tc.redrabbit-第145章

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　　　〃Fair　enough；〃　Jack　agreed。
　　　〃So；　where　is　Ryan？〃　the　Rabbit　asked。
　　　〃Rome；〃　Alan　Kingshot　answered。　〃He's　looking　into　what　you　told　us。〃　All　of　this　day　had　been　occupied　with　uncovering　what　he　knew　of　KGB　operations　in　the　UK。　It　turned　out　to　be　quite　a　lot；　enough　that　the　three…man　Security　Service　team　had　positively　drooled　as　they　took　their　notes。　Ryan　had　been　wrong；　Kingshot　thought　over　dinner。　This　fellow　wasn't　a　gold　mine。　No；　he　was　Kimberly；　and　the　diamonds　just　spilled　out　from　his　mouth。　Zaitzev　was　relaxing　a　little　more；　enjoying　his　status。　As　well　he　might；　Alan　thought。　Like　the　man　who'd　invented　the　puter　chip；　this　Rabbit　was　set　for　life；　all　the　carrots　he　could　eat；　and　men　with　guns　would　protect　his　hole　in　the　ground　against　all　bears。
　　　The　Bunny；　as　he　thought　of　her；　had　discovered　Western　cartoons　today。　She　especially　liked　〃Roadrunner；〃　immediately　noting　the　similarity　to　the　Russian　〃Hey；　Wait　a　Minute；〃　and　laughing　through　every　one　of　them。
　　　Irina；　on　the　other　hand；　was　rediscovering　her　love　for　the　piano；　playing　the　big　Bosendorfer　in　the　home's　music　room；　making　mistakes　but　learning　from　them；　and　starting　to　recover　her　former　skills；　to　the　admiring　looks　of　Mrs。　Thompson；　who'd　never　learned　to　play　herself；　but　who'd　found　reams　of　sheet　music　in　the　house　for　Mrs。　Zaitzev　to　try　her　hand　at。
　　　This　family；　Kingshot　thought；　will　do　well　in　the　West。　The　child　was　a　child。　The　father　had　tons　of　good　information。　The　mother　would　breathe　free　and　play　her　music　to　her　heart's　content。　They　would　wear　their　newfound　freedom　like　a　loose　and　fortable　garment。　They　were；　to　use　the　Russian　word；　kulturniy；　or　cultured　people；　fit　representatives　of　the　rich　culture　which　had　long　predated　munism。　Good　to　know　that　not　all　defectors　were　alcoholic　ruffians。
　　　〃Like　a　canary　on　amphetamines；　Basil　says；〃　Moore　told　his　senior　people　in　the　den　of　his　home。　〃He　says　this　guy　will　give　us　more　information　than　we　can　easily　use。〃
　　　〃Oh；　yeah？　Try　us；〃　Ritter　thought　out　loud。
　　　〃Indeed；　Bob。　When　do　we　get　him　over　here？〃　Admiral　Greer　asked。
　　　〃Basil　asked　for　two　more　days　to　get　him　over。　Say；　Thursday　afternoon。　I'm　having　the　Air　Force　send　a　VC…137　over。　Might　as　well　do　it　first　class；〃　the　Judge　observed　generously。　It　wasn't　his　money；　after　all。　〃Basil's　alerted　his　people　in　Rome；　by　the　way；　just　in　case　KGB　is　running　fast　on　their　operation　to　whack　the　Pope。〃
　　　〃They're　not　that　efficient；〃　Ritter　said　with　some　confidence。
　　　〃I'd　be　careful　about　that；　Bob；〃　the　DDI　thought　out　loud。　〃Yuriy　Vladimirovich　isn't　noted　for　his　patience。〃　Greer　was　not　the　first　man　to　make　that　observation。
　　　〃I　know；　but　their　system　grinds　slower　than　ours。〃
　　　〃What　about　the　Bulgarians？〃　Moore　asked。　〃They　think　the　shooter　is　a　guy　named　Strokov；　Boris　Strokov。　He's　probably　the　guy　who　killed　Georgiy　Markov　on　Westminster　Bridge。　Experienced　assassin；　Basil　thinks。〃
　　　〃It　figures　they'd　use　the　Bulgars；〃　Ritter　observed。　〃They're　the　Eastern　Bloc's　Murder　Incorporated；　but　they're　still　munists；　and　they're　chess　players；　not　high…noon　types。　But　we　still　haven't　figured　out　how　to　warn　the　Vatican。　Can　we　talk　to　the　Nuncio　about　this？〃
　　　They'd　all　had　a　little　time　to　think　through　that　question；　and　now　it　was　time　to　face　it　again。　The　Papal　Nuncio　was　the　Vatican's　ambassador　to　the　United　States；　Giovanni　Cardinal　Sabatino。　Sabatino　was　a　longtime　member　of　the　Pope's　own　diplomatic　service　and　was　well　regarded　by　the　State　Department's　career　foreign…service　officers；　both　for　his　sagacity　and　his　discretion。
　　　〃Can　we　do　it　in　such　a　way　as　not　to　promise　the　source？〃　Greer　wondered。
　　　〃We　can　say　some　Bulgarian　talked　too　much…〃
　　　〃Pick　that　fictional　source　carefully；　Judge；〃　Ritter　warned。　〃Remember；　the　DS　has　that　special　subunit。　It　reports　directly　to　their　Politburo；　and　they　don't　write　much　down；　according　to　what　sources　we　have　over　there。　Kinda　like　the　mie　version　of　Albert　Anastasia。　This　Strokov　guy　is　one　of　them；　or　so　we　have　heard。〃
　　　〃We　could　say　their　party　chairman　talked　to　a　mistress。　He　has　a　few；〃　Greer　suggested。　The　Director　of　Intelligence　had　all　manner　of　information　on　the　intimate　habits　of　world　leaders；　and　the　Bulgarian　party　boss　was　a　man　of　the　people　in　the　most　immediate　of　senses。　Of　course；　if　this　ever　leaked；　life　might　get　difficult　for　the　women　in　question；　but　adultery　had　its　price；　and　the　Bulgarian　chairman　was　such　a　copious　drinker　that　he　might　not　remember　to　whom　he'd　（never）　said　what　would　be　attributed　to　him。　That　might　serve　to　salve　their　consciences　a　little。　〃Sounds　plausible；〃　Ritter　opined。　〃When　could　we　see　the　Nuncio？〃　Moore　asked。　〃Middle　of　the　week；　maybe？〃　Ritter　suggested　again。　They　all　had　a　full　week　before　them。　The　Judge　would　be　on　The　Hill　doing　budget　business　until　Wednesday　morning。
　　　〃Where？〃　They　couldn't　bring　him　here；　after　all。　The　churchman　wouldn't　e。　Too　much　potential　unpleasantness　if　anyone　noticed。　And　Judge　Moore　couldn't　go　to　the　Nuncio。　His　face；　also；　was　too　well　known　by　the　Washington　establishment。
　　　〃Foggy　Bottom；〃　Greer　thought　out　loud。　Moore　went　to　see　the　Secretary　of　State　often　enough；　and　the　Nuncio　wasn't　exactly　a　stranger　there。
　　　〃That'll　work；〃　the　DCI　decided。　〃Let's　get　it　set　up。〃　Moore　stretched。　He　hated　having　to　do　work　on　a　Sunday。　Even　a　judge　of　the　appeals　court　got　weekends　off。
　　　〃There's　still　the　issue　of　what　they　can　actually　do　with　the　information；〃　Ritter　warned　them。　〃What　is　Basil　doing？〃
　　　〃He's　got　his　Rome　Station　rooting　around；　only　five　of　them；　but　he's　going　to　send　some　more　troops　from　London　tomorrow　just　in　case　they　try　to　make　their　hit　on　Wednesday…that's　when　His　Holiness　appears　in　public。　I　gather　he　has　a　pretty　busy　work　schedule；　too。〃
　　　〃Shame　he　can't　call　off　the　ride　around　the　plaza；　but　I　guess　he　wouldn't　listen　if　anybody　asked。〃
　　　〃Not　hardly；〃　Moore　agreed。　He　didn't　bring　up　the　word　from　Sir　Basil　that　Ryan　had　been　dispatched　to　Rome。　Ritter　would　just　throw　another　conniption　fit；　and　Moore　wasn't　up　to　that　on　a　Sunday。
　　　Ryan　arose　early；　as　usual；　had　his　breakfast；　and　caught　a　taxi　to　St。　Peter's。　It　was　good　to　walk　around　the　square…which　was　almost　entirely　round；　of　course…just　to　stretch　his　legs。　It　seemed　odd　that　here；　inside　the　capital　of　the　Italian　Republic；　was　a　titularly　sovereign　state　whose　official　language　was　Latin。　He　wondered　if　the　Caesars　would　have　liked　that　or　not；　the　last　home　of　their　language　also　being　the　home　of　the　agency　that　had　brought　down　their　world…spanning　empire；　but　he　couldn't　go　to　the　Forum　to　ask　whatever　ghosts　lived　there。
　　　The　church　manded　his　attention。　There　were　no　words　for　something　that　large。　The　funds　to　build　it　had　necessitated　the　indulgence　selling　that　had　sparked　Martin　Luther　to　post　his　protest　on　the　cathedral　door　and　so　start　the　Reformation；　something　the　nuns　at　St。　Matthew's　had　not　approved　of；　but　for　which　the　Jesuits　of　his　later　life　had　taken　rather　a　broader　view。　The　Society　of　Jesus　also　owed　its　existence　to　the　Reformation…they'd　been　founded　to　fight　against　it。
　　　That　didn't　much　matter　at　the　moment。　The　basilica　beggared　description；　and　it　seemed　a　fit　headquarters　for　the　Roman　Catholic　Church。　He　walked　in　and　saw　that；　if　anything；　the　interior　seemed　even　more　vast　than　the　outside。　You　could　play　a　football　game　in　there。　A　good　hundred　yards　away　was　the　main　altar；　reserved　for　use　by　the　Pope　himself；　under　which　was　the　crypt　where　former　popes　were　buried；　including；　tradition　had　it；　Simon　Peter　himself。　〃Thou　art　Peter；〃　Jesus　was　quoted　in　the　Gospel；　〃and　upon　this　rock　I　shall　build　my　church。〃　Well；　with　the　help　of　some　architects　and　what　must　have　been　an　army　of　workers；　they'd　certainly　built　a　church　here。　Jack　felt　drawn　into　it　as　though　it　were　God's　own　personal　house。　The　cathedral　in　Baltimore　would　scarcely　have　been　an　alcove　here。　Looking　around；　he　saw　the　tourists；　also　staring　at　the　ceiling　with　open　mouths。　How　had　they　built　this　place　without　structural　steel？　Jack　wondered。　It　was　all　stone　resting　on