Read Online The Pledge by Howard Fast - Free Book Online

can’t do it. Three: they will toss you out of your quarters at the palace. No hotel in town will book you. Where are you going to sleep? You go to someone like Chandra Chatterjee, and they’ll arrest him. This goes with three. They arrested Majumdar last night —”
    â€œWhen? Why?”
    â€œHold on,” Legerman said. “We’ll talk about that. We’re only up to four. Four: they’ll plant something on you. The Limeys are brilliant at that. Plans, papers, whatever. Espionage. All or any of the above, and finally, five. Five might even be one if you’re too damn annoying. Five is making you dead, completely dead. Run over by a half-track. Beaten to death by bandits. The streets of Calcutta swarm with killers — or didn’t you know? Now I’m not making up crazy movie plots, believe me. I like you. You’re straight. You’re decent and honest. I want you at home, where there are few enough like you.”
    â€œWhat happened to Majumdar?” Bruce asked, his voice hoarse.
    â€œHe was with the professor last night. They walked in and arrested him. British specials. That’s it.”
    â€œWell, what happens now? What do they do with him?”
    â€œYou guess.”
    â€œTorture him, kill him? Is that what you’re intimating?”
    â€œNot intimating.”
    â€œMy God, Hal, can’t we do something? I work for a great newspaper. I write for The Saturday Evening Post. These are important and powerful entities. They can reach into Washington — into the White House itself. I know people who know President Roosevelt —”
    â€œForget it,” Legerman said harshly. “It’s done. We’ll never see Majumdar again. He may be dead already. You don’t know what workmanship is until you’ve watched these sweethearts. No, it’s over for us. Get out of here. These fellers will take care of things themselves. They don’t need you. Do you hear me?”
    Bruce nodded.
    â€œI want you out of here. Today.”
    â€œI can’t leave today. It’s out of the question.”
    â€œGod damn you, will you listen? Why are we sitting here instead of at the palace? Because my guess is that they’re there already. I have your orders right here in my pocket.” He took out of his jacket a long brown envelope and handed it to Bruce. “Waiting for you. From now on, you’ll be watched, day and night. Who knows whether these orders would have gotten to you? Jill cut them, and then she put them on the major’s desk. He countersigned them and left the office. Jill passed them to me. She’ll claim innocence. They disappeared. Done. I signed Soutine’s name and wrote A-One priority. No one will question it. No one ever questions such things in the army. I want you out of here.”
    â€œYou said Soutine?” Bruce asked weakly. “You mean General Soutine, the top theater commander?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œYou’re crazy. This is the craziest damn thing I ever heard about. This is crazy. You’ll end up in the stockade for life.”
    â€œHell, no. I know what I’m doing.” Legerman grinned. “You know, I got you into this — the worst of it anyway. I owe you, and I like you. Don’t worry about me, Bruce. I know my way around, and it ain’t that different from Brooklyn.”
    â€œI can’t — my clothes, my notes, my typewriter — I just can’t.”
    â€œListen,” Legerman said gently. “I know the bearer who works the door at the palace. I’ll buy him a pint of hooch, and being that he’s a Muslim, he’ll be so happy for a chance to sin, he’ll steal me the tiles in the lobby. He’ll bring out your notes, and I’ll bring them back. You got my word on that. Just give me your address.” He took out his notebook and a stub of pencil. Bruce gave him his parents’ address on