“Yes, it’s too bad about Jim Hunte. He was a good man from what I understand”
“Yes, he was”
“I believe you know Howard Ryan, our general counsel” the general said.
Ryan didn’t bother to rise nor did McGarvey even look at him. “Yes, sir, we’ve met”
In the awkward silence that followed, Murphy waved them to the three vacant chairs. It was an odd little group, McGarvey thought. But then the need-to-know list for this operation would have to be kept very small. Washington was a town filled with ears, and Baranov had his share of them. A basic assumption of every secret intelligence service was that the enemy almost certainly had his own people on the payroll. Not very often the Kim Philbys, but certainly the odd reader or analyst here and there. Ultra-sensitive operations of necessity were often top-heavy with brass. “I’ve read John’s overnight report, which included Dr.
Abbott’s assessment of what you found at En Gedi” the general said.
“And I think we’re all agreed here-and the president concurs-that the Israelis do have battleready nuclear weapons, that they are stored beneath En Gedi, and that the Russians know about it and will certainly make their next attempt to destroy the facility on June thirtieth. That gives us eleven days” The date was something new. But McGarvey kept a poker face. “Not enough time for the Israelis to move the depot and maintain any kind of security. “No, nor have they confirmed or denied the real purpose of En Gedi. I have spoken with Isser Shamir, and the president with Prime Minister Peres. They’re angry, of course, that you got as far as you did, but when we explained our position-fully explained it-they agreed to your release. Contingent on two things”
“The first would be that the NPT Inspection Service was to be cut out of the deal” McGarvey said. “What about the second”
“That you’re to have help on this one” the general said. He glanced at Trotter. “Mossad”
“Yes” the general said. “I want you to understand something up front, McGarvey. I think you handled Germany brilliantly, but I think you fucked up at En Gedi. It was a damned fool stunt that could have gotten you killed, and certainly pissed off our only ally in the Middle East who is worth a danm”
“I got what I was sent to get”
McGarvey said. He’d expected the little morality speech. “I also want you to understand that the reason your name came up in the first place was because of the way you handled yourself two years ago” McGarvey leaned forward. “Let’s cut the bullshit, Mr. Director” he said. “We all know why I’ve been brought back into the fold. I’m to be used as bait for Baranov and his trigger man, Arkady Kurshin” Ryan started to say something, and Danielle was hiding a little grin, but the general held them off. “All right, we’ll cut the bullshit, McGarvey. You make me nervous, and it’s not because you’re a maverick who wants to do things his own way, but because you are an assassin. Very probably you are unbalanced, and certainly you are dangerous. “You’re most likely right, General, but at the moment I’m needed” McGarvey said, surprised at the hurt he was feeling. This was like coming back from Vietnam all over again. He touched his face, remembering the spit. “Yes, you are. But if you want out you have my word that no one on this side of the Atlantic will ever bother you again”
“I’m along for the ride”
“Why” Murphy asked him point-blank. Why indeed, McGarvey wondered. He didn’t know, it was as simple as that. Or was it?
What did he believe in? Truth, he supposed. Justice, though he hadn’t seen much of it in his life. Honor? Was that it? “It’s a job” he finally said. The general grunted. He tossed a fat file folder across the desk to McGarvey. “We want you to find Feliks for us, and we hope your doing so will draw Arkady Kurshin out of hiding before the thirtieth. He’ll try to kill you, of course. We want you to kill him first”
“And afterward” McGarvey asked, not yet reaching for the file. “Go back where you came from”
Carrara, who had done most of the actual briefing on the FELIKS file, rode down to Operations on the third floor with Trotter and McGarvey.
“There has already been a lot of fallout on this one” he said. “NATO has been raising hell about our security, and the president has a tight lid on the entire mess. And it’s a mess. We’re all under a lot of pressure here. With the addition of the Israelis, it’s made things doubly difficult”
“It’s the business” McGarvey said, getting him off the hook for the general’s comments. “Yes. John will take it from here. He’ll set up your cutout procedures and security arrangements. Good luck”
“Yeah”
McGarvey said. ““Thanks”
“He’s a good man” Trotter said as Carrara headed down the corridor to his own office. McGarvey turned to him. “They all are” he said. “Or at least most of them start that way”
“I’m sorry about upstairs..”
“Don’t be, John. Murphy knows what he’s talking about. Possibly the only man in this town who does. Nothing has changed” Trotter just shook his head. “Let’s go meet my Mossad partner, maybe he’ll be willing to tell me how we’ve suddenly come up with such a specific date”
“Not here. From this point on we’re keeping both of you at arm’s length from the Agency. Murphy’s orders. We’ve got a place set up for you in Georgetown. It should be okay for a few days, maybe longer. At least we’ve got secure phone lines in and out”
“Anything on the opposition yet”
“No, but watch yourself”
“Are you coming over”
“No. But I’ll give you a contact number and physical handover procedures”
“They’ll try again”
“No doubt of it, Kirk, no doubt whatsoever. Just take care of yourself, and when it’s over I’ll see that you’re treated right. I promise you that, Kirk. I swear to God. “Sure” McGarvey said.
The safehouse was a three-story brownstone a couple of blocks from Georgetown University in a nondescript but obviously expensive neighborhood. McGarvey had parked his car by the Naval Observatory and had taken a cab past the place, watching for anything or anyone out of the ordinary. But he had seen nothing. Still, his instincts were telling him that Kurshin was very near. He could almost taste it in the air.
Paranoia? he wondered. With age and experience sometimes comes overcaution. He was back on the hunt, and only Trotter, it seemed, was minding his back door. And exactly whatfallout had Carrara been talking about? As with every operation he’d been involved in, the unanswered questions were a legion in the beginning, among them the participation of the Mossad. “We’re helping them out, Kirk. Naturally they’d insist on inserting one of their own people into the operation” Trotter had explained. “We’re talking about a Soviet penetration agent somewhere within the Pentagon. That covers a lot of territory” Trotter had nodded glumly. “We all know it, but your arrest put us against the wall”
McGarvey said nothing. “It’ll be up to you to see that they don’t get into too much mischief..”
“For Christ’s sake, John, we’ve been around too long for that kind of crap. Talk to me. Murphy must have safeguards. I I “Yes, he does”
“If they get in my way someone could get hurt”
“I know” Trotter said. “In this my hands are practically tied, Kirk.
I’ll do what I can to keep them off your back, but when it gets down to the last analysis, it’ll be up to you to i make peace with the Mossad”
McGarvey hadn’t bothered asking what he’d meant by that; he figured he’d be finding out soon enough. He got his car from the Naval Observatory, parked it on a narrow side street a block away from the safehouse, and went the rest of the way on foot, reasonably certain, at least for the moment, that he had not been followed. Mounting the steps at three in the afternoon, McGarvey had the impression that he was passing from one time zone into another, and no matter what had come before, once he crossed the threshold there would be no turning back.
He let himself into the stairhall and stood in the shadows for a few moments listening to the sounds of the house. They would be alone, Trotter had assured him. “Complete privacy. Hash out whatever it is you two have to hash out there, inside the safehouse, away from prying eyes and ears, and then do your job.
Lev Potok, wearing khaki trousers and a light V-neck sweater, appeared at the head of the stairs. “You” McGarvey said, once again amazed at his own self-control. “There’s some cold beer up here. I think you and I are going to have to get some things straight between us before we get started”
