Burke glanced back at Elliston. "Well, I hope it's something we can all be happy with."
The look on Duane's face said he was a long way from being happy.
"I have a plan for you," Jerry said to him.
He proposed contacting Kurt Voegler. They would express an interest in doing business with Reijeo, and ask Voegler for an introduction to some of their executives at whatever after-hours spot they frequented. In an informal setting, lubricated by soju or maggolli, they could innocently probe for information on the big conglomerate's activities to the south.
"Get Brittany on it in the morning," Burke suggested. "The newspaper files should have something on construction of the plant. With the unusual aspect of building inside a mountain, surely the papers would have covered it. She can also check open sources on what they're supposedly involved in down there. That would give you some facts to spice up the conversation."
Duane suggested they call Voegler as soon as possible. Then, apparently feeling he'd done all he could, he left for the hotel.
Burke promptly got on the phone to Washington. Toni Carlucci advised him that Nate had a congressman on another line. While waiting, he could talk with his assistant, Evelyn Tilson, who had a message for him.
"Morning, boss," she greeted him. "Looks like a glorious day in these parts. How are things in the Land of the Morning Snooze?"
She sounded a bit too spirited, he thought, straining to appear cheerful. "Good morning to you, Evelyn. It's getting on toward bedtime here. I understand you have a message for me."
"You're right, I surely do. I've been waiting for you to call."
Now she sounded like someone dancing around the edge of an abyss. "So what's the message?" he asked, turning up the volume.
"It's one of those good news, not-so-good news situations. The good news is that your expected twins appear to be in good shape. The not-so-good news is that Lori has been ordered to stay in bed."
"What happened?"
"She wanted me to let you know when you called. She was afraid if she did the calling and had to leave a message, you might get all shook up."
Burke sat there glaring at the phone. If Evelyn's intention was to keep him from getting worried, she was certainly going about it in the wrong way. "What happened?" he repeated.
"Some bleeding, she said. Not bad, but enough that Dr. Brackin thought she should stay off her feet."
"Anything else?"
"No, sir. That's it."
"You're sure?"
"Scout's honor."
"Okay. I'll give her a buzz. She knew it wasn't my night to call, so I guess that's why she called you."
"When are you coming home, boss? It gets awfully dull around here with nobody to pick on."
His voice softened. She was a hard one to be angry with. "In two or three weeks. The Korean government's doing its best to make life miserable for me. Whenever I think I've about got things worked out, some nut comes up with a new rule or a new regulation or a new form. I'm way past catch twenty-two. Must be up to thirty or so."
"I have the utmost faith in you, Great One. Remember, illigitimis non carborundum."
He laughed. It was an old joke. "Make the bastards grind." But he wasn't so sure who would wear whom down. She switched him back to Toni, who said Nate was waiting. After activating the scrambler, Burke filled him in on Duane's visit to Taesong. He decided to leave out the part about the shouting match. He did mention shooting down Duane's idea about a free-lance reconnaissance foray, and Jerry's decision that he should go.
"Duane still has some growing up to do," Nate said in a fatherly tone. "With a little maturity gained in the field, he'll make a fine intelligence pro. I suppose Jerry is the logical choice, though I prefer to keep the managers managing as much as possible."
"I agree," Burke said. "But that looks like our only chance to dig out the real story."
"That part about the crates from Israel and France doesn't leave much room for doubt, does it?"
"Not for me. But the fact that Dr. Nam has been working on this thing for so long worries the hell out of me. I've got a feeling they could be a helluva lot farther along than General Thatcher imagines. Anything new from the satellite watchers?"
"Not from that area. But at the missile training site, they picked up a launch vehicle that resembles the one for our ground-launched Tomahawk."
"The missile that was so deadly in Iraq?"
"That's the one," said Nate. "Of course, having a launcher and a missile are two different animals. Kingsley Marshall's analysts don't credit them with the ability to build it. They may have the technology but not the basic science. When it comes to design work, they buy it over here, or in Japan. We gave them Honest Johns and the Nike-Hercules. They've improved on those, of course, but they shouldn't be able to build a sophisticated missile from scratch. At least that's the CIA's estimate. We really don't know for sure."
"Unfortunately," Burke said, "in this case, what we don't know could hurt us badly."
Burke waited until he was back at his hotel room to call Lori. She answered on the first ring.
"You must have the phone in bed with you," he said.
"That's the only thing, with you off on the other side of the world. You must have talked to Evelyn."
"Right. How are you feeling?"
"I'm resting comfortably, and wishing like the devil I could get out of here."
"It's hard to keep a good woman down."
"Burke, I can't lie in this bed for four weeks. I'll go stir crazy."
"What did Chloe say?"
"She said it didn't look too bad, but if I stayed on my feet it could get worse. Then I might go into labor early and she might have to do a section. She wants the babies to stay put for at least another two weeks.'
"Then you'd better stay put in that bed, lady. Do you have any help available?"
"Maggie is wearing a bare spot between our houses. She's a dear and I appreciate it, but I hope she won't continue to overdo it. Chlo knows a lady who'll be coming in starting tomorrow. She's to clean house and fix meals. I feel like a pampered bitch."
For someone as active as Lori, he had no doubt it was rough. He wished he could be there to help her through it. But with things here looking grimmer by the day, wishing was the about all he could do. He chatted on for a few minutes, trying his best to cheer her. "It doesn't look like I'll be able to get back for another two or three weeks," he said. "But I'll call to check on you every day from here on."
She had caught the edge in his voice. "Are things not going too well over there?"
He gave a mirthless laugh. "You might say we've got problems we ain't even heard about yet."
"Stick in there, tiger," she said. "I'll be here when you get back."
Chapter 37
Song Ji-young lived with her mother in an attractive two-story brick home not far from the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Her father was an architect and had designed the house himself. Built along a steep hillside street, it had an expanse of windows that faced the downhill view. The colorful roof was of blue tile. It was near the Itaewon shopping district and not far from the former U.S. Army post at Yongsan. With the troops recently departed, there were numerous vacancies in the apartments that had catered to military families. On learning that Jerry Chan was apartment hunting, Miss Song offered to take him to see some of the available apartments on Saturday morning.
She picked him up in front of the Chosun at ten, and they headed south toward the Namsan Tunnel in her small blue Toyota. Jerry noted, not for the first time, that she was quite an attractive girl. He liked her taste in clothes, which accented an attractive figure. This morning she wore a bright red jacket over a frilly white blouse.
"How is your mother?" he asked as she steered skillfully through the traffic.