on office procurements.
"High technology's expensive, Mr. Director. There's nothing I can do about that, and, frankly, it's not in my province to make those decisions."
"But it is in your province to make recommendations, isn't it? ""Somebody has to do the initial spec work, and that's what I do."
"Say there's a competitive bid for a more powerful computer in the range of a hundred thousand dollars. Your word means a great deal, doesn't it?"
"Not if my bosses know a megabyte from their elbows."
"But most of them don't, do they?"
"Some do, some don't."
"So with those who don't, your recommendation is probably accepted, wouldn't you say that?"
"Probably. I do my homework."
"And there could be instances when the selection of a certain company could benefit you, couldn't it?"
"Stop with those kind of questions! What are you trying to pin on me?"
"A payoff was made the other night, early morning to be precise, by a Seattle firm with lobbyists here in Washington.
We'd like to know if it was you."
"This is bullshit," cried Withers, almost breathless.
"Excuse me, Mr. Director, but I'm deeply offended. I've been at this lousy job for seven years now because I know high tech better than anyone else, and it's nowberesville! I can't be replaced, so I don't go up, or even down, which has to tell you something."
"I don't mean to offend you, Bruce, I just want to know where you were at three o'clock in the morning the night before last."
"You don't have any right to ask that."
"I think I do. That's when the payoff was made."
"Listen, Mr.
Kearns, I'm a divorced man and I have to find my pleasures where I can, if you understand me."
"I believe I do. Where were you?"
"With a married woman whose husband is out of the country.
Her husband's a general."
"Will she back you up?"
"I can't give you her name."
"We'll find out, you know that."
"Yeah, I I guess you wi 11.. .. All right, we spent this evening here, and she just left. The general's on an inspection tour in the Far East and calls her around one o'clock -God forbid he should upset a military schedule for a lonely wife. It's the story of her marriage."
"Very touching, Bruce. What's her name?"
"It takes her twenty, twenty-five minutes to get home."
"Her name, please? " "Anita Griswald, General Andrew Griswald's wife."
""Mad Andy' Griswald? The scourge of Vietnam's Songchow? He's pretty old, isn't he?"
"For the army, definitely. Anita's his fourth wife. She's much younger, and the Pentagon's keeping him on loose duty until they can get rid of him next year, which, I gather, they'd like to do as soon as possible."
"Why did she ever marry him?"
"She was broke and had three kids. Enough questions, Mr.
Director."
Candidate Still Open
"Mr. Vasquez-Ramirez, if you please?"
"Just a moment," said a female voice, slightly accented with Hispanic inflections.
"My husband is on the other telephone, but he will be finished quickly. Who shall I say is calling?"
"Deputy Director Kearns, Central Intelligence Agency, Counselor."
"You know I am a lawyer? .. . Oh, but of course you do. )@
"I apologize for calling so late, but it's urgent."
"It would have to be, seflor. My husband works long hours for you, sometimes until late in the evenings. I wish you paid him accordingly, if I may be so bold to suggest. Please hold."
Silence. There were no records of Vasquez-Ramirez working late hours. Forty-five seconds later, "Rollie" Ramirez came on the line.
"Mr. Kearns, what's so urgent?"
"Leaks in your department, Mr. Vasquez-Ramirez."
"Please, we've met, sir. Rollie or Ramirez is sufficient."
"It saves time,
I'll say that."
"Do you have a cold, Mr. Kearns? You don't sound like yourself."
"It's the flu, Ramirez. I can hardly breathe."
"Rum, hot tea, and lemon will relieve you.. .. Now, what are these leaks and how can I -assist you?"
"They've been traced to your section."
"In which there are four of us," broke in the Hispanic.
"Why call me?"
"I'll call the others; you're first on the list."
"Because my skin is not as pale as the others?"
"Oh, cut that out!"
"No, I don't 'cut it out," for it's the truth. The spic is the first you go after."
"Now you're insulting both me and you. Money was made by revealing maximum-classified information from your section two nights ago, a great deal of money, and we've got the people who paid it. At this moment it's merely a question of who got paid! So don't give me any crap about racism. I'm looking for a leak, not a spic!"
"Let me tell you this Americano. My people do not ay for information, it is freely delivered. Yes,