In her office in the West Wing of the White House, Holly Barker, newly appointed assistant to the president for national security affairs, and former CIA station chief, answered the phone. “Yes?”
“Holly, Lance. Ready for the briefing?”
“I’m ready to be briefed. I’ve got nothing to contribute.”
“No one does. It’s way too early. Unfortunately, that’s not the type of remark the head of the CIA can make with impunity. CIA directors are supposed to know everything the instant it happens.”
“It’s a tough job anytime, Lance. I’m sure it’s tougher now.”
“Yeah. Listen. Something came up. For your eyes only, not to be bandied around.”
“I’m not a gossip, Lance,” Holly said tartly.
“I never said you were.”
“What’s up?”
“You know we found a shell casing on the roof of the building across the street?”
“That much I know.”
“It’s CIA issue.”
“Oh?”
“Like the type we’d issue for a company sniper rifle.”
“Are we admitting to issuing sniper rifles now?”
“Don’t piss me off, Holly. You and I both know someone who spent twenty years issuing exactly that type of equipment to company agents.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Is it possible Teddy Fay’s back?”
“Don’t get paranoid on me, Lance.”
“What is Teddy Fay’s official status?”
“Teddy Fay doesn’t exist.”
“That’s what bothers me. I just looked him up on the mainframe and came up empty. No history, no records.”
“That’s because he was pardoned. His record was wiped clean.”
“Not from us! No one deletes our records.”
“Clearly they do.”
“I don’t like it. This assassination has Teddy’s MO all over it.”
“Teddy has a new identity and a new life. A second chance. Do you really think he’d risk that just to screw with you?”
“I don’t have all the facts.”
“That’s why you’re grasping at straws. You’re desperate for something to tell the President. Trust me, it’s not Teddy Fay.”
“How can you be sure?”
“It’s impossible, Lance.”
Holly hung up the phone.
Teddy Fay was sitting across the desk from her. He had changed from his James Byrd disguise into the more comfortable persona of Fred Walker. Fred was closer to his age, and had CIA credentials.
Holly hadn’t initially recognized Teddy as agent Fred Walker. He’d had to tell her who he was. But this was not surprising, as Teddy’s gifts with disguise were legendary. Teddy had actually taken Holly to the opera once, at the height of the FBI manhunt, and she’d never suspected the elderly opera enthusiast sitting with her was the object of her chase.
“That was Lance,” Holly said.
“I gathered.”
“He wanted to know if you shot the congressman.”
“Not that congressman. Anything else?”
“A spent cartridge believed to come from the sniper’s rifle was CIA issue.”
“Interesting. And that reminds me. I could use some ammunition.”
“Teddy.”
“Relax. I’m here to help.”
“With the assassination?”
“The assassination is the tip of the iceberg.”
“Lance is holding back?”
“Lance doesn’t know.”
“Doesn’t know what, Teddy? What were you about to tell me when he called?”
“Kate hasn’t told you?”
“Hasn’t told me what?”
“Of course. You couldn’t tell me if she had. We have a very delicate situation under way and everything is on a need-to-know basis. That includes you, and even the President.”
“You didn’t say that includes you.”
“I need to know. At the moment Stone Barrington is the only one who knows everything. I’d bring him in here to vouch for me except he’s being watched.”
“Can I call him?”
“No. His phone was hacked. I destroyed the bug, but we can’t be sure it’s the only one. The President’s in a bad situation. She asked for Stone’s help. He came to me. Now I’m bringing you into the loop. The daughter of the Speaker of the House has been kidnapped. The kidnappers are forcing him to meet with the President and arrange for the passing of the veterans aid bill.”
“And Kate knows this?”
“She’s the only one who does. Even Will doesn’t know.”
“What about Lance?”
“Lance doesn’t know, either. He can’t. If there’s any sign of police or CIA involvement, they’ll kill the girl. There’s been a leak, but we don’t know from where. If we alert the CIA, the kidnappers will know about it, and the girl is dead.”
“And the assassination?”
“It’s undoubtedly connected. Congressman Drexel was a conservative stumbling block in the way of passing the bill. Anyway, the President was desperate. She didn’t know where to turn, so she brought in Stone. He told the Speaker to demand proof of life next time the kidnappers contact him. He told the President not to do anything, just appear to be moving forward with the bipartisan agenda and he’d take it from there. That’s where I come in.”
“I thought you were done with all this.”
“I owe Stone for the presidential pardon. Plus I owe the President. And this thing is scary. When Stone called me, I was on a movie set in L.A. An hour later someone tried to kill me. I take that personally.
“So that’s the situation. The President’s holding out on you. Now you’re holding out on her. You’re also holding out on Lance and everyone else in the world, with the exception of Stone Barrington. Thank goodness you and he see eye to eye.”
Holly and Stone had been an item once, ironically back in the days when they were hunting Teddy Fay.
“One thing I don’t understand,” Holly continued.
“What’s that?”
“If I can’t tell anybody about this, what do you expect me to do?”
“I’d like to log into the CIA mainframe. They keep installing safeguards to keep me out. I could get through them easy enough, with the right equipment, but I just don’t have the time. Log on for me, will you?”
“That’s all you want?”
“That would disappoint you? No, Holly, that’s not all I want. You’re CIA, but as the President’s advisor, you’re not responsible to Lance. He can’t give you orders or make you tell him anything, not that he’d know what to ask. But you’re privy to whatever information his investigation turns up. Stone and I need you to coordinate with us and try to figure out what’s going on, because there’s no way it could be as simple as it seems.
“We have to rescue the girl and take the pressure off the congressman. We’re ill equipped to do it. The minute we start looking into her disappearance, the kidnappers will become suspicious and they’ll kill the girl. Of course they’d lose their leverage, but I hate to tout that as the upside.”
“So?”
“So we have to investigate the kidnapping without making any waves. I can’t show up on a college campus and chat up the girls in the dorm without raising a bunch of red flags. I need a young female agent who can pose as a friend of the girl, who hasn’t heard from her in a few days and is concerned. She’s got to be smart, clever, intuitive, personable, and able to blend in. Do you have anyone like that?”
Holly smiled. “As a matter of fact, I do.”