Walk the Wire

Chapter 33

The room was dark. Any illumination appeared to be coming from a lamp in another area. A man sat in a comfortable upholstered chair. He was dressed in a suit, crisp white shirt, and a tie. His winged loafers were polished. His hair was salt and pepper. His face was creased with decades’ worth of worry, all honestly earned while serving on behalf of his country. His demeanor was calm; he was used to projecting such a façade in times of extreme peril.

This was one of those times.

His code name was Blue Man, which denoted the sky-high ring of seniority of which he was a member in America’s intelligence apparatus.

Will Robie sat opposite him.

“Amos Decker has the information?” asked Blue Man.

“He does. Plus the photos.”

“Good fortune shone on you last night, Robie.”

“It didn’t feel like it at the time. How’s Jess?”

“Busy” was all that Blue Man would say on that. “Now, I take it from your overall demeanor that you wonder why we are not performing a full frontal assault on this particular problem?”

“I do what I’m tasked to do,” said Robie evenly.

“But still.”

“Yes,” said Robie. “But still.”

Blue Man held up one of his hands. “Unfortunately, we have one of these tied behind our back, Robie. Very tightly, in fact.”

“Is that so?”

“Powerful interests are arrayed all over this situation. The problem is, while they are arrayed, they are not aligned with our interests.”

“Money?”

“And power. Now if we knew for sure, with demonstrable proof, what is going on, it would be different. Without that, I can’t even get a meeting. I can’t even get an email returned. People would rather ignore a potential problem in the hope that it will go away.”

“And when it doesn’t?”

Blue Man looked dubiously at him. “You’ve been in this game long enough to know that when it doesn’t, those who ducked their responsibilities will point fingers at others. That apparently qualifies as leadership in certain places.”

“Don’t you get tired of this shit, sir?”

“I became tired of it my first day on the job.” Blue Man leaned forward. “But if all of us who hate the status quo were to leave, then the status quo would not only remain, it would become intractable.”

“Meaning evil only wins—”

“—when good men and women do nothing. I choose to do something.”

“So what now?” asked Robie.

“Do you think he can find Ben Purdy?”

“If anyone can, I think Decker can.”

“I have a good friend at the Bureau. He speaks very highly of Decker. In fact, he told me Decker is the best pure investigator that the FBI has. He also said that Decker has some quirks.”

Robie nodded. “I read the file. The man’s entitled to some quirks after what happened to him.”

“Agreed.”

“Vector?” said Robie.

“A recently created company but already embedded throughout the DoD’s operations with a cavalry of powerful political allies whom they have bought and paid for.”

“But there’s something going on out there that doesn’t jibe with their mission.”

“For various reasons, I have been concerned with the Douglas S. George Defense Complex ever since Vector was given the contract to take over operations.”

“But with an Air Force colonel, Mark Sumter, in charge.”

Blue Man waved this off. “He’s a titular placeholder. A career soldier who, unfortunately, will follow any order he’s given without gauging the moral or legal virtue of it.”

“Which may be one of the reasons why he got the assignment.”

“I think it’s the only reason he got the assignment.”

“Radar array. Eye in the sky,” said Robie.

“Officially, yes.”

“Unofficially?”

Blue Man settled more deeply in his seat. “The walls of secrecy have always existed within the American IC,” he said, referring to the intelligence community. “But I have never seen it so compartmentalized. Secrets are being kept everywhere. DOJ, DHS, DoD, and all their related platforms. Members of both parties in Congress have made inquiries and met a stone wall in response.”

“Meaning something might be going on there other than what we think is?”

Blue Man said, “It actually might be fortunate that Irene Cramer turned up dead here.”

“Not so fortunate for her.”

“I’m only talking about the bigger, strategic picture. Her murder has engaged the official machinery of the FBI. They might be able to make some headway where we could not. You know that we have no authority to operate domestically.”

“They already tried to kill Decker.”

“Which is why you were sent out, to prevent that from happening. And you did.”

“The body was disposed of?” inquired Robie.

“Yes. He was a gun for hire with no possible route back to who hired him.”

“Any guesses?”

“We can’t guess, Robie. We don’t have time for it.”

Robie cocked his head. “And why were the FBI called in? It has to do with Cramer. Decker asked me about her. I had nothing to tell him.”

“And I have nothing to tell you on that subject. Perhaps at a later time.”

Robie took this in stride. He was used to not having the full story on any op for which he was called in. “Okay. But she must have been important to us.”

“She may be more important to us in death than she was in life. But I for one believe that every death such as she suffered must lead to justice, and punishment.”

Blue Man gave him a curt nod, and Robie rose to go back to work.

“Look out for Decker and his partner with the greatest care, Robie.”

Will Robie didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.