At breakfast in the dining room, Wilma was nowhere to be seen. Butler sat with some of the people he’d met the previous day and ordered his usual large morning meal. When he was finished he proceeded directly to Sheffield’s office, where one of the secretaries told him to go inside.
Sheffield sat in darkness behind his desk as on the previous day. Butler wondered why he never wanted anybody to see his face.
“Have a seat, Mr. Butler,” Sheffield said cordially.
Butler sat in front of the desk and crossed his legs.
“I trust you slept well?” Sheffield asked.
“Yes I did.”
“Good. Are you ready to go to work?”
“I can’t wait.”
“Excellent. Well, we’ve worked out an assignment for you and here it is. First of all you’re going to return to New York for your trial. The cabdriver of course will appear as your witness and you will be found innocent. Then you will inform Mr. Shankham you’ve decided to take the position in private industry that he so graciously offered you. He in turn will notify the director of his reassignment office, who happens to be a member of the Institute. A position will be found for you with the Noble Oil Corporation, whose president, Phillip Noble, is a high-ranking member of Hydra. You will do some sort of security work, which will give you access to the private correspondence of the corporation. You mission will be to relay all relevant information to our nearest office for evaluation. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir.”
“I’m sure you’ve read about Phillip Noble in the newspapers, but let me give you some background on him. He is perhaps one of the richest men in the world. His corporation not only owns and leases oilfields throughout the world, it also has-access to other types of natural resources, and manufactures all sorts of products for industry, government and individual consumers. He owns numerous newspapers and television stations. He manufactures armaments, guns, ships and jet fighters, which has provided him with a strong link to the Pentagon over the years.
“He owns land and industries in numerous foreign countries and therefore has close ties with the CIA. In fact, the CIA and the armed forces can be considered the private protection agencies for his business interests overseas. It is tragic but nonetheless true that one day American soldiers might have to give their lives in defense of his personal business interests overseas. He’s as clever as he is rapacious and he’s hired all sorts of brilliant people to work for him. He doesn’t mind paying huge salaries to key people, and, as we all know, large quantities of money can act as a marvelous salve for guilty consciences. Anyway, Phillip Noble is virtually a government all to himself.
“He has considerable power which he wields for his own benefit, though nobody ever elected him to anything. He has even more power than the president of the United States, and Phillip Noble can act without the checks of congress or the judiciary. Nobody can impeach him. He is basically a high-level bandit, but, as a result of clever public relations and manipulation of the press, he enjoys enormous prestige throughout the world. It will be up to you to gain entry to his personal entourage and monitor his activities for us. We want to know who his consorts are and everything he does.
“I should be able to handle that,” Butler said.
“Good. Well, that’s all. You’ll be further briefed by my assistant, Mr. Smiley, on Institute procedures, and this evening you’ll be driven to the airport in San Francisco, where you will board a scheduled flight for New York. Tomorrow morning you’ll call your lawyer to inquire about the case, and he’ll tell you that a certain taxicab driver has read about your case in the papers and has stepped forward to say he’s the one who drove you home from the Plaza Hotel. You will call Mr. Shankham and tell him the good news—which he doubtless will know already—and then you’ll tell him of your willingness to accept employment. After that you’ll be on your own. Any questions?”
“None that I can think of offhand.”
“Good. That will be all for now, Mr. Butler. So long, and good luck.”
“Thank you, sir.”