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in France and at Interpol,' he said. 'They swear that the colonel is not undercover. A couple of months ago, he went out to return a library book and never came back.'
'You believe that?' Rodgers asked.
'These guys have never lied to me before,' McCaskey said.
Rodgers nodded. He felt very sad about that. A man like Ballon made a lot of enemies during the course of his work. A man like Beaudin had the clout to mount a counterattack like this.
'So that's the story about Colonel Ballon,' McCaskey said. 'I had Interpol look for bank transactions, credit card purchases, phone calls to relatives and friends-nothing.'
'Shit,' Rodgers said.
'Yeah,' McCaskey agreed.
'Well, thanks, Darrell,' Rodgers said.
McCaskey took a sip of his first double espresso. 'Then there's stuff with Maria,' he said.
'What kind of stuff?' Rodgers asked.
'She's worried,' McCaskey said.
'About being married, or coming to the U.S.?' Rodgers asked.
'I don't know. Everything, I guess,' McCaskey grumbled.
'I wouldn't worry about it,' Rodgers said. 'Newlyweds always have a bout of PHSD.'
'PHSD?' McCaskey asked.
'Post-honeymoon stress disorder,' Rodgers replied.
'You're pulling my leg,' McCaskey said.
'Partly,' Rodgers said. 'It's not a real syndrome. But I swear, Darrell, I've seen this in family members, friends, servicemen. It's when you get back from the Bahamas or Tahiti or wherever and realize, 'Holy shit. My dating days are over. I've enlisted for the duration.' '
'I see.' McCaskey bit one of the biscottis, then took another short swig of double espresso. 'Well, there's probably some of that. But I think it's more,' he said. 'Maria's afraid that when she's finished psychologically disengaging from Interpol, she'll have a really tough time getting adjusted to suburban D.C. and then finding something interesting to do.'
98
OP-CENTER
'I thought she was ready for a break,' Rodgers said.
'So did she,' McCaskey replied.
'Did something change her mind?' Rodgers asked.
'Yeah. Bob called her early this morning,' McCaskey told him.
'Bob called Maria?' Rodgers asked.
McCaskey nodded.
Rodgers was not happy. Maria Corneja was on his own short list of operatives to call on, and Herbert knew that. But Bob Herbert was a team player. Something must have happened over there, or he would not have contacted her. Because Rodgers's cell phone was not secure, he would have to wait until he got to Op-Center to find out what it was.
'What did he want?' Rodgers asked.
'He needed Maria to check on something at the Ministry of Defense,' McCaskey said.-
'Do you have any idea what it was?'
'Haven't a clue. But it didn't matter to Maria,' McCaskey went on. 'She got all juiced up having something to do, something that was important. She called me from her old office. She was psyched because she knew which people to talk to at the Ministry, she knew the area, and she knew exactly where to look. She felt plugged in.'
'She's spent her life there,' Rodgers said. 'And going back home, right before you leave somewhere-that's rough.'
'I know,' McCaskey said. 'But she also isn't a kid. We went through all this. She knew that moving here would be like anyone going to a new job, a new house in a new neighborhood, a new anything. There's a lot you think you're going to like about it. Then, like you said, after you make the commitment, you start to think about all the things it doesn 't have.'
'You go through withdrawal,' Rodgers said.
'You got it,' McCaskey replied. 'That's what Maria had been going through. Or at least, that's what she was going through until four-thirty this morning, our time. She wakes me up with a call that goes something like, 'Darrell, I may have made a mistake. I don't know if I can give this up.' '
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