Eve - Iris Johansen [75]
“Are you? Why deal with Gallo? Why not just lock him up and throw away the key?” She tilted her head. “Oh, that’s right; you did that, didn’t you? But the North Koreans decided to keep that key.”
“He volunteered,” Queen said defensively. “He was a Ranger. He knew that going in on that mission was dangerous. He made the choice.”
“He was there for a long time. You couldn’t arrange a trade?”
“It wouldn’t have been wise. If we’d acknowledged Gallo, then we’d have had to make awkward explanations.”
“My God.”
“Horrified?” His lip curled. “Why? You know how it works. You do what you have to do to get the job done.”
Yes, Catherine knew, but this was nasty beyond belief. “But he escaped. Did you at least help?”
He didn’t answer. “I have the map here.” He pulled out a folded paper and pushed it across the desk. “And a few possible scenarios that we thought might work to take him down.”
“Did you help him escape?” she repeated.
“It would have been too risky.” He scowled. “He made out all right. After he reached the coast, he was picked up and taken to Tokyo. He had good medical attention.”
“What kind of shape was he in?”
“Why are you asking? Why do you care? He’s your target.”
“You said he was crazy. If he’s crazy, he’s a threat to Eve. I have to know how crazy … and why. What will trigger him?”
“He was half-starved. He was in solitary for the first two years. He was tortured. No permanent physical damage that the doctors could tell.”
“Physical. Mental?”
“Hallucinations. Periods of total withdrawal. Nightmares. Episodes of uncontrollable rage. After six months, we convinced the doctors that he was well enough to be released into our custody.”
“Why would you want to do that? Why not leave him in the hospital?”
“It wouldn’t have been smart.”
“Why not?”
“When he was delusional, he was … indiscreet. He raved like a lunatic. We couldn’t afford for the Koreans to know about his mission. Washington would have been embarrassed.”
“So you took him away from medical care. What did you do with him?”
“We put him back doing the work he’d been trained to do. He was a Ranger.”
“As ill and irrational as you say he was?”
“He performed very well. We were surprised.”
She was studying his expression. “You sent him out to get killed,” she said softly. “He was an inconvenience, and you wanted him out of your path. Suicide missions.”
“Ridiculous. He survived them, didn’t he?”
She just looked at him.
“See how sympathetic you are when he has his knife to your throat,” Queen said bitterly. “Or when you find Eve Duncan in a gully in those mountains.”
“I’m not sympathetic.” She crossed the room and stuffed the map in her pocket. “I just get sick to my stomach with all of us sometimes.”
“Do you have it?” Joe was standing behind her.
“Yes. I was about to get rid of him.”
Queen stiffened.
“No, I’m not going to kill you.” Catherine came around the desk. “As you said, it wouldn’t be smart. We’ve all got to be practical and smart, don’t we? Though I’d love to take you out. I have a hunch you caved too easily and are using us to do your dirty work. But I’ll resist the temptation. Just can’t let you cause us any trouble.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out a hypodermic. “Fight me, and you’ll end up with air in your bloodstream and a possible embolism. Otherwise, it’s fourteen hours of sleep.”
“Don’t do this.”
“Take your choice.” She plunged the needle into his neck.
Two seconds later, Queen collapsed on the desk.
“You came prepared,” Joe said.
“I usually am. My teacher, Hu Chang, always preferred potions to brute force.” She looked down at Queen. “Though I might have preferred to use pain instead. Queen is a slimeball. What they did to Gallo was very ugly.”
“Ask me if I care. Gallo has Eve.”
She nodded. “And we have fourteen hours before we have to worry about Army Intelligence.” She turned toward the door. “And a few hours will be taken up just getting to Utah. We’d better get moving. On the way to meet you, I contacted the pilot I used when we flew to