Call to Treason - Tom Clancy [67]
"And that is?"
"I know that I am innocent of any wrongdoing or complicity in wrongdoing. Now, what's your next question?"
As much as McCaskey disliked Link, he reminded himself that he was here to get information, not to make a new friend.
"Are you aware of anyone who might possess the skill to talk their way into a man's room, kill him by lethal injection under the tongue, and leave virtually undetected?" McCaskey asked.
"A woman, you mean."
"Or a man who might have trained a woman."
Link acknowledged the correction with a nod. "Only Kendra."
"That woman is a font of hidden talents. Where did she get her training?" McCaskey asked.
"From the United States Marines," Link said. "She spent several months as a 91-W, a health care specialist. She had to transfer out because of a problem with her fine motor skills."
"Related to tendonitis?" McCaskey asked.
"I don't know," Link said. "Would you care to ask her?"
"Not at present," McCaskey said. He wanted time to research Kendra's file before talking to her.
"You may not get another chance," Link advised him.
"Why not?"
"Because when you're finished here, I intend to see that neither you nor anyone else from Op-Center get back in," Link told him.
"That sounds like a warning and smells like guilt."
"Only to a group of very desperate intelligence operatives," Link said.
"Paul Hood is already having difficulties with the CIOC. Senator Orr can see that he has a great many more."
"Oh? Under what theory of Congressional authority?"
"Harassment of a private citizen," Link told him. "Look, Mr. McCaskey.
I don't want to be difficult. We're on the same team. Two businessmen have been murdered, and I would like to see their killer found and punished. But you have very odd suspicions about me and no evidence. Now you want to heap some of that vague conjecture on Kendra Peterson. I will ask her to join us in the spirit of cooperation, not because I believe the interview to have merit or cause. I would take that opportunity while the spirit is willing."
McCaskey looked from Link to Rodgers. "No, Admiral. If I want something from Ms. Peterson, I will be in touch."
Link laughed. "I haven't decided whether you're confident, proud, or obtuse, Mr. McCaskey. But you are self-righteous. If I have not made it clear, you will not be coming back."
McCaskey rose. "Thank you for your time, Admiral." He looked at Rodgers. "I'm sorry this has been difficult for you, Mike."
Rodgers did not reply with words. His hard expression was enough to convey his anger.
McCaskey looked back at Link. The admiral had already turned his attention back to his laptop.
"One more thing, Admiral," McCaskey said.
"All right." He did not look up.
"How do you feel about Mr. Wilson's death?"
"Inconvenienced and torn," Link replied without hesitation. "A man enjoyed the senator's hospitality, returned to his hotel, and was murdered. That's a sad, lawless, unjustifiable act. But he happened to be an individual whose economic ideas would have been detrimental to our nation. You can see my dilemma."
"Some people would call it something else. A motive."
"If only the world were so black-and-white," Link said, "men like you would be ringmasters instead of sweeping up after the elephants. I'll tell you one last time, Mr. McCaskey. You are misguided and doing both yourself and your organization a disservice."
McCaskey showed himself out of the senator's office. He wondered if Link were being sincere. Years at the CIA had given the man one hell of a poker face. And he had been extremely forthcoming about Kendra's background. That is not something a guilty man was likely to do.
McCaskey also wondered if he himself was being stubborn "obtuse," as Link had put it by not interviewing Kendra Peterson now. McCaskey decided he was not. He wanted to have a look at photographs from the party, at photo graphs from Kendra's file. He wanted to compare them with the indistinct pictures from the surveillance