“On loan? To whom, precisely?” Johnson had the beginnings of a worried look on his face, as if he might have said too much, depending on where Train was parking his car these days.. “I’m seconded to the Navy headquarters staff. I’m working for an Admiral Carpenter. He’s the Navy JAG. The bad guy we’re talking all around may have iced two civilians connected to one of the admirals on the Navy headquarters staff. The cops came to see the JAG.”
“Now this really begins to tie together,” Johnson said, relief evident in his voice.
“Why so?”
“Because it’s my understanding that the Navy has indeed been told to butt out,” Johnson said. “Most emphatically, they have been. Via the Director of Naval Intelligence.”
Damn, Train thought. The DNI. Had he alerted Carpenter? And,. if so, why hadn’t Carpenter told him this? Johnson sensed his vexation. “Somebody holding back on you, Doctor?” Johnson said gently. “You might want to think about why they’d do that. “
Train went back to his sandwich, chewing mechanically while thinking about what Johnson had just told him. “Can I assume that interested parties in the other organization are not just sitting around on this problem?” he asked.
“You most certainly can. VVWCH is how we lesser relatione in the FBI came to know about the problem- especially since your bad guy is operating domestically. The with the problem are not supposed to operate do mestically, a rule we both know they don’t always observe so scrupulously.”
Train snorted. “Yeah, right. Look, these homicides have brought in the Fairfax cops. What about them?”
“I give up. What about them?”
“They’re investigating two homicides.
Their boss is starting to talk about a serial killer. Maybe bringing in you guys even. “
Bringing us in,” Johnson murmured. “Now that would be “a lovely twist.”
“Anyone told them who or what they might be up against?”
Johnson smiled. “Probably not. But my information is that they’re up against one Rear Admiral W. T. Sherman,” he said. Train put his sandwich down and looked across the table at Johnson. He’d known all along about the murders and their own so-called investigation. Which meant that the FBI was already in the game. What the hell was going on here? He thought back to the meeting with the police the night before, and the way that homicide lieutenant had been looking at Sherman. Their request for him to open his personal accounts-that was a standard FBI tactic.
“I guess that’s my problem, then,” Train said. “I’m supposedly tasked to determine if Sherman is clean or not. Actually, I’m supposed to help another JAG - division investigator do that-one who has no idea of what she’s really getting involved in.”
“Then conform to your tasking,” Johnson said. “Like you said, Sherman is your problem. Sherman is not their problem. “
“But finding their problem is the best way to clear Sherman,” Train pointed out, half-knowing what Johnson would say next.
“Let me tell you something, Train,” Johnson said. “You stumble across their problem, you or your partner- Commander Lawrence, is it? You pull the bushes aside and come face-to-face with this particular Gorgon, you may find yourself dead, understand? He’s the kind of predator who can tear your throat out with one swipe of his paw before you realize you’re looking at a tiger. These guys, and there are very few of them, have layer upon layer of cover and resources all prepositioned against the day they are called into action. You have a reputation for being a stand-up guy. But you’re way out of your league if you’re thinking of trying to track down a sweeper.”
“I can’t just sit around. He’s already made a move against my partner.”
I Johnson shook his head. “Consider Sherman from the IRS perspective.
Right now, he’s suspected of being guilty.
Prove him otherwise. Let the people who conjure up monsters like this in a basement cauldron somewhere deal with their problem. You definitely don’t want to encounter their problem.”
“You sound like even they’re scared of him.”
“Any normal human being would be,” Johnson said.
“Given the organization in question, that means we’re talking about ten percent of them being scared at least. Maybe fifteen. One has to be optimistic.”
Damn, Train thought. Damn. Damn. Damn. And the FBI even knows all the names. “Like I said, Commander Lawrence may already have attracted this guy’s attention,” Train said. “‘Then you make my point,” Johnson answered. “Circle the wagons. Protect yourselves, especially Sherman.”
“Does the FBI have people looking?” Train asked.
Johnson smiled and looked around, as if concerned for the first time that someone might be listening. “One would. think so, wouldn’t one?” be said. “But right now, I’m not so sure. I am just a research scientist, as you know. Nobody talks to me.”
“Much. But you have an impression, no doubt?”
“Well,” Johnson said modestly, “I have the impression that there is some very senior FBI management addressing this problem, or at least watching it unfold.”
Train changed direction. “What’s the relationship between you guys and these other people these days? It hasn’t always been terrific, has it?”
Johnson smiled again. “Officially? Let me see, how does the latest presidential policy memorandum put it?”Both organizations shall strive to achieve the maximum coordination of assets, planning, and all-source information to best fulfill their mutual mission of protecting the national security of the United States.’ “In other words, armed truce.”
Johnson smiled but said nothing, concentrating on his soup.
“Because what occurs to me,” Train continued, “is that the grand dragons in the FBI might be wrestling with a strategic question. Like whether to help, or to seize a precious opportunity to allow those people to be well and truly embarrassed-again.”
Johnson looked as if he was trying hard to control his face. “Anything’s possible, Train,” he said, wiping his mouth. “This is Washington, isn’t it? You still carry that Glock?”
“Yup.’ “Got it on you?”
“Not right now.”
“That’s not carrying. These are exceptionally good times to be carrying.”
Train needed to talk to Karen. He called her home number, but there was still only the answering machine. Now what the hell? he thought. Where is she? He asked the divisional yeoman if she had had any messages from Commander Lawrence. “No, sir,” she replied. “Oh, Admiral Sherman’s office called in, but they declined to leave a message for her.” Train asked the yeoman for that number and placed the call. The admiral was not available. In fact, the admiral would be out of pocket for the foreseeable future. The yeoman in OP-32 sounded a little uncomfortable.
He on temporary duty or something?” Train asked.
“Uh, no, sir, not exactly. Captain Gonzales said he’s on leave.”
“On leave?” Train frowned into the phone. “Was this scheduled? I was with him just last night, and he didn’t mention going on leave.”
“Uh, sir? You’re asking, questions above my pay grade, okay? The admiral’s on leave until further notice. I can take a message if you’d like. The admiral checks in.”
“Yeah, I’d like. There was a call from Admiral Sherman’s office to Commander Lawrence this morning. Did the two of them connect?”
“No, sir, not that I know of.”
“Okay, then I need some information from the admiral.”
He thought for a moment. “Ask him to call me at this number; I’ll be there in about an hour, okay?” He had given the yeoman Karen’s home number.
On leave, Train thought, as he walked down the hall. Now what? Damn, you suppose they’ve put him on administrative leave? Because of the police, investigation? Maybe the big boys had eased Sherman into bureaucratic limbo until this mess was cleared up, one way or another. He quickened his step. He felt a sudden urge to get out to Great Falls, not liking the fact that Karen wasn’t answering her phone.
Train got to Karen’s house at 2:30 and parked right in front of the walk leading up to the house, so she could
