myth.”
“I’m losing you.”
He leaned toward me and said, “There is no fucking videotape of a couple screwing on the beach with the plane exploding behind them.”
“No rocket, either?”
“No fucking rocket either.”
“I feel a great burden lifted from my shoulders. Why don’t we call off this Yemen and Tanzania thing?”
“Not a chance.”
“Well, then, if there’s nothing further, I need to call the travel office.”
Mr. Koenig remained seated, so I did, too. He said, “I know you’re very frustrated by the Khalil case, and we all share your frustration.”
“That’s good. But it’s still
“And, of course, you have a personal involvement in that case. You’re looking for closure.”
“Revenge.”
“Whatever. I know you were deeply affected by the deaths of the men and women you worked with on that case. Kate said you couldn’t seem to comprehend the reality of Ted Nash’s death.”
“Uh… what?”
“She said you were in denial. This is common when a close colleague dies-by denying it, you can deny that the same thing could happen to you. It’s a coping mechanism.”
“Yeah… well… I…” really don’t give a shit.
“Kate and Ted had become close friends, as you probably know, but she’s managed to work through her grief.”
I was getting a little pissed off, and since none of this seemed relevant, I knew that Koenig was purposely pissing me off because I had pissed him off. A little payback from cool Jack. I said to him, “To be quite honest, I didn’t like Ted Nash one bit, and I got through the grieving process about two seconds after I heard he was dead. What point are you trying to make?”
A little smile came to his thin lips, then it was gone, and he said, “I guess I was digressing. The point is, when you return, we’ll reconstitute the special team and redouble our efforts on the Khalil case.”
“Okay. That’s the carrot. Right?”
“That’s the carrot. Yemen is the stick-up-your-ass. Figure it out, John.”
“I figured it out.”
“Stay on the team, play ball, and you’ll hit another home run. Leave the team, and you’ll never get up to bat again.”
“Good analogy. And you’re right. The Khalil case is more important to me than chasing down phantom evidence on the TWA case.” I added, because it was true, “I see why you’re in charge here. You’re very good.”
“I am. But it’s nice to hear it.”
I waited for him to tell me how great I was, but he didn’t. I asked him, “Doesn’t it bother you to ignore the possibility of that videotape?”
He stared at me a long time and said, “I’m not ignoring it. I’m telling you it doesn’t exist, but if it did, it’s none of your business. I hope that’s clear.”
“Very.”
He stood and walked me toward the door. He said, “You’ll enjoy working with the agents in Yemen. They’re a top-notch team.”
“I’m looking forward to contributing to the success of the mission. I’d like to be back by Labor Day.”
“The needs of the mission come first. But that’s possible.”
“Good. I teach classes at John Jay.”
“I know that. We don’t want to create any unnecessary hardships.”
“Just necessary hardships.”
“We’re all soldiers in the struggle against global terrorism.”
“And also the war against Islamic Jihad.”
He ignored my plain English and Arabic, and said, “Yemen is considered a hostile country. You need to be very careful. You have a great future ahead of you here, and we wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Neither would Kate, I’m sure. You need to see the legal department about your will before you leave. And have a power of attorney executed in case of your disappearance or abduction.”
Jack Koenig and I stared at each other for a few long seconds. Finally, I said, “I wasn’t planning on any of those things happening.”
He informed me, “Make no mistake-this is a dangerous place. For instance, in December 1998, four kidnapped Western tourists were murdered by religious extremists.”
“Buddhists?”
“No, Muslims.”
“Ah. So, this is, like, a Muslim country.”
Mr. Koenig was clearly losing his patience with my affected stupidity, but he continued, “In the last ten years or so, over a hundred Westerners have been kidnapped in Yemen.”
“No kidding? What the hell were they doing there?”
“I don’t know… businesspeople, academics, tourists.”
“Right. But after the first forty or fifty went missing, didn’t the rest say, ‘Duh? Maybe I should go to Italy or something.’ You know?”
He looked at me for a few seconds, then said with forced patience, “Why they were in Yemen is not relevant. But FYI, there were no Americans among the abducted and missing. Mostly Europeans. They tend to be adventurous travelers.”
“Clueless is more like it.”
“Whatever. Part of your mission will be to gather information on these missing Westerners-and to take care that you don’t become one of them.”
Jack and I looked at each other, and it might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw another smile pass across his lips. I said, “I understand.”
“I know you do.”
We shook hands and I left.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Kate and I spent the rest of the day at 26 Federal Plaza, filling out paperwork, tidying up a few loose ends, and saying good-byes.
We went to the nurses’ office, where we got inoculations for diseases I’ve never heard of, and we each got a starter vial of malaria pills. The nurses wished us a safe and healthy trip, without a touch of irony.
As I was tidying up my desk, Harry Muller said to me, “I didn’t know you were volunteering for Yemen.”
“Neither did I.”
“You piss somebody off?”
“Koenig thinks I’m having an affair with his wife.”
“No shit?”
“She gets around, but keep that to yourself.”
“Yeah… and Kate’s going to Africa?”
“Tanzania. Embassy bombing.”
“Who did
“Koenig. He was coming on to her, and she threatened to file a harassment complaint.”
“This is all bullshit. Right?”
“Don’t start any rumors. Jack doesn’t like rumors.”
We shook hands, and Harry said, “Find those bastards who blew up the Cole.”
“I’ll give it my best shot.”
