kind of bravado that usually covers insecurity.”
“I think most operational agents have insecurities,” Holly said.
“Don’t confuse anxiety, which is useful for keeping one on one’s toes, with insecurity, which has a large element of fear and foreboding.”
“A good point,” Holly conceded. “Something else has always bothered me about Todd,” she said.
“And what would that be?”
“He lacks charm, and I think that is an essential quality in an agent, who is constantly trying to recruit sources.”
“That’s an astute observation, Holly,” Lance said. “It’s the sort of thing I’ve come to expect from you, and reaffirms my assessment of your executive skills.”
“Thank you, Lance. I know you’d rather not hear his name spoken, but could I get you to speculate for a moment about what might have happened if we had not come to terms with Teddy Fay, and he had continued his existence as a thorn in our flesh?”
“You’re right, Holly, hearing his name is probably going to give me a rash in an uncomfortable place, but I will answer your question. It’s perfectly clear that Mr. Fay is a brilliant man, one whom I would prefer to have leading my most difficult operation than out in the wild, making trouble-in Lyndon Johnson’s words, ‘inside the tent, pissing out, rather than outside, pissing in.’ As to what could have happened if we had not agreed to stand down: well, it could have resulted in a series of minor but vexing incidents, but more likely it would have been big and very noticeable events that would have ended in the destruction of Kate Lee’s career, not to mention yours and mine, and the ruining of a fine president’s reputation. Is that what you wanted to know?”
“Yes,” Holly replied, “and I entirely agree.” She got to her feet. “I think I can go back to work now and get some things done.”
“You do that,” Lance said, then turned to his computer and began to type. “Oh,” he said, looking up, “what’s happening with Stone and Dino’s investigation?”
“I saw them last night,” she said. “They have a lead, but if this one doesn’t pan out, their investigation will probably end there.”
“They think the FBI report is correct, then?”
“I think this new wrinkle is their last chance of proving it wrong.”
“Keep me posted.” Lance turned back to his computer, and Holly went back to her own office. owv>
29
Todd Bacon was escorted to the office of Edward Freely, deputy director for Technical Services, and Freely stood up to greet him. “Good to see you again, Todd,” he said. “When was the last time? When we equipped you for Panama?”
“That’s right, Ed, not since then.”
Ed waved him to a chair. “I take it Holly Barker gave you the overview of what you’re to do here?”
“She did, and I’m grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to the work.”
“Well, there’s plenty of it to go around. I’ve got a tech supervisor, Tank Wheeler, who’s retiring next month, and I had been having difficulty promoting from within, when Lance brought you to my attention. I’ve given you a small office next to Tank’s, and I’d like you to work with him until his thirty years is up. He’s involved in the equipping of three operations at the moment, and there’ll never be a better time for you to plunge in. After Tank’s retirement party, which should be a doozy, we’ll restore his office to a semblance of repair and order, and you can move into it. I’ve been told that you’ve got thirty days off coming, but I’d be grateful if you’d spend that with Tank and take the time later.”
“That’s fine with me, Ed.”
Ed looked up. “Here’s Tank now.”
Todd stood up and shook hands with the very large man whom he had met only once before, at the beginning of his Panama mission.
“It’s good to see you in Tech Services, Todd,” Tank said. “You’re going to have a good time here, I can tell you that.”
“I know I will, Tank.” Then they all sat down, and Tank gave him an overview of what they were doing for the three pending operations.
A little before seven that evening, Todd left the building and walked to his car. There was a note on the windshield:
Todd got into his rental car and drove away from the Agency. He was going to need a new car, and he was thinking Porsche. The promotion would make it easy to handle the payments, and he could drive it for a long time.
He found the pub in Foggy Bottom, and when he walked into the place, a reproduction of an old saloon, there was a shout from a big table at the rear. They were all there, and somebody handed him a double of his favorite scotch as he sat down.
“We’re alive!” his number two said. “All of us. Great assignments, though we’re not supposed to tell you or anyone else what we’re doing.”
“Then don’t,” Todd said, “but I’ll see you all again anyway, when you come to Tech Services for your gear.” He took a huge swig of his drink.
“You got Tech Services?” number two asked. “That’s cushy work-interesting, too.”
“Not as interesting as what you’re all going to be doing,” Todd said, “but I’ll never have to pull a stakeout on a cold night again, or save one of your asses from something dire.”
“I’ll drink to that,” someone said, and they all did.
“And we’ll never have to worry about what’s-his-name again,” Todd said, owv>n’t“and by the way, that name is never again to be mentioned by any of us, not even to each other. Everybody got that?”
There were grumbles and nods.
“That’s the way the cookie crumbles,” said number two.
“The cookie doesn’t exist,” Todd said. “Not anymore.” He tossed off the rest of his scotch. “Now, who do I have to fuck around here to get another drink?”
“That would be me,” said a pretty waitress at his elbow. That got a big round of applause.
Todd watched appreciatively as she went back toward the bar for his drink.
“Watch it, Chief,” one of his men said.
“I am, pal, I am.”
Teddy Fay worked away at his airplane in his hangar at Clinton Field. He borrowed a small crane from the airfield’s shop and spent the morning unbolting his engine from the airframe and lowering it into a crate, for shipment back to the manufacturer. The engine had served him well, but it was near the end of its Time-Between- Overhauls period, and he had elected, for reasons of speed, to replace it with a factory remanufactured engine, which came with a zero-time logbook and a full warranty. The new engine would arrive the following day. Teddy also had plans to replace most of the instruments in the airplane’s panel with new glass cockpit instrumentation.
Teddy screwed the lid of the crate into place and affixed a shipping label. The engine would be picked up the same day. He was having the propeller overhauled locally.
Lauren called down from upstairs. “The movie starts at two,” she said.
“I’ll get cleaned up, and I’ll buy you lunch,” he called back.
He went upstairs, used grease remover on his hands and scrubbed his nails, then he took a shower and changed clothes.
Lauren was waiting in the almost new Toyota convertible he had bought her the day before, and he got into the passenger seat. “Take me for my first spin,” he said.
They drove across the ramp, past the FBO (Fixed Base Operator), where they stopped to let a Cirrus pass in
