
same as the rest of the guys... five hundred thousand Swiss."

For a
couple of minutes the boat cruised on with only the sound of the engines in
their ears. Then Tony Cope said, "I'll split it with Damon."

Creasy
glanced at him and murmured, "I thought you'd say that."

Tony
Cope smiled. "It will clear both our mortgages."

Creasy
stretched again and said, "Yeah, I guess that's what life is all
about."

"He's
gone walkabout," Guido said.

Both
Jim Grainger and Juliet looked nonplussed. Guido explained. "It's an
Australian expression that comes from the Aboriginals. Whenever they get
overstressed they go into the outback and just roam around for days or weeks or
months."

Juliet
asked, "He left, just like that?"

Guido nodded. He had arrived in Denver after a long flight from Manila. He looked at
the young woman and said, "He asked me to come and talk to you. To
explain. It was not something he could talk about on the phone or even put into
a letter. He could not do that because he would not know what to say."

"And you do know what to say?" she asked.

"Definitely. I've known Creasy for about twenty-five years. I know what to tell you, even
though he never spoke to me about it. After we arrived in Manila and all the
paperwork was sorted out, he packed an overnight bag and asked me to drive him
to the airport. He stood in the departure lounge, looking at the departure
board, then he turned around and shook my hand and asked me to come and talk to
you and to explain. Then he went off to buy a ticket... to where, I don't know."

"Has he done this before?" Grainger asked.

Guido nodded, with a half-smile of recollection.

"Yes. It's not unusual. He holds his emotions tight inside. When he's been badly hurt
he wants nobody to see that pain, so he goes amongst strangers. Maybe he drinks
a bit too much. Maybe he looks into his soul. Maybe he chases women ... I don't
know... nobody knows."

"Was he badly hurt?" Juliet asked.

"No, just a flesh wound."

"I don't mean that."

The Italian looked at her for several seconds, then said, "He lost a son who
he loved, and maybe he lost a woman who he might have loved."

"What's her condition?" Grainger asked.

"Not good. Physically she's OK, but her mind is badly affected. Gloria Manners
stayed on in Manila and is looking after her and getting her the best treatment
possible. The prognosis of the psychologists is uncertain. She may come
through, and if she does -- who knows? She may get back with Creasy. I guess
it's just a question of waiting. Waiting to see what happens to her and waiting
to see when Creasy comes back from his walkabout."

"Do you think he will come back?" Juliet asked.

"Yes," Guido answered.

"When?"

"I guess it will be on the night of a full moon. That's the nature of a man like Creasy."