A QUESTION OF HONOR
A Novel By Jack Weidner
"We can't do it, Yuri."
"Shut up, Manny. We have no choice."
Somehow Yuri's accent grew more pronounced when he was excited and spoke fast. However, excited or not, Manny knew better than to argue with him. He knew that Yuri could laugh and drink with a man and carouse all evening, then become completely ruthless if an order wasn't obeyed immediately.
"Nu. Are you ruling out the second plan?" asked Georgi as he snubbed out his cigarette in the car's ash tray.
"Da." Yuri's excitement vanished. His voice was calm and he spoke softly now. "Our window of opportunity is just too short to let this go by. I missed them in Paraguay. I won't miss them here. I can make the shots. You just put me on them when they come out of the restaurant."
Yuri displayed no hint of nervousness now and Manny alternately admired and hated him for his coolness. He appeared to have the ability to carry out his objectives as another man could swat at flies. Manny was convinced that Yuri would let nothing - or no one - stand in his way. Could Yuri be as great an evil as his quarry? The man's ruthlessness and total commitment to an assassination had an overwhelming effect on Manny and regardless of the targets' detestable past, he was beginning to wish that he had refused this assignment.
"We have a clear view of the door." said Georgi. "I should be able to put you on them. My speed should be approximately thirty kilometers per hour. But with the snow piled at the side of the road, I may not be able to get you within less than fifteen feet."
"I could make the shots from across the street." he said flatly as he peered through the windshield at the door of the restaurant. "Don't worry about the distance. Just keep the car as steady as you can under the circumstances."
Manny became more nervous with each minute. They had been sitting in the car for two hours. The targets had entered the restaurant as they always did on Thursday afternoons. Their driver had parked in the parking lot next door, then left; only to return ten minutes ago. But an hour after their arrival the snow had started. It seemed to snow harder with each passing minute and the street quickly became not much more than a snow covered lane. Then the huge plow came down the road for the first time. They'd had to move the car after the plow passed. That was the first pass of the plow. It had come through twice more since then and each time they had moved to yet another spot in order to keep a clear path in front of the car. Manny knew the importance of completing the assignment today but with each minute he became more apprehensive.
"Vot, seichas?" Yuri's voice was an excited whisper as the restaurant door opened.
Georgi hesitated, then "Nyet, nye oni."
It annoyed Manny when they spoke Russian. They seemed to lapse into Russian when they became tense. Even though Yuri appeared rock steady, Manny knew that he must be keyed up when he reverted to Russian.
Yuri quickly calmed down and resumed his patient vigil as he contemplated his own emotions. He had been involved in numerous operations during his years with the Mossad but none seemed as personally important to him. These men had not only committed reprehensible crimes against mankind but had somehow escaped him in Paraguay. The failure of the Paraguay operation had haunted Yuri since. It pleased him that he was not required to return them to Israel for trial. Yuri would be both judge and executioner and the only thing that troubled him was that Sommer would not know that it was he that fired the shots that took his life. Yuri was aware that his motives consisted of personal revenge - a sentiment which was dangerous in his field of endeavor - but was unable to control himself.
They sat quietly now. Georgi ran the windshield wipers occasionally and started the engine periodically to keep warm. It was necessary for the success of the mission that Yuri not become chilled. The smoke from Georgi's cigarettes made Manny uncomfortable. In fact, Manny had been uncomfortable since the snow began. It had been forecast, but not like this. It seemed that meteorology was simply not an exact science. Manny's father had always told him that there were three people who were never to be believed under any circumstances; a salesman, a politician and a weather forecaster. Two were lying and one was guessing.
Yuri's reverie was broken as the restaurant door opened again. "Ehto oni. Poidem." he shouted.
Two elderly men were fighting their way out of the restaurant. A strong wind blew the snow into their faces as they pushed at the door. They wore hats and kept their heads down into the wind but there was no mistaking them. This was it. This was the moment Yuri had waited for since that day so long ago in Asuncion. He never forgot Sommer's mocking smile as the man boarded the plane just hours before he was to have been captured. That smile haunted Yuri but he knew that he would end the hunt now and enjoy the final victory.
The engine started immediately and the BMW pulled away from the snow bank and onto the empty road as it gained speed, leaving ruts three inches deep in the fresh snow. The wipers flopped back and forth in an effort to clear the built up snow from the windshield. Fortunately it was very cold and the snow was like powder. As the car gained speed the excess snow blew from the hood and windshield and almost obscured the view in a near-opaque cloud of swirling cotton.
Yuri pressed the button and his window rolled down, giving him a clear field of vision.
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