"Ludlum, Robert - Aquatain Progression" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ludlum Robert)

lake, thejet d 'ear, that geyser designed by man to
dazzle man. When sudden revelations come, the
gigantic fountain dies. All the fountains die and
without the sunlight the flowers wither. The bright
reflections are gone and the mind is frozen.

Geneva. City of inconstancy.

3

4 ROBERT LUDLUM

* * *

Joel Converse, attorney-at-law, walked out of
the hotel Richemondinto the blinding morning
sunlight on the Jardin Brunswick. Squinting, he
turned left, shifting his attache case to his right
hand, conscious of the value of its contents but
thinking primarily about the man he was to meet
for coffee and croissants at Le Chat Botte, a
sidewalk cafe across from the waterfront. "Re-meet"
was more accurate, thought Converse, if the man
had not confused him with someone else.

A. Preston Halliday was Joel's American
adversary in the current negotiations, the finalising
of last-minute details for a Swiss-American merger
that had brought both men to Ge neva. Although
the remaining work was minimal formalities,
really, research having established that the
agreements were in accord with the laws of both
countries and acceptable to the International Court
in The Hague Halliday was an odd choice. He had
not been part of the American legal team fielded by
the Swiss to keep tabs on Joel's firm. That in itself
would not have excluded him fresh observation
was frequently an asset but to elevate him to the
position of point, or chief spokesman, was, to say
the least, unorthodox. It was also unsettling.

Halliday's reputation what little Converse knew
of it was as a troubleshooter, a legal mechanic
from San Francisco who could spot a loose wire, rip
it out and short an engine. Negotiations covering
months and costing hundreds of thousands had been
aborted by his presence, that much Converse
recalled about A. Preston Halliday. But that was all
he recalled. Yet Halliday said they knew each other.