spoke close into each other’s ears. “Your thoughts?” Mars asked.
“Despite what Won and the pilot say, this is far from a sure thing. What if the wind is too high, if it’s raining, if the aircraft is shot down?”
Mars had come to the same conclusion. “Nothing will be left to chance. The other option is the only option now.”
“So we don’t use the Air Tractor and the pilot?”
“Certainly we use them. Won asked me about the diversion. I wonder what she would think if she knew that she and her plan were, in fact, the diversion, and the real play will succeed when theirs fails. Now go blindfold her before takeoff.”
CHAPTER 36
PRESENT DAY
Matt Hanley gave Suzanne Brewer the morning off so she could get her affairs in order for the trip to London, but he was energized enough about the mole hunt that he connected directly with Zack Hightower via text as soon as he got to work, asking his contract agent to let him know if he found out anything.
An hour later, just after nine a.m., Hightower texted back, asking for a meet.
Brewer was supposed to be his buffer between himself and his Poison Apple assets, but he realized there was nothing more important than the mission Hightower was working, so he consented.
They met in the parking lot of a Dunkin’ Donuts in McLean, less than ten minutes from CIA HQ. Hanley rolled without his security, driving a borrowed Toyota Land Cruiser from the motor pool, and he pulled up under a thick oak tree growing near the edge of the lot.
He saw Hightower step out of a black Suburban, and Hanley scanned him head to toe as he began walking over. The big Texan climbed in next to Hanley, then adjusted the passenger-side mirror and the rearview mirror without asking. These two men had worked together for many years in some incredibly dangerous locations, and they had conducted clandestine meetings like this for much of that time. Both men knew their roles. Hanley would watch the front; Hightower would watch their six.
“Thanks for meeting me, boss.”
“No problem, Hightower, but let’s don’t make it a habit.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You said you had information.”
With a nod Hightower said, “The traitor has been preliminarily identified, sir.”
“How did you come to this conclusion?”
“By his reaction to my pressure.”
“Of course. Who is it?”
“My assessment is that the mole in the Agency is Deputy Director Lucas Renfro, sir.”
Hanley nodded slowly. Brewer had told Hightower that Hanley suspected Renfro, and there was apparently some sort of a beef between the two of them, but the DDO showed no outward reaction to the confirmation of his suspicions.
“How sure are you?”
“Pretty sure. If you let me do a black bag job on his place, I could be more certain.”
Hanley blew out a sigh. “Can you pull that off?”
Zack just looked at Hanley, then said, “It’s me, Matt.”
“And he’s a deputy director, Zack.”
“Which means Agency security will know all there is to know about his home protection measures, his passwords, everything I need to slip in and have a look around. You get me that intel, and I’ll make entry and search for incriminating information. I’ll place bugs, too, if you want.”
“You’ve got him scared?”
“Yes, sir. Last night I tailed him through a mall and he freaked. This morning I bumpered him on his way to breakfast near the Capitol. He looked terrified, checked me out every fifteen seconds, but he didn’t pick up his phone and call it in as near as I can tell.”
“Well, I can say he did not contact Agency security last night about your pressure. I would have heard about it.” Hanley bobbed his head from side to side. “That’s a pretty good indication he’s got something to hide.”
Zack was totally sold now. “Get me the details on his place, let me go in there. I’ll look for anything suspicious, and if I don’t find anything, I’ll make it clear someone has been in there looking around. Put a little more terror in him. Maybe send him over the edge.”
Hanley nodded. “All right. But he’ll be back and forth between Capitol Hill and meetings around the District today, budget hearings. He won’t be at HQ. I want you bumpering him during the day today, and then you can make entry when he goes to London tomorrow.”
“London?”
“The Five Eyes conference. Virtually everybody on the seventh floor is going.”