The James Bond Anthology

‘I’m always interested in a hundred thousand dollars. I’ll have to get in touch with my growers. They have their plantations in the Maroon country. That’s in the centre of the island. This is going to take time. I can give you a quotation in about two weeks – a hundredweight of the stuff f.o.b. the Pedro Cays. Okay?’

‘And a date? The Cays are very flat. This is not stuff to be left lying about, isn’t it?’

‘Sure. Sure. Now then. Any other business? Okay. Well, I’ve got something I’d like to bring up. This casino lark. Now, this is the picture. The government are tempted. They think it’ll stimulate the tourist industry. But the Heavies – the boys who were kicked out of Havana, the Vegas machine, the Miami jokers, Chicago – the whole works, didn’t take the measure of these people before they put the heat on. And they overplayed the slush fund approach – put too much money in the wrong pockets. Guess they should have employed a public relations outfit. Jamaica looks small on the map, and I guess the Syndicates thought they could hurry through a neat little operation like the Nassau job. But the Opposition party got wise, and the Church, and the old women, and there was talk of the Mafia taking over in Jamaica, the old “Cosa Nostra” and all that crap, and the spiel flopped. Remember we were offered an “in” coupla years back? That was when they saw it was a bust and wanted to unload their promotion expenses, coupla million bucks or so, on to The Group. You recall I advised against and gave my reasons. Okay. So we said no. But things have changed. Different party in power, bit of a tourist slump last year, and a certain Minister has been in touch with me. Says the climate’s changed. Independence has come along and they’ve got out from behind the skirts of Aunty England. Want to show that Jamaica’s with it. Got oomph and all that. So this friend of mine says he can get gambling off the pad here. He told me how and it makes sense. Before, I said stay out. Now I say come in. But it’s going to cost money. Each of us’ll have to chip in with a hundred thousand bucks to give local encouragement. Miami’ll be the operators and get the franchise. The deal is that they’ll put us in for five per cent – but off the top. Get me? On these figures, and they’re not loaded, our juice should have been earned in eighteen months. After that it’s gravy. Get the photo? But your, er, friends, don’t seem too keen on these, er, capitalist enterprises. How do you figure it? Will they ante up? I don’t want for us to go outside for the green. And, as from yesterday, we’re missing a shareholder. Come to think of it, we’ve got to think of that too. Who we goin’ to rope in as Number Six? We’re short of a game for now.’

James Bond wiped his ear and the bottom of the glass with his handkerchief. It was almost unbearable. He had heard his own death sentence pronounced, the involvement of the K.G.B. with Scaramanga and the Caribbean spelled out, and such minor dividends as sabotage of the bauxite industry, massive drug smuggling into the States and gambling politics thrown in. It was a majestic haul in area Intelligence. He had the ball! Could he live to touch down with it? God, for a drink! He put his ear back to the hot base of the glass.

There was silence. When it came, the voice of Hendriks was cautious, indecisive. He obviously wanted to say ‘I pass’ – with the corollary, ‘until I’ve talked to my Zentrale, isn’t it?’

He said, ‘Mister S. Is difficult pizzness, yes? My superiors are not disliking the profitable involvements but, as you will be knowing, they are most liking the pizzness that has the political objective. It was on these conditions that they instructed me to ally myself with your Group. The money, that is not the problem. But how am I to explain the political objective of opening casinos in Jamaica? This I am wondering.’

‘It’ll almost certainly lead to trouble. The locals’ll want to play – they’re terrific gamblers here. There’ll be incidents. Coloured people’ll be turned away from the doors for one reason or another. Then the Opposition party’ll get hold of that and raise hell about colour bars and so on. With all the money flying about, the unions’ll push wages through the roof. It can all add up to a fine stink. The atmosphere’s too damn peaceful around here. This’ll be a cheap way of raising plenty of hell. That’s what your people want, isn’t it? Give the islands the hot foot one after another?’

There was another brief silence. Mr Hendriks obviously didn’t like the idea. He said so, but obliquely: ‘What you are saying, Mister S., is very interesting. But is it not that these troubles you envisage will endanger our monies? However, I will report your inquiry and inform you at once. It is possible that my superiors will be sympathetic. Who can be telling? Now there is this question of a new Number Six. Are you having anyone in mind?’