Montvale did so. Then added: "So, do a really thorough job of searching the place."

"Yes, sir. And what do I do if I find these people?"

"If you find Darby"-you Irish moron--"you find out from him where Castillo and the Russians are. If you find Castillo or the Russians, you detain them, and immediately notify the President, or his chief of staff."

"Yes, sir. And whom do I see at Justice for the warrants, sir?"

"What warrants?"

"The search warrant for the premises, and the arrest warrants for Castillo and these Russians."

"You don't need a warrant"-you cretin-"you're acting on the authority of the President."

"Yes, sir. I understand. And from whom do I get that, sir?"

"Get what?"

"The presidential authority."

"I just gave it to you."

"Sir, it has to be in writing. I would suppose if I'm to act on the authority of the President, President Clendennen would have to sign it himself."

Well, what did I expect? McGuire is part of the Washington bureaucratic establishment.

You don't rise in that-for that matter, stay in that-unless you have mastered the fine art of covering your a.s.s.

"Tom, I'm not sure if President Clendennen would be available to do that at this time. So here's what I want you to do. Just go out there with enough of your people to place the premises under around-the-clock surveillance-discreet surveillance. This situation requires, as I'm sure you understand, the greatest discretion."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Do you happen to know either Darby or his wife, Tom?"

"I've met them, sir."

"Then could you just knock at the door, unofficially, and tell Mrs. Darby you were in the neighborhood and took a chance to see if Darby was at home?"

"That would work, sir. And if he is?"

"Then you tell him that you're looking for Colonel Castillo; that you have a message for Castillo from me that has to be personally delivered."

"Yes, sir. And if he directs me to Colonel Castillo-I mean, if I find him-then what do I do?"

"You don't actually have to talk to him, Tom. Just locate him. Put him under really tight surveillance. Then call my office and tell them to get word to me that you've found Colonel Castillo. I'll take it from there."

"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it."

"Good man! I can't tell you how pleased I am that you were on duty, Tom. I know I can rely on you."

"Thank you, sir. I'll do my best."

There may be just about a dime's worth of silver in this black cloud. Darby might might be at the house in Alexandria. He be at the house in Alexandria. He might might know where Castillo is. And he know where Castillo is. And he might might tell McGuire. tell McGuire.

Montvale found I. Ronald Spears waiting for him outside the communications room.

"Get in touch with that Air Force colonel, Spears. Tell him to keep the pilots off the booze. Something has come up that might require my immediate return to Washington."

"Yes, sir."

"Do that immediately after you drop me off at the hotel."

"Yes, sir."

[FOUR].

7200 West Boulevard Drive Alexandria, Virginia 1525 6 February 2007

Dianne Sanders, a grandmotherly type in her early fifties, was wearing an ap.r.o.n over her dress when she answered the chimes.

"Well, h.e.l.lo, Mr. McGuire. What brings you to our door?"

"I'm hoping Mrs. Darby is here," Tom McGuire said.

"Can I wonder why you might hope that? Or would that be impolite?"

"Come on, Dianne," McGuire said.

"I'll see if Mrs. Darby is at home. If you'll please wait?"

"Lock up the liquor," Mrs. Julia Darby said thirty seconds later. "The Secret Service is here."

She walked up to McGuire, and said, "I'm not sure if I'm glad to see you or not. But I'll give you a kiss anyway."

She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.

"Are you here socially or otherwise, Tom?" she asked.

"Otherwise, I'm afraid."

"Uh-oh."

"Why did I suspect that?" Dianne Sanders asked.

"I have been ordered here by Amba.s.sador Montvale to see if Alex is here, and if not, to ask you to tell me where he is."

"Did he say why he was curious?"

"He hopes Alex will point him to Charley Castillo. He says he has a message for him."

"Why didn't he come himself?"

"He called me from Buenos Aires."

"Ah-ha! The plot deepens," Julia Darby said.

"Is Alex here?"

She shook her head.

"Can you point me either to him or Charley?"

"The question is not whether I can, but whether I will. If I pointed at somebody, you would feel duty-bound to tell Montvale, right?"

"Yes, I would."

"I cannot tell a lie, especially to a senior officer of the United States Secret Service," she said. She then took a moment to orient herself and pointed in the general direction of South America. "To the best of my knowledge and belief, both of them are somewhere down there."

"Your cooperation is deeply appreciated. You were pointing at South America, right?"

"In that general direction, yes."

"Can you ... will will you be more specific?" you be more specific?"

She shook her head.

"Not even if I told you that Amba.s.sador Montvale told me he's acting for President Clendennen?"

"Especially if you told me that." if you told me that."

"One final question, Julia. You're not concealing two ex-SVR officers on the premises, are you?"

"I will will answer that question. No, I am not." answer that question. No, I am not."

"And you wouldn't know where such people would be, either, right?"

Julia Darby again pointed toward South America.

"They could be down that way," she said. "But on the other hand, maybe not. Those SVR people are slippery, you know."

He chuckled.

"Is my interrogation over, or is there anything else you'd like to know?" Julia Darby asked.

"This interview is concluded, Mrs. Darby. Thank you for your cooperation."

"I'm always willing to cooperate with the Secret Service, Mr. McGuire. It's my duty as a patriotic citizen." Julia smiled warmly, then said: "Dianne and I were about to have a b.l.o.o.d.y Mary. Would you like one?"

He hesitated.

"Come on, Tom. The interrogation is over. I swear Montvale will never know."

He smiled. "Why not?"

"Let's go in the kitchen," Julia said. "Dianne is baking brownies for the boys. I was never much in the kitchen department, but I do make great b.l.o.o.d.y Marys."

In the kitchen, McGuire asked Dianne Sanders, "Where's Harold?"

"My husband is shopping. He shops. I cook. Should be back anytime now."

Dianne Sanders had spent most of her working career as a cryptographer and later as a highly respected cryptographic a.n.a.lyst. Harold, her husband, had been a Delta Force special operator until he developed heart disease and had been medically retired.

For a while he had been what he described as a "camp follower," taking care of their house while Dianne stayed on active duty. That hadn't worked, and eventually-h.e.l.l, with both our retirements we can live pretty d.a.m.ned well-Dianne had retired, too.

That hadn't worked either.

They both had been climbing the walls of their garden apartment in Fayetteville, North Carolina, when CWO5 Colin Leverette, aka Uncle Remus, who had been around the block many times with Harold, asked them if they would be interested in running a safe house for Charley Castillo outside Washington. Harold had been around just as many blocks with Castillo as he had with Uncle Remus, and the Sanderses had jumped at the chance to get out of the garden apartment.

Julia Darby made b.l.o.o.d.y Marys and handed them to Tom and Dianne.

"Take a sip of that, and then go back on duty," she said.

He did so, and said, "Okay."

"Ask me how Alex is," Julia said.

"Okay. How's Alex?"

"I hope that miserable sonofab.i.t.c.h and his hot-pants, large-breasted, twenty-year-old Argentine girlfriend freeze together in Ushuaia," she said.

"Where or what is Ushuaia?"

"It's the southernmost city in Argentina, way at the end. Coldest place I've ever been, including the personnel office at Langley."

"You don't expect me to believe that about Alex, do you?"

"I don't care if you believe it or not, but I hope Charles M. Montvale does. I'd love to hear that he's running around down there freezing his his a.s.s looking for Alex." a.s.s looking for Alex."

Tom McGuire grinned.