Patriot games - Tom Clancy [108]
"I honestly don't know the specifics, but I'd say you probably had that one figured out pretty well," Shaw conceded.
Jack picked up a pencil in his left hand and started twirling it. "Do we know anything about what we're up against here?"
"They're professionals. That's bad news for the Brits and the RUC, of course, but it's good news for you."
"How's that?" Robby asked.
"Their disagreement with Doctor Ryan here is more or less a 'personal' matter. To take action against him would be unprofessional."
"In other words," the pilot said, "when you tell Jack that there's nothing for him to really worry about, you're betting on the 'professional' conduct of terrorists."
"That's one way to put it, Commander. Another way is to say that we have long experience dealing with this type of person."
"Uh-huh." Robby stabbed out his cigar. "In mathematics that's called inductive reasoning. It's a conclusion inferred, rather than deduced from specific evidence. In engineering we call it a WAG."
"Wag?" Shaw shook his head.
"A Wild-Ass Guess." Jackson turned to stare into the FBI man's eyes. "Like most operational intelligence reports-you can't tell the good ones from the bad ones until it's too damned late. Excuse me, Mr. Shaw, I'm afraid that we operators aren't always impressed with the stuff we get from the intelligence community."
"I knew it was a mistake to come here," Shaw observed. "Look, Dan told me over the phone that he doesn't have a single piece of evidence to suggest that there is any chance something unusual will happen. I've spent the last couple of days going over what we have on this outfit, and there just isn't any real evidence. He's responding to instinct. When you're a cop, you learn to do that."
Robby nodded at that one. Pilots trust their instinct, too. Now, his were telling him something.
"So," Jack leaned back. "What should I do?"
"The best defense against terrorists-what the security schools teach business executives, for example-is to avoid patterns. Take a slightly different route to work every day. Alter your time of departure somewhat. When you drive in, keep an eye on the mirror. If you see the same vehicle three or more days in a row, take the tag number and call me. I'll be glad to have it run through the computer-no big deal. It's probably nothing to be worried about, just be a little bit more alert. With luck, in a few days or weeks we'll be able to call you and tell you to forget the whole thing. What I am almost certainly doing is alarming you unnecessarily, but you know the rule about how it's better to be safe than sorry, right?"
"And if you get any information the other way?" Jack asked.
"I'll be on the phone to you five minutes later. The Bureau doesn't like the idea of having terrorists operate here. We work damned hard to keep it from happening, and we've been very effective so far."
"How much of that is luck?" Robby asked.
"Not as much as you think," Shaw replied. "Well, Doctor Ryan, I'm really sorry to have worried you about what is probably nothing at all. Here's my card. If there is anything we can do for you, don't hesitate to call me."
"Thank you, Mr. Shaw." Jack took the card and watched the man leave. He was silent for a few seconds. Then he flipped open his phone list and dialed 011-44-1-499-9000. It took a few seconds for the overseas call to get through.
"American Embassy," the switchboard operator answered after the first ring.
"Legal Attaché, please."
"Thank you. Wait, please." Jack waited. The operator was back in fifteen seconds. "No answer. Mr. Murray has gone home for the day-no, excuse me, he's out of town for the remainder of the week. Can I take a message?"
Jack frowned for a moment. "No, thank you. I'll call back next week."
Robby watched his friend hang up. Jack drummed his fingers on the phone and again remembered what Scan Miller's face had looked