"I'll take care of it right away, sir."
Carr stood, grabbed both envelopes, then left the Sit Room, following a familiar route he'd taken so many times to the Oval Office.
Carr stood behind his desk with shoulders slumped, while he stared down at two envelopes. A recorder was near the front of the desk, on the green desk blotter. Two wooden, straight-back chairs faced the desk.
Vice President Forbes, Stan Hillman, and Legal Counsel Marjorie Clemmons sat on couches positioned on a rug with the Presidential Seal. The furniture was separated by a glass-top coffee table.
Carr's meeting with them had been brief, just long enough to give them essential details, and ask Clemmons for advice. They were prepared for a meeting that would most likely end with the resignation of two men.
The intercom buzzed. "Yes, Rachel."
"Mr. President, Director Bancroft and Deputy Director Platt have arrived."
"Have them come in, Rachel." Carr straightened his blue and white tie, then sat in his leather swivel chair, trying to control the anger building inside him.
The door opened. "Mr. President," both men said. Bancroft's eyes immediately went to three people, who briefly stood. Bancroft silently questioned their presence. "Mr. Vice President, Marjorie, Stan," he nodded.
"Hank, George, have a seat," Carr motioned toward the two wooden chairs.
Platt put his briefcase next to a chair. He sat down, then smoothed back his wavy black hair. No one in that room had to tell him there was a serious situation brewing.
"Hank, any indication when your agents will be flown back to the States?"
"Landstuhl doctors reported they have a long way to go with their recovery, but they're hopeful they can be transferred to Walter Reed before month's end."
"That's good to hear." Carr was ready to begin the meeting. "Have you intercepted any transmissions pointing to Reznikov's whereabouts?"
"No. Nothing from the Russians, nothing from the East Germans. I don't think they even know where he is. He must be hunkered down pretty good."
"Let me enlighten you. Alpha Tango found Reznikov and his men — or, what was left of them. It seems their hideout was destroyed from explosives they had hidden for future use."
Bancroft's mind began working overtime, as he wondered how the hell the Team managed to find the terrorists. "Guess he can be scratched from the Most Wanted list."
Carr leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. "Now, let's get to the Dotsenko issue. I'm going to start when your two agents escorted Mr. Dotsenko to Schonefeld for his trip home." Carr watched both men carefully, looking for the slightest change in expression. "George, could you tell me what the plan was?"
Platt cleared this throat. "The agents assisted Mr. Dotsenko in securing his ticket, then they were to stay with him until he boarded, going so far as to escort him onto the plane. Once he was aboard, they were to wait until the plane was in the air. But that never happened, because our agents were attacked by men of Alpha Tango, and they took Mr. Dotsenko."
"And you're sure who they were?"
"Two of the men weren't identified, but I believe Agent Abbott recognized your Captain Stevens."
Carr thought,You mean he recognized his fist! "I see. Would you happen to know what those men allegedly did with Mr. Dotsenko?"
"No, sir. We do know he wasn't at the safe house."
Bancroft spoke, "Mr. President, you remember I reported the incident to you, and … "
"Yes, Hank. I remember." Carr paused. "You two must have panicked when Captain Stevens said he wouldn't take Dotsenko to Poland." Silence. Carr was noticeably agitated. "Why didn't you tell me the truth, Hank, right from the git-go?! How do you know I wouldn't have gone along with your plan?!"
There wasn't any way for Bancroft to salvage the current situation. His voice rose. "Would you, Mr. President?! Would you have agreed?!"
"I guess we'll never know, Hank."
Bancroft pounded a fist on his leg. "Dotsenko would have been a hundred times more valuable to us working from inside Russia!"
Carr could only shake his head in disbelief. The admission was there. He no longer had to proceed, but he decided to present evidence. He held up the envelopes. "In case you gentlemen are thinking of legally pursuing this matter, I have additional proof. Captain Stevens brought back a camera, with film still inside. Photos were taken at Schonefeld of your agents and Mr. Dotsenko. I also have a Russian passport and Aeroflot ticket brought to me today, along with Mr. Dotsenko himself. He arrived at Andrews this morning." He pointed at the recorder. "That's Mr. Dotsenko's side of the story."
Carr abruptly stood. "Hank, George, you've deceived me, Captain Stevens and his men, you coerced Mr. Dotsenko into returning to Russia, and you put peoples' lives at risk.
"I'm extremely grateful that during Mr. Dotsenko's transfer to Schonefeld, you didn't take extreme measures to 'prevent' him from returning to the U.S. It would have been a tragedy to lose a man with his courage.
"Unless you can prove me or this evidence wrong, I want your resignations on my desk by eight tonight. That's all, gentlemen."
The two men left the Oval Office, obviously embarrassed, disgraced, and unsure whether or not they'd be prosecuted.
Even though everyone in the room was prepared for the outcome, it nevertheless left them completely astonished.
Forbes finally broke the silence. "Have you talked with Ray Simmons yet, Mr. President?" Simmons was the White House counsel for the previous administration.
"No. I'll call him as soon as we're finished here and put him on notice. Plus I have to call Jim Martinez (Associate Deputy Director) to temporarily assume control."
"They're both good men, Mr. President," auburn-haired Clemmons commented.
"Will there be anything else, Mr. President," Forbes asked.
"I'd like you and Stan to remain, Evan. Marjorie, thank you for your insight and support. Have a good evening." Clemmons shook Carr's hand, then left.
Carr felt a need to emotionally cool off. "Evan, Stan, I'm going for a walk. I won't be long." He opened the door to the outer office. "Rachel, please ask Tom (Press Secretary) to join us."
"All right, sir."
Carr went out to the covered Colonnade, breathing in the sweet smell of roses in the Rose Garden, giving him a moment of respite. But the recent meeting took over his thoughts again, until he forced himself to divert those thoughts to more positive events. Dotsenko and Pankova were safe, Reznikov, et al, were dead, Team Alpha Tango returned safely after completing a successful mission. He had to admit, the day wasn't so bad after all.
As he walked back his office, he wondered if Premier Gorshevsky was having anywhere near a good day as he.
"Are you all right, Mr. President?" Forbes asked, as Carr walked toward him.
"Yes, Evan." He looked at his press secretary. "Tom, let me fill you in on what transpired a short while ago with Director Bancroft and Deputy Director Platt.
Chapter 16
Interhotel Stadt Berlin was located in the north section of popular Alexanderplatz, facing Alexanderstrasse. Designated as a four-star hotel, its restaurant on the 37th floor offered sweeping views of the city, the Urania World Clock, and the 1180' television tower, "Tower of Signals." The representatives of Comecon, an economic organization under the leadership of the Soviet Union, were always accommodated at the hotel.