| 2:54a |
@@@@@Jason focused the binoculars on the
@@@@@Jason focused the binoculars on the far
side of the expansive front lawnHe zeroed in on a third animal, this a huge Weimaraner, gentle in
appearance but lethal in attackThe hyperactive dog raced back and forth, aroused perhaps by
squirrels or rabbits in the brush, but not by human scent; it did not raise a throated growl, the signal
of assault
Jason tried to analyze what he observed, for that analysis would determine his movesHe had to
assume that there was a fourth or a fifth, or even a sixth animal patrolling the perimeters of
Swayne’s groundsBut why this way? Why not a pack roaming at will and in unison, a far more
frightening and inhibiting sight? The expense that concerned the Oriental farmer was no object
Then the explanation struck him; it was so basic it was obviousHe shifted the binoculars back and
forth between the Weimaraner and the Doberman, the picture of the longhaired German shepherd
still all too clear in his mindBeyond the fact that these were trained attack dogs, they were also
something elseThey were the top of their breeds, groomed to a fare-thee-well—vicious animals
posing as champion show dogs by day, violent predators at nightGeneral Norman
Swayne’s “farm” was not unrecorded property, not concealed real estate, but very much out in the
open and undoubtedly, jealously perhaps, visited by friends, neighbors and colleaguesDuring the
daylight hours, guests could admire these docile champions in their well-appointed kennels without
realizing what they really wereNorman Swayne, Pentagon Procurements and alumnus of Medusa,
was merely a dog aficionado, attested to by the quality of his animals’ bloodlinesHe might very
well charge stud fees, but there was nothing in the canon of military ethics that precluded the
practiceIf one such aspect of the general’s “farm” was a sham, it had to follow that the estate
itself was a sham, as false as the “inheritance” that made its purchase possible
One of the two strange three-wheeled carts appeared far across the lawn, out of the shadows of
the house and down the exit road of the circular driveBourne focused on it, not surprised to see the
Weimaraner romp over and playfully race beside the vehicle, yapping and seeking approval from
the driverThe drivers were the handlers! The familiar scent of their bodies was
calming to the dogs, reassuring themThe observation formed the analysis and the analysis
determined his next tacticHe had to move, at least more freely than he was moving now, about the
general’s groundsTo do so he had to be in the company of a handlerHe had to take one of the
roving patrols; he raced back in the cover of the pine trees to his point of penetration
The mechanized, bulletproof vehicle stopped on the narrow path at midpoint between the two
front gates nearly obscured by the shrubbery; Jason adjusted his binocularsThe black Doberman
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
95
was apparently a favored dog; the driver opened the right panel as the animal sprang up, placing his
huge paws on the seatThe man chucked biscuits or pieces of meat into the wide, anticipating jaws,
then reached over and massaged the dog’s throat |