Golden Buddha (Oregon Files 1)

The aide quickly ushered him in to his meeting with the Dalai Lama.

“Your Holiness,” Cabrillo said as he entered and bowed his head slightly.

The Dalai Lama stood silently, staring at Cabrillo for a full minute. Then he smiled.

“You are a good man,” he said at last. “Langston told me—but I needed to be sure for myself.”

“Thank you, sir,” Cabrillo said. “These are the papers that we recovered from inside the Buddha,” he said, handing them to the Dalai Lama’s aide. “I’ll need them transcribed before my meeting with the Russians.”

“Copy them and translate them into English,” the Dalai Lama ordered his aide. “Mr. Cabrillo will need to leave again shortly.”

The Dalai Lama motioned to a long couch, where Overholt was already seated. Cabrillo sat on the end and the Dalai Lama slipped betwee

n the two men. “So explain the plan,” he said.

“I believe the Russians will support your bid to regain your country. They will offer the muscle to deter the Chinese from making an assault once we gain control of Lhasa, in return for the rights to develop what you claim those documents represent: the vast oil reserves of the Himalayas.”

“Their location’s known only to us,” said the Dalai Lama. “In those documents. So—your president got them to the border by offering them the aid package,” the Dalai Lama said, “but to fight, they need more.”

“Exactly,” Cabrillo said.

“And you?” the Dalai Lama asked. “Your company? What were you hired to do?”

“We were hired to steal the Golden Buddha and to pave the way for your return. Once you are back inside Tibet, our obligation would, by the contract wording, end.”

“So I would be left—how do you say it?—high and dry,” the Dalai Lama said.

“Hard to say,” Cabrillo admitted, “and this has bothered me and my associates.”

“Why?” the Dalai Lama said. “Are you not mercenaries? Once your obligation is over, don’t you just blend into the night?”

Cabrillo thought for a minute how to answer this question. He paused and thought as the Dalai Lama waited. “It’s a little more complex than that, Your Holiness. If we did what we did just for money, we would have all retired by now. It’s more involved than that. In the past, most of us worked for one government agency or another, and we were compelled by Congress, or public opinion, to do things we knew or felt were wrong. We don’t do those things anymore. We were formed to make a profit, that’s for sure, but as much as we like the money, we are also cognizant of the chances that arise for us to somehow right the wrongs of others.”

“You are speaking of Karma,” the Dalai Lama said. “Something I am most aware of.”

Cabrillo nodded. “We have decided that to leave you alone to fight the Chinese would be wrong. The solution came to us when we realized the significance of the papers inside the Golden Buddha.”

“And I assume your company will profit from such a deal?” the Dalai Lama asked.

“Is that bad?” Cabrillo asked.

“Not necessarily,” the Dalai Lama said, “but explain more.”

Ten minutes later, Cabrillo was finished.

“I’m impressed,” the Dalai Lama said, “now let me explain mine.”

Another five minutes passed as the Dalai Lama spoke.

“Brilliant,” Cabrillo said when the Dalai Lama had finished.

“Thank you,” the Dalai Lama said, “but to sway the vote will take funds—will you bear the cost?”

“We made a little money on a side deal,” Cabrillo said, thinking of the $100 million in bearer bonds. “So the costs are not a problem.”

Overholt had remained silent as the two spoke. Now he interjected. “If you can pull this off,” he said eagerly, “the president will kiss you.”

“Mr. Cabrillo,” the Dalai Lama said, “this gives us both an opportunity to keep the bloodshed down, while at the same time offering our actions a legitimacy that is indisputable. If you can make this happen, I will agree to your deal as offered.”