“Bullshit” she snapped, jumping up. “I’m not going to be kept a prisoner in my own country. In the first place I’ve done nothing wrong, and in the second place I have two research grants and two teams I’m currently supervising”
I’ll I I’m sorry’mark, for God’s sake” she cried. But O’Sheay was again shaking his head. “There’s not a thing I can do about it, Lorraine, I’m sorry. I’d rather do without your company for a few days or even a month than forever”
“And they will kill you if they find you, Dr. Abbott” Trotter said.
“Who is they”
“That isn’t necessary to know at this momentryan said. “The Russians”
McGarvey interjected. Ryan thumped his fist on the table.
“Listen here, mister, I’ve had enough of your prima donna crap”
McGarvey ignored him. “It will be the same people who reprogrammed the Pershing to strike En Gedi. They know what’s there, and they won’t stop.“
“Trotter” Ryan demanded in exasperation. “Let’s step outside for a moment, Kirk” Trotter said. “Please. “I’ll talk them into getting you a computer, maybe flying some of your programs out here, if that’ll help.
But no matter what, you’re going to have to remain here out of sight for as long as it takes” She was shaking her head in amazement. “I don’t believe this. “Believe it” McGarvey said. He turned, opened the door, and went out into the stairwell where he lit a cigarette. Trotter and Ryan were right behind him, and Ryan was turning. “That was quite a performance in there”
“Counselor, why don’t you stick to counseling and let me stick to spying” McGarvey told him. He turned back to Trotter. “They’re there, John. I’m as convinced as I can be without having actually seen the weapons themselves”
“Are you all right” Trotter asked. “Just fine. She saved my ass by getting to the general before they picked her up. She’s got fine instincts”
“She’ll be okay here, Kirk. You’re coming back to Washington with me this afternoon”
McGarvey shook his head. “Leave me a car, and I’ll drive in tomorrow morning. It’s been a long forty-eight hours. I can use a few hours’ sleep”
“Everything is all right here” Trotter said. “I’m sure it is.
I’ll be even more sure in the morning. What are we going to do now?
Baranov won’t back off, and Kurshin is still floating around out there somewhere”
“You’re going after FELIKS” Trotter said. “We’ll brief you in the morning”
“Have your people developed a short list”
“Not as short as we’d like, but you’ll have a decent head start”
“I’ll see you in the morning”
” Sure” Trotter said” We’ll leave you the Taurus. Ryan had held his silence, listening to the exchange. “I think it would be better if you came back with us now, McGarvey”
“I don’t” McGarvey said, starting to turn away. “What, are you fucking her already” McGarvey swiveled smoothly on his heel, grabbed a handful of Ryan’s shirt front, and half lifted him off his feet. “That’s the second time I’ve been asked that question, and frankly I’m getting tired of it. Have you seen my dossier, Counselor”
Ryan was able to do little more than squeak an affirmative. “Then you know what I am” McGarvey growled. “And didn’t your mama ever tell you not to piss off a killer”
It was nearly midnight. The light wind had died and the evening had become warm and humid. McGarvey stood on the side porch in the shadows watching the gravel road as it disappeared down into the woods toward the highway. Trotter had left four FBI officers here to watch after Lorraine Abbott’s safety. So far he had picked out three of them. One in an old pickup truck just down from the barn, another just off the road, a flash of his white face briefly visible in the starlight, and the third had actually lit a cigarette farther down in the woods. “I want to thank you” Lorraine Abbott’s voice came from the open window just behind him and to the left. “Go to bed, Doctor” McGarvey said.
“The name is Lorraine” McGarvey smiled to himself. “I thought your friends called you Dr. Abbott”
“None of them have any balls” He had to laugh. “Now you sound like one of the boys”
“Did you ever know a physicist who wasn’t”
“Not one who looks like you”
It had been a long time since McGarvey had been to the headquarters building. The last time he’d left in disgrace and had packed himself off to Switzerland. It was odd coming back like this.
Driving up the broad road from the main gate where Trotter had left him a grounds pass, he could see that the new section of the main building had been completed. The Russians, it was said, were adding on to their Foreign Operations Building on the Circumferential Highway outside of Moscow. When that building had been constructed in 1972 it had been a nearly exact copy of CIA headquarters. It was a safe bet that their new addition would closely resemble the CIA’S. Spying was a big business, and the KGB admired the Americans’ way of doing it.
He parked the Taurus in the visitors’ lot and walked across to the main entrance of the building, where he signed in and was searched with a metal detector. Trotter himself came down a couple of minutes later to fetch him. “Has she settled down” he asked on the way up to the seventh floor. “She’s still grumbling, but she’s beginning to understand. How about O’Sheay-do you think he’ll blow the whistle”
“No” Trotter said.
McGarvey hadn’t thought so either. The man had been cowed. But they had probably made some sort of a deal with him. After all, his job in a large measure depended on National Security Agency spy satellites. The NPT Inspection Service would be hard pressed to do without the KHII.
“How about her computer”
“Barker will have it to her by this afternoon. We’re just waiting for some of her research materials to come in from California” Trotter looked at him. “She’ll be all right out there, Kirk”
“Any word on Kurshin”
“No, he’s gone to ground again”
“If he’s found out about her, he might try something”
“That’s why you’re here” Trotter said. “We want him to come to Washington, after me”
“Which he will do, once you start poking around Baranov’s main source”
“He’s pretty good, John”
“Yes he is, but now we know his target”
“And he knows that we know”
McGarvey said. They had to sign in with the seventh-floor security people, where they were again subjected to a metal detector search before they were allowed across the corridor and through the glass doors into the huge outer office of the CIA’s director. Lawrence Danielle was just coming from his office adjacent to the general’s, a pleasantly neutral expression on his face when he spotted McGarvey. “Hello, Kirk.
Welcome back”
They shook hands. Danielle had headed the review board which had recommended McGarvey’s dismissal. McGarvey was surprised at his own self-control now. He had done a lot of thinking, though, and years ago he had come to the conclusion that it had been time for him to get out anyway. It didn’t matter that Danielle had made the decision for him.
“This go-around it’s just a part-time job”
“Yes, well, they’re waiting for us inside” The DCI’s secretary buzzed them through and they went into the general’s vast office with its magnificent view of the rolling hills to the southwest. Howard Ryan and another man were seated across from Murphy, who rose from behind his massive desk. “Kirk McGarvey, I assume” the general said. “Yes, sir”
McGarvey said, crossing the room and shaking his hand. “I don’t believe you’ve met Phil Carrara, our deputy director of operations”
“No”
McGarvey said. Carrara got to his feet and they shook hands. “A hell of a job you did for us in Germany” he said. “I had help”
