The Small Boat of Great Sorrows Read Online Free PDF Page B

stir them up. But this guy’s in his seventies, off in a backwater. His security’s decent, and he’s pretty careful, but if our plan works, using force shouldn’t even be an issue. And that’s where you come in.”
    â€œMeaning?”
    â€œYou’d be working undercover. Posing as an expat Bosnian who’s just returned, which will be true enough. You’d carry in the bait. Lure him out in the open where we can pick him up with as little fuss as possible. Preferably at his favorite café. That way he comes along nice and quiet so nobody gets hurt, as we like to say.”
    â€œWhy an expat? Why not a real local? Buy off somebody from his village who he’d really trust.” Vlado realized he might be talking his way out of the job, but the strategy didn’t add up. “In fact, I’d say you’ve got a few million locals to choose from without flying me anywhere, or a few thousand, even if you’re just talking about policemen. One of the local constables would probably do it for a few cartons of cigarettes.”
    â€œThe local constable is one of his top cigarette distributors.”
    â€œWhich I should have guessed,” Vlado said with a smile. “You can tell I’ve been away from home too long.”
    â€œLook,” Pine said, “let’s just say we have our reasons. Good ones. Some of which we can’t get into right now because of security considerations.” It was a line that immediately put Vlado on his guard. But Pine quickly moved on. “Another reason is the bait. It has to come from an outsider, but one with some local connections, and you’re the perfect match.”
    â€œWhat’s the bait?”
    â€œA demining concession. Mine removal. He’s been wanting a piece of the action for a while.”
    â€œDoesn’t sound like the most desirable work in the world.”
    â€œYou’d be surprised. It’s lucrative business. Everybody and his brother wants a piece of it. Warlords, crime lords, mayors, police chiefs.”
    â€œWhich covers at least two people in every municipality.”
    â€œYou got it. But in this fellow’s case, he’s always stayed out of local politics, unless you count the bribes and the vote fixing for some of his buddies.”
    â€œForgive my ignorance, but how much money can you make digging up a few hundred mines? Or even a few thousand?”
    â€œMore than you’d guess. There are millions floating around. Some of it’s UN money. Some is from the EU. The rest, from various international do-gooders. Think of Princess Di. This was her pet cause. That made it glamorous, so now you’ve got donations from all over, well-meaning people handing it out wherever someone will take it. And if you’re the top local contractor for your area, you can usually pocket about half the grant for yourself, then pay the rest to a bunch of poor dumb farm boys who’ll work for cigarettes and a few D-marks. They dig ’em out the old way, with sticks and crowbars. Hand tools. Every week or so somebody gets blown to pieces, but so what. The boss has his cut, and the locals have a little hard currency and a big funeral with two lambs on a spit. And guess who gets to keep some of the unexploded mines if nobody’s paying close enough attention to your demolition program?”
    â€œAh. Lots of money, and free weaponry, too.”
    â€œWhich is why the UN has been wary about giving our man a piece of the action. But you’ll be arriving as his guardian angel, the new EU representative for demining operations in his region, with a slick new business card that will knock his socks off. He’ll figure that since you’re Bosnian, he might finally get an even break, because you’ll know how to do business the way he likes.”
    â€œWith payoffs and kickbacks, you mean.”
    â€œSomething like that. But you’ll learn everything you need to