as a junkyard dog.” He was broad-shouldered and solidly built, like an athlete. When he got older he would probably be chunky, but for now he was formidable. His eyes were as bright a blue as Liz’s were green.
McGarvey couldn’t wait to see what color the baby’s eyes would be.
“Besides being mean, what’s her latest project?” “Just before we came over here tonight, she tried to move the refrigerator because she was convinced that there were bugs and mice nesting in the dirt behind it.”
“If it’s any consolation, her mother did the same thing,” he assured his son-in-law. “Has she said anything else about the conspiracy theory that she and Otto were working on?” “That was before the accident. She’s into her super clean and super fit mode now. By the time we leave for Vail tomorrow, the apartment will be spotless, and she’ll be itching to ski me into the ground.” “Her doctor said that’s okay?” “I talked to him myself. He wants her to stay off the black diamond runs. No booze and lots of rest. But he told her that this would be her last fling. Starting Monday she can’t even go back to the Farm.” “Take it a little easy on her, Todd. And I’m not saying that just because she’s my daughter,” McGarvey advised. “Right now she feels fat, ugly and useless.” “Tell me about it.” “You need to assure her that in your eyes she’s beautiful, that you still love her, and that you won’t abandon her.” “She knows better ” Todd protested, but McGarvey held him off. “Doesn’t matter what you think she knows. It’s what she wants to hear. What every woman going to have a baby wants to hear. That her partner is going to be there for her, no matter what.”
“She’s so god dammed stubborn.” “And you aren’t?” Todd flared, but then grinned ruefully. “If she could just relax once in a while.” “Is the honeymoon over?” “I don’t know if it ever began.” McGarvey knew that they argued, but this sounded like trouble. They were practically clones of each other, but they couldn’t see it. “Maybe you should get a divorce,” McGarvey suggested. Todd’s grip tightened on the beer bottle. “That’s not an option,” he answered. “Then do something about the situation.” “What?” “Either roll over and play dead, or finesse her.” Todd shook his head. “She’d hate me either way.” McGarvey almost hated maneuvering his son-in-law so blatantly. But not quite.
“Do you love her?” “What?” Todd sputtered. “Of course I do.” “Then you have the magic bullet. Whenever she gives you some shit, tell her that you love her. It’ll stop her in her tracks every time, provided she can see that you mean it.” “Oh, yeah?” McGarvey nodded. “But it won’t work unless you ease up on her, too.” Todd looked away. “I’ll try anything.” “That’s good,” McGarvey said. He turned around as Elizabeth and her mother came in. Katy had a glass of white wine, and Liz was drinking what looked like a plain soda water on the rocks with a twist. “Just in time. We’re starving,” he said. “If Todd missed a meal now and then, it wouldn’t hurt him,” Liz said crossly. Todd pursed his lips and nodded. “You’re right. You’re beautiful, Liz. I love you.” Elizabeth started to make a sharp retort, but something in his eyes got to her. She softened and grinned at her father. “If you’re his chief adviser, keep it up.” She looked at her husband.
“Flattery will get you anything you want.” He brightened. “Anything?”
Elizabeth glanced at her parents. “Well, you might have to wait until later for some things.” The moment remained in tableau, Todd and Elizabeth grinning at each other, until Kathleen motioned for Kirk to go out to the kitchen with her. She had him take the roast out of the oven and put it on the carving board. “Ten minutes and you can start cutting it,” she told him. She glanced toward the family room.
“Something’s wrong with her. She’s hiding something.” McGarvey nodded.
“I think it has something to do with work.” “This is starting to get ridiculous, Kirk,” she said sharply. “She’s pregnant. She has no business working in the field. She’s your daughter, fire her.” “Do you think she’d stand still for it if I tried?” “It would put her nose out of joint, but I’d rather see that than have something happen to her or the baby.” Kathleen gripped McGarvey’s arm. “Dave Whittaker can do it. You can make him understand.” “I can pull her from Williamsburg and put her on the Russian desk, but I’d have to give her and her section heads a good reason.” “She’s pregnant, for God’s sake.”
“She’s not in the field, she’s not running the Course at the Farm, no combat sims, nothing but lectures and paperwork.”
Kathleen gave her husband a critical look. “There’s even more. You’re hiding something, too. I can see it in your eyes.” McGarvey nodded.
“She and Otto are working on something. All he tells me is that Liz is looking through some of my old files, maybe to do an in-house biography. She may have seen the file on my parents, including the accident pictures.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Do you see what I mean?” McGarvey was confused. “No, I don’t.” “Otto and Elizabeth are working on something together. And now you’re sending Otto home because he’s falling apart.” She spread her hands. “Do you think that it’s a coincidence that our daughter is lying to us?”
“There’s not much we can do for her if she doesn’t want us to get involved with her pregnancy. At least not for now. And the other thing, with her and Otto, will be resolved in the next couple of days.
I’ll make sure of it.” Kathleen nodded after a moment, then busied herself with the rest of the dinner while McGarvey carved the roast.
They all had wine except for Elizabeth, who stuck with Perrier. She and Todd seemed relaxed with each other, but there was an underlying tension around the table. “I’ve relieved Otto from duty for a couple of days,” McGarvey said when they were finished. Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s probably a good idea. He came back too soon after the accident. But if he wants to keep working, he can do it from his apartment.” “What are you two working on that’s got him so heated up, and you climbing down everyone’s throats?” McGarvey asked his daughter. “Otto and I aren’t working on anything.” “Come on, Liz.
You’re putting together my bio, everybody knows that. Otto’s got you digging through some of the old records at Fort Hill. But he’s been working on something else, too. He won’t tell me what it is yet, but it’s got something to do with KGB files and with an old Department Viktor psychologist by the name of Nikolayev. Does any of that ring a bell?” “No.” Elizabeth said it with a straight face, but this time McGarvey knew damned well that she was lying to him. “Maybe I should relieve you of duty, too.” “Come on, Dad. I have a job to do. But if I’m going to be treated like the director’s daughter, I won’t be able to get anything done. I’ll never know if people are telling me the truth or just something that they think I want to hear. Let me get on with it.” “On with what?” Something flashed across her face. “My job.” “You’re four months pregnant, Elizabeth,” her mother said. “In the old days women went to bed for the entire nine months, Mother.
This is the twenty-first century. Not only am I going to keep working, but Todd and I are going skiing this weekend. With my doctor’s permission.” “Okay, sweetheart, if you want to be treated like an ordinary intelligence officer, so be it,” McGarvey said. “That’s exactly what I want,” Liz responded defiantly. “You and Todd are relieved from duty at the Farm as of right now. I’ll talk to Dave Whittaker and Tommy Doyle about your transfers. Starting Monday you’ll be assigned to the Russian desk, and Todd will work for Jay Newby in the Operations Center.” “Dad-” “Since you’re going away for the weekend, I’ll cut you some slack. But no later than Tuesday noon I want a full report on what you’ve been doing for the past ninety days.
That includes all your day sheets and contact logs.” “What if I don’t?” Elizabeth flared. “Then I’ll fire you.” Elizabeth started to protest, but Todd put a hand over hers. “Shut up, Liz,” he told her.
“The transfer is just until after the baby is born, right?” he asked McGarvey. “We’ll see. Once the baby comes your job specs will have to be reevaluated anyway.” Todd nodded after an awkward silence. “Liz’s day sheet will be on your desk Tuesday morning.” “What time are you leaving for Colorado?” Kathleen asked. She was brittle. Elizabeth turned to her mother. Sensing trouble, her lips tightened. “Eight in the morning.” She glanced up at the clock. It was coming up on 9:00.
“In fact we should get going now. We still have to get our ski stuff together, and I need to get some sleep. It’s been a long week.” “Did your doctor consider the risk you’re taking, going out to Colorado, considering what happened… last time,” Kathleen asked. “It’s still snowing, Mrs. M.,” Todd said. “The Beltway is going to be a mess. We have to go.”
“I asked a question.”
Elizabeth held herself tightly. “Yes my doctor considered the risk to me and my baby, and he gave me permission to go skiing if I was careful.”
Kathleen turned to her husband. “What do you think, Kirk?”
“If they don’t get going right now they’ll have to stay the night and they’ll miss their flight. The roads won’t be any better by morning.”
Kathleen clenched her hands. “Be careful, Elizabeth. Would you do at least that much for me?” she said. “I’ll worry all weekend about you and the baby. I’m sorry, I can’t help it.”
Elizabeth softened. “It’ll be okay, mother. I want you and daddy to have some fun too. Soak up some sun.
