Bernard Whitehurst crossed one leg over the other and spread his hands out in a gesture of open admission. "All right, perhaps it would be possible to make a case for conspiracy. But if so, it's clearly a conspiracy to make the world a more orderly place for the conduct of business, a place where people can go about their lives secure in the knowledge that capable hands are in control."
"There must be a third tier," Nate said, leaning an elbow on one arm of the chair and propping his chin on his fist.
"There is. The leadership of the Roundtable is vested in the Board of Directors. It is a self-perpetuating body of twenty members. It has full authority to set policy and take whatever actions it deems necessary to further the organization's goals. We currently have a vacancy on the board. It was my colleagues on the board I referred to earlier as being impressed by you. One member was assigned to observe you during the Lucerne meeting. He gave a most favorable report."
Nate smiled. "Christian Healy?"
"Yes."
"I remember he engaged me in some lengthy, probing conversations."
"He reported that you appeared to be in full agreement with our vision, a world economy with financial control in private hands. Above petty politics. To achieve this worthy goal, we must expand our influence over nations around the globe. This can be accomplished most easily with governments that exercise full power and authority over their people, meaning primarily socialist governments."
"Doesn't that go a bit against the grain? Socialism is a share the wealth philosophy."
"Not as far as we are concerned, Nathaniel. If the leadership is beholden to you, it's a consolidate and control the wealth program." He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward toward Nate, cool gray eyes staring intently. "Were we correct in our assessment that you are the man for our board vacancy?"
A position on the Roundtable board! Highsmith took a deep breath and replied, "I think you've filled the slot, Bernard." His smile was one of immense satisfaction. It would be the crowning achievement to his distinguished career in business and government.
"Excellent. I have a bottle of fine Scotch I'll break open if you will join me in a little toast to our future relationship."
"I would be honored."
Whitehurst went to the bar and poured two drinks, then brought the glasses back to where Nate was sitting. After touching glasses, they began to sip at their drinks and the FAR chairman looked across with a changed, now regretful expression on his face.
"I believe I said we had two things to talk about. The second is a most troubling one. It concerns one of your key employees."
Nate frowned. "Who?"
"Burke Hill."
"Burke is one of my oldest and most faithful people. He's the one who did most of the work on that Poksu conspiracy."
"I know. That is what makes it so troubling."
"Does it concern my recommendation of him for membership?"
Whitehurst nodded, then answered with another question. "Have you met Adam Stern?"
"We were introduced two years ago, I believe. I really haven't had any occasion to be associated with him."
"Well, Adam is somewhat in the same business as you. He's our intelligence arm. Laurence Coyne was familiar with Hill's role in that Jabberwock business, where he uncovered the assassination plot against the American and Soviet presidents. I understand he displayed a penchant for working outside the system. Anyway, Laurence suggested that Adam be particularly thorough in his investigation of Hill."
"Has he turned up some problem?" A worried frown accompanied the question.
"Hill lied to you a couple of nights ago when he called about using the company jet. His children were not actually ill. He made that up in a phone conversation with his wife."
Nate could not hide the shock he felt. "Why the devil would he do that?"
"Evidently he was in a hurry to get back from Mexico and did not want you to know why. It may have had something to do with what he told his wife the next morning. He said he had accidentally run into something in Mexico that was 'mighty shady,' as he put it. He said the Roundtable appeared to be right in the thick of it."
Nate was appalled at all of this, though he had no idea what it was about. "What do you suppose he meant?"
"Adam Stern was in Mexico a week ago to meet with a former Soviet KGB officer. He's involved in an operation to which we had given tacit approval. It is crucial to a movement that has surfaced in the CIS, aimed at what we were talking about earlier, the discussion at the Council of Lyon. The Trustees of the Council have supported the movement financially."
"And you think that's what he stumbled into?"
"Logic would indicate it, though we can't say for sure. If he did, he could cause trouble that would have grave consequences for our friends in the CIS."
"Would you like me to see what I can find out?"
"Yes. If Hill knows what's going on, it will be necessary to neutralize him."
That had an ominous sound to it. Nate realized it was imperative that he determine what Burke knew, perhaps reason with him about the necessity of keeping it confidential. Then a question suddenly occurred to him that he had overlooked earlier in the shock of Whitehurst's revelation.
"How did Stern get this information?"
The Chairman smiled. "By tapping Hill's telephone. He has some private investigators who do that sort of thing for him."
The wiretap the "exterminators" had found, Nate realized. And Burke was probably already in the process of launching an investigation to track down the culprit.
55
When it became clear that Adam Stern was the key to his dilemma, Burke Hill decided to pursue the "enforcer" from the few bits of information available. Colonel Rodman was convinced that Stern bore responsibility for the death of Lt. Col. Juan Bolivar. A starting point would be to determine if the FAR henchman could be placed in Washington at the time of the officer's "suicide."
Saddled with all of his normal responsibilities, Burke knew it would take him much too long to track down the information he needed. There was a possible solution, though it would have to be handled carefully. Worldwide had an extensive Research Department that carried out legitimate public relations research as well as more arcane assignments for the Amber Group. He had worked closely with them on many projects. The only drawback was that an official written request for information on Adam Stern would run the risk of getting back to Nate Highsmith. Burke decided to bypass the formalities.
One particularly talented fact-finder had a mind like the random access memory of a computer. Ask her a question and she could toss out all kinds of obscure information with ease. If the needed item wasn't in her memory banks, she had a network of sources that could usually access it with a minimum of delay. Brittany Pickerel was a small, dark-haired girl who had worked for the National Security Agency prior to joining Worldwide. She was also one of the original group that had staffed the Seoul office, where Burke had learned a healthy respect for her abilities. Just turned thirty, she had recently returned to Washington, where she continued to display the intensity of a chess master when pursuing a project. Nothing seemed to daunt her quest for the facts.