knew that this was a sensitive area in the couple's relationship. McCaskey did not believe that Herbert had set out to hurt him. But his coworker, his friend, had not done anything to protect him, either. If Herbert had asked, McCaskey could have put him in touch with any number of Interpol agents in Madrid. They could have done the same job as Maria. McCaskey could not imagine what the hell the guy was thinking.
He tried calling his wife during the drive. Her cell phone voice mail took his call. He asked her to call back as soon as possible. She did not.
By the time McCaskey reached Op-Center, he was in a silent rage. The former G-man went directly to Bob Herbert's office. That was probably a bad idea, and he knew it. But Herbert was not a kid. He could take a dressing down. Hell, he had no choice. It was coming.
The door to Herbert's office was shut. McCaskey knocked. Paul Hood opened it.
'Good morning, Darrell,' Hood said.
'Morning,' McCaskey said. He entered the office. OpCenter's director shut the door behind him. Herbert was seated behind his desk. Hood remained standing. His white shirtsleeves were rolled up and his tie loosened. Paul Hood was not a casual man. It must have been a tough morning. Or maybe Hood was just expecting it to get tougher.
'Everything okay?' Hood asked.
'Sure,' McCaskey replied. He did not attempt to conceal the edge in his voice. But if Hood or Herbert noticed, they said nothing. They apparently had their own problems. meCaskey had spent nearly three decades in law enforcement. When the temperature of a room was off, he knew it.
'I was just bringing Bob up to speed on developments in Africa,' Hood said. 'You know what happened over there? About the kidnapping of Father Powys Bradbury?'
'I read the briefing on the Op-ED page before I left the house,' McCaskey said.
'Bad news and a Danish,' Herbert said.
'Something like that,' McCaskey replied. Their eyes remained locked a moment longer than ordinary conversation
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OP-CENTER
required. McCaskey realized just how angry he was at Bob Herbert for having contacted Maria.
The Op-ED page was the Op-Center Executive Dossier page, a twice-daily summary of NCMC activities. Written by the daytime department heads, it was posted on the internal web site. In that way, officials who did not normally interact could stay on top of what was happening in different divisions. It was also a quick way for the night crew to get up to speed. The Op-ED program also cross-referenced names and places with files from other U.S. intelligence agencies. If a company owned by Albert Beaudin were involved in an investigation over at the CIA, FBI, NSA, military intelligence, or some other agency, the respective department heads would be notifed via automated E- mail.
'There are a few things aren't on the Op-ED yet,' Hood said. 'Have you ever heard of a diamond dealer by the name of Henry Genet?'
'No,' McCaskey said.
'Genet has financial ties to Albert Beaudin, the French industrialist,' Hood told him.
'The Musketeer,' McCaskey said.
'Right,' Hood said. 'As Bob and I were just discussing, the most compelling reason for Op-Center to be involved in this situation is to track whatever Beaudin might be doing. After what we went through in France with the New Jacobins, we can't afford to underestimate this guy.'
'I agree,' McCaskey said.
'The big question is whether these people have anything to do with a religious cult leader named Dhamballa,' Herbert said.
'Where's the link?' McCaskey asked.
'A man named Leon Seronga,' Herbert told him. 'Seronga is one of the founders of the Brush Vipers, a paramilitary intelligence group that helped Botswana get its independence from Great Britain. The Vatican suspects Seronga of having kidnapped their priest. He has also been seen at Dhamballa's rallies. The MO of what went down in Maun is reminiscent of how the Brush Vipers used to strike. In and out, surgical,
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usually early in the morning when people were still groggy. We've promised to help Rome try to clear up some of these connections, maybe get some people over there.'
'I think we're past the maybe stage,' McCaskey said. 'I was just with Mike, Aideen Marley, and David Battat. They're ready to go.'
Hearing this, Herbert punched in the telephone extension of Barbara Crowe. Crowe ran Op-Center's documents department. This wasn't his operation, but he had never been one to fret over formalities. They would need counterfeit IDs, credit cards, and passports. Crowe could use photographs from their dossiers. Battat had been registered in a hospital in Azerbaijan. Marley had been involved in an assassination in Spain. The new identities would prevent their names from raising flags in any customs or airline databases.
While Herbert told Barbara what Marley and Battat would need, Hood continued the briefing.
'Apart from Beaudin and the missing priest, there is another immediate concern,' Hood said. 'The Vatican is sending a replacement to run the church in Maun, a bishop from D.C. He arrives tomorrow.'
'Have they got resources to protect him?' McCaskey asked.
