"Folsom, Allan - The Day After Tomorrow" - читать интересную книгу автора (Folsom Allan)

phone to L.A. His attorney put him in touch with another attorney, who
said he'dd make a call and get back to him. At one twenty the phone
rang. The caller was in Paris. His name was Jean Packard.

A little more than five and a half hours later, Jean Packard sat down
opposite Paul Osborn in the hotel dining room. At forty-two, he was
exceedingly fit. His hair was cut short and his suit hung loosely over
a wiry frame. He wore no tie, and his shirt was open at the collar,
perhaps to purposely reveal a ragged, three-inch scar that ran
diagonally across his throat. Packard had been a Foreign Legionnaire,
then a soldier of fortune in Angola, Thailand, and El Salvador. He was
now an employee of Kolb International, billed as the world's largest
private investigation firm.

"We guarantee nothing, but we do our best, and for most clients that is
usually sufficient," Packard said with a smile that was surprising. A
waiter brought steaming coffee and a small tray of croissants, then
left. Jean Packard touched neither. Instead he looked at Osborn
directly.

"Let me explain," he continued. His English was heavily accented but
understandable. "All investigators forb International are thoroughly
screened and have impeccable credentials. We operate, however, not as
employees but as independent contractors. We take our assignments from
the regional offices and share the billing with them. Other than that,
they ask nothing. In effect, we are on our own unless we request
otherwise. Client confidentiality is very nearly religion with us.
Keeping matters one on one, investigator to client, assures that.
Something I'm certain you can appreciate at a time in history when even
the most privileged information is readily available to almost anyone
willing to pay for it."

Jean Packard put out a hand and stopped a passing waiter, asking in
French for a glass of water. Then he turned back to Osborn and
explained the rest of Kolb's procedure.

When an investigation was completed, he said, all files containing
written, copied or photographed work, negatives included, were returned
to the client. The investigator then turned in a time and expense
report to the Kolb regional office, which, in turn, billed the customer.

The water came. "Merci," Packard said. Then, taking a drink, he set
the glass on the table and looked to Osborn.

"So you understand how clean, private, and simple our operation is."

Osborn smiled. He not only liked the procedure, he liked the private
detective's style and manner. He needed someone he could trust, and
Jean Packard seemed to be that person. Still, the wrong person with the
wrong approach could send his man running and, as a result, spoil