by Jack Higgins
A uniformed porter was standing in the porch and he looked at Manning curiously. 'Can I get you a cab, sir?'
Manning was about to say yes when he remembered that he had no money. He shook his head. 'First day up. I could do with the exercise.'
He realized he had made a bad mistake before he had gone fifty yards, but he kept on moving through the side streets toward the harbour, staying in the shade as much as possible.
Sweat ran down his face in rivulets, soaking through the pajama jacket and his shoulder was beginning to hurt when he finally turned a corner onto the waterfront.
It was packed with jostling humanity and he moved into the crowd, trying to protect his injured shoulder as much as possible. Someone swung a basket against it and he stifled a cry and forced his way through to the stone wall at the edge of the wharf.
He could see the Grace Abounding about a hundred yards away round the curve of the harbour. Anna was standing in the stern dangling a bucket on a line into the water. As he watched, she started to swab the deck.
A hand tugged at his sleeve and he looked down into the face of Twenty-two, the little black boy in the American football jersey who'd shown them where Garcia lived an eternity ago.
'Heh, mister, remember me?'
'I'm never likely to forget you.' Manning pointed across to the Grace Abounding. 'Go and tell the lady who's swabbing the deck of that boat that I'm sorry. This is as far as I could get under my own steam.'
The boy looked completely mystified. 'Is that all, mister?'
'Tell you what I'll do,' Manning said. 'After you've told her, wait for me on the boat. I'll bet you ten shillings it'll be worth it.'
The boy darted into the crowd and was immediately lost to view and Manning sat on the wall. The heat was tremendous and he closed his eyes, fighting against the darkness that tried to move in on him. When he opened them again, Anna was standing a few feet away.
Her expression was a strange mixture of incredulity, dismay and anger. She rushed forward, took his handkerchief from his breast pocket and mopped the sweat from his face.
'You fool!' she stormed. 'You stupid damned fool! What do you want to do? Kill yourself?'
He shook his head. 'I'm trying to convince a stubborn Greek that I love her, that's all.'
She sagged against him for a moment, holding onto his jacket, and he gently stroked her hair with his free hand.
'Is there a chance for us, Anna? Do you honestly think there's a chance?'
She looked up at him, her face vibrant and alive. 'I know one thing, Harry Manning. If we don't try, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives.'
She slipped an arm about his waist and together they moved through the crowds towards the Grace Abounding.
A Biography of Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins is the pseudonym of Harry Patterson (b. 1929), the New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy thrillers, including The Eagle Has Landed and The Wolf at the Door. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Patterson grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a child, Patterson was a voracious reader and later credited his passion for reading with fueling his creative drive to be an author. His upbringing in Belfast also exposed him to the political and religious violence that characterized the city at the time. At seven years old, Patterson was caught in gunfire while riding a tram, and later was in a Belfast movie theater when it was bombed. Though he escaped from both attacks unharmed, the turmoil in Northern Ireland would later become a significant influence in his books, many of which prominently feature the Irish Republican Army. After attending grammar school and college in Leeds, England, Patterson joined the British Army and served two years in the Household Cavalry, from 1947 to 1949, stationed along the East German border. He was considered an expert sharpshooter.
Following his military service, Patterson earned a degree in sociology from the London School of Economics, which led to teaching jobs at two English colleges. In 1959, while teaching at James Graham College, Patterson began writing novels, including some under the alias James Graham. As his popularity grew, Patterson left teaching to write full time. With the 1975 publication of the international blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, which was later made into a movie of the same name starring Michael Caine, Patterson became a regular fixture on bestseller lists. His books draw heavily from history and include prominent figures--such as John Dillinger--and often center around significant events from such conflicts as World War II, the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Patterson lives in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.
Patterson as an infant with his mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. He moved to Northern Ireland with his family as a child, staying there until he was twelve years old.
Patterson with his parents. He left school at age fifteen, finding his place instead in the British military.
A candid photo of Patterson during his military years. While enlisted in the army, he was known for his higher-than-average military IQ. Many of Patterson's books would later incorporate elements of the military experience.
Patterson's first payment as an author, a check for PS67. Though he wanted to frame the check rather than cash it, he was persuaded otherwise by his wife. The bank returned the check after payment, writing that, "It will make a prettier picture, bearing the rubber stampings."
Patterson in La Capannina, his favorite restaurant in Jersey, where he often went to write. His passion for writing started at a young age, and he spent much time in libraries as a child.
Patterson visiting a rehearsal for Walking Wounded, a play he wrote that was performed by local actors in Jersey.
Patterson with his children.
Patterson in a graveyard in Jersey. Patterson has often looked to graveyards for inspiration and ideas for his books.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
copyright (c) 1964 by Jack Higgins
ISBN: 978-1-4532-0021-6
This edition published in 2010 by Open Road Integrated Media
180 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
Cover design by Liz Connor
