A Hostile State by Adrian Magson (reading eggs books txt) 📗

the people at the top demanded one more mission.’ He looked suddenly tired, the memory clearly still haunting him. ‘He was ex-USAF, a farm kid from Arkansas who’d made it into intelligence work. A nice guy. I met his family. They were good people, too.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘He disappeared. I never did find the answer and the SSD weren’t about to tell us.’

Callahan blinked. Although a former CIA field operative himself, being consigned to an office in Langley for too long tended to blur the brutal reality of what could happen out there in the shadows. But he knew Hoffman was right.

‘I’m not sure our man would go for it.’

‘He might not have a choice. It would be the smartest thing to do – for everyone.’ He took a final sip of his whisky and put the glass down. ‘That aside, you could start close to home and find out who’s helping the people who’re after him.’

‘I’m working on that. I hope it isn’t true.’

‘Cautious answer.’ Hoffman smiled. ‘Some of the newer people seem to think that the old-world security problems we had in my day no longer exist, that all their fancy technology and analytical bullshit will take care of everything. Not true.’

‘You think?’

‘Sure. The answer is as old as the hills, Brian. Someone has put the finger on your man. It’s as simple as that. The question is, was it someone on the outside … maybe someone he’s worked with before? Or someone closer?’ He stood up and dusted his hands off. ‘Good luck.’

As Callahan walked back to his car he thought over what Hoffman had said. The man had been as direct as usual, not sugar-coating his opinions. He could have taken a purely conciliatory tone, avoiding any judgement of the situation Callahan and Portman faced. But that hadn’t happened, and that reinforced just why Callahan had come here: to hear the unvarnished truth.

TWENTY

Callahan returned to his office and got caught up in discussions on minor issues. When they were done he checked again for messages. Nothing. He sat deep in thought, trying to decide how much of what Hoffman had said was possible and untangle the lines of conflicting interest that lay in what had happened earlier in the meeting room.

Intelligence agencies were, by their construction and purpose, full of competing divisions, each attempting to keep ahead of the race for funding and prominence. A certain bear-pit mentality had always been present and even encouraged, for the most part working well enough and driving each division to do the best work possible. Such was the simple law of survival.

He picked up his phone to check progress on the search of the data files for the faces Portman had sent in when there was a knock at his door.

It opened to admit Carly Ledhoffen.

‘Do you have a minute, Brian?’ she asked.

He nodded, surprised by her appearance, and put the phone down. He wanted to tell her that now wasn’t a good time, but couldn’t think of a plausible excuse. Maybe this was a chance to sort out the reason for her confrontational attitude earlier.

She glided in and sat down, bringing a hint of expensive perfume with her. ‘I got the feeling we weren’t on the same page back there,’ she said. ‘I hope that’s not the case. Perhaps we could discuss that.’

He recognized the HR negotiating tactic for what it was. Agree and control. ‘Sure. But allow me to go first: are you stress-testing my operations?’

She blinked slowly twice, doll’s eyes up-down, up-down. ‘What makes you think we’d be doing that?’

‘It’s what the Support Directorate does, isn’t it? Push the boundaries to see if there have been failures or weaknesses in mission objectives relating to staff?’

‘We have to do that sometimes, yes. It’s part of our remit of duty and care to support the use of our officers in the field.’ She gave him a wide-eyed look, adding, ‘Although as you yourself said, this asset is not an officer.’

‘So we shouldn’t look after them, too? Is that what you’re saying?’

She waved a hand. ‘I’m sorry, but if you have a problem I’m sure my head of department will be happy to discuss it with you.’

‘I’ll pass, thank you. But let me tell you, you’d get the same response from any other controller and agent runner in this building and other intel agencies. We use what resources we can for covert ops and I value each one highly, staff or not. You seemed to suggest in the meeting that my asset should have endangered himself by going deeper into the territory than he already was and finding Tango.’

She began to speak but he held up a hand.

‘Forgive me interrupting but do you have the slightest idea just how dangerous it is out there? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. Also, under the circumstances, the chances of the asset getting anywhere near him, let alone getting either of them out in one piece, would have been miniscule to zero.’

She said nothing for a moment, although he noticed a slight flush had crept across her cheeks. He couldn’t decide whether it was embarrassment or anger, but didn’t care. Sometimes you had to play it rough to get the message across.

‘I confess I don’t,’ she said finally, and ducked her head. ‘I think I owe you an apology, Brian. These two meetings were my first at this level and I guess I’m still learning. I didn’t mean to imply criticism of your asset or his methodology. I’ll make sure your points are well known.’ She hesitated, then added, ‘For what it’s worth I think the way you were treated at the end of that last one placed an unfair amount of pressure on you and your staff. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought so. I hope it doesn’t pose a threat to anyone … for example, Miss Citera.’

Callahan wondered what the hell she playing at. She made it sound as if she were more familiar with