The Cup

CHAPTER 25

Elizabeth and DCI Clarence Hood were eating dinner in a private room on the second floor of an exclusive restaurant in Georgetown, not far from Elizabeth's brownstone. The room was decorated with Victorian furniture and textured, flowered wallpaper. The lighting was subdued and warm, mimicking the oil lamp wall sconces of the nineteenth century.

The restaurant was noted for discretion and privacy and boasted of security measures to protect against unauthorized eavesdropping. Even so, Hood had placed a small black box on the table, a product of CIA technology that made it impossible for unwelcome ears to listen in on their conversation.

"A little more wine, Elizabeth?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

"Dessert? They do an excellent crème brûlée here."

"I'll settle for a cup of coffee."

"Cognac?"

"Why not?".

A nineteenth century oil painting of George Washington hung on the wall by their table. Beneath it was a button set in a polished brass fitting. Hood pressed it and summoned the waiter. He ordered coffee and drinks for both of them.

"That was wonderful, Clarence, thank you."

"These dinners are fun, aren't they?" Hood said. "I'd almost forgotten what a good meal and pleasant conversation can do to restore a little balance in one's life."

"So had I."

The waiter reappeared with a cart bearing the coffee service, snifters and a bottle of Louis XIII cognac. He poured the coffee and drinks, placed a silver plated coffeepot and the bottle of cognac on the table, and left the room.

Hood added cream to his coffee.

"Do you mind if we talk about work for a bit?"

Elizabeth laughed. "No, not at all. You've been itching to talk to me about something all night."

"Am I that transparent?"

"Perhaps not to others. You're less guarded around me. I take it as a compliment."

"I find it easy to relax around you. And it helps that we both have the same security clearance."

"Why Clarence, how romantic of you. "

"I didn't mean… "

"I'm just teasing. What is it you want to talk about?"

"We've picked up a rumor about ISIS."

"There are always plenty of those."

"This one is different. They may have obtained a nuclear device."

The words vibrated in her body. "A bomb?"

"A nuclear warhead, an old one, but with enough material to make a low yield bomb."

"When you say low yield, what do you mean?"

"One or two kilotons. Enough to do a lot of damage. Especially if it were set off in a major city."

"How reliable is this rumor?"

"Very reliable. That's the problem. This particular source has always been accurate in the past. He's embedded in Raqqa and close enough to ISIS leadership to pick up things. They're close guarded but they lack discipline in some areas. People talk about things they've seen. They speculate. And speculation now is that Allah is soon going to strike the enemy with the fire of heaven."

"How poetic," Elizabeth said. "It could just be religious wishful thinking."

"It could, except we know that a black market Russian warhead was being shopped around in Turkey. We lost track of it. It could have ended up in Syria and Raqqa is right on the Euphrates. It would be simple enough to bring it down the river once you got across the border."

"If it's true, we have to find and destroy it." Elizabeth picked up her cognac. "I think I need this."

"We have an idea where it is," Hood said. "I need to confirm it before anything can be done. You're right, of course, we have to destroy it. But this is the kind of mission that can get complicated if it goes through the Pentagon."

Elizabeth poured more cognac in her glass. "I can see where you're going with this."

"What's the status of your team? I know about what happened in Sweden."

"They're in Greece, following up on that fourth century tile."

"Do you think the Grail exists?"

"Unless they find something to tell us where it is, I don't see how we'll ever know."

"Judging from what happened in Sweden, ISIS is taking the possibility seriously. Things are bad enough in the Middle East without having something like that turn up. All we need is more fuel on the religious fire. Hell, finding the Grail could start a new crusade, twenty-first century style."

"It would be bad news if they got their hands on it," Elizabeth said.

Hood drained his glass. "Then let's hope your team can put this to rest, one way or another."

"What about that warhead?"

"I need more information before we can pinpoint the location with accuracy. When I have that, I'd like you to consider using your team to go after it. You're the best choice if we want to keep everything out of the press. The media gets wind of it, we'll be accused of making up an excuse to start a new war."

"Echoes of Iraq," Elizabeth said.

"Yes."

Elizabeth looked at her watch. "I hate to end this, Clarence, but it's a long day tomorrow."

"Would you like to get together this weekend? I have a cottage on Chesapeake Bay and there aren't many people around at this time of year. The view is wonderful and we'll have privacy. What do you say?"

Elizabeth smiled at him. "I'll think about it."