The Solitary Man Read Online Free PDF Page A

Middlehurst, New York Times,'' he said, holding up a small tape recorder. 'How many acres are we talking about here, Tim?'
    'Just over fifty.'
    'And the DEA is buying the land, is that how it works?'
    'Not exactly, no. For a start, this is a United Nations programme, not a DEA initiative. And secondly, the UN is paying the farmer not to grow poppies, and we teach him how to grow alternative crops.'
    'Cabbages, right?'
    Carver nodded. 'Cabbages. And potatoes.'
    'But effectively you're buying the poppies, aren't you?' Middlehurst asked.
    Carver looked across at a battered army truck where two Thai soldiers were being fitted with cumbersome flamethrowers. Carver's sandy fringe fell over his eyes and he flicked it away with a jerk of his neck. 'I'm with the DEA guys; you should be talking to the UN people,' he said. 'They're the ones persuading them to change crops. It's just a form of farming subsidy, but one that keeps drugs from getting to the United States.'
    'Yeah, but at the end of the day, the United States is buying opium, isn't it? They're putting up the bulk of the cash for this programme, right?'
    Carver held up his hands in surrender. 'Come on, Lester, stop putting words into my mouth. And remember, everything you get from me is totally off the record. If you want a quote, talk to 20 STEPHEN LEATHER Janis over there.' He nodded at the pretty blonde Press officer from the United Nations office in Bangkok who was fielding questions from a trio of Australian journalists.
    Kay slapped a mosquito on his neck and examined the splattered remains of the insect on his palm. 'Okay, Tim, but off the record, we all know this is a complete and utter waste of time, don't we?'
    Middlehurst put his tape recorder close to Carver's face to better record his answer to the British journalist's question.
    The flamethrowers burst into life and the two soldiers tested them gingerly. The photographers turned their attention away from the Thai farmer and concentrated on the soldiers and their equipment.
    'I'm not sure what you mean,' said Carver.
    'For a start, most of the heroin comes from over the border, from the Golden Triangle,' Kay pressed. 'And how much heroin does fifty acres produce? A few kilos?'
    'More.'
    'Yeah? I was told it takes a third of an acre to produce a kilo of raw opium. Does that sound right to you?'
    'Ballpark, I guess.'
    'So fifty acres is a drop in the ocean.' Carver grinned ruefully. 'You know damn well that I'm not going to say that. On the record or off.'
    Kay grinned back. 'Wouldn't expect you to, Tim.' He nodded towards the field and its mass of red and white poppies. 'The farmer says he's been growing poppies here for three years. But the land is only good for four years, total. After that all the nutrients have been sucked out of the soil and it's useless.'
    Carver raised an eyebrow, impressed by the British journalist's knowledge. 'Fertiliser,' he said.
    Kay's grin widened. 'Is that another way of saying bullshit, Tim? Come on, you know I'm right. These farmers don't know the first thing about land management. They slash and burn, grow what they can and then move on. That's why this country's jungle is disappearing at such an alarming rate. This guy was probably going to give up this land next year anyway. He can't believe his luck.'
    'We're making a start, Richard. We're giving them a chance THE SOLITARY MAN 21 I to grow other cash crops. Tea, coffee, cabbages, potatoes. We're showing them how to use the land in other ways, to stop them being reliant on opium.'
    The British journalist nodded sympathetically. 'I'm sure you are, but that's not what's going on here. This is a public relations exercise, a photo opportunity. And that's all it is.'
    Carver nodded over at the pack of photographers who were clicking away at the soldiers and their flamethrowers. 'Got you guys out here, didn't it?'
    'Sure, we'll play the game, the Press always does. They'll use the picture and they'll use a few sentences from me as a