by Stuart Woods
“That shouldn’t be difficult,” Lance said, “since the senator and I don’t have any serious disagreements on policy. We’ll need a considerable expansion, though, if our charter is changed.”
“Yes, and you might give some thought to exactly how you want to expand. You and Kate can spend some time on that.”
“Yes, sir. I will value her advice, of course.”
“Thank you, Lance,” Kate said, smiling. “I wouldn’t have expected you to say anything else. Do you have any immediate thoughts?”
“Well,” Lance said, “I think I would like to make Holly Barker’s appointment as New York station chief permanent. I think she’s perfect for it.”
“I agree entirely,” Kate said.
“I had thought of sending her to London after the trouble there, but her recommendation for the replacement there was perfectly considered, and I was glad to accept her judgment.”
“I’ve often thought that Holly’s coming to us later in life than usual, after her military and police background, gave her better judgment than we’re accustomed to in recruits.”
“I entirely agree,” Lance said. “She has always been solid on that score, and she’s a good judge of people, too. That will serve her well in New York.”
“You have to understand, Lance, that if things go badly in New York, everything could change.”
“I can see how that might affect things,” Lance replied.
“It’s better that I be here to take the blame, if things go south,” Kate said. “I think that will help protect your appointment.”
A butler came into the room and announced dinner.
“Of course, this is all just between us and Senator Barnes, until we’re ready to move,” the president said.
“I understand, sir. I would like your permission to tell Holly about it.”
“That’s a good idea, Will,” Kate said.
“I agree,” the president said, and they went in to dinner.
Lance took some deep breaths and tried to calm himself. His brain was bursting with what he wanted to do in the job.
The phone at Stone’s bedside was ringing when they entered his bedroom. “Hello.”
“It’s Dino, pal. How you doing?”
“Hey, buddy, how was the Bahamas?”
“Terrific,” Dino said. “Place called The Albany, on New Providence. Lap of luxury.”
“You deserve it. How did Viv like the place?”
“She wants to live there.”
“I’ll bet she does.”
“How’s Holly?”
“Busier than you would believe.”
“Yeah, I caught the president’s speech on TV. Any leads on Jasmine?”
“Not yet, but the commissioner has really turned out the troops in the search for her. Something’s got to break soon.”
“I’ll see what I can do about that when I get to the office tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ve got some news.”
“Shoot.”
“Viv and I are going to get legal.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I kid you not. She’s turning in her papers tomorrow. She’s got her twenty in, so she’ll get her pension.”
“How about you?”
“Me? Turn in my papers? You must be hallucinating.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“We’re working on that. It’ll be soon.”
“Why don’t the two of you come over here tomorrow night, and I’ll crack a bottle of champagne and cook dinner for us.”
“Deal, but it’ll have to be late. We’ve got something to do early. Nine be okay?”
“Nine it is. See you then.” Stone hung up and turned to Holly, who was just coming out of her dressing room, beautifully naked. “That was Dino. He and Viv are just back from the Bahamas, and they’re going to get married.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Neither did I, but they’re coming to dinner tomorrow night at nine, so you can grill them about it.”
“I’ll do that.” A phone began to ring in Holly’s dressing room. “I have to get that,” she said. She went back and answered her cell phone.
“Good evening. It’s Lance.”
“Hey, Lance, what’s up?”
“Quite a lot, actually.”
“You’re not going to get me out of bed, are you?”
“No, nothing like that. I had dinner with the president and first lady tonight. I just got in.”
“I saw them when they were in New York,” she said.
“They invited me over to watch him deliver his address to the nation, then dinner. Did you see it?”
“I did, and I thought it went very well.”
“There’s something in the offing, and I wanted you to know about it—so does Kate.”
“She didn’t mention anything when she was in New York.”
“This really just happened today. Kate is now planning to resign before the end of Will’s second term.”
Holly was thunderstruck. “She certainly didn’t mention that.”
“The president is going to appoint me as her successor. That way he can get me confirmed before he leaves office.”
“That’s terrific news, Lance. How do you think it will go in Congress?”
“Senator Barnes of Georgia, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is already on board with it, and as Barnes goes, so goes the committee and the Senate.”
“Then it’s a done deal?”
“For all practical purposes. Barnes is also going to get the amendment to our charter through, as well.”
“That’s good news.”
“This is going to have a big effect on your career, Holly.”
“Oh?” Here it came; Lance was going to bring her back to Langley as his assistant director.
“With the change in the charter in effect, I’m going to make the New York office a permanent station, and I want you to run it.”
Holly’s heart leaped; she couldn’t speak.
“Are you there, Holly?”
“Yes, I’m just trying to catch my breath.”
“I know you wouldn’t want to go back to being my assistant, and with our new domestic duties, New York is going to become our most important station. It’s our only office in the country that’s already fully up and running, and you’ve already been appointed acting station head. We’ll make your appointment permanent.”
“Oh, Lance, that would be just great.”
“Then you accept?”
“Are you kidding? Of course I accept.”
“Good, then all our ducks are in a row. There’s just one thing, though.”
Holly’s heart was in her throat; Lance always had a hole card that nobody but he saw.
“What’s that?”
“We’ve got to bag Jasmine. Kate can’t retire while that’s undone.”
Holly sagged with relief; she had been expecting something self-serving from Lance. “I can understand that, and I’m on it.”
“If Kate stays on until the end of Will’s term, the next president will appoint her replacement, and we don’t know who that president or his appointee will be. Maybe me, maybe not, but I’d feel a lot better if we could bag Jasmine and present the new president with a fait accompli. That would be much better for both you and me. And probably for the country.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Holly said.
“And when we bag Jasmine, she has to stay bagged.”
A little shiver went up Holly’s spine; now she knew what was coming.
“That means we need to bag her while she’s still in New York. It’s the only place in the country where we’re strong. If she’s able to run and the FBI gets her somewhere else, then it will be out of our hands. The trials could go on for years.”
“I see what you mean,” Holly said.
“Do you? Do you understand fully what’s at stake? Are you prepared to make it happen?”
“I’ll do whatever I can,” Holly
said.
“That’s not good enough. Her two brothers and Dr. Kharl are gone. Jasmine has to join them in whatever hell they’re in.”
Holly took a deep breath. “I’m on board with that, Lance. You can count on me.”
“Good. Now get a good night’s sleep, then go get her. Good night.”
“Good night.” They both hung up, and Holly walked back into the bedroom.
Stone saw the look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“That was Lance.” She related the substance of their conversation.
“Making your appointment in New York permanent is great news.”
“Yes,” she said, “but I’ve also been appointed Jasmine’s executioner.”
Holly was in her office the following morning when Scotty buzzed her. “The director on line one,” she said.
Holly picked up the phone. “Good morning, Director,” she said.
“Good morning, Holly. Did Lance call you last night?”
“Yes, he did.”
“I wanted to tell you the news, but Lance was eager to speak to you first.”
“I’m delighted for Lance,” Holly said, “but I’m going to miss you. I thought we still had a few months.”
“Will and I talked about it a lot, and we finally agreed that the best way to ensure continuity at the Agency was to get the right person in the job as soon as possible, and I believe Lance is the right person. You’d have to go back a long way to find a director who came out of operations. The professionals who’ve had the job have been analysts, like me.”
“I agree with you entirely, and I’m very happy with the idea of having my temporary appointment in New York made permanent. The time I’ve spent here has reminded me of how much I love this city.”
“I love it, too, and I’m looking forward to sitting on Strategic Services’ board when Will leaves office.”
“I hope I’ll see a lot of you then.”
“You will. Anything new on the search for Jasmine?”
“I’m expecting a call from the commissioner momentarily—we speak nearly every morning. The FBI has been eerily quiet, for which I’m grateful.”
“I think it’s best not to disturb them, unless we have to. When we get a line on the al Qaeda cells in the other cities, then we’ll need their help to break them up. Even if the change in our charter is made permanent, we’ll need to staff up around the country, and that will take time. I’m already looking at recruiting more people and expanding the program at the Farm.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll let you know. Call me if the commissioner has anything new.”
“I’ll do that.” Both women hung up, and a moment later Scotty buzzed that the commissioner was on the line.
“Good morning, Holly.”
“Good morning, Commissioner.”
“An update: Stone’s idea about Middle Eastern restaurants that deliver is producing leads. We’ve had a dozen or more calls from people who believe they’ve seen something interesting on deliveries. Nothing that’s checked out yet, though.”
“She seems to have gone all quiet,” Holly said. “Either Jasmine has moved on to another city, or she’s planning something new here.”
“I’m inclined to think she’s still here,” the commissioner said, “and I’m proceeding on that basis.”
“I think that’s wise. You and I can’t cover five other cities. We’ll have to leave that to the FBI.”
“That seems to be their plan,” he said. “I spoke to Deputy Director Kerry Smith in D.C. yesterday, and they’re moving agents out of New York to the other cities as we speak. I’m glad to have them off my back here. I much prefer working with you.”
“Thank you, Commissioner.”
“I hope that, in light of your charter change, you’ll stay on in New York, Holly.”
“I’d like that, but it’s not up to me. We’ll see what happens. I hope we can get a line on Jasmine without another bomb going off.”
“We have a very large emergency response team set up in that event,” the commissioner said.
“Good.”
“I’ll speak to you tomorrow,” he said, and they both hung up.
Holly thought that if her assignment was made permanent, she’d be seeing a lot more of the commissioner, perhaps as mayor. The papers had been full of rumors that he was thinking of running. She and Lance were not the only ones who would benefit from putting Jasmine out of business.
Scotty buzzed that the people for her mid-morning staff meeting had arrived, and they filed in and took their seats at her conference table.
“All right,” Holly said, “I’ve just spoken to the commissioner, and he tells me that they’re getting calls from Middle Eastern restaurants offering leads. What have we got here?”
A young analyst raised his hand. “I have an opinion about something,” he said.
“Let’s hear it.”
“I’ve been looking for factors that might allow us to predict where a new attack in the city might occur.”
“I’m all ears.”
“The attacks in London were against MI-6, and the two here have been against us. It seems that Jasmine isn’t just interested in causing havoc—she hates intelligence services, too.”
“So, you think she might try again here?” Holly asked.
“Not this building,” the young man said. “And if she did, we’ve pretty much got that covered with our recent upgrade of security and surveillance.”
“Where, then?”
“Not where,” he said, “who. Excuse me, whom.”
“All right, whom?”
“You, Chief.”
Holly stared at him. “I suppose that makes sense, since I’m in charge.”
“It’s not just that,” he said. “You’re staying at a friend’s house, I believe.”
“That’s correct.”
“That makes you vulnerable.”
“We’ve got security posted at the house.”
“Security can’t stop a truck full of explosives from driving past the house.”
Holly leaned back in her chair. “So what’s your recommendation?”
“I think you should move back into our building,” he said, “and I don’t think you should leave the building again until Jasmine has been apprehended or killed.”
“We could increase security around the house,” his supervisor said.
“No, he’s right,” Holly said.
“I don’t mean to offend,” the young man said.
“You haven’t offended me by being right,” Holly replied. “I’ll move back in here today.”
“I think we’d all feel better,” he said.
Then Holly remembered that she and Stone had Dino and Viv coming for dinner that night, to celebrate their engagement. “I’ll move back in tonight,” she said. “I’ll need to go and pick up my things first.”
—
When the meeting was over she called Stone and explained that she had to move.
“I’m sorry to hear it,” he said.
“I’m sorry, too, but my own staff has pointed out to me that I’m a probable target, and they’re right. I’ll leave our security in place at your house, though.”
“If you’re gone, then what’s the problem here?”
“Jasmine may not know I’m gone.”
“She may not know you were here in the first place.”
“I can’t count on that. What time are Dino and Viv coming tonight?”
“Not until nine—they both had something to do earlier.”
“Then I’ll be home by nine.”
“See you then.”
Holly hung up, not looking forward to moving into this cold, hard building.
Dino, wearing his uniform, stood at attention and watched the commissioner pin the medal on Viv’s tunic, the decoration she had won by shooting a fugitive and saving his life. Everyone applauded, then the senior uniformed officer present dismissed the group, who adjourned to a conference roo
m for champagne.
The commissioner approached Dino. “We’re proud of her,” he said, “and I’m sorry she retired today. What’s she going to do with herself?”
“It’ll be announced in a few days,” Dino said, “so keep this under your hat. She’s joining Strategic Services as an investigative supervisor.”
“It occurs to me that she might be available for another role, as well,” the commissioner said.
Dino grinned. “I can’t comment on that at the moment, but maybe soon.”
“What are your plans, Dino?”
“Oh, more of the same, sir.”
“I wish you’d take the captain’s exam. I could use you at headquarters, but you can’t be a lieutenant among so many captains.”
“Commissioner, the minute I pass the captain’s exam, I’m not a cop anymore, I’m an administrator.”
The commissioner shrugged. “I can’t argue with that, but I think you could be very useful to me in this office.”
“I like solving crimes,” Dino said. “And I like kicking detectives’ asses until they get it right.”
“Tell you what,” the commissioner said, “sit the exam next week and pass, and I’ll sit on the result until you say it’s okay.”
“Why would you want me to do that?” Dino asked.
“I have my reasons,” the commissioner replied, “and I promise you, you’ll like them when you know what they are.”
Dino cocked his head and examined the commissioner’s face for clues to what he was talking about, but all he got for his trouble was a hint of a smirk.
“I can still stay in my job if I do that?”
“I won’t yank you out of the one-nine unless it’s what you want, I promise you that.”
“All right, Commissioner, I’ll take the exam, but I hope I don’t disappoint you by flunking.”
The commissioner took a pad from his coat pocket, jotted down a name and number, ripped it out and handed it to Dino. “Call this man tomorrow morning and report to him on Monday morning. He’ll cram enough in your skull to see that you don’t flunk.”
Dino looked at the name, and he knew the man: a retired captain who had been in charge of administering examinations for the last years of his career. “Yes, sir,” he said.
—
