She nodded, tears trickling down her cheeks.
Watching her, he was reminded of Lori when he had told her he was being sent back to Korea. Lori could be as tough as any woman he knew, yet when somebody started tinkering with those she deeply loved, she found it difficult to maintain her composure. He walked over and patted Song Ji-young on the shoulder.
"I understand why you didn't tell him," he said. "And I appreciate your being candid with me now. You'll need to act like nothing has happened, like we hadn't talked. I imagine the others have wondered about An's questions but just thought he was being curious. I'll say I'm leery of him and ask them to keep a close watch on him."
After Miss Song had returned to her desk, he pondered the extent of the leak. Was the An-Yoo connection the source of the talk around the Blue House that Vincent Duques had reported? No doubt they knew that Jerry had talked with Moon Chwa. And now they were aware that a mysterious envelope had come to Burke from Pyongyang. That was troubling. He walked out to the secretary's desk.
"Did Jerry ask you to check on flights to Bangkok for him?"
"Yes, sir." She took a sheet of note paper from her desk and handed it to him. "These are the direct flights from Seoul."
"I'll have to make the trip for him," Burke said. "It's in connection with the Coalition for Nuclear Freedom."
She nodded. "That's what he told me."
Burke raised an eyebrow. "Did An know about this?"
"He saw where I had written down to call the travel agent, but I'm not sure he knew what it was about."
"Then let's make sure he doesn't find out."
Brittany Pickerel arrived a few minutes later and greeted Burke with a hug. "Congratulations on the twins," she said. "I know you hated to leave them. How's your wife?"
"Unhappy," he said.
"I'm not surprised. Wasn't this a shocker about Jerry? Your wife may not like it, but I'm glad you're here."
He brought her into Jerry's office, closed the door and explained that there had been a small leak, for which he suspected An Kye-sun. She agreed he was overly curious and promised to keep an eye on him. He advised her of his planned trip to Thailand and that An was to know nothing about it.
When he opened the door for Brittany to leave, he found Duane talking to Miss Song.
"What time did you get in?" Duane asked. "I thought you would probably call."
"It was early," Burke said, smiling. "I didn't figure you'd want any phone calls that time of day. Come on in and let's talk a minute."
He closed the door and returned to Jerry's chair.
"You going over to see Jerry this morning?" Duane asked.
"Yeah. Soon as I get through here."
"You should probably call the Embassy first. Ambassador Shearing called yesterday, asking for you or Jerry. We told him you would be in today."
Burke nodded. "I was expecting that." He stared across with a troubled expression. "I'm going to level with you, Duane. I'm sure it's no big news to you, you're a sharp guy. I've no doubt about that. But I haven't been too happy with your overall attitude. In fact, I was against bringing you over here, but Nate overruled me. As you know, we had our disagreements early on. But I'll grant you this, except for that unfortunate experience with the drinking game, which Jerry took responsibility for, you've performed pretty well.
"Frankly, I wasn't too thrilled about coming back over here right before Christmas, but Nate was insistent." He refrained from saying the President suggested it. That sounded a bit too self-serving. "The government apparently knows about our involvement with Dr. Shin. And there may have been a leak around here. It has the potential for real trouble. I could wind up being the target of a hired gun. In short, I need you to keep an eye on my flanks."
Duane took it all in with a skeptical look on his face. "Thanks for the lefthanded compliment. That's all well and good, but I don't even know what the hell's going on around here. You and Jerry have held onto this thing like a personal secret."
"That was on orders from the President," Burke said. "He wanted the smallest possible group clued in on the whole operation. Nate and I met with Kingsley Marshall and his top deputies just before I left. I was authorized to brief you from A to Z."
For the next thirty minutes, he did exactly that. When he had finished, Duane shook his head. "I might have been of more help if I'd known all this back early in November."
"Sorry. That wasn't the way the White House wanted it played. The important thing is we can't afford to slip up now. You'd better come along with me to see Jerry. I'll book the flight to Bangkok that leaves a little before noon tomorrow. Hopefully I can get the job done there and get back here the next evening. I want you to study the photos and background on Hwang Sang-sol. If we're right about An Kye-sun, the NSP or whoever's behind this will probably know I'm back before the day's over."
"You want me to tail you on the trip to Thailand?"
"I don't think that'll be necessary. But I want you ready to move the minute I get back from Bangkok. If they're planning any surprises for me, they should have somebody in place by then."
When Duane had gone back to his office, Burke called the Embassy.
"Mr. Hill," said Ambassador Shearing pleasantly, "I understand you have been back to Washington."
"That's right. I intended to check on Damon Mansfield while I was there but didn't get a chance to."
Shearing knew he was being needled and his voice turned cold. "The purpose of my call, Mr. Hill, was to give you a friendly warning. The Korean government is apparently concerned about some of your firm's activities, particularly in relation to the Coalition for Nuclear Freedom. You told me you would be working to improve relations with the Koreans. Surely you don't think getting involved with dissident factions will endear us to the Blue House?"
"No, sir," Burke said. "But it might make us a lot more popular with the people."
"You may not be aware of it," said the Ambassador, "but the people elected Kwak Sung-kyo their president by an overwhelming majority. I feel it my duty to warn you that the government does not take kindly to foreigners interfering in their internal politics. If you run afoul of their laws governing political activity, you're on your own."
Yeah, hanging out to dry, Burke thought, just like Damon Mansfield. "Thank you, Mr. Ambassador," he said. "I appreciate your concern. I'll certainly keep it in mind."
Chapter 60
Jerry occupied a private cubicle in the hospital's Cardiac Care Unit. Identical green angular lines marched like goose-stepping soldiers across the heart monitor, and beside his bed a colorless fluid dripped incessantly through an IV tube that trailed down to his left hand. Otherwise, he appeared relatively unscathed for the ordeal he'd been through.
"You scared the hell out of us, Jerry," Burke said with a sympathetic grin. "But you're looking good."
"Thanks. If that character would quit shoving knives in my back when I move around, I'd be in great shape. Sorry I caused you to have to run back over here."
Burke shrugged. "Just so we wind this thing up in a hurry. I promised Lori I'd be back for Christmas."
Jerry smiled. "Good luck. I hope to be lounging around my apartment by then." He glanced about the room at all the fancy electronics. "I can't vouch for these things. They may be listening to us, maybe not. Just keep your voice low and we'll hope for the best. Where do we stand?"
"For one thing, you should know I've brought Duane up to date on the whole situation," Burke said. "He'll be my backup. Tomorrow I go to Thailand. What can you tell me about contacting this Ahn guy you mentioned?"
Jerry said the man's name was Ahn Pom-yun. To set up a contact, he should go to a gem shop on the second level of the Chiangmai Night Bazaar, a big mall-like open air complex of shops and stalls and eating places that didn't open for business until around six p.m. He should ask for the proprietor, Yves Caron, a Frenchman who was an old Indochina hand.