@@@@@ “Ah’ll wear a suit and a tieI got a suit
@@@@@
“Ah’ll wear a suit and a tieI got a suit and a tie, honest!” The American hiccuppedBoth of you be like you are now, but with your heads straightDo you understand me?”
“You sound très américain, mon ami
“I’m not, but then the truth’s not a commodity here, is it?”
“Ah know what he meansI learned it real wellYou kinda fib with a tie on Bourne slid out of the booth, and suddenly a thought struck
himInstead of heading for the door, he cautiously made his way to the far end of the bar and the
huge bald bartenderNo seats were available, so, again cautiously, politely, he squeezed sideways
between two customers, ordered a Pemod and asked for a napkin on which to write a message,
ostensibly personal, to no one who might concern the establishmentOn the back of the napkin’s
crude coat of arms, he wrote the following with his ballpoint pen in French:
The nest of a blackbird is worth a million francsObject: confidential business adviceIf
interested, be at the old factory around the corner in thirty minutesWhere is the harm? An
additional 5000 F for being there alone
Bourne palmed the napkin along with a hundred-franc note and signaled the bartender, who
adjusted his steel-rimmed glasses as if the unknown patron’s gesture were an impertinenceSlowly
he moved his large body forward, and leaned his thick tattooed arms on the bar“What is it?” he
asked gruffly
“I have written out a message for you,” replied the Chameleon, his eyes steady, focused on the
bartender’s glasses“I am by myself and hope you will consider the requestI am a man who
carries wounds but I am not a poor man Bourne quickly but gently—very gently—reached for the
bartender’s hand, passing the napkin and the franc noteWith a final imploring look at the
astonished man, Jason turned and headed for the door, his limp pronounced
Outside, Bourne hurried up the cracked pavement toward the alley’s entranceHe judged that his
interlude at the bar had taken between eight and twelve minutesKnowing the bartender was
watching him, he had purposely not tried to see if his two companions were still at the table, but he
assumed they