the station of every country he happens to visit. Makes him feel important to leave his fellow congressman at the door as uncleared.”
I rapidly analyzed the gift just dropped in my lap. The congressman himself had just taken a huge burden off of my shoulders, since we wouldn’t have to set up some phony meeting that would raise his suspicions. If he was innocent, we could get away clean.
I said, “How do these briefings go? Are there a lot of people in the room?”
“Yeah,” he said. “At least initially. We give a one-over-the-world, then, when it’s time to get down to truly secret stuff, we take him alone to a secure room and continue.”
I said, “What’s the briefing on?”
“Nothing important, really. He didn’t ask for a specific topic. We’re just going to give him our standard dog and pony show, letting him feel like he’s getting secrets. Now I’m not so sure that’s smart.”
“No, no. That’s perfect. Sway the briefing to include a bunch of Chinese stuff. Throw it in midway, completely out of synch with the rest of the briefing. Get a feel for his demeanor during the first half of the briefing, then see if it shifts when the Chinese are mentioned.”
Mack thought about it, then said, “Yeah, I can do that. I’ll get a case officer in the room and introduce him as an analyst. He can focus on the congressman and knows what to look for. But I’ll tell you, that’s exactly why this won’t work. The congressman used to be a case officer. He’s trained to detect deception, just like my guy. He’ll know how to hide everything we’re going to be looking for. If he’s really a traitor, he’s been pretty damn good at it to stay out of sight all these years.”
“I’m not so sure about that. If he’s bad, he’s got something to do with that terrorist strike in Alexandria, which means he’s willing to take drastic action for something. It also means he might be desperate. He might be able to hide his reaction if he knows he’s going to be questioned, but he’ll be off guard here.”
“Yeah, well, I suppose it won’t hurt to give it a shot. What do you want to do if he spikes?”
“Bring him alone to the secure room. Retro and I will be waiting. When he sees us, we’ll get a reaction. If he’s bad, he tried to kill me, which means he knows what I look like. We’ll take it from there.”
“And if there’s no demeanor break during the briefing?”
“Text us. We’ll vacate the room, and you just go on with your briefing.”
37
Congressman Ellis was enjoying his time in the embassy, forgetting for a moment the stress of the transfer. His background as a case officer, along with his standing on the Intelligence Committee, allowed him greater access to CIA stations than most any other elected representative, but in truth, he just liked getting close to the field again. He enjoyed the back-and-forth with the chiefs of station, even though he knew the briefings were all sterile and made for public consumption. It allowed him to feel like he was on the inside. Still a case officer like Mack, the one doing the briefing. Very few other representatives could make that claim, and he enjoyed the notoriety.
As Mack continued with the political situation, Ellis threw a few softball questions his way, probing his opinion of the still struggling government after the fall of Mubarak. Mack gave him a softball answer, and Ellis ratcheted it up a little bit, having done his homework. He enjoyed watching Mack’s reaction, realizing he wasn’t dealing with an idiot. The banter continued back and forth, with Ellis feeling more and more in control of the conversation.
Mack finished the political overview and started into domestic threats. He gave a fairly innocuous overview of the Muslim Brotherhood, detailing the radical elements that were hidden inside the relatively new political party, along with the threats they posed to the fragile stability of the country. Ellis found himself growing bored with the presentation. Everything being briefed was something that could be found on the Internet within three minutes. Mack flipped the slide to a picture of carnage, a bus strike in the north. Ellis recognized the photo and felt his pulse quicken a tad.
He snorted, saying, “These guys need to get a handle on their own domestic problems, or they’re going to lose their tourism industry forever.”
“We’re not sure this is domestic,” Mack said. “There’s some indication of foreign influence.”
Ellis heard the words, feeling a trickle of adrenaline. “Are you talking al Qaeda?”
“No. China or Indonesia.”
The words sliced into his brain, his involuntary reflexes draining his face. He controlled his response immediately, reverting to training long since gone.
He said, “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Why would the Chinese do that?”
Solemn as a priest, Mack responded, “I’m not at liberty to say why in this room. I’ll fill you in later, in the confidential briefing. But it’s not a simple terrorist strike.”
Ellis nodded, feeling the heat in his face.
The brief continued, with Ellis throwing out useless questions to appear as if he was still engaged. He appeared outwardly calm. At least as calm as he could project, but inside, his stomach was churning as he dissected what possible connections could be made to him. None, as far as he could tell, and the fact that he had been briefed at all on the station’s suspicions indicated he was not in the crosshairs. He calmed down, thinking he needed to make a call. Now.
It took the congressman a pregnant second to realize the briefing had ended. He focused on the chief of station and found everyone in the room looking at him expectantly.
Mack said, “Ready for the good stuff?”
“I need to make a phone call before we continue.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but no cell phones are allowed in CIA spaces.” He smiled. “Technology’s changed since you worked the streets. If you wish, you can return to Post One for the call. We’ll wait.”
Congressman Ellis debated, then said, “No, that’s all right. Let’s continue. I’d like to hear about the Chinese.”
Ellis failed to see the man at the back of the briefing hit the SEND button on his cell phone.
I felt my cell phone vibrate and looked at the message on the screen.
“Showtime. We’re a go.”
Retro and I positioned ourselves on the left side of the door so we wouldn’t be seen until the congressman had already penetrated into the room, allowing Mack to close the door behind him. The congressman thought he was coming to a secure facility to discuss classified material, but in reality, we were simply in an office down the hall from the conference room, on the other side of the courtyard of the embassy. Since he’d never been to the Cairo embassy, I had no fears that Ellis would realize he wasn’t headed to the CIA office space, and it kept us from having to go through Marine Post One. It also allowed us to keep our cell phones.
I really hoped that Mack had called it correctly and that Ellis was bad. Once he came through that door, we’d be seen and have to be explained. It was a dangerous game, and I was unsure what I would do if he had no reaction to our presence. It was a make-or-break line I would have to cross. I felt like Tom Cruise about to accuse Jack Nicholson of conducting a Code Red.
I needn’t have worried. The door opened, and Congressman Ellis strode in, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. He saw me and stopped short. He heard Mack close the door and whirled around.
“What’s the meaning of this? Who are these men?”
“Sit down, Congressman. We just have a few questions.”
He regained his composure. “I’m not here to answer questions. I’m here to ask them. Let’s get this briefing going.”
I stood up and advanced toward him. “I said sit the fuck down. And you
He did as I asked, but remained defiant. “Do you realize I’m a United States congressman? I have no idea what government agency you work for, but wherever it is, I’m going to find out and have your ass.”
