Ever since I’d known Carlton, he’d always been obsessed with Lincoln Town Cars, and I was pretty sure he hadn’t owned any other make of automobile for the past twenty years.
This particular Town Car was a black 2010 Signature Limited edition with black leather interior.
Naturally, the car was spotless, so when I placed my water bottle in the cup holder, it didn’t surprise me to hear him say, “Make sure the cap’s screwed on tight,” although I was tempted to point out it was only water.
However, I kept my mouth shut.
In fact, I kept quiet until we were headed west on the interstate toward Fairfax, and I realized the lines in his face had disappeared.
That’s when I figured the car ride was working its magic on him.
On this same trip out to The Meadows a few years ago, he’d confessed he’d been thinking about making an audio recording of the relaxing thirty-minute car ride from Langley out to The Meadows.
When I’d asked him why he’d want to record the car noise coming from the Lincoln, he’d smiled and said, “What do you think? I could play the recording in my office after having a meeting with the DDO.”
Now, I decided that introducing the DDO into our conversation would make it easy for me to transition over to Monique and the discussion Carlton had been having with her in the conference room.
I said, “I was expecting Deputy Ira to attend the debriefing today.”
“So was I.”
“Don’t get me wrong; it didn’t break my heart he wasn’t there.”
“Yesterday, he informed me he was coming, but this morning, I got a call from his assistant who let me know he wasn’t coming after all.”
“He didn’t tell you why?”
He cut his eyes over toward me. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
I smiled as if it were. “I have a feeling if we hadn’t been able to bring Jacob home, he would have cleared his schedule to be there. In that case, I might still be at The Gray answering his questions, and he’d be asking you a few questions as well.”
“I can’t deny that.”
I waited a few seconds before making the transition over to my main topic of interest.
“As you know, Douglas,” I said, “I’m not a big fan of having an outside observer at a debriefing session, but I certainly wouldn’t mind it if the DDO assigned Ms. Albritton to my next one.”
“I suppose that’s because she didn’t bombard you with questions like most outside observers do.”
“You’re right on target there.”
“Monique knows operations. She didn’t need to ask questions.”
“As the Assistant Director of Field Operations, I certainly hope she has some expertise in that area.”
Carlton shot a quick glance over at me as he moved into the left-hand lane to pass a slow-moving vehicle. “You didn’t know her identity before you were debriefed today, did you? If so, you should have said something.”
“No, of course not. I was curious about where she worked, so I asked Greg about her. He’s always a reliable source when it comes to Agency gossip.”
Carlton concentrated on his driving and didn’t say anything until he’d passed the vehicle and moved into the right-hand lane again.
“What else did Greg say about her?”
“Not that much. In fact, he talked more about the new director and the changes he’s making in the field offices.”
“Did he tell you the director is planning on getting rid of several senior station chiefs and offering those positions to seasoned covert operatives?”
“Yes, he mentioned that.”
He shook his head. “Maybe I should have talked to Greg before the debriefing. If I’d taken the time to ask him a few questions, I might have been better informed.”
When I realized he wasn’t kidding, I asked him, “Was Monique discussing those changes with you after the debriefing? Is that why you looked upset?”
It appeared Olivia was right—subtlety wasn’t my strong suit.
In this instance, it hardly mattered.
“I was wondering when you were going to bring that up.”
* * * *
Carlton didn’t confirm his conversation with Monique had upset him, although he did admit he found their discussion disturbing, which I considered a victory in itself.
Then, when he began telling me about the changes the new director intended to make in Field Operations, I got the feeling he wasn’t being entirely honest with me.
At first, I thought it was because he was reluctant to discuss any upcoming personnel changes with me. But then, the longer he went on about the arguments the director was using to staff the field offices with veteran intelligence operatives, the more I realized Carlton was agitated because the topic was something personal.
It was something personal—as in, the topic he was discussing had something to do with me personally.
I listened without commenting until he’d driven past the city limits of Fairfax and turned on Fairfax County Parkway where The Meadows was located.
Then, I interrupted him and asked, “Did my name happen to come up in your discussion with Monique?”
As he turned off the parkway and onto the long drive leading up to The Meadows, he sighed and said, “Yes, it did. In the very near future, you’re going to be offered the position of station chief in Iraq.”
“What?”
“It’s a prestigious assignment, Titus. You’ll be the top U.S. intelligence officer in Iraq, in charge of all Agency clandestine operations, responsible for supervising the operational teams, coordinating all the surveillance ops in country and—”
“I won’t be responsible for anything, Douglas. I’m not interested in becoming a station chief.”
“You shouldn’t say no right away.”
“Waiting won’t make any difference. It’s not in my DNA to be a supervisor or a coordinator or whatever you want to call it. I thought you knew that. I’m a covert operative who likes to work alone.”
Once Carlton had pulled up to the front of the house and put the car in park, he turned and faced me.
“Up until a few months ago, I would have agreed with you. But think how far you’ve come since Operation Torchlight. You’ve taken Ben Mitchell on as your partner, you’ve supervised a full operational team in Cuba, and now you’ve just completed a mission that included both a DIA agent and a Support Specialist, someone who wasn’t even a trained operative. There’s no doubt in my mind you’re qualified to be the chief of station in Iraq.”
“I don’t care if I’m qualified or not; I’m not taking the job. Besides, the timing is really lousy. I’m about to get married, Douglas. If I were station chief, I’d have to live in Baghdad.”
“That’s pretty much a given.”
“That means I’d have to be away from Nikki for months at a time. Do you really think that kind of separation would be good for a newly married couple?”
“You can’t use that as an excuse. I’m sure you know most station chiefs bring their spouses with them. Legends will come up with a cover story for you that makes it appear as if you’re on the embassy staff. Nikki could have a job there as well.”
“Nikki already has a job, and I can’t imagine she’d want to leave it and go live in Baghdad.”
“You won’t know that until you ask her. Most wives don’t appreciate their husbands making decisions for them.”
“I’m not making a decision for Nikki. I’m making a decision for myself. If I’m offered the position of CIA station chief in Iraq, I’m turning it down.”
“I understand.”
“I don’t know, Douglas; it sounds like you want me to take this job.”
“Well, that’s not how I felt when Monique first mentioned it. In fact, I was pretty upset when I heard the new director was planning to get rid of some of the older station chiefs. But now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I can see his point. Having veteran operatives run the field offices makes sense. I can’t deny that.�
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For some reason, hearing Carlton actually admit he’d been upset made me decide to soften my tone.
“I appreciate the heads up about this, Douglas, and if I’m offered the position, I’ll certainly give it some thought. As of right now, though, the answer is definitely no.”
“You’ll have some time to think about it. Monique said the director needs to lay the groundwork for the changes, so he won’t be able to act on his plans for at least a couple of months. But, if I were you, I’d have my mind made up by then.”
I nodded and pointed over toward the garage where a dark gray Nissan Sentra was parked. “Unless Arkady bought a new car, it looks like you have visitors inside.”
Carlton appeared flustered when he spotted the car. “I can’t believe I didn’t see that car parked there. Maybe that proves Monique’s point. As spies get older, they become less effective.”
I decided not to comment on his failing observation skills.
Although I might be lousy at subtlety, I wasn’t a fool.
* * * *
When we walked in the front door, Millie met us in the foyer, and since she didn’t seem at all surprised to see me, I assumed Carlton had phoned ahead to tell her I was coming with him.
That wasn’t the case.
However, I didn’t know that until she insisted we follow her into the kitchen where she said she had a surprise waiting for us.
When we came around the corner and entered the kitchen, she gestured with both hands toward the wooden island in the center of the room and said, “Ta-da. Look who just arrived.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Nikki, what are you doing here?”
She laughed as she slid off the barstool and came toward me.
“Did I surprise you?” she asked, brushing my cheek with a soft kiss.
“No, you didn’t surprise me. You shocked me.” I took her in my arms. “Maybe I should sit down before I pass out.”
“Young lady,” Carlton said, walking up beside us, “you’ve been able to do something I’ve never seen done before.”
“What’s that?” she asked, giving him a beautiful smile.
“You made Titus lose his cool.”
I let go of Nikki and gestured at Carlton. “Nikki, this is my boss Douglas Carlton. Douglas, this is Nikki Saxon, my fiancée.”
He took her hand in both of his and said, “I’m very pleased to finally meet you in person, Nikki, and may I say you’re as lovely as I imagined you would be.”
“Well, thank you. I hope you don’t mind me just showing up at your doorstep like this.”
“No, of course not. My late wife Gladys wanted us to buy this place so she could entertain, and now I try to honor her memory by having an open-door policy at The Meadows. You’re welcome here anytime.”
Millie said, “Speaking of Gladys, I’ve just finished making up a batch of her Christmas cookies. If you guys promise to behave, I’ll let you have a sample.”
I took Nikki’s hand and walked her over to the island.
After we’d sat down next to each other on the barstools, I said, “Seriously, Nikki, what are you doing here?”
She smiled and said, “When I got off the phone with you yesterday and realized it could be several days before you were back in Norman, I decided there wasn’t any reason for me not to catch a flight to Washington. I figured it would be a lot more fun spending my time off with you than spending it alone.”
“What about Stormy?”
She laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. I talked it over with him, and he was in agreement, especially when I told him he could stay with my captain and entertain his two dogs.”
Arkady, who considered himself an expert when it came to dogs, spoke up immediately. “All dogs like to have a change of scenery sometimes. When Stormy was staying here at The Meadows a few months ago, he had a great time with Frisco.”
When Arkady began telling us about teaching the two dogs a trick involving a dog biscuit, Carlton interrupted him. “If you’re going to talk about dogs, I’m leaving.”
He finished eating his cookie, brushed the crumbs from his tie, and said, “I’ll be in my study if anyone needs me.”
As he started to walk away, he turned around and gestured at Nikki. “Of course, you’re invited to stay at The Meadows while you’re here.”
“That’s very kind of you. I’d planned to check into a hotel when I arrived, but when I got the text from Titus saying he was on his way out here, I decided to surprise him.”
“No, no, there’s no need for you to get a hotel,” Millie said. “We have plenty of room here. Arkady, we should go upstairs and make sure there’s fresh sheets for her bed.”
As Arkady followed Carlton and Millie out the door, he winked at me and said, “My Millie always has fresh sheets on the beds. She just wants to give you some time alone.”
“Your Millie’s a good woman,” I said.
* * * *
Once Arkady had left the kitchen, I leaned over and gave Nikki a more intimate kiss than the one I’d given her when everyone was in the room.
“Does that mean you’re glad to see me?” she asked.
“You don’t know how glad I am to see you,” I said, grabbing two of Millie’s cookies. “When I couldn’t get you on the phone earlier, I admit I got a little worried.”
“Why were you worried?” she asked, as she took one of the cookies I offered her.
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because I had this weird dream about you when we were flying back to the States. I’ve been trying to shake it off ever since, but I can’t seem to forget it.”
“Aren’t you the guy who once told me he could interpret dreams?”
“Hmmm. I did say that, didn’t I? You probably shouldn’t believe everything I tell you.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t.”
“Oh, no, that’s not good. I’m pretty sure a long-lasting marriage is based on trust.”
She took a bite of her cookie and said, “So tell me about your dream.”
I got off the barstool and walked over to the refrigerator.
When I opened the door, I asked, “What would you like to drink? Millie has ice tea, lemonade, and soft drinks. There’s also something in here that looks suspiciously like liquid spinach.”
“I’ll take some ice tea. Are you avoiding my question?”
“Probably,” I said, taking a couple of glasses out of the cabinet and filling them with ice.
Once I’d poured lemonade for me and ice tea for Nikki, I set the glasses down on the island and said, “Here’s the thing, Detective. I’m pretty sure the dream was just the subconscious part of my brain trying to sort some stuff out.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“More than likely, it was the result of Jeremy telling me all about his daughter—I think he must have talked to me for over an hour about Eleanor—and then minutes later, he’s lying in a pool of blood at my feet, murdered by a Houthi commander. The irony of the whole thing is that a Special Ops team showed up to rescue us thirty seconds later.”
“I won’t deny I’m glad they showed up, but I have to believe being rescued like that makes his death seem even more tragic to you.”
“Tragic is right. I’m still trying to deal with it.”
We were both quiet for a moment, and then she said, “I thought you said the dream was about me.”
“You were there, but I believe you were only a stand-in for Jeremy’s wife. The dream was more about Eleanor. She was asking for my help.”
She reached over and took my hand. “Look, Titus. When you called yesterday, I could tell how much you were affected by Jeremy’s death. Actually, that’s the main reason I decided to come today. Of course, I wanted to see you, but I also thought it might be easier on you to have a woman with you when you go visit Eleanor, and, to be truthful, I didn’t want you to be alone at Jeremy’s funeral.”
I pressed her hand to my lips. “You have to be the most incredible woman in the
world.” I looked down at the ring on her finger. “I should probably ask you to marry me.”
“Probably? There’s no probably about it. I’ve already bought my wedding dress.”
“You didn’t happen to bring it with you, did you?”
She laughed. “No, of course not.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
“What difference would it have made if I’d brought it with me?”
“We could have gotten married tonight.”
“Are you kidding? After all the planning I’ve done? I’m sorry, Titus, but you’ll just have to wait a few more months.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
Chapter 45
Friday, December 11
The next morning, after Millie had fixed us all a pancake breakfast, Carlton announced he was headed back to Langley, and he told Millie she shouldn’t expect him back at The Meadows until next week’s Christmas party.
“If I don’t see you again,” Nikki said, “it was very nice meeting you.”
“I assure you the pleasure was all mine, but I imagine we’ll see each other at Jeremy Taylor’s funeral tomorrow.”
“Oh, yes, of course.”
“There’s always a chance I may get tied up at Langley and won’t be able to make it. In that case, I may not see you again until your wedding.” He smiled at her. “I am invited to your wedding, aren’t I?”
“Of course, you are. Titus already made sure your name was at the top of the invitation list.”
He glanced over at me and shook his head. “I’m shocked you were able to get this guy to sit down and make an invitation list.”
She laughed. “It was a very short list.”
I shrugged. “In my defense, I was ordered back to Langley by the DDO right in the middle of our wedding preparations.”
“What kind of excuse is that?” Arkady asked.
Carlton looked down at his watch. “That reminds me. I have a meeting with him in a couple of hours.” He took one last sip of coffee and stood to his feet. “Titus, before I leave, could I have a word with you in my study?”
I followed Carlton across the hall to his study, thinking he probably had a message for me from the DDO. Instead, as soon as he closed the door, he said, “I received a phone call from Sasha Gail Pack, the President’s Senior Adviser, this morning.”
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