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Some men are driven by dreams, while others run from their nightmares, Seronga thought.
However, Seronga did have one hope: that when the struggle was over, all Botswanans would be united. He prayed that they would be moved by something that had been missing from their lives for too many years. By something greater than animal needs.
By Dhamballa and perhaps the gods themselves.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Washington, D.C. Thursday, 5:30 P.M.
The conversation with Darrell McCaskey had been flat. Paul Hood had expected that. Darrell did not tend to react to things immediately. He took them in, and then he reacted. As the former G-man sat in his office chair, the only thing that seemed to annoy him was that Hood had come by to tell him about Maria's new objectives in Botswana.
'This is Mike's operation, isn't it?' McCaskey had asked.
'Yes,' Hood said.
'Then he should be the one giving me the heads-up,' McCaskey said. 'I mean. Bob was the one who called her in Madrid. Now you're here. What the hell is Mike doing?'
'He's prepping Aideen Marley and David Battat,' Hood said. He was not going to let McCaskey take out his frustration on Mike Rodgers. 'We felt it would be okay if I talked to you. Because if you want to be by the numbers official about it, Darrell, you didn't have to be notified at all. This is Maria's gig, not yours. I'm telling you because we're friends, and I think you should be involved.'
That had taken some of the steam from McCaskey's engine. He settled down a bit, thanked Hood for the information, and got back to work researching Beaudin's operations.
Hood went back to his office. He called home. The children's line was busy. One of them was probably on the computer. Most likely Alexander. Hood called the house phone. Sharon answered. His former wife said that Harleigh was online, and Alexander was at a night soccer game. She told him to phone back after ten. The kids would be up late because there was no school the next day. Teachers' conference. Hood
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said he would call. He asked Sharon how she was. She was not in a mood to talk. Hood knew her well enough to know when she was measuring her words. He suspected that she had a gentleman caller.
Well, why not? he thought. No one should be alone.
Before leaving for the evening to be alone in his own apartment, Paul Hood visited with Aideen Marley and David Battat. They were in Ron Plummer's office. The international political expert had assembled files on Botswana for them to read. Aideen was obviously a little uncomfortable being there. Plummer had replaced Aideen's former boss, Martha Mackall. Aideen had been with Martha when she was assassinated.
Bob Herbert and Lowell Coffey III were also present. Coffey had already briefed the two agents on the laws and political structure of Botswana. When Hood arrived, Bob Herbert was providing an overview of the Vatican's activities in the search for Father Bradbury. Battat and Aideen were told to watch out for the Spanish 'tourists.' They were told not to make contact unless the soldiers initiated such contact.
'We don't want you getting in the way of any military operation they might undertake,' Herbert said.
'Or be blamed for it, either,' Coffey added.
'Or have us caught in the crossfire,' Battat pointed out.
Barbara Crowe arrived to give the two their passports and told them about their new identities. They were Frank and Anne Butler, a Washington, D.C.-based couple on their honeymoon. Customs officials, police, service providers such as hotel clerks and waiters, and even ordinary citizens tended to be more tolerant of newlyweds. Barbara had an engagement ring and wedding bands for them both. Annie was a homemaker, and Frank was a movie critic. Battat had wanted to be a government employee or law enforcement agent of some kind. That was closer to what he really did. He said he would feel more comfortable if fellow travelers asked about it. But those jobs might raise flags at customs. Especially if some clown in line joked with the agent, 'Hey, you better just let this guy through! He carries a badge.' Botswana^was proud
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of its stability and extremely reluctant to allow potential subversives or troublemakers into the country.
'Besides, everyone wants to know about American movie stars,' Barbara pointed out. 'Just say that you've met Julia Roberts, and she's very nice. Everyone goes away happy.'
Except for David Battat. He had not been to a movie or rented a video in over a year. Battat said that he had hoped he could read about Botswana on the plane and then take a nap. Instead, he would be reading about Botswana and then reading People magazine and watching movies. He said he could think of nothing less exciting.
Neither could Hood. But that was irrelevant.
Hood ignored Battat's crankiness. The former CIA operative was a professional. He had accepted the assignment. Whether Battat liked it or not, he would do whatever was necessary to complete it.
Aideen was a delight, as always. She was eager to be involved in something important. At one point she half
