"You can count on it."

Eight thousand miles away, on Jerusalems Ben Yehuda Street, a heavyset, barrel-chested man in his early seventies sat hunched over his desk, studying the contents of a file folder. His face was like leather, the creases deep, the eyes small and hostile. His constantly swept private telephone rang; if the caller was a member of his family, he would cut him off quickly, for that line had to stay clear, it had to.

"Yes?" said the old Israeli curtly.

"Shalom, Mustang," said the voice on the other end.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n you, Stallion, what took you so long?"

"Are we secure?"

"Dont start the foolish questions. Talk."

"The messengers have been rerouted-"

"For Christs sake, youre not in a wired bunker, speak English!"

"The couples limousine was shot to pieces, then blown up-"

"Doc.u.ments?" asked the Israeli sharply. "Instructions, identifications?"

"Nothing could have survived the explosions, and even if anything did, it would take the forensic laboratories days to piece it together. Itd be too late."

"Ah-hah! You have something else to tell me?"

"Word from our person at the Agency is that it will happen tonight. London intercepted the call."

"My G.o.d, then the White House will be alerted!"

"No, they wont. Our person short-circuited the in-channel information, and nothing goes outside that channel. As far as anyone here in Washington is concerned, the MI-6 operation never took place, or was aborted. Tonight is just another night."

"Bravo, Stallion! Everything we wanted, no?"

"Thanks to you, Mustang."

"A terror will spread across the world like a gargantuan brushfire! And if London and Paris are successful-may G.o.d in His wisdom permit it-the fires will become a global conflagration, and we, the soldiers, will again be supreme."

"I said as much a short while ago. But it could not happen without your call to me, old friend."

"Friend?" the Israeli broke in. "No, we are not friends, General; youre as big an anti-Semite as Ive ever known. We simply need each other, you for your reasons, me for mine. You want your ma.s.sive toys back, and I want Israel to maintain its strength, which we cannot do without Americas largess. When this is over and we trace the horrors to the Arabs in the Baaka, your administration and your Congress will open their coffers to us-for those who would destroy us have done this terrible thing to you, this horrible, demeaning thing!"

"We see alike, Mustang, and youll never know how grateful I am that you did call me."

"Do you know why?"

"I think you just explained it."

"No, no, not that why, the how before the why?"

"I dont understand you."

"That compromising intellectual Abrams, Colonel Abrams of the almighty Mossad, confided in me. Can you imagine, that so-called organizational genius thinks Im on his side, that I want peace with the filthy Arab savages, simply because I was the greatest fighter in our countrys history, who now gives lip service to the government idiots so as to keep my position and stay in the public eye.... He said to me, he said-and I swear on the Torah-'The leaks are too deep, too copious, I can no longer trust our channels.... So I said, 'Who can you trust? and he said, 'Only Palisser. When I was the military charge daffaires at the emba.s.sy, we spoke frequently, and I spent a weekend at his house on the seash.o.r.e. We see alike.... Then I told him, 'Send couriers, two, not one, in case there is trouble, but only to see him. Make them engineers-everybodys an engineer-and I have projects in the Negev, Ill back you up.... Like a hungry puppy, he yapped how marvelous it was, how creative I was. I was. Now his Senator Nesbitt from the state of Michigan is a nonissue!"

"Then you called me," said the voice quietly.

"Yes, I called you," agreed the heavyset old man. "We met twice, my friend, and I saw a man filled with hate, with a hatred that matched my own for not dissimilar reasons. It was an intuitive risk that I felt was worth taking. I spelled out the facts but drew no conclusions, you did that by yourself."

"Your intuition was right."

"Outstanding soldiers, especially battle-tested leaders, have a way of seeing into each others souls, dont we?"

"Youre wrong about one thing. Im not an anti-Semite."

"Certainly you are, and so am I! I want fighters first and Jews second, just as you want fighters first and gentiles second! The temples and the churches are too often impediments."

"Come to think about it, youre right."

"What will you do-tonight over there?"

"Stay close to, or perhaps even in the White House. After all, Ill have to take charge very quickly, very firmly."

"Is that where its going to happen?"

"Where else?... I doubt that well talk again."

"I should think not. Have a good day, Stallion."

"Shalom, Mustang." General Meyers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hung up the phone.

35.

2:38 P.M.

Angel Capell walked through gate seventeen of National Airport, pa.s.sengers and paparazzi crowding her, shouting questions. She spotted the barone-cadetto and his aunt; they were taken by an airline official into a private office.

"Im so sorry, Paolo! All this nonsense must make you very uncomfortable."

"Everyone loves you! How can that make me uncomfortable?"

"It does me. My only consolation is that a month after the series is over, Ill be a has-been and Ill hear things like 'Didnt she used to be Angel Capell? "

"Never!"

Bajaratt interrupted, giving Angel the sealed doc.u.ment envelope. "Dante Paolos father does not want him to see the instructions until tomorrow."

"Why not?"

"I cannot say, for I dont know, Angelina. My brother has his brilliant ways and I do not question them. All I know is that I have business elsewhere, and Dante Paolo tells me he wishes to go to New York tomorrow morning to see you and your family."

"If you will permit it, Angel," said Nicolo questioningly, his eyebrows together in fear.

"Permit it? Holy moly, thats terrific! I got my folks a place on a lake in Connecticut. We can all go up there for the weekend, and Ill show you an actress who can cook, n.o.ble guy!"

The airline official who had escorted them into the room suddenly opened the door. "Miss Capell, weve been in touch with your studio and they agree. We have a private jet that will fly you to New York; it will be much simpler and you wont be bothered."

"It doesnt bother me being bothered. Those people are my audience, mister."

"Well, they also keep leaving their seats and fill up the aisles while in flight."

"Oh, I see. Then youre the ones who are bothered."

"Safety is the issue, Miss Capell."

"Oh! Well, I cant fault you there, sir."

"Thank you so much. If you dont mind, wed like to depart right away. Gate seventeen is a mess."

Angel turned to Nicolo. "Hey, n.o.ble guy, you can kiss me good-bye if you want to. Therere no photographers here, or my father."

"Thank you, Angel." They embraced, kissed sweetly, and the young television star left the room with the airline official, carrying twenty-four thousand dollars in a thick brown envelope.

3:42 P.M.

"Have you got him?" asked Hawthorne over the phone. "Its been d.a.m.ned near three hours and we havent heard a word from you! Thats s.h.i.t-kicking unfair!"

"And I havent heard from the two Israelis who are bringing me crucial information, and thats even more unfair, Commander," said Secretary of State Palisser, doing his best to control his anger.

"What about Meyers?"

"Hes under close surveillance, thats all the President would agree to until theres more substantive evidence. He made it abundantly clear that it would be a very unpopular move for his administration to arrest a hero of Meyerss stature. He suggested that we go to the Senate with your information and let it take the heat."

"Hes all b.a.l.l.s, isnt he?"

"He vacillates, Ill go that far."

"Well, where is Meyers?"

"Currently in his office, doing whatever he does."

"Is his telephone tapped?"

"Hed know it instantly. Dont even think about it."

"Anything from the CIA?"

"Not a thing. I spoke with the interim director himself and hes heard nothing. Obviously London was a bust, otherwise MI-6 and our own unit would light up all the panels. Also, there appear to be so many leaks over there that I dont dare make further inquiries even through our supposedly secure channels."

"Theres an old adage, Mr. Secretary. When an exercise fails, let it die fast and silently; and if anyone mentions it, you dont know what the h.e.l.l hes talking about."

"What should we do now, Hawthorne? Or, more precisely, what can you do?"

"Something Id rather not but d.a.m.n well should. Im going over to see Phyllis Stevens."

"You think she might know something, be able to tell you something?"

"She could and not even know it herself. She was always overly protective where Henry was concerned. She was the concrete wall around him, n.o.body got past her. Its an area we havent explored."

"The police have kept everything quiet, but they havent a clue-"

"The people were dealing with dont leave clues," Tyrell interrupted. "At least not the kind the police would find. What happened to Henry Stevens had something to do with me."

"Youre certain of that?"

"No, not really, but the odds are fair."

"Why?"

"Because Hank made a mistake, the same mistake he made in Amsterdam. Despite his normal professional reticence, he talked too much when he shouldnt have. He did just that in Amsterdam."

"Would you explain, please?"

"At this point, why not? Your director, Gillette, knew there was bad blood between us; he told me himself. Infinitely more dangerous, he knew the root cause of the problem, which was intensely personal. Bad move on Henrys part."

"I fail to see the significance. As I recall, you made no secret of your hostility where Captain Stevens was concerned. It was common knowledge that he failed to recruit you; that was left to the British."

"Hostility, yes, but I never elaborated on it to you or anyone else. I simply made it clear that he wasnt my superior."

"I think youre splitting hairs."