Dr. Allan was a powerfully built, outgoing man in his late fifties. He had a long gray imperial beard at the end of a long face, full white eyebrows, and longish gray white hair. His brown eyes were dark with purpose. He looked like Uncle Sam dressed in a white lab coat with red stains on the sleeves. The all-American icon covered with blood.
'It's toluidine,' the physician apologized, noticing McCaskey's gaze.
'Working on a red dye.' He did not tell him what it was for; this was the CIA. Allan motioned McCaskey to have a seat. He shut the door, then sat behind his desk. 'I don't have a lot of time, Mr. McCaskey, but our mutual acquaintance said this was urgent.'
'Yes, Dr. Allan. Thank you for seeing me.'
'I had no choice,' Allan informed him. 'Ms. Hubbard wields a great deal of power here.'
'She does?'
'Your friend controls the block of Redskins tickets.' Allan smiled.
'It's important to stay on her good side.'
'She always had an angle.'
'That is what government service is all about,' Allan remarked. 'Access and control. Now, what can I do for you?'
'Sir, I believe that Ms. Hubbard forwarded verification of my security clearance,' McCaskey said.
'She did. She also told me that you were investigating the murder of William Wilson for the NCMC.'
'That's right,' McCaskey said.
'Speaking frankly, why did you want to see me? Do you suspect that someone here was involved?'
'Not someone who is presently employed here,' McCaskey said.
'Good,' Allan said. 'I never discuss coworkers without their knowledge, especially with outsiders.'
'We are part of the same team,' McCaskey reminded him.
Allan just smiled.
'Doctor, I recall reading a top secret white paper about Company assassination policy in the 1960s,' McCaskey went on. 'It discussed the twenty-five-year-long moratorium instituted after the failed attempt to kill Fidel Castro using toxins in a cigar and poison in his beard.'
'That is commonly known,' Dr. Allan remarked.
'Yes. But there was a footnote I found interesting. It said that all of the Company's past and recent chemical attempts on high-value targets involved cyanide-based compounds. I need to know if that is true.'
Dr. Allan suddenly seemed less relaxed. 'Mr. McCaskey, the Redskins have a shot at the Super Bowl this year.'
'I'm sorry?'
'I do not want to jeopardize my chances of seeing the game in person.
That said, you are poking a finger in extremely sensitive areas.'
'Sir, I know this is a very difficult question '
'Difficult? You're asking me to explain what I may or may not do to abet murder,' Dr. Allan said. 'That is not a routine question.'
'I appreciate that, but there is some urgency involved. Someone just attacked Op-Center '
'What do you mean, attacked?' the doctor asked.
'They hit the place with an explosive device of some kind,' McCaskey told him. 'I have not been able to talk
