The Assassins by Alan Bardos (best novels in english txt) 📗

from his belt, turned to look for something to strike the primer against and stopped still.

A grey-uniformed gendarme had appeared from nowhere and was standing behind him. If he attempted to use the bomb the gendarme would stop him and it would give the game away before the others had a chance to act.

He'd counted seven cars approaching. He had no idea which one the tyrant was in. Ilic had told him only to act if he was sure he recognised the Archduke, otherwise he should wait until the tyrant made his return trip. Mehmedbasic turned back and watched the motorcade cruise past.

*

Nedjo was feeling hot and exposed on the river side of Appel Quay, away from the crowd and the shade. He'd taken the cap off the bomb, ready to prime it, and was holding it under his jacket.

He had a clear view of the Royal motorcade as it rounded a slight bend in the road, past a mock Moorish building that housed the State Girls High School and a grey neo-classical building.

His father’s accusation that he was betraying his people still burnt, along with the lack of faith his friends had shown in him. He started to move away from Cumurija Bridge, knowing that he must be the first to throw his bomb on Vidovdan.

The lead car in the motorcade was only a few yards away, but he didn't know which car the tyrant was in. He saw a policeman watching the approaching procession and asked him.

'The third car,' the policeman answered, as excited by the scene as everyone else. Nedjo could see lime green feathers above the third car and knew it was the tyrant. He took the bomb from under his jacket and aimed for the feathers. Today he would prove that he was no traitor.

*

Johnny stood with Cubrilovic, watching the motorcade as it appeared around the bend in the road and went past the picket fence of the Mostar Café without being attacked. Johnny guessed that the most experienced man wasn't all he was cracked up to be.

Cubrilovic seemed captivated by the spectacle as the great ocean liner of a car came nearer, the Imperial eagles of its flags clearly visible. On the river side of the car, the Duchess held a parasol, reminding Johnny of Libby, and a black fan. The Archduke was closest to them; he'd rested his arm on the car's folded back roof. The sun was reflecting on his medals and the gold braid of the red insignia on his collar. It was the perfect picture of royal pomp.

'Is that them?' Cubrilovic asked, coming out of his daze.

'Yes,' Johnny answered.

Cubrilovic unscrewed the cap of his bomb and moved to strike the primer against the striped wall of the surgery.

'Vaso, have pity. You'll kill his wife,' Johnny said, trying one last attempt at reason.

*

The motorcade came onto a long straight section of Appel Quay and for a fleeting moment, Franz Ferdinand had the sensation of being a roebuck driven through the traps towards a waiting hunter.

Governor Potiorek pointed across a steel bridge to a grand Imperial building on the other side of the river. 'If Your Highness would care to observe - Franz Josef Barracks, headquarters of the Gendarmerie Corps.'

Franz Ferdinand turned to wave at the couple of people on the river side of the quay and looked straight into the eyes of a tall, skinny youth in a grey suit. The car suddenly lurched forward as the chauffer accelerated.

*

Cubrilovic hesitated and pulled up short, unsure how to act now that Johnny had planted the seeds of doubt in his mind. 'This is hopeless. We are too badly positioned,' he said.

Johnny smiled agreement and breathed a deep sigh of relief, but just then a loud crack like a pistol shot cut through the noise of the crowd. A tall man across the street was banging his pipe against a tramway mast. Johnny wondered for a brief moment why someone would do something so strange, as the heir to the throne drove past. Then he realised it was Nedjo Cabrinovic. He'd just struck his bomb against the mast, to prime it.

*

Ilic heard the crack and unsure what it was, he searched the crowd for some sign of action. Something was going very badly wrong - neither Vaso nor Mehmedbasic had attacked. Apis's man couldn't blame him for their failure; Ilic had stayed next to him on the corner of Cumurija Street so he could see that he hadn't tried to interfere.

Ilic saw Jovo standing a few yards in front of him with Vaso. It wasn't his assigned position and it looked as if Jovo was talking Vaso down. The doubts that he’d had about Jovo began to crowd back into Ilic’s mind and he tapped Apis’s man on the shoulder.

'That's him - Jovo - he's the English interloper!' Ilic shouted. At that moment Jovo started to tear through the crowd trying to get onto the road. Apis’s man set off after him.

There had always been something about Jovo that had never sat right with Ilic. Despite supposedly studying in Paris he showed little interest in anything intellectual and he was always sneaking about asking questions, ready to point the finger to throw suspicion off himself. Ilic had been so focused on trying to talk Gavro out of the plot that he hadn't given much thought to his distrust. Jovo had always done what he was told and Ilic had made sure that Jovo wasn't armed today or privy to the full plan.

*

Johnny pushed his way onto the road and started to sprint towards the Archduke's car, madly waving his arms, before tripping on a huge foot which some idiot had stuck out in front of him. As he fell, he locked eyes with the Archduke’s chauffeur, a tough- looking, stocky man, who instinctively accelerated