list of potential adversaries, ranging from rejected but still powerful fundamentalist leaders to fanatical members of the lunatic fringe, both of which would reject the Second Coming of Christ as a political manipulation if it served them. At the bottom of the fax, in his own handwriting, was the Vice President's summation.
The above clowns are in place, ready, willing, and per-
son ally eager to destroy anyone who even vaguely disagrees with them. I've got the lawyers. Along with our good guys, we'll make mules bit out of the whole passel of ass boles Let's bring it to the Senate and expose these crap-artist witcH-Hunters for what they are.
However, Sorenson wasn't ready to go that flagrantly public.
Much might be gained, but a great deal could be lost. The Sormenkinder did exist, where they were and how high they were still undetermined. The easiest thing for the hunted to do was to become one of the "good guys." He would call Howard Keller and try to make his position clear. And then his telephone rang, the red line that came directly into his office.
"Yes?"
"It's your rogue agent, boss."
"I wish I weren't-your boss, I mean."
"Stay with me, we're making progress."
"How?"
"Bonn and Berlin are sending out a couple of semi brigades to find me-find Harry, that is-and eliminate me."
"That's progress?"
"One step always leads to another, doesn't it?"
"if I were you, and I speak from experience, I'd get the hell out of Paris."
"Would you have done that, Wcs?"
"Probably not, but it doesn't matter what I'd have done. The times are different, Latham, ours were easier. We knew who our enemies were, you don't."
"Then help me find out. Tell that humanitarian doctor at the embassy to plug all the Amytals we've got into Kroeger so we might learn something."
"He said it could kill him."
"So kill the son of a bitch. Give us a break! Why are they going to the max to kill Harry?"
"We have certain codes of medical ethics-"
"To hell with them, I've got my life too! I'm no advocate of capital punishment because, among other things, it can't be administered fairly-when was the last time a rich white guy with a high-priced law firm behind him was sent to the electric chair?-but if there ever was an exception to my stand, it's Kroeger. I saw that bastard blow apart two innocent hotel clerks with Black Talon bullets simply because they were there!
And, furthermore, our benevolent physician at the embassy didn't say the injections would kill him, only that they could. Those are better odds than Kroeger gave those two men in the hotel."
"You're developing a rather good sense of advocacy debate.. . Say I went along with you, got State to go along, what do you think you might learn from Kroeger?"
"For God's sake, I don't know. But maybe something, anything that could explain the ncos' obsession with taking out Harry."
"I grant you it's an enigma."
"It's more than that, Wcs, it's the key to a lot more than we can understand."
"Including Harry's list perhaps?"
"Possibly. I read the transcript from his debriefing in London.
There's no question that he believed it was authentic, but he allowed for outside disinformation-more in the area of misinformation, I grant you, but he considered it."
"Human error, mistaken names, not dirt," said Sorenson quietly.
"Yes, I remember reading that. If I recall correctly, he was angry at the implication that he was duped, and insisted it was up to the spiders in counterintelligence to ultimately evaluate the material."
"He wasn't that precise, but that's what he was saying."
"And you think Kroeger might fill in some gaps?"
"Let's put it this way, I can't think of anybody else. Kroeger was Harry's doctor, and strangely enough-probably because Kroeger treated him decently-he had some kind of hold over my brother. At least Harry didn't hate him."
"Your brother was too professional to let hatred surface, much less interfere."
"I realize that, and I admit it's a fine, very thin line, but I have an idea Harry respected him-maybe respect is the wrong word-but there was a definite attachment. I can't explain it because I can't understand it."
"Perhaps you just said it. The doctor treated him decently, the captor giving attention to the captive."
"The Stockholm syndrome again? Please spare me, there are too many flaws in that theory, especially where Harry's concerned."
"Heaven knows you knew him better than anyone else.. .. Very well, Drew, I'll give the order and I won't even bother Adam Bollinger over at State. He's already given us carte blanche, although for all the wrong motives."