The Day of the Jackal

«Right. Well now, the whole thing is composed of a series of hollow aluminium tubes which screw together. This one…» tapping with the point of the pencil at a place on the diagram… «contains one of the struts of the rifle stock. This here contains the other strut. Both are concealed within the tubes that make up this section. The shoulder-rest of the rifle is this… here… in its entirety. This is therefore the only part which doubled up with two purposes without changing in any way. «Here…» tapping at another point on the diagram as the Belgian's eyes widened in surprise… «at the thickest point is the largest diameter tube which contains the breech of the rifle with the bolt inside it. This tapers to the barrel without a break. Obviously with a telescopic sight being used there need be no foresight, so the whole thing slides out of this compartment when the assemblage is unscrewed. The last two sections… here and here… contain the telescopic sight itself and the silencer. Finally the bullets. They should be inserted into this little stump at the bottom. When the whole thing is assembled it must pass for precisely what it looks. When unscrewed into its seven component parts the bullets, silencer, telescope, rifle and the three struts that make up the triangular frame stock can be extracted for re-assembly as a fully operational rifle. OK?»

For a few seconds longer the little Belgian looked at the diagram. Slowly he rose, then held out his hand.

«Monsieur,» he said with reverence, «it is a conception of genius. Undetectable. And yet so simple. It shall be done.»

The Englishman was neither gratified nor displeased.

«Good,» he said. «Now, the question of time. I shall need the gun in about fourteen days, can that be arranged?»

«Yes. I can acquire the gun within three. A week's work should see the modifications achieved. Buying the telescopic sight presents no problems. You may leave the choice of the sight to me, I know what will be required for the range of a hundred and thirty metres you have in mind. You had better calibrate and zero the settings yourself at your own discretion. Making the silencer, modifying the bullets and constructing the outer casing… yes, it can be done within the time allowed if I burn the candle at both ends. However, it would be better if you could arrive back here with a day or two in hand, just in case there are some last minute details to talk over. Could you be back in twelve days?»

«Yes, any time between seven and fourteen days from now. But fourteen days is the deadline. I must be back in London by August the 4th.»

«You shall have the completed weapon with all last details arranged to your satisfaction on the morning of the 4th if you can be here yourself on August 1st for final discussions and collection, monsieur.»

«Good. Now for the question of your expenses and fee,» said the Englishman. «Have you any idea how much they will be?»

The Belgian thought for a while. «For this kind of job, with all the work it entails, for the facilities available here and my own specialised knowledge, I must ask a fee of one thousand English pounds. I concede that is above the rate for a simple rifle. But this is not a simple rifle. It must be a work of art. I believe I am the only man in Europe capable of doing it justice, of making a perfect job of it. Ilk yourself, monsieur, I am in my field the best. For the best one pays. Then on top there would be the purchasing price of the weapon, bullets, telescope and raw materials… say, the equivalent of another two hundred pounds.»

'Done,» replied the Englishman without argument. He reached into his breast pocket again and extracted a bundle of five-pound notes. They were bound in lots of twenty. He counted out five wads of twenty notes each.

«I would suggest,» he went on evenly, «that in order to establish my bona fides I make you a down payment as an advance and to cover costs of five hundred pounds. I shall bring the remaining seven hundred pounds on my return in eleven days. Is that agreeable to you?»

«Monsieur,» said the Belgian skilfully pocketing the notes, «it is a pleasure to do business both with a professional and a gentleman.»

«There is a little more,» went on his visitor, as though he had not been interrupted. «You will make no attempt further to contact Louis, nor to ask him or anyone else who I am, nor what is my true identity. Nor will you seek to enquire for whom I am working, nor against whom. In the event that you should try to do so it is certain I shall hear about the enquiries. In that eventuality you will die. On my return here, if there has been any attempt to contact the police or to lay a trap, you will die. Is that understood?»