"Ji-young will be happy to hear that. She's worried me all day about calling to find out. Also, she has a little news of her own."
Ji-young had been Jerry's first Korean secretary and was now his wife. "What's the news?" Burke asked.
"She's pregnant. The doctor says it should be here around the first of March."
"Congratulations! Have you told Nate?"
"No, but I'll get you to transfer me. I wanted to tell you and Lori first. Is she okay?"
"Yeah, fine. Now that she's survived that tenth anniversary party for Clipper Cruise and Travel. Anything else you need to talk to me about, Jerry? Anything on the financial side?"
"Fortunately, I've got no problems at all at the moment. Thing's could hardly be going better. It's scary. Anyway, good to talk to you, and I'm glad the kids are fine. Go ahead and switch me to the Chief."
Evelyn Tilson arrived while he was on the phone. As soon as he hung up, she came in to relate the past evening's excitement at her normally sedate condo development. A Treasury Department official who had been implicated in a banking scandal had shot himself on the deck behind his unit.
"His poor wife was a wreck. I had talked with her a few times. She said the FBI had been following them everywhere and tapping their phone. It's a real mess."
That prompted Burke to pursue his own phone tap problem. He paid a visit to Sam Peterson, the Director of Security. He explained the situation with the bug, which Peterson was already aware of from the report by the "exterminators." The security man promised to get someone checking into the bogus waiter right away and would let him know as soon as he turned up anything significant.
Burke was on his way back to his office when he realized that he had forgotten his plan to tell Nate that the twins were out of danger. By the time he got Toni Carlucci on the phone, Highsmith had already left for the airport.
54
The taxi ride into Manhattan served as a reminder of the sheer magnitude of this unique phenomenon known as New York City. Nate had reveled in the rough and tumble of the Big Apple's business scene when he had lived here, but now, with considerably more gray hair on his head, he was happy with the more genteel climate of Washington. Not that the competition wasn't just as rough in the capital. The politics was certainly more turbulent, but there was generally an atmosphere of courtliness or propriety that New York sometimes lacked. It was reflected in the way congressional debaters referred to "the gentleman from" wherever, or inquired with practiced politeness, "would the lady yield the floor?"
He had to acknowledge that New York was the kingpin when it came to finance, as evidenced by the massive structure with walls of marble and adornments of gleaming brass that housed the headquarters of Bernard Whitehurst's banking empire. A high-speed elevator whisked him up to the executive suite that commanded a panoramic view of the sprawling megalopolis. A snappily-dressed, glad-handing young assistant greeted him and ushered him into the chairman's office, a large, richly-paneled room with thick brown carpeting. An expansive wall of glass made artificial lighting totally unnecessary on a clear day.
"Nathaniel, nice to see you again," Whitehurst cooed, grasping his hand in a firm grip. He turned to the assistant. "See that no one disturbs us."
Accompanied by a bit of small talk about family and mutual friends, Whitehurst escorted Nate over to an informal grouping of sofas and chairs. Appropriate for a man with homes in Newport, Southampton and Nice, the art on the walls came from a collection of Renaissance masters.
"Could I get you something to drink?" he asked, ever the congenial host.
"No thanks," Nate replied. "I saw Laurence Coyne in Washington yesterday. He cleared up a few things for me about the meeting coming up in Colorado. My wife is really looking forward to it."
"I'm sure she'll enjoy it. We couldn't have found a more beautiful setting. It's just a few days off, of course, but I had a couple of things to discuss with you that I did not think should wait until then. Incidentally, how have you evaluated your trip to Switzerland for the Council of Lyon? Did you find it beneficial?"
"It certainly gave me a new slant on the prospects for change in the Commonwealth of Independent States. I 'm sure the President would not agree with the stand we took at Lucerne."
Whitehurst leaned back in the plushly-upholstered chair and smiled. "You're thinking of what he told Chairman Latishev of Belarus, that America would come to his aid if he were attacked. In the first place, I don't see anyone attacking Belarus. Of course, there's always the possibility of a popular uprising. The Commonwealth Coordinating Committees have been seeking a more unified status for the old republics. At any rate, I'm sure the President was bluffing. He has no business involving American forces in internal disputes in that part of the world."
Nate could not agree with him more, but he wasn't so sure the situation would resolve itself into a simple "internal dispute." The reports coming through the Berlin office told of certain military commanders around the CIS conducting training exercises designed to have their troops ready to move on a moment's notice. When Whitehurst spoke again, Nate realized the concern he felt about those reports must have been reflected in the expression on his face.
"You seem to have some hesitation. Have your people been telling you something different?"
"My people?"
"I realize this may come as something of a surprise, Nathaniel, but I'm well aware of the nature of your business."
"Of course. It's public relations."
Whitehurst gave a low chuckle. "Come now, I'm prepared to lay my cards on the table. I'd appreciate it if you would do the same. I'm speaking of your Amber Group operations. I can't say who told me, but you can be sure it was someone at the top."
It had to be, thought Nate. Only those at the top were supposed to know. "How long have you known about us?"
"Actually, since not long after you started the business. I have told no one else, of course. But a man in my position must keep abreast of developments in many fields. Intelligence is one of the most vital. You are aware that Kingsley Marshall is a member of the Roundtable, as is the Secretary of State, the President's National Security Adviser and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Nate nodded. "I've seen their names on the roster. But I never thought… "
When he paused, Whitehurst picked up the thread. "That I would be privy to their counsel? I apologize for having neglected you in the past. It was an unfortunate oversight. I suppose I should have taken more notice after the job you did in that Poksu business. It was—"
"You knew about Poksu?" Outside himself, Burke Hill and Worldwide's Seoul office manager, only a handful of the President's top advisers were aware of the full details of that operation. Burke Hill had uncovered the South Korean president's plot to develop a nuclear capability and blackmail Japan. Burke had devised a plan to face down the Korean president, who reluctantly called off the plot. To express appreciation for their defusing a potential disaster, the President had invited the Highsmiths and Hills to an unpublicized private dinner at the White House.
"It was fortunate that you handled that one well, or we could have faced a terribly tragic situation over there," Whitehurst said. "For the past several months, some of my close colleagues and I have been keeping our eyes on you. We have been impressed."
"Well, I'm flattered. You're speaking of Roundtable colleagues?"
"I am. I'd better explain something about our organization of which not everyone is aware. We have what I would call a multi-tiered membership. First is the membership at large, a very loyal and supportive group, which takes in the majority of our roster. They subscribe to our general aims of improving the climate for closer cooperation between the nations of the world. The second tier includes men like yourself, people with a much larger stake in the global community, mostly heads of large firms in such fields as banking, communications, multinational industries. Also those who are leaders in government, key foundations, the top universities. These members help us maintain our influence in the most vital areas across the country. They can shape public opinion and give us the opportunity to exercise control over political and financial organizations and institutions. One of their most important roles is to deflect criticism of the Roundtable, to make fools of those reckless critics who attempt to paint us as some monstrous conspiracy."