Mitsui nodded. “I appreciate your candor, Mr. President, and I will pass your message back to Tokyo immediately.”
“As I will to my government,” Zheng said cautiously.
Both ambassadors rose to go, but Secor passed a file folder to the President. “There is one further matter of concern,” Lindsay said.
The President opened the file folder, studied the photographs it contained, then passed two of them across the desk, one to each of the ambassadors. “These were taken from one of our satellites of what appears to be an underwater explosion.”
The ambassadors glanced at the pictures, then handed them back without comment, no visible change in their expressions.
“Of course we have no way of knowing all the facts; even the best of satellites cannot show us everything. But my military advisers tell me that there is a great probability that what we picked up was the result of an underwater battle between two submarines. Considering what’s going on out there, they think it’s more than possible that a Japanese submarine may have fired on and destroyed a Chinese submarine. If that’s the case the situation has already gotten out of hand.”
“I know nothing about this, Mr. President,” Zheng said.
Mitsui shook his head. “Nor have I heard anything,” he said. “If indeed there was an explosion, it must have been an accident. Such things do happen. As I told you, our commanders have been issued very specific orders to use deadly force only if Japan is directly threatened.”
“How do you explain the photographs?” Secor asked point blank.
“I cannot, Mr. Secor,” Mitsui said, straight-faced.
“Nor can I,” Zheng parroted. “But I will certainly pass this message on to my government as well.”
“I want to make this perfectly clear,” the President cautioned. “I have ordered the Seventh Fleet into the Sea of Japan for one reason only, that is to maintain the peace. At any cost.”
“An admirable mission, Mr. President,” Mitsui said without a trace of sarcasm.
“A view I certainly share,” Zheng said.
“Then I won’t keep you,” the President said. “Thank you for coming. Good evening.”
When they were gone Secor poured a cup of coffee. “You couldn’t have made it any plainer for them.”
“Now the ball’s in their court,” the President said. “Question is, what will they do with it?”
McGarvey’s secretary had gone home around 7:00 P.M., and by eight he was about ready to pull the pin himself. The day had somehow gotten away from him, one meeting piled on top of another, reams of files and documents and satellite shots updating the NIE and Watch Report, agent reports coming in from around the world turning up nothing new in their search for Joseph Lee and the disturbing suicide of Tony Croft at the Hay Adams all made him wonder why the hell he’d agreed to take this job. He was a field officer, not an administrator.
Through the day he felt as if he was spinning his wheels, or more accurately trying to run through thick molasses. He was getting nowhere. Coincidences were piling up all around them, but he couldn’t see any pattern, he was not making the connections he thought he should be making and he was frustrated.
Tommy Doyle called it bureaucratic bullshit, but until today McGarvey never knew how true it could be.
The telephone rang on McGarvey’s private number. It was Howard Ryan.
“I thought you might still be at your desk,” Ryan said. “The trouble is that it never ends.”
“I’m beginning to learn that.”
“I think I may have come up with something for you. It might be nothing more than a coincidence, but in this business I guess you can’t take anything for granted.”
“What have you got?”
“There’s an outfit here in town called the Far East Trade Association. They’re on Dupont Circle. They might have a connection with Joseph Lee, but I got that from only one source who admitted he was merely guessing, and I haven’t been able to confirm it yet. In fact I wasn’t even going to call you, except for what happened to Tony Croft.”
McGarvey jotted the name of the association on a notepad. “What about him?”
“Far East’s executive secretary is a woman named Sandy Patterson. She was friends with Tony. I don’t know how far back they went or how close their relationship was, but they definitely knew each other.”
“Are you sure about this?
“Sure enough that if I were sitting where you are I’d look into it. Could be nothing more than the mechanism Lee uses to funnel money into the White House, if that’s what’s been going on.”
“Does Sam Blair know about this?”
“Not yet,” Ryan said. “At least I don’t think he does, otherwise he would have called the woman before the grand jury.”
“Will it go public that you’re feeding me information?” McGarvey asked.
“Not on your life,” Ryan said. “Like I told you before, I’ve got my own reputation to consider. And whatever you think about me, I’m still doing some good things in this town.”
“All right, Howard, I’ll see what I can dig up. Thanks for your help. I won’t forget it.”
“Right,” Ryan said. “If I find out anything else I’ll give you a call.”
“Do that.” McGarvey was getting the ugly feeling that very soon he was going to be even more unpopular in Washington than he had ever been.
He caught Fred Rudolph at home, just getting ready to sit down to supper.
“Why is it that anytime the phone rings these days, I don’t want to pick it up, because I know the news is going to be bad?”
“I just talked to Howard Ryan about Tony Croft and Joseph Lee,” McGarvey said. He didn’t think Rudolph was going to enjoy his dinner tonight. “There might be another connection between them through an organization called the Far East Trade Association on Dupont Circle. Croft and Far East’s executive secretary, Sandy Patterson, were friends, and apparently Lee has some link to it.”
“Where did Ryan pick that up?”
“He didn’t say and I didn’t ask. If we lean on him he’ll back off. But I think we should at least take a look at Far East.”
“I’ll get a search warrant tonight. Do you want to tag along?”
“Not on the first pass. But if you find something let me know.”
“Will do.”
“For the time being I want Ryan’s name kept out of this, okay?”
Rudolph hesitated a moment. “I don’t know if that’s possible. We’re talking about a major criminal investigation here that could reach all the way to the President. Besides, from the way I read it you don’t owe Ryan a thing.”
“I gave him my word that I would protect him for as long as I could. It’s the only reason he’s cooperating with me.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Rudolph said, and it was clear he wasn’t happy.
Another of McGarvey’s phone lines began to blink. “Call me if you come up with anything.”
“It’s been a long week, and it’s going to get even longer,” Rudolph said.
“That it is,” McGarvey replied. He broke the connection and picked up on the second call. It was Rencke.
“How’re Mrs. M. and Liz?”
“They’re fine, they’re safe for now,” McGarvey said. “Are you calling from Archives?”
“I’m still here,” Rencke said. He sounded odd, as if he were out of breath.
“You okay, Otto?”
“I’ve gone through your record, Mac. The whole enchilada, you know. And, oh boy, you’ve been busy. A whole group of people out there have to be seriously pissed at you. Know what I mean?”
“I get that impression now and then,” McGarvey said. “Have you come up with something?”