tc.redrabbit-第87章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


INCEMEAT；　it　had　been　called。　That　concept　had　been　very　elegant　indeed；　as　it　had　involved　making　the　opposition　feel　smart；　and　people　everywhere　loved　to　feel　smart。。。
　　　Especially　the　dumb　ones；　Foley　reminded　himself。　And　the　German　intelligence　services　in　World　War　II　hadn't　been　worth　the　powder　to　blow　them　to　hell。　They　were　so　inept　that　the　Germans　would　have　been　better　advised　to　do　without　them　entirely…Hitler's　astrologer　would　have　been　just　as　good；　and　probably　a　lot　cheaper　in　the　long　run。
　　　But　the　Russians；　on　the　other　hand；　were　pretty　damned　smart…smart　enough　that　you　wanted　to　be　very　careful　playing　head　games　with　them；　but　not　so　smart　that　if　they　found　something　they　expected　to　find；　they　would　toss　it　in　the　trash　can　and　go　looking　for　what　they　didn't　expect。　No；　that　was　just　human　nature；　and　even　the　New　Soviet　Man　they　kept　trying　to　build　was　subject　to　human　nature；　much　as　the　Soviet　government　tried　to　breed　it　out　of　him。
　　　So；　how　would　we　go　about　that？　he　wondered　quietly；　as　on　the　television　a　diesel　truck…tractor　changed　into　a　two…legged　robot；　the　better　to　fight　off　the　forces　of　evil…whoever　they　were。。。
　　　Oh。　Yeah。　It　was　pretty　obvious；　wasn't　it？　You　just　had　to　give　them　what　they　needed　to　see　to　prove　that　the　Rabbit　and　his　little　hutch…mates　were　dead；　to　give　them　what　dead　people　always　left　behind。　That　would　be　a　major　plication；　but　not　so　vast　of　one　as　to　be　impossible　to　arrange。　But　they'd　need　assistance。　That　thought　did　not　make　Ed　Foley　feel　secure。　In　his　line　of　work；　you　trusted　yourself　more　than　you　trusted　anyone　or　anything　else…and　after　that；　maybe；　others　of　your　own　organization；　but　as　few　of　them　as　possible。　After　that；　when　it　became　necessary　to　trust　people　in　some　other　organization；　you　really　gritted　your　teeth。　Okay；　sure；　on　his　pre…mission　brief　at　Langley；　he'd　been　told　that　Nigel　Haydock　could　be　relied　upon　as　a　very　tame…and　very　able…Brit；　and　a　pretty　good　field　spook　working　for　a　closely　allied　service；　and；　okay；　sure；　he　liked　the　look　of　the　guy；　and；　okay；　sure；　they'd　hit　it　off　fairly　well。　But；　God　damn　it；　he　wasn't　Agency。　But　Ritter　had　told　him　that；　in　a　pinch；　Haydock　could　be　relied　upon　for　a　helping　hand；　and　the　Rabbit　himself　had　told　him　that　Brit　ms　hadn't　been　cracked　yet；　and　he　had　to　trust　the　Rabbit　to　be　an　honest　player。　Foley's　life　wasn't　riding　on　that；　but　damned　sure　his　career　was。
　　　Okay；　but　what…no；　how…to　work　this　one。　Nigel　was　the　mercial　Attache　at　the　Brit　Embassy；　right　across　the　river　from　the　Kremlin　itself；　a　station　that　went　back　to　the　czars；　and　one　that　had　supposedly　pissed　Stalin　off　royally；　to　see　the　Union　Jack　every　morning　from　his　office　window。　And　the　Brits　had　helped　recruit；　and　had　later　run　GRU　Colonel　Oleg　Penkovskiy；　the　agent　who'd　prevented　World　War　III　and；　along　the　way；　recruited　CARDINAL；　the　brightest　jewel　in　CIA's　crown。　So　if　he　had　to　trust　anyone；　it　would　have　to　be　Nigel。　Necessity　was　the　mother　of　many　things；　and　if　the　Rabbit　came　to　grief；　well；　they'd　know　that　SIS　was　penetrated。　Again。　He　realized　he'd　have　to　apologize　to　Nigel　just　for　thinking　this　way；　but　this　was　business；　not　personal。
　　　Paranoia；　Eddie；　the　COS　told　himself。　You　can't　suspect　everybody。
　　　The　hell　I　can't！
　　　But；　probably；　he　knew；　Nigel　Haydock　thought　the　same　thing　about　him。　That　was　just　how　the　game　was　played。
　　　And　if　they　got　the　Rabbit　out；　it　was　proof　positive　that　Haydock　was　straight。　No　way　in　hell　that　Ivan　would　let　this　bunny　skip　town　alive。　He　just　knew　too　much。
　　　Did　Zaitzev　have　any　idea　at　all　of　the　danger　he　was　walking　into？　He　trusted　CIA　to　get　him　and　his　family　out　of　Dodge　City　alive。。。
　　　But　with　all　the　information　to　which　he　had　access；　wasn't　he　making　an　informed　judgment？
　　　Jesus；　there　were　enough　interlocking　wheels　in　this　to　make　a　bicycle　factory；　weren't　there？
　　　The　tape　ended；　and　Master　Truck　Robot…or　whatever　the　hell　his　name　was…transformed　himself　back　into　a　truck　and　motored　off　to　the　sound　of　〃Transformers；　more　than　meets　the　eye。。。〃　It　was　sufficient　to　the　moment　that　Eddie　liked　it。　So；　he'd　arranged　some　quality　time　with　his　son　and　some　good　think　time　for　himself…not　a　bad　Sunday　evening　on　the　whole。
　　　〃So；　what's　the　plan；　Arthur？〃　Greer　asked。
　　　〃Good　question；　James；〃　the　DCI　answered。　They　were　watching　TV　in　his　den；　the　Orioles　and　the　White　Sox　playing　in　Baltimore。　Mike　Flanagan　was　pitching；　and　looked　to　be　on　his　way　to　another　Cy　Young　Award；　and　the　rookie　shortstop　the　Orioles　had　just　brought　up　was　playing　particularly　well；　and　looked　to　have　a　big…league　future。　Both　men　were　drinking　beer　and　eating　pretzels；　as　though　they　were　real　people　enjoying　a　Sunday　afternoon　of　America's　pastime。　That　was　partly　true。
　　　〃Basil　will　help。　We　can　trust　him；〃　Admiral　Greer　opined。
　　　〃Agreed。　Whatever　problems　he　had　are　a　thing　of　the　past；　and　he'll　partmentalize　it　as　tight　as　the　Queen's　jewel　box。　But　we'll　want　one　of　our　people　involved　at　his　end。〃
　　　〃Who；　do　you　suppose？〃
　　　〃Not　the　COS　London。　Everybody　knows　who　he　is；　even　the　cabdrivers。〃　There　was　no　disputing　that。　The　London　Station　Chief　had　been　in　the　spook　business　for　a　very　long　time；　and　was　more　an　administrator　now　than　an　active　field　officer。　The　same　could　be　said　of　most　of　his　people；　for　whom　London　was　a　sinecure　job；　and　mainly　a　sunset　posting　for　people　looking　forward　to　retirement。　They　were　good　men　all；　of　course；　just　ready　to　hang　up　the　spikes。　〃Whoever　it　is；　he'll　have　to　go　to　Budapest；　and　he'll　have　to　be　invisible。〃
　　　〃So；　somebody　they　don't　know。〃
　　　〃Yep。〃　Moore　nodded　as　he　took　a　bite　of　his　sandwich　and　reached　for　some　chips。　〃He　won't　have　to　do　very　much；　just　let　the　Brits　know　he's　there。　Keep　'em　honest；　like。〃
　　　〃Basil's　going　to　want　to　interview　this　guy。〃
　　　〃No　avoiding　that；〃　Moore　agreed。　〃And　he's　entitled　to　dip　his　beak；　too。〃　That　was　a　line　he　had　picked　up　as　a　judge　on　a　rare　organized…crime　appeals　case。　He　and　his　fellow　jurists　in　Austin；　Texas；　had　laughed　about　it　for　weeks；　after　rejecting　the　appeal；　5…0。
　　　〃We'll　want　one　of　our　people　in　for　that；　too。〃
　　　〃Bet　your　bippy；　James；〃　Moore　agreed　again。
　　　〃And　better　that　our　guy　is　based　over　there。　Timing　might　get　a　little　tough。〃
　　　〃You　bet。〃
　　　〃How　about　Ryan？〃　Greer　asked。　〃He's　way　the　hell　under　the　radar。　Nobody　knows　who　he　is…he's　one　of　mine；　right？　He　doesn't　even　look　like　a　field　officer。〃
　　　〃His　face　has　been　in　the　papers；〃　Moore　objected。
　　　〃You　think　KGB　reads　the　society　page？　At　most　they　might　have　noticed　him　as　a　rich　wannabe　writer；　and　if　he　has　a　file；　it's　in　some　sub…basement　at　The　Centre。　That　ought　not　to　be　a　problem。〃
　　　〃You　think　so？〃　Moore　wondered。　For　sure；　this　would　give　Bob　Ritter　a　bellyache。　But　that　wasn't　entirely　a　bad　thing。　Bob　had　visions　of　taking　over　all　CIA　operations；　and；　good　man　that　he　was；　he　would　never　be　DCI；　for　any　number　of　reasons；　not　the　least　of　which　was　that　Congress　didn't　much　like　spooks　with　Napoleonic　plexes。　〃Is　he　up　to　it？〃
　　　〃The　boy's　an　ex…Marine　and　he　knows　how　to　think　on　his　feet；　remember？〃
　　　〃He　has　paid　his　dues；　James。　He　doesn't　take　a　leak　sitting　down；〃　the　DCI　conceded。
　　　〃And　all　he　has　to　do　is　keep　an　eye　on　our　friends；　not　play　spook　on　enemy　soil。〃
　　　〃Bob　will　have　a　conniption　fit。〃
　　　〃It　won't　hurt　our　purposes　to　keep　Bob　in　his　place；　Arthur。〃　Especially；　he　didn't　add；　if　this　works　out。　And　work　out　it　should。　Once　out　of　Moscow；　it　ought　to　be　a　fairly　routine　operation。　Tense；　of　course；　but　routine。
　　　〃What　if　he　screws　things　up？〃
　　　〃Arthur；　Jimmy　Szell　dropped　the　ball　in　Budapest；　and　he's　an　experienced　field　officer。　I　know；　probably　not　even　his　fault；　probably　just　bad　luck；　but　it　proves　the　point。　A　lot　of　this　racket　is　just　luck。　The　Brits　will　be　doing　all　the　real　work；　and　I'm　sure　Basil　will　pick　a　good　team。〃
　　　Moore　weighed　the　thought　quietly。　Ryan　was　very　new　at　CIA；　but　he　was　a　rising　star。　What　helped　was　his　adventure；　not　yet　a　year　old；　where　twice　he'd　faced　loaded　guns　and　gotten　it　done　anyway。　One　nice　t