“You sound like even they’re scared of him.”
“Any normal human being would be,” Johnson said.
“Given the organization in question, that means we’re talking about ten percent of them being scared at least. Maybe fifteen. One has to be optimistic.”
Damn, Train thought. Damn. Damn. Damn. And the FBI even knows all the names. “Like I said, Commander Lawrence may already have attracted this guy’s attention,” Train said. “‘Then you make my point,” Johnson answered. “Circle the wagons. Protect yourselves, especially Sherman.”
“Does the FBI have people looking?” Train asked.
Johnson smiled and looked around, as if concerned for the first time that someone might be listening. “One would. think so, wouldn’t one?” be said. “But right now, I’m not so sure. I am just a research scientist, as you know. Nobody talks to me.”
“Much. But you have an impression, no doubt?”
“Well,” Johnson said modestly, “I have the impression that there is some very senior FBI management addressing this problem, or at least watching it unfold.”
Train changed direction. “What’s the relationship between you guys and these other people these days? It hasn’t always been terrific, has it?”
Johnson smiled again. “Officially? Let me see, how does the latest presidential policy memorandum put it?”Both organizations shall strive to achieve the maximum coordination of assets, planning, and all-source information to best fulfill their mutual mission of protecting the national security of the United States.’ “In other words, armed truce.”
Johnson smiled but said nothing, concentrating on his soup.
“Because what occurs to me,” Train continued, “is that the grand dragons in the FBI might be wrestling with a strategic question. Like whether to help, or to seize a precious opportunity to allow those people to be well and truly embarrassed-again.”
Johnson looked as if he was trying hard to control his face. “Anything’s possible, Train,” he said, wiping his mouth. “This is Washington, isn’t it? You still carry that Glock?”
“Yup.’ “Got it on you?”
“Not right now.”
“That’s not carrying. These are exceptionally good times to be carrying.”
Train needed to talk to Karen. He called her home number, but there was still only the answering machine. Now what the hell? he thought. Where is she? He asked the divisional yeoman if she had had any messages from Commander Lawrence. “No, sir,” she replied. “Oh, Admiral Sherman’s office called in, but they declined to leave a message for her.” Train asked the yeoman for that number and placed the call. The admiral was not available. In fact, the admiral would be out of pocket for the foreseeable future. The yeoman in OP-32 sounded a little uncomfortable.
He on temporary duty or something?” Train asked.
“Uh, no, sir, not exactly. Captain Gonzales said he’s on leave.”
“On leave?” Train frowned into the phone. “Was this scheduled? I was with him just last night, and he didn’t mention going on leave.”
“Uh, sir? You’re asking, questions above my pay grade, okay? The admiral’s on leave until further notice. I can take a message if you’d like. The admiral checks in.”
“Yeah, I’d like. There was a call from Admiral Sherman’s office to Commander Lawrence this morning. Did the two of them connect?”
“No, sir, not that I know of.”
“Okay, then I need some information from the admiral.”
He thought for a moment. “Ask him to call me at this number; I’ll be there in about an hour, okay?” He had given the yeoman Karen’s home number.
On leave, Train thought, as he walked down the hall. Now what? Damn, you suppose they’ve put him on administrative leave? Because of the police, investigation? Maybe the big boys had eased Sherman into bureaucratic limbo until this mess was cleared up, one way or another. He quickened his step. He felt a sudden urge to get out to Great Falls, not liking the fact that Karen wasn’t answering her phone.
Train got to Karen’s house at 2:30 and parked right in front of the walk leading up to the house, so she could see who had arrived. He waited for a moment, but no one came to the door. He stared at the front of the house, scanning the windows along the porch. And he saw Gutter’s face pressed against one of the windows.
Swearing out loud, he got out of the car and trotted up the steps to the porch. The front door was not locked, and he opened it to let the frantic dog out of the house. Gutter ran out onto the lawn to take care of business, then came back to Train.
“Where’d she go, Gutter? Where is she?”
At the sound of his voice, the dog immediately sat down.
“C’mon, then,” he said, and went into the house. With the dog at his heel, he made a quick search of the house, calling out Karen’s name several times as he went through both floors. There was no sign of a struggle or any other commotion. Everything was in order.
Where the hell was she? He was trying to figure out what to do next, like maybe call 911, when he heard her voice outside, calling her dog.
Gutter uttered a low growl. Train walked back through the hallway to the front door, surprising her.
“Sorry to bust in,” he said. “I couldn’t get you on the phone, and the front door was open and Gutter inside. I was worried.”
“Hi,” she said, pushing a lock of damp red hair off her forehead. She was dressed in tight tan jodhpurs and a sleeveless white shirt. “I decided to go for a ride. Just sitting in the house was beginning to spook me.”
“You should have kept Gutter with you,” he said, trying to keep an edge out of his voice.
“You said to keep him inside until he learned the outside perimeter,” she retorted. “I was afraid he’d run off or something. I took Harry along, though.” She looked down at the old Lab, who, having spotted the Doberman, was slinking under the porch. Train rolled his eyes. “I’m thinking the heavies have maybe made a move,” he said, and then he explained what the OP-32 yeoman had told him about Sherman being on leave, with no other explanation. ‘ “Those bastards,” she exclaimed, getting a bottle of mineral water out of the refrigerator. “They didn’t even wait for the cops to do the financial checks.”
Train went over to a stool and sat down carefully. “So you think they’ve put him in some kind of suspension?”
“Or sent him on temporary additional duty. Sounds like that to me. He called earlier with the data on Jack. He didn’t mention going TAD.”
“Let me call that data into the NIS, and then I need to fill you in on a lunch meeting I just had with an old FBI buddy.
He made the call to the database administrator and then told Karen the essence of what Johnson had said. Karen was walking around the kitchen, chewing on a knuckle when he was finished.
“Sweepers? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” she said.
“They sound like some kind of vultures.”
“I debated with myself about telling you any of that,” he concluded. She whirled around on him.
“What’s that supposed to mean? That I need to be protected from knowing the extent of the danger?” Train was taken aback by her sudden anger.
“Well, I guess to a certain extent, yes, that’s what I was thinking. You had a pretty good scare last night. I didn’t want to-“
She put up a warning hand. “I’m a big girl now, Train.
I need to know what’s going on here. lid appreciate it if you wouldn’t treat me like some kind of damsel in distress, okay?”
“Whatever you say, lady,” Train replied in a brisk tone of voice. He was getting a little tired of the mood swings.
She’s being emotional, he reminded himself, because she’s scared. Don’t go gettingall hurry. But Karen wouldn’t let it go.