She has the classic symptoms of a half-dozen psychoses, but not all the symptoms of any one of them. Deepened emotions, grandiosity, depression, bouts of violence and abnormal muscle strength, irritability, hallucinations, seizures, paranoid suspicions, loss of libido followed by hyper sexuality Stenzel spread his hands. “I don’t know.” “Will she be able to travel in an hour?” “She’ll be sedated.
Not out of it, but calmed down. The move shouldn’t disturb her.”
Gloria Sanchez came out of the bedroom. Kathleen was already up. She had put on a robe and stood in the middle of the room looking at them.
She was smiling timidly. “Tony has a priest at the front door, says he would like to see Mrs. McGarvey. His name is Janis Vietski of Good Shepherd Church here in Chevy Chase. He checks out.” “I know him,”
McGarvey said. “Tell him that we appreciate his coming over, but not now.” “Yes, Kirk,” Kathleen said. “Please. It would mean a lot to me before we leave.” McGarvey looked to Stenzel for an opinion. The doctor shrugged. “Can’t hurt,” he replied in a soft voice that wouldn’t carry. “Might even help calm her down.” “Would you like to get dressed first?” McGarvey asked his wife. “No. I’d like to talk to Father for just a minute, then I’ll get ready, and we can leave.” She seemed to be brittle and withdrawn. But that was to be expected.
McGarvey gave Gloria the nod. “Have him come up.” The security officer said something into her lapel micA minute later Father Vietski, looking something like a shaggy bear with longish dark hair and beard, a stained black jacket and clerical collar, and unbuckled winter boots appeared at the head of the stairs. He laid his topcoat and hat on a chair and shambled over, a look of sympathy on his pleasantly broad Slavic peasant’s face. He didn’t appear to notice that McGarvey was wet. “Mr. Director, I came right over the moment I heard the terrible news,” the priest said, shaking McGarvey’s hand. His voice was rich and warm, concerned. “God bless us all that you and Mrs. McGarvey were not injured.” “Thank you,” McGarvey said. He’d never really examined his faith, although he knew that he sided with Voltaire in his distrust of organized religion. But Katy got comfort from the Church. At this point that meant a lot to him. And Vietski seemed to have a genuine regard for her. The priest noticed Kathleen standing in her robe in the bedroom. “My dear sweet Kathleen, what has happened to you?” he said warmly. With eyes for no one else but her, he entered the bedroom, waited until the security officer got out, then closed the door. “Five minutes, then I want him out of here,” McGarvey told the security people.
“Yes, sir.”
“When he’s gone, I’d like you to help her get ready to travel,”
McGarvey said. “I’m staying with her,” Stenzel said. “Good,” McGarvey replied. “Now, where’s Jim?” Jim Grassinger had taken over as head of McGarvey’s security detail. “He’s in the dining room. You need to get out of those wet clothes, sir,” Gloria Sanchez said. “I will,”
McGarvey said. He gave her a smile. “Thanks for your help.” “Yes, sir.” McGarvey changed clothes, then went downstairs. He stopped in the front hall. Everything was unraveling around him. Katy’s disintegration and seizure. Liz and the baby. And last night Dick Yemm’s death. That part should not have happened. The security team in the van was too good to let someone in an unknown car get that close to them. And Yemm should have known better than to barge into the van the way he had without backup. The Bureau had found no trace of the blue Mercedes that Kathleen had seen from the window. But when they did finally run it down it would help clear up some of the mystery.
Grassinger was in the dining room with three other security officers.
Detailed maps of the Washington area, including the small town of Cropley a few miles up the Potomac from the capital, were spread out on the table. Grassinger, a tall, square-shouldered, serious man was on the encrypted phone to Operations at Langley. “I’ll get back to you,”
he said. He broke the connection. “Gloria tells me that we can get out of here within the hour,” McGarvey said. “What’s the drill?”
“We’re driving you and Mrs. McGarvey out to Cropley in the spare limo.
The long way.” “Norm Stenzel will be riding with us.” “Okay, Dr.
Stenzel, too, plus two security people and your driver,” Grassinger agreed. “We’ll do a number of switchbacks and feints, which will give our chase cars room to make sure that we get out clean. We’ll have two helicopters in the air, at a distance, to help cover our tail as well.
But everything is going to be discreet. Nothing will appear to be out of the ordinary.” “What if there’s trouble?” “We call for backup and head to whichever is closer at that moment, Langley or Cropley.” “How about Todd and Elizabeth?”
“Nearly the same drill, Mr. Director, except that Van Buren will drive his own SUV out to Cropley, using a number of switchbacks. There won’t be any security in the car with him and your daughter, but there will be chase cars and a helicopter aloft to make sure they run into no trouble. They’ll arrive at Cropley thirty minutes ahead of us.” “Any reason for that?” “Sir, Todd wants to make a quick sweep of the property himself before you and Mrs. McGarvey get out there.” “That’s fine,” McGarvey said. “I want your people to remain out of sight. This is going to be as low-key a move as we can make it.” “Yes, sir, that’s what we figured. There’s no use advertising what we’re doing.”
McGarvey had always taken a hand in his own safety. But now in his position he had to rely on others to make sure the job got done right.
He didn’t like it. One of the security officers was on the phone. He touched the mute button. “Mr. Director, the President would like to speak to you.” “Do you want us to get out of here?” Grassinger asked.
“No,” McGarvey said. He took the phone and touched the MUTE button.
“This is McGarvey.” “Please hold for the President, sir,” Haynes’s secretary said. The President came on. “Good morning, Kirk. How are you doing?” “Good morning, Mr. President. We’re hanging on. But I’m going to be gone from Washington for a few days. I’m taking my family to a safe house.” “After last night, that’s a good idea,” the President said. “I want you to consider something while you’re gone.
I want you to think about withdrawing your nomination. Linda and I know what you and Kathleen are going through, and we would not blame you if you stepped away. Hell, having Hammond and Madden on the warpath is bad enough, but this now, attacks not only on you but on your family, is beyond the bounds.” “Thanks for the offer, Mr.
President. But when I quit it won’t be like this.” “I understand.
What can I do to help?” “Keep Senator Hammond off my back until we get this settled,” McGarvey said. He’d given the problem some thought.
“He’s still got a pipeline into the CIA. He’s coming up with information that’s only discussed between me and my directorate chiefs and their immediate staff. We’re trying to plug the leak now. But if you could invite him over to the Oval Office and have a chat with him about the facts of life, it might help. I don’t want him to know where I’ve taken my family. If he inadvertently lets something slip, it could get to the wrong people.” “Consider it done, Kirk,” the President said. “How long do you think that you’ll be out of action?” “Not long.” The President was silent for a moment. “I’m not going to ask how you know that. So I’m just going to wish you good luck. If there’s anything else, anything at all, that I can do for you, let me know. It’ll be done.” “Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate that.”
This was one president who was as good as his word, McGarvey thought.
David Whittaker was in his limo on the way to CIA headquarters when the locator caught up with him. When he answered the car phone he sounded cranky. Like the rest of them he had been up all night dealing with the aftermath of the latest attack. “How’s traffic on the Parkway this morning?” McGarvey asked. “Shitty as usual,” the acting DDCI replied.
“How’s it going out there?” “We’re getting set to head out to Cropley,” McGarvey said. The green light was on, indicating their call was encrypted. “Have you heard from Adkins?” “He’s back home with the girls,” Whittaker said wearily. “Ruth passed away last night.”
McGarvey lowered his head and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, David. I didn’t know that she was that bad. How’s he holding up?” “He’s taking it hard, Mac. And he’s going to want to come back fairly soon. Work’s the best antidote for some people.” Life was sometimes not very fair.
And just now there were a lot of problems piling up all around them.
“One thing at a time,” McGarvey said. What he did not need was a grieving Deputy DCI on the seventh floor. Especially not one who might be a suspect himself. “What do I tell him?” “I’ll take care of it,”
McGarvey said. “He’s a friend-” “He’s my friend, too,” McGarvey flared. “But we have a job to do. All of us, especially you. The world hasn’t been put on hold just because somebody is gunning for me.
And neither is the Agency going to be put on hold.” McGarvey glanced at Grassinger and the others, who
