TEDDY WENT UP to his room and took off his Stetson hat, his cowboy boots, and the rest of his Floyd Maitland outfit. He got out his makeup kit, went in the bathroom, and changed his appearance to that of Agent Felix Dressler. He put on a suit and tie, and his shoulder holster. He slipped his CIA credentials into his pocket, not that he expected to need them, just out of habit.
He went out front and hailed a cab. He got out two blocks from Kristin’s apartment building and walked the rest of the way. He breezed through the lobby door as another tenant was leaving, and went upstairs.
Teddy took care not to make a sound picking the lock on the apartment door. He eased it open.
Kirstin stood there holding a gun. Her mouth fell open. “I thought you left.”
“I came back.”
“What are you doing here?”
“It would appear I’m about to be shot.”
Kristin looked at the gun in her hand. “Oh.” She lowered it. “Why are you here? I’m pleased to see you, of course, but it’s so late. I just got back from London. I was babysitting an ambassador’s wife.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“I tried to get out of it. Norton was being a prick.”
“I can imagine.”
“I’m beat. Could we do this tomorrow?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Teddy walked her into the living room, and sat with her on the couch. He gently took the gun from her hand, and laid it on the coffee table.
“What’s so urgent?” Kristin said.
Teddy smiled wistfully. “Oh, I think you know.”
“Believe me, I haven’t got a clue.”
“Oh, I think you do. You’re very smart. You played me, and not many people can play me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t embarrass yourself. You’re the mole. You knew I was in Paris to find you. That’s why you made a play for me, to learn my game. The first night, you went through my pockets while I was asleep. You found the keys to the train station lockers. You snuck out, searched the lockers, found the passports, and figured out what I was up to.
“You said Workman wasn’t interested in you, but anybody could see that wasn’t true. You used him, ended your relationship, but kept him dancing on a string. You made a play for him to gather intel, pumped him for information, found out he’d searched one of the lockers. Got him to tell you the name on the passport. Then you got word to the Syrians to start an Internet search for that name, so I’d think Workman was the mole.”
“Workman was the mole? He’s been missing for days. Is that why?”
“It’s no use, Kristin.” Teddy took his gun out of his shoulder holster and held it in his lap. “If it’s any consolation, you’re very good at what you do.”
“Not good enough, apparently.”
“No one ever is. There’s always someone better.” Teddy smiled sadly and shook his head. “Why, Kristin, why?”
“You know why.”
“I assure you I don’t. You were trained by the CIA. How could you betray them?”
“The CIA wanted me to be an errand girl. I wanted to be a spy.”
“Oh, come on.”
“I met a man in Berlin, on one of my babysitting missions. He was the real deal. He was everything I wanted to be.”
“He was on the other side.”
“What are sides? It’s all a game. Just different uniforms.”
“It’s not a game, Kristin. These are bad men. You know what they are buying? A deadly virus.”
“Why is that so bad? We have warheads. We’re not going to use them, but having them makes us strong.”
“That’s how you justify it?” Teddy shook his head. “James Bond is fiction, Kristin. There’s no such thing. But you were very good.”
She smiled a sad smile. “I liked you.”
“I liked you, too,” Teddy said.
Kristin lunged for the gun on the coffee table.
It broke his heart. She must have known it was hopeless. But she couldn’t let herself get arrested. It wasn’t in her nature. She was a storybook heroine, a romantic to the last. The type of agent who would have swallowed a poison pill, if she’d had one.
She grabbed the gun and aimed.
He pulled the trigger.