Debutant. Chapter 18. Zugzwang. Part 3

This novel is fictional; there is no need to look for intersections with historical events. This is a continuation of “Debutant” by Nikita Savelyev, the first readers of which were readers of F1News.ru…

Chapter 18. Zugzwang. Part three

“I had no doubt that we would reach a consensus,” Manuel chuckled happily. – A cigar? Well, whatever you want. Why are you hanging your head?

“Don’t you understand,” Henry frowned. – A driver who caused a collision while overtaking a lap, and even with the leader, is mercilessly criticized; who would invite such a bungler to a normal team?

“I found something to mourn about,” Manuel waved his hand. “If you and I can get it all together, we’ll do the real work.”

– What else? – Henry was on his guard.

“I’ve already thought of everything,” Manuel began happily. – We will develop American sports. I fell in love with the United States; this is a land of possibilities that I could not realize at home. To be honest, I’m just starting out, my income comes mainly from boxing. But there is already a lot of division. Whether it’s car racing or not. We will find you a great place in the American Championship, there is money, and we will promote you, and at the same time we will row cabbages in betting. If we need it, we’ll get out at the right time, or we’ll start a mess, but you never know what you can come up with. I already expect super profits.

“To be honest, I have other plans,” Henry said shyly. – I signed a contract with Monetti.

– The Europeans are given to you, they are completely boring there.

– But still…

“Henry, friend, if our prank on you is successful, you will have no choice but to work with me,” Manuel said ominously.

Who would doubt it, in this case Henry will become a full-fledged accomplice. With difficulty, but it dawned on him that all his plans would fail. When there was only one step left to success.

– First you will become famous on the continent. Then we’ll kill the Europeans,” Manuel said. – What are our years?! The plans are breathtaking. Do you agree?

– I do not even know.

– Isn’t this what you dreamed of, Henry? I see a shadow of doubt, but you will think and understand – there is no other way out. Either take me to fame, fortune and women, or… But let’s not talk about the bad. Now let’s discuss the details?

“Go ahead,” Henry nodded obediently. It feels like he’s like a bird caught in a snare and can’t even find a hole in the expertly woven trap to stick his head out.

– Osvaldo will take care of you, you will live together in a hotel. And at the same time, your passport remains with him, so that he does not cause unnecessary temptation. And the money too: you will continue to have our support for the time being. I understand that it is difficult to follow you on the track, but keep in mind that if you sneak out again, I will not forgive your repeated betrayal. I dig it out of the ground.

– And in my mind…

“It is my duty to warn you, compañero,” Manuel flashed his teeth. – And yet you are very fast, who knows what will come into your clever head. So write me a confession now.

– Which? – Henry asked, feeling that something was wrong.

– How you would knock Sam Murphy out of the race in exchange for money. And if something happens, this piece of paper will fall into the right hands, and in the racing world they won’t even take you to wipe your windows after that.

– This is not necessary, Manuel…

– Not at all. If I don’t plan something, extra insurance wouldn’t hurt.

– How to write? A receipt in your name? I don’t even know your last name.

– Sanchez. But it’s better not to mention me. For what? And don’t worry: if you do everything right, you will tear this piece of paper yourself. I sincerely hope that you will not worry, but make the only right decision. And together, hand in hand, we will achieve a lot. Good old Manuel will give you everything! The whole world will talk about you. And I like to stay in the shade; my portion will be enough for me. Write, Henry, write.

Manuel kindly provided a car to take Henry back to the place from which he had been so unceremoniously removed, and the grim Osvaldo as a companion. We couldn’t test our weapon, monster! At?! But this doesn’t make it any easier for the time being. Then all the torment of the unfortunate Henry would come to an end. Meanwhile, he stared blankly at the panorama of the city, which turned out not to be at all what he had expected, and wondered how to get out. Life had never surprised the unfortunate adventurer so much.

The simplest thing is to run away from all problems. It won’t be difficult to lose Osvaldo in the crowd at the track. So what’s next? A concerned team will immediately put him on the wanted list. I have no passport in hand, not a cent in my pocket, the entire state police will immediately start looking for the suddenly missing rider. He’s not a British spy from a movie; he will last at most two hours in an illegal position. And he will return to where he started.

Go to the police? In the end, he is terrorized by bandits, he is one hundred percent a victim and Manuel can use the paper with the confession for a certain purpose. How twice will Henry prove that he wrote it under pressure. The police will come and arrest everyone. Only bad inconsistencies can arise. Why did Manuel choose you? One of his henchmen will tell how Henry lost his cargo. And then he himself will fall into the unfriendly clutches of the law. Should I get rid of the freight story somehow? Maybe. But in this case, his budding career will be tarnished. It’s small, but dark. Who needs a pilot with a reputation like that? And all his racing efforts will go to waste.

Not knock Murphy out of the race? Fake bad luck and get out before you meet the champion, or fly out right under his nose, they say, skidding. Manuel will no longer deal with Henry right away, he will find another use for him, otherwise all Napoleonic plans will be lost. This way Henry buys time, and then he will try to come up with something. What if Manuel gets angry? And anger will triumph over the thirst for profit? It is dangerous to rely on the mercy of an unexpected employer.

To Krokus? Be that as it may, this concerns them too. Murphy could easily lose the title, let’s think. No, it’s kind of nonsense. How will they help?

Who, on the other hand, is Murphy to Henry? During these months he exchanged only a few words with him, a complete stranger. And why is it certain that Murphy will lose the title after Henry’s maneuver? After all, there is still one race ahead. Nothing bad will happen. There is no chance that Henry himself will become a pilot who will be any worse than Murphy. In this world everyone is for themselves. Sorry Sam, who knew the cards would fall this way, and you would still get the title, not this year, and then next year. So. Has it been decided?

But in this case, Henry will become dependent on Manuel and continue to be forced to dance to his tune. But is this so bad when you think about it? How many athletes, artists or businessmen have had their careers boosted by bad money? Manuel will not cut back on financing his puppet; he will find a good American stable for him. Henry will develop, build a career, win races, but Manuel won’t ask him to leave the race every time? And there he will gradually become a famous person and a popular athlete.

Seductive? No problem. Only in all this honeyed splendor is there a drop of tar. Over time, Henry will become so bogged down in Manuel’s combinations that he will be firmly in the same armor should one happen to pull the other into the abyss. But when else will this happen? At this point, Henry will easily figure out how to competently get rid of Manuel so that he no longer has any incriminating evidence. But how does he differ from Manuel?

A kind of Zugzwang. As a child, Henry played chess; any action he takes now will lead to a worsening of the situation. But should something be done? To act according to your conscience – you will ruin your life or career, cheat a little, and you will always have to walk on this slippery slope. It is so easy to choose between good and evil in a fairy tale, but for some reason everything in life is different. Here is one evil, here is another. And all the simple choices.

== To be continued…