As the evening wore on Perkins and Durkan regaled the guests and each other with outlandish tales of their exploits. Durkan talked of his Australian parentage and told of how he had knocked around Southeast Asia most of his life. In more recent years he saw himself as a kind of ‘soldier of fortune’ serving as a mercenary against the Communists.
Perkins was a leftover WWII pilot, who for years, had been in Southeast Asia and prior to that in China for a long time as well. Recruited by the CIA, he had flown for Air America and eventually became the CIA Station Chief in Saigon. He fancied himself to be more knowledgeable in the Asian mindset than most of his peers. If truth be known, he now regarded the war as an inconvenience to an undeclared lifestyle of dissipation and profit.
Brad seated across the room was admiring Lia who was perched close to T. R., her long legs crossed showing an appealing portion of thigh from the opening on the side of her richly embroidered saffron colored silk dress. He was wondering how her evening would end, with him or Durkan. Either way he had determined it would be all right. Without Paul around to play “parent” he was free to take advantage of an opening if it came his way.
It was time to find out. After saying goodnight to Lia’s father and mother, he moved to leave. Lia was quickly beside him linking her arm in his brushing her body against his as they walked to the door. Her fragrance sent his blood racing and he was finding it very hard to retain the self control that would be his only ally.
Standing seductively close she whispered, “Shall I see you tomorrow?” then stepped away.
Brad smiled and leaning close to her ear, replied softly, “It’s possible, but I have a lot of paper work to catch up on. I’m thinking about arranging for some R and R and asking my wife to meet me in Tokyo.” He saw the expression on Lia’s face turn from a teasing smile to surprised anger. He heard the door close behind him, but did not look back.
Earlier in November of 1968, CIA operative Fred Wellman had arrived in Saigon from Thailand to meet with State Department Intelligence Officer, Neil Klein and George Kelshaw. Wellman had warned Klein and Kelshaw about a prominent young Vietnamese woman Lia Duprè and her seemingly innocent trips to Paris. He informed them that the group of student art enthusiasts of which she was a part, was a cover for a powerful communist cell. It operated under the direct supervision of the Soviet Embassy in Paris and GRU chief, Colonel Yuri Karpov.
Each time there was a significant artistic event of international importance, Karpov would arrive from Moscow to attend. Lia had connected with Karpov at the Picasso birthday celebration at the Palais Royale in Paris earlier in the summer. During her stay in Paris, Karpov had invited and escorted her to a party at the Soviet Embassy. Since that time Lia’s trips to Paris would be closely monitored.
It wasn’t until June of 1969 that Brad would learn how Wellman’s November visit would impact him.
Paul Thayer was preparing to leave for the States expecting to be gone from Saigon for about thirty days. The evening before he left, Paul had initiated a meeting with Coleman for dinner. Their professional relationship had remained amicable, even so their friendship had cooled since the heated argument over Lia and Paul was uncomfortable allowing acrimony to continue between them. He believed Brad felt badly as well.
At dinner they talked of the war each one holding back the pessimism that permeated much of their day to day experience. Talk then turned to casual reminiscences of their days at West Point. They laughed some and talked of Olivia and Charlene. Then Paul became serious again and told Brad about Fred Wellman’s information regarding Lia, commenting, “I’m glad you didn’t let it go any farther and went to the 11th when you did, Brad. Perkins may wish he had gone somewhere too before this is over.”
Brad sucked in his breath and mumbled lamely, “I’m glad also. Have you or Kelshaw shared this information with Perkins?” he asked.
“No,” Paul replied, “We haven’t—it could jeopardize other areas of intelligence if we did. He’s out of the loop. So far T. R. hasn’t been willing to consider Lia as a security threat even with evidence staring him right in the face; and after the routine that Durkan pulled on finding the listening post culprits, both Kelshaw and I are persona non grata. The situation is time limited anyway; rumor is that T. R. expects to retire in a few months—and then we’ll see what happens. If Perkins is lucky, he’ll walk away with his pension. If not, oh well…”
Brad agreed, “Yes, it will be interesting.” Glancing at his watch he said, “I guess it’s time to call it a night. By the way, I’m meeting Olivia in Hawaii in July for R and R. So I may not be here when you get back. Take care of your self, Paul, and watch your back,” Coleman said only half kidding.
As they shook hands, Paul smiled and said warmly, “I will. Tell Olivia hello and give her my love.”
“I’ll do that and thanks, Paul, we should have done this sooner; too stubborn, I guess.”
“Something like that,” Thayer smiled.
Coleman was gratified that a friendship had been restored that once had meant a great deal to him and because of the information regarding Lia. She was more than just a local Communist informant, she was connected to the Soviet “big boys”; she was a spy. He didn’t know how much information she had passed on to Karpov, but he was sure that whatever information had passed through T. R. Perkins’s hands had probably found its way to Moscow.
He was glad that he would be leaving in a few days hopefully Lia would not be in Saigon when he returned.
She had become more assertive and demanding and their little time together was increasingly burdensome and dangerous for Brad.
They had often quarreled over her jealousy of Olivia. Though it seemed totally irrational to him, Lia was furious that he was not jealous of her affair with Durkan.
They argued bitterly when Lia found out that Brad was leaving for Hawaii to meet Olivia. For the first time Brad confronted her about the information she had earlier passed to the Viet Cong, careful not to mention the further information he had learned from Paul. “I know that information on our POW’s was given to the VC and it came from you. You sold out some of your own people.”
He then told her the relationship was too dangerous to continue.Eyes snapping she struck back ridiculing him, “Who are ‘my’ people? Just remember, Baby, the information came from you, so if I get caught you get caught too.”
She accused him of believing everything Paul Thayer told him saying, “Oh yes, I know the two of you have dinners together, how cozy! You think I don’t know what goes on? People tell me things. You let Paul Thayer make up your mind for you and he tells you lies about me.
“Our relationship will be over when I say so… Baby! Don’t forget I always know what you like and how you like it, more than that dull wife of yours. Does she make you feel the way I do, Baby?” she screamed.
For the first time he quietly walked out in response to her fury, vowing to dissolve the relationship one way or the other. He stayed as busy as possible hoping Lia would see Phillip Durkan when he was in Saigon, but it was clear that her relationship with Durkan was not as intense as Brad would have wished.
Durkan didn’t offer Lia the prestige she desired, but now it seemed that her trips to Paris had added a new dimension of excitement to her life. Small wonder, Brad thought. He looked forward to R and R and seeing Olivia.