The Bourne Deception - By Robert Ludlum & Eric van Lustbader Page 0,66
typical intimidation tactic.
A look of alarm crossed Tracys face and she shrank away from him. What kind of dirty business are you in?
Its precisely what I told you, Bourne said. But the venture capital business is riddled with industrial espionage because being first to market with a new product or idea can often mean the difference between Google or Microsoft buying you out for half a billion dollars or going bust.
This explanation appeared to calm her slightly, but she was clearly still on edge. What are you going to do?
For the moment, nothing.
Bourne crossed the floor and sat down, and Tracy followed him. As he brought up the Museo del Prado on Google, she bent low over his shoulder and said, Dont bother. The man you want is Professor Alonzo Pecunia Zuńiga.
This was the Prados Goya expert whod authenticated Hererras Goya. Bourne recalled seeing his letter in her attaché case.
Without a word, he typed in the name. He had to scroll through several news items before he came upon a photo of the professor, who was accepting an award from one of the many Spanish foundations concerned with promoting Goyas history and work worldwide.
Alonzo Pecunia Zuńiga was a slim man who appeared to be in his midfifties. He had a dapper spade-shaped beard and thick eyebrows that shaded his eyes like a visor. Bourne checked the date of the photo to be certain it was current. Zooming in on the photo, he printed it out, which cost him an extra couple of euros. Using Google Local, he looked up the addresses of a number of shops.
Our first stop, he said to Tracy, is just off Paseo de Cristóbal Colón, around the corner from the Teatro Maestranza.
What about the man with the scar? she whispered.
Bourne closed out the screen, then went into the browser cache and deleted both the site history and the cookies from the sites hed visited. Im counting on him following us, he said.
God. Tracy gave a brief shudder. Im not.
The broad paseo ran beside the eastern branch of the Guadalquivir River in the El Arenal barrio of the city. It was the historical district called home by many of the Semana Santa brotherhoods. From the beautiful Maestranza bullring, next door to the massive theater, they could see the thirteenth-century Torre del Oro, the great tower, once clad in gold, part of the fortifications to protect Seville from its ancient enemies, the Muslims of North Africa, the fundamentalist Almohads, Berbers from Morocco who were driven out of Seville and all of Andalusia in 1230 by the armies of the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragón.
Have you ever been to a corrida? Bourne asked.
No. I hate the idea of bullfighting.
Heres your chance to see for yourself. Taking her by the hand, he went to the ticket office by the main gate and bought two sol barreras, the only front seats left, which were in the sun.
Tracy hung back. I dont think I want to do this.
You either come with me, Bourne said, or I leave you here to be questioned by Scarface.
She stiffened. Hes followed us here?
Bourne nodded. Come on. As he handed his tickets over and pushed her through the entrance, he added, Dont worry, Ill take care of everything. Trust me.
A ferocious roaring signaled that the corrida had already begun. The place was filled with tiers of seats, above which rose a continuous line of decorative arches. As they made their way down the aisle, the first bull was in the process of being tenderized via the suerte de picar. The picadores, mounted on horses, padded and blindfolded for the animals protection, drove their short lances into the bulls neck while he expended energy attempting to toss their mounts. The horses had oil-soaked cloths in their ears to keep them from shying at the roaring of the crowd. Their vocal cords had been cut to render them mute so as not to distract the bull.
Okay, Bourne said, handing her a ticket. I want you to go get a beer from the stand over there. Drink it in back with plenty of people around you, then make your way to our seats.
And where will you be?
Never mind, he said, just do as Ive told you and wait for me in the seat.
Hed caught sight of the man with the pink scar, whod entered the corrida high up to give himself a better vantage point. Bourne watched Tracy picking her way back to the refreshment stalls, then he took