“Can’t you find Teddy?”
Holly’s eyebrows went up.
“It wasn’t so hard to figure out,” Ham said. “There’ve been three or four murders around the U.N. the past few weeks, and I don’t believe the Agency is committing them. I always thought he might have gotten out of that airplane.”
“He did,” Holly said. “Ginny, you can’t hear this, and if you do, you have to keep it to yourself.”
“Don’t worry, Holly, my lips are sealed,” Ginny replied.
“She knows how to zip up,” Ham said. “Now, why haven’t you found this guy?”
“Because he’s very, very smart,” Holly said. “I figured he might be using the Lexington Avenue subway to get up and downtown, so we staked it out and photographed every likely candidate, but I swear to God, I think he spotted me and got out of there, instead of onto the train.”
“You? Why would he know you?”
“Because I met him at the opera, and he invited me to use a spare ticket. He was beautifully disguised, though, and I never tumbled to him until I saw him later, ignoring what he said was a bad hip or knee or something and running like a jackrabbit for a cab.”
“Isn’t there some way to lure him out from his cover?” Ham asked.
“Maybe me. I think he lives in my neighborhood, so we’ve had a team following me, in case I see him.”
“That would explain the guy across the street who keeps changing places with a woman,” Ham said, nodding toward the window.
“Damn,” Holly said, looking out the window, “he’s one of ours, all right. I asked Lance to pull off the team while you’re here, but I guess he didn’t.”
“Why do you think Teddy would be interested in you?” Ham said.
“I don’t know that he would, but he’s obviously figured out that I’m Agency or Bureau, and he has the advantage of recognizing me when I can’t recognize him.”
Ham sat quietly for a moment.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m trying to think of a way to make you better bait.”
“Thanks a lot, Ham. Should I go naked in the street?”
“That might do it, but you’d freeze to death in these temperatures.”
ACROSS THE RESTAURANT, Teddy sat with Irene. He was against the wall, while her back was to the room, so he could see Holly clearly. He was wearing his nose and mustache disguise, and Irene was good cover, too. They wouldn’t expect him to be with a woman.
“I’m nervous about being in a restaurant with you, Teddy,” Irene whispered.
“Just don’t use my name; call me Carl,” he whispered back.
“Who is it you’re looking at across the room?” she asked.
“One of yours,” he said “Holly Barker.”
“She’s right here in the restaurant?”
“Yep. We followed her here.”
Irene sat up straight, so she could see the reflection of the room in the mirror behind their banquette. “Where?”
“She’s sitting next to a redhead, and there’s a man with them with his back to us. He looks ex-military to me; could be her father.”
“You’ve got more guts than is good for you,” Irene said.
“You’re probably right. Have you thought of retiring from the Agency?”
“I would, if I had something to do with myself,” she said.
“How much have you got in savings?”
“About three hundred thousand in stock accounts, and I’d have my pension, of course.”
“How’d you like to live in the islands?”
“Which islands?”
“Caribbean.”
“Now that would make an attractive alternative to working.”
“It’s about time for me to get out of here,” Teddy said. “I just want this one more good score, then I want to disappear for good. You want to disappear with me?”
She smiled. “I think I’d like that.”
“We’d have to do this carefully,” Teddy said.
“Tell me how, and I’ll do it.”
“I think St. Barts would be nice; I was there for a weekend about fifteen years ago, and I was impressed.”
“I’ve heard good things about it.”
“You retire, go down there and look for a house. Use your savings for a down payment; I’ll give you a bank name in the Caymans, and you’ll apply for a mortgage there. The payments will be made from my funds, and in time, when we’re sure they’re not interested in you anymore, I’ll replenish your savings. It’s important that the Agency can see that you’re doing this on your own hook, with no help.”
“That’s true. You’re sure this is what you want to do, uh, Carl?”
“I’m sure; how about you?”
“I’m in.”
“When you get back, go see Hugh English and tell him you want to retire in, say, a month. Tell him you’re thinking about a place in the sun somewhere and ask him for recommendations, then put your place on the market. Is it paid for?”
“Yes, and it’s probably worth three-fifty, three-seventy-five.”
“Good. With that, an Agency investigator would see that you can afford the place in the islands.”
“This is exciting,” she said, putting her hand on his.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Teddy replied. “I just want to tie up some loose ends here.” He looked across the room at Holly again. He would be sorry to say goodbye to her.
FORTY-NINE
IRENE FOSTER WALKED into the Barn’s front desk and asked for Lance Cabot. “Ma’am, may I see some I.D.?” the man at the desk asked.
She noted that, as he spoke, one hand went below the desktop. Security was pretty good here. It was her first visit to the Barn since it had opened, and she was looking forward to seeing the place. She handed him her Agency I.D.
“Thank you, ma’am,” the man said, picking up a phone. “Ms. Irene Foster to see you, Mr. Cabot. Yes, sir.” He hung up the phone and turned back to Irene. “Please take the elevator to the twelfth floor; you’ll be met there.”
“Thank you.” Irene rode up in the elevator and was met by an attractive, fortyish woman.
“Ms. Foster? I’m Holly Barker,” the woman said. “Please come with me to Lance’s office.”
So this was the girl Teddy was so interested in, Irene thought, following her down the hallway. She was more attractive than she had imagined, and she felt a pang of jealousy.
Lance stood up to greet her as she came into his office. “Irene, it’s good to see you somewhere other than on a teleconference,” he said, shaking her hand. “You’ve met my assistant, Holly Barker?”
“Yes, but I didn’t even know you had an assistant,” Irene replied.
“I wanted to give her a chance at some supervisory work,” Lance said. “How’s Hugh English?”
“Oh, about the same, I think. He asked me to look in on you and see how things were going in the hunt for Teddy Fay.”
Lance sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t have much to report,” he said. “We keep trying new things, but so far, he’s been very slippery.”
“That’s not going to sound very good to Hugh, Lance, or to the director.”
“Irene, you can tell Hugh for me-and the director, too-that if anybody at Langley thinks they can do a better job up here, I’ll step aside in a flash. Quite frankly, I’m getting tired of being Langley’s cop, and as nice a guy as Kerry Smith is, I’m tired of having to deal with the FBI on everything I do.”
“Now, Lance,” Irene said placatingly, “everybody at Langley, including the director, knows how good you are, and we all know we don’t have anybody better. You just keep plugging away at this, and, eventually, you’ll get a break and capitalize on it.”
“I hope to God you’re right,” Lance said.
“I read your report on the extra surveillance you’re putting on likely targets; I think that’s a very good idea.”
“Well, we were a little late coming up with it,” Lance said. “You’ll recall we lost the first name on the list before we could act.”
“It happens,” she said. “Don’t be discouraged. By the way, you got my e-mail about Ali ben Saud, I hope.”