in sentence.”
Hendley said, “Why don’t you guys go over tonight?”
“Sounds good,” said Ryan.
Chavez did not respond.
“Ding?” asked Granger. “Something wrong?”
“Patsy is out of town this week, in Pittsburgh for some training till tomorrow. I’ve got JP in school and then an after-school program, but I have to pick him up at five.” He thought for a moment. “I can get a sitter. No problem.”
“What’s Biery going to say about going to Hong Kong with the operatives?” Caruso asked.
Jack stood up. “I guess the only way to know is to ask him. I’ll go talk to him and ask him to come to our afternoon meeting and we’ll get his take on the Iran angle and let him know he’s heading to Hong Kong.”
THIRTY-TWO
Todd Wicks was not sweating, and he felt like his pulse and blood pressure were low. In fact, he felt calmer than he had in years.
Three Valium saw to this.
He sat in his Lexus in the parking lot of Hendley Associates, giving the pills every last second available before his appointment so they could have plenty of time to do their work. He’d also applied three times the antiperspirant that he normally wore, and he’d forgone his normal quad latte at Starbucks this morning so that he wouldn’t have his normal midday jitters.
He’d even listened to a half-hour of cool jazz satellite radio on his drive from DC up to West Odenton, thinking that might put him in an extra-mellow frame of mind.
At eleven a.m. he determined himself to be as prepared as he was going to get, so he climbed out of his luxury car, popped the trunk, and pulled out a small plastic box that contained his delivery for Hendley Associates.
He knew very little about this company; he had nearly one hundred accounts, so it was impractical to dig too deeply into what each and every one of them sold or offered or serviced. Half of his clients were government-agency IT departments, and the other half were companies like Hendley that, as far as Todd Wicks knew, traded stocks or invested or something like that.
He knew Gavin Biery, and kind of liked the rumpled computer nerd, even if Gavin could be a bit of a curmudgeon.
And Biery didn’t fight him on his pricing. Hendley Associates was a good account, and Wicks hated to do anything that might hurt them, but he had resigned himself to the fact that it was necessary.
He knew a thing or two about industrial espionage; he read
Wicks was sickened that he was helping the Chinese, but he did have to admit to himself that he was getting off lightly.
It beat spying against the government.
He carried the shopping bag containing the drive and entered the front door of Hendley Associates right on time, stepped up to the reception desk, and told the security officers in blue blazers that he had an appointment with Gavin Biery.
He stood in the lobby while he waited, a little wobbly on his knees from the muscle relaxers, but he felt good.
He actually found himself more relaxed now than he had been the day before.
“What the hell, Wicks?”
Todd jerked back into reality, spun around, and found himself face-to-face with an angry-looking Gavin Biery. Behind him, the two security men stood at the reception desk.
“Wha-what’s wrong?”
Biery said, “You
Todd sighed all the air out of his lungs, but he felt sweat forming on the back of his neck under his suit. He forced a toothy smile. “It’s almost lunchtime, Gavin. Usually I’m here a lot earlier.”
Biery replied, “Where is it written that doughnuts are just for breakfast? I’ve enjoyed many a bear-claw lunch, and more than my share of apple fritters for dinner.”
Before Todd could think of a funny reply, Gavin said, “C’mon up to IT and let’s take a look at the new toy you brought me.”
Wicks and Biery stepped out of the elevator on the second floor and headed toward Biery’s office. Wicks would have loved to have dropped off the drive and then left immediately, but he always went up to IT to talk shop for a few minutes with Gavin and some of the other Hendley IT staff. He did not want today to appear any different than normal, so he agreed to the quick visit to the computer department.
They’d made it only a few yards when Todd saw a tall young man with dark hair heading toward them.
“Hey, Gav. I was looking for you.”
Biery said, “I leave my department for five minutes a week, and that’s when I get a visitor. Jack, this is Todd Wicks, one of our hardware vendors. Todd, this is Jack Ryan.”
Todd Wicks extended his hand, had already begun greeting the young man, when he realized he was face-to- face with the son of the President of the United States.
Instantly panic washed through his body, his knees locked, and his back stiffened.
“Nice to meet you,” Ryan said.
But Wicks was not listening. His mind was racing with the realization that he was doing a job for Chinese intelligence against the workplace of the son of a man who went to war with the Chinese in his first term, and was now back in the White House.
He stammered out a “Nice to meet you” before Biery told Ryan he would call him when he was free.
Jack Ryan, Jr., headed back to the elevator.
As Gavin and Todd continued up the hall, Todd Wicks put his hand against the wall to steady himself.
“Crap, Wicks. You okay?”
“Yeah. Fine.” He recovered a little. “Just a little starstruck, I guess.”
Gavin just laughed.
They sat down in the office and Biery poured coffee for them both.
“You didn’t tell me the President’s son works with you.”
“Yeah. ’Bout four years or so. I don’t make a point of saying anything about it. He doesn’t like a lot of attention.”
“What does he do here?”
“Same stuff most all the other folks who aren’t in IT do.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
Biery said, “Financial management, currency trading. Jack’s a good egg. He’s got his dad’s brain.”
Wicks was not going to tell Biery he’d voted for Ed Kealty in the last election.
“Interesting.”
“You really
“What? No. No. Just surprised. That’s all.”
Biery looked at him for another moment, and Todd did his best impersonation of someone who was calm,
