comes to that.”
“Let’s just make sure we understand each other here.” said Finn. “If Creed decides to take Hunter back when this is over and put him through the wringer before sending him back home, are you saying we should try to stop him? Lose the chance of gaining valuable intelligence and take the enemy’s side against one of our own people?”
“We made a deal: Andre said.
“Things aren’t always that simple. Andre,” Lucas said.
“They’re simple enough for me.” she said. “I’m sorry if I’m not sufficiently modern to compromise my integrity for political expediency, but when I give my word, I keep it. We made a deal with that man and we all shook hands on it. That may not mean a lot to Steiger, but it means a lot to me and I’ve always believed it meant a lot to you. Or was I wrong?”
“No. you weren’t wrong: said Lucas, “But I don’t think Creed will understand.”
“What about it. Finn?” she said, looking at him anxiously.
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to make him understand, won’t we?” said Delaney. There was a soft knock at the door. They exchanged quick glances. Delaney reached for his laser and held it out of sight. Lucas and Andre both took out their dueling pistols.
“Who is it?” Lucas said.
“A friend,” came a soft voice from beyond the door.
Lucas glanced at Andre. “Let him in, but stand clear the moment you open the door.”
Andre went to the door and slipped the bolt, then quickly opened it and stepped out of the way. The man who came in with his hands held out to his sides and slightly raised was Carruthers, the Tory who’d been sitting with John Hewitt.
“Easy,” he said. “I’m unarmed.”
Andre closed the door behind him, then quickly patted him down.
“He’s clean.”
“Lt. Paul Carruthers. Col. Priest, I presume?” Carruthers said, looking at
Lucas.
“Who sent you?” Lucas said, still covering him with the pistol.
“Col. Steiger,” he said. “It is all right if I put my hands down?”
Lucas nodded. “Steiger sent you from H.Q.?” he said.
Carruthers frowned. “No, this is my permanent post. Col. Steiger’s here in Boston. You didn’t know?”
Lucas loward his gun. “Yeah I knew. But you can’t he too careful.”
“I understand. I reported a temporal anomaly and was told that a team had already been dispatched. Steiger briefed me about Hunter. Unusual situation.”
“Yes, it certainly is.” said Lucas.
“I’m sorry to come so late, but I just got my orders.” Carruthers said. “Col. Steiger told me to report to you.”
“Why did Steiger know there was an Observer stationed here and we didn’t?” said Delaney.
“Because my commission’s not in the Observer Corps.” Carruthers said. “I’m Temporal Intelligence, section chief in this sector.”
“Section chief?” said Lucas “That implies you have a fully staffed field office here.”
“That’s right.” Carruthers said, sitting down in one of the chairs. “I’m in charge of thirty field agents spread throughout the thirteen colonies.”
“How come we didn’t know about it?” Lucas said. “There was nothing in the briefing tapes about a field office here.”
“That’s because we’re deep cover,” said Carruthers. “The C.I.S. has already raided our data banks once, so the I.S.D. established undocumented, deep-cover units in a number of high risk temporal scenarios. Besides, there’s also another reason. We’ve discovered that the Network has a very active branch here.”
“Terrific.” said Delaney. “Steiger sets up his own deep. cover operation and doesn’t even tell Forrester about it. Anyone else involved in this scenario that we don’t know about? The Girl Scouts, maybe?”
“What about the Network?” Lucas said. “What’ve you got on them?”
“Not very much,” Carruthers admitted. “We know they’ve infiltrated the East
India Company and we have good reason to believe they have some influence in the British Parliament, as well. They’re involved in the colonial smuggling trade, but we haven’t been able to establish exactly how or with whom. There are so many smugglers in the colonies that it’s been difficult to get a line on their activities. But we know they’re here.”
“And so is Drakov,” Delaney said. “Or maybe the C.I.S. Or maybe both Drakov and the C.I.S. And we’ve got a temporal disruption going down in the middle of the whole damn thing. Jesus, what a mess.”
“Yes, it could get a little sloppy,” Carruthers agreed. “That’s why Col. Steiger ordered me to put my entire section at your complete disposal. We can’t predict what the Network’s going to do, but by now, they probably know that an anomaly is taking place in Boston. The question is, how will they respond? A temporal disruption threatens them as much as it threatens us. The trouble is, they’re not very likely to offer us their help, for obvious reasons.”
“In other words, we could easily wind up working at cross purposes.” said Lucas. “That’s just wonderful. If Drakov is behind this, he couldn’t have picked a more ideal situation.”
“What are your plans’,” Carruthers asked. “We’re supposed to be patriots from New York, working undercover as Tories for the Sons of Liberty,” said Andre. Your friend, John Hewitt, promised to take us to a meeting of some kind of secret Tory organization that’s behind this headless horseman.”
“The Hellfire Club.” Carruthers said. “I know about it.”
“I seem to reall something about the Hellfire Club.” Delaney said. “Wasn’t that-”
“A society of sexual libertines, in England, headed by Sir Francis Dashwood and John Wilkes,” Carruthers finished for him. “This isn’t quite the same thing. though it’s apparently modeled on that group. I’ve managed to get a few people on the inside, but it hasn’t helped much.”
“What do you mean?” said Andre.
“Nobody seems to know who started it or who’s behind it.” Carruthers said. “It’s almost as it’ it all sprang up spontaneously, practically overnight. Ask too many questions and you get frozen out, suspected of being a radical. They meet at a small abandoned church outside of Boston. The property belongs to a local Tory. They all know one another and the times of meeting are passed informally by word of mouth. It’s impossible to track down the source. They put on black robes and masks and have themselves an orgy with booze and naked women, also wearing masks. It’s a nice touch. You know who’s there, but because everyone is masked, you can’t tell just who is doing what to whom. I suppose it keeps their Puritan sensibilities from being offended. And at some point during the festivities, they receive their orders from the horseman.”
“You mean he actually shows up?” said Finn.
Carruthers shook his head “No. only his voice is heard. With the dim candlelight and the weird acoustics in that place, there’s no way of telling where it comes from We’ve searched that chapel after they all left, but we didn’t find anything unusual. Whoever he is, he’s probably among the crowd, wearing a robe and mask, and he leaves with them.”
“What about the women’?” Lucas said. “It’s widely assumed that they’re all prostitutes,” said Carruthers. “but we’ve found out that a good number of them are young local girls from good families and even a few prominent Boston wives. Makes things rather interesting. In that dim light and with all those robes and masks, they could be doing it with their neighbors’ wives or their own daughters and not even know it. Swinging Boston. eh? And it gives them all something in common. Booze, politics, and sex. Half the Sons of Liberty are liable to defect just to join the party.”
“Well, so much for my attending the meeting,” Andre said.
“Yeah. I guess that leaves you out.” said Lucas.
“But you and Finn are still going. I suppose.” she said dryly.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to,” Lucas said. But you’ll try to bear up under the strain.” she said sarcastically.
“Very funny,” Lucas said.
“I wonder if Johnny Small is busy tomorrow night,” she said.
