Pappas opened it and wasted no time on unnecessary comments. “To handle Rostovitch we will have to bear down. In the case of Zalinsky, the potential that the Magsaysay represents was judged to be enough. With Rostovitch it is a different matter; he will know immediately that if we succeed he will have had it and he will therefore gamble with everything that he’s got and go the limit.” “She may have to fire, then.”
“I would be prepared for that, sir; it may be the only means we have of putting enough pressure on him to make him yield. He takes to defeat very unkindly; Walt can tell you about that.”
Walter Wagner nodded his head in agreement.
The major continued, as coldly factual as before. “Now as to the White House: w£ have two units operating on the inside, each entirely independent and neither aware of the other. They report through different channels, and if one is blown the other has a good chance of remaining intact.”
“Is Mark aware of all this?” General Gifford asked.
“Yes, sir, he is. You know the level of confidence we have in him and there was no question of his need to know. He is in the field and will direct any operations that we may have to stage.”
“I have some ideas on that,” the admiral interjected, “but go ahead.”
“Yes, sir. Now as to the people in the primary or A cell within the White House. It is headed by Captain Barbara Stoneham of the Air Force, who has top marks for discretion and a Cattell Scale IQ of 146. She has been attached to intelligence for some time. In addition, she is reported as unusually attractive and quite spectacular in her physical assets.”
There was a general murmur of appreciation at that; few of the men present had seen their wives, or other female associates, for some time.
The major continued. “Captain Stoneham is backed by Captain Mary Mulligan, Army Intelligence, who for some time has been on TDY with the Agency. Her outward personality is quiet and self-effacing; she passes as the typical government virgin in her early thirties. She has a brain, too, and knows how to use it.
“The third critical individual in the group is Raleigh Hewlitt, originally a language specialist who is now acting more or less as Zalinsky’s appointment secretary. He has a top rating for the careful handling and translation of classified material. We don’t have an IQ readout on him, but Captain Stoneham has had him under close observation for some time and she reports that he has been underrated. Which is good to know. When our safe house that this cell has been using was raided, he covered by leaping into bed with Barbara and conducted himself admirably.”
“In line of duty of course,” Admiral Haymarket quipped.
Pappas actually allowed himself to smile. “Someday, sir, I’d like one of these desirable field assignments. The relationship between those two is continuing, and I can understand that too.”
The joking over, he became serious once more. “In the case of Zalinsky, an independent report from the other cell we have operating in the White House proper confirms that fact that Hewlitt has a certain working relationship with him, a rapport which could have been very useful to us. With Rostovitch that’s entirely out the window — far out.”
“Wait a minute,” General Gifford cut in, “if Rostovitch does take over and Hewlitt tries to carry on as directed with him, he won’t last ten minutes. I mean that literally.”
The admiral drummed his fingertips against the tabletop. That was a sign they all knew and they waited for him to speak. “If Hewlitt strictly followed his orders,” he said finally, “and talked to Zalinsky on the basis that it was privileged information for him alone, and assuming that Zalinsky isn’t stupid — which I’ll buy — everything will be at a standstill while he’s recuperating, if it’s rapid.”
He stopped when another message was passed to him. He read it and then looked up. “All bets are off. Zalinsky’s having his gallbladder out; that’s definite. Things won’t hold still while he gets over that.”
“That means Rostovitch,” Wagner said.
“Has Hewlitt encountered him yet?”
“We don’t know, sir, not yet.”
“All right,” the admiral declared. “I want the closest possible watch over the White House and our people there. Get Mark in there on the double, I don’t care what else he’s doing. Set up the machinery immediately to pull out as many of our people as we have to to protect their safety; God knows they’ve earned that. Ted, keep Counterweight on the ready, but don’t trigger it until Ed gives the word; that’s in his department.”
“Yes, sir,” Pappas replied.
“Carl,” Haymarket continued, “do we have enough people in Washington to set up a diversion on a considerable scale if we have to?”
“How considerable?”
“A White House demonstration large enough to commit most or all of the security people that Barlov has. I realize the danger, but it may have to be done anyway.”
“If you want it, you’ll get it,” General Gifford said. “In answer to your question, yes we can do it. It’ll take a few hours to set things up; after that we’ll be able to go anytime on short notice.”
“Good, do that. Issue strict orders that the demonstration is to be * angry but peaceful. No one is to throw any rocks or start anything that would give them an excuse to shoot.”
“Right.”
“One more thing, try to scale it so that Barlov will apparently have his hands full, but not to the point where Rostovitch will think it necessary to commit any of his own people. We don’t want that.”
Higbee raised his hand. “I want in on this,” he said. “They’ll need a cause, something which will apparently trigger them, then all of the slogans — things like that. It’s got to look just right; the spontaneous overflow of emotion by people who are badly frustrated, but who can’t really do anything about it.”
“You guys set it up,” the admiral declared. “Anything else?” Higbee continued. “Barney, I think we need to note that our timing, which was entirely designed to keep Zalinsky off balance, has gone up the flue. Now we’ve got a whole new ball game.”
The admiral nodded sharply. “True. My thinking right now is that we shouldn’t pull Counterweight until we’ve gotten our exposed people out first. They know Mark, don’t they?”
“As Percival, yes.”
“Then go batten down the hatches and as soon as that’s done we’ll hit Rostovitch where it will hurt. Keep me up to date on this by the minute.”
“The people we take, shall we hide them out?”
The admiral weighed that for three seconds. “No, bring them in here. If Hewlitt is the interpreter he is reputed to be, there may be work for him to do.”
Pappas was already on his feet. “Under way, sir. I just hope now that we’re in time.”
It was all that Hewlitt could do to hold himself together as he walked out of the Oval Office; he could almost feel Rostovitch’s eyes burning the middle of his back. His mind and his body urged him to flee, to escape while there was still life in him, but to do that at once would be an overt confession — and death. He sat down at his desk and fought to think, to clear his mind. He had gone one short round with Rostovitch and had won a temporary reprieve which could expire at any moment; he would stay alive only while Rostovitch checked on whether he had deceived him or not. When the answer came in, there was no doubt whatever what would happen then.
The answer — get out and get out fast.
He hardly heard the phone when it rang; he picked it up by reflex action as much as anything else. Then he heard Barbara’s voice. “Hew, I don’t feel well at all. I’ve got to go home.”
She knew!