scoonts.theminotaur-第108章

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scow　headquarters　of　the　GRU；　which　is　Soviet　military　intelligence。　His　errand　doesn't　really　matter。　During　his　two　or　three　hours　there　he　was　taken　into　the　office　of　a　general　who　was　not　expecting　pany。　On　the　desk　was　a　sheet　of　paper　with　four　names。　The　colonel　read　the　names　upside　down　before　the　general　covered　the　paper　with　a　handy　file。〃
　The　water　began　to　rumble。　Caplinger　checked　the　pot　as　he　continued。　〃Under　hypnosis　the　defector　could　remember　three　of　the　four　names。　We　recognized　one　of　them。　V。　Y。　Tsybov。〃
　The　coffeepot　began　to　whistle。　As　he　reached　for　it　Caplinger　said；　〃Vladimir　Yakovich　Tsybov　was　the　real　name　of　Luis　Camacho。〃
　He　poured　the　hot　water　into　the　drip　cone　and　watched　the　black　fluid　run　out　the　bottom。　〃Luis　Camacho　was　a　Soviet　mole；　a　deep　illegal　sent　to　this　country　when　he　was　twenty　years　old。　He　was　half　Russian　and　half　Armenian；　and　with　his　olive　skin　and　facial　characteristics；　he　seemed　a　natural　to　play　the　rote　of　a　Mexican…American。　He　knew　just　a　smattering　of　Spanish；　but　what　the　hey。　His　forefathers；　so　said　his　bio；　had　been　in　this　country　since　Texas　became　a　state。
　〃Tsybov；　now　Camacho；　attended　a　university　in　Texas　and　graduated　with　honors。　He　obtained　a　law　degree　at　night　while　he　worked　days。　The　FBI　recruited　him。
　〃It's　funny〃…Caplinger　shook　his　head…〃that　J。　Edgar　Hoover's　lily…white　FBI　needed　a　smart　Mexican…American。　But　at　the　time　Hoover　was　casting　suspicious　eyes　on　the　farm…labor　movement　in　California；　which　was　just　being　organized；　and　needed　some　Chicanes　to　use　as　undercover　agents。　So　Luis　Camacho　was　investigated　and　approved　and　recruited。〃
　Caplinger　laughed。　〃Hoover；　the　paranoid　anti…munist；　recruited　a　deep　Soviet　plant！　Oh；　they　tried　to　check　Camacho's　past；　and　the　reports　to　Washington　certainly　looked　thorough。　But　the　agents　in　the　field…all　good；　white　Anglo　Protestants　with　dark　suits　and　short　haircuts…couldn't　get　much　cooperation　from　the　Chicano　population　of　Dallas　and　San　Antonio。　So　rather　than　admit　failure　to　the　Great　One；　they　sort　of　filled　in　the　gaps　and　sent　the　usual　reports　to　Washington。　And　the　FBI　got　themselves　a　new　agent。
　〃How　do　you　like　your　coffee？〃
　Royce　Caplinger　got　milk　from　the　refrigerator　and　let　Toad　add　some　to　his　coffee。　They　carried　their　cups　back　to　the　study。
　〃Where　was　I？〃
　〃Camacho　was　a　deep　plant。〃
　〃Yes。　Anyway；　being　smart　and　petent；　he　rose　as　far　as　the　racial　politics　of　the　FBI　would　allow；　which　really　wasn't　very　far。　Still；　amazingly　enough；　Luis　Camacho　liked　America。　But　that　is　another　story。〃　Caplinger　set　his　coffee　beside　him。　〃Maybe　I　should　fill　it　in；　though。　Luis　was　a　very　special　human　being。　Luis…〃
　〃There　were　three　other　names　on　the　list；〃　Toad　said　irritably。　His　whole　manner　told　what　he　thought　of　Caplinger's　tale。
　〃Ah　yes；〃　Caplinger　said；　looking　at　the　lieutenant　thoughtfully。　〃Three　more　names；　two　of　which　the　defector　could　remember；　one　which　he　could　not。　The　problem　was　we　didn't　know　who　any　of　the　other　three　were。　Tsybov　was　Camacho；　whom　the　Soviets　thought　was　still　a　plant　under　deep　cover；　a　sleeper；　available　for　use　if　the　need　arose。　They　didn't　know　that　Camacho　had　revealed　himself　to　us　voluntarily　almost　ten　years　before。〃
　Caplinger　looked　from　face　to　face。　〃You　see　the　problem。　The　Soviets　had　three　more　agents　in　America　planted　deep。　And　we　didn't　know　who　they　were！
　〃Naturally　the　intelligence　coordinating　mittee　took　this　matter　up。　What　could　be　done？〃
　〃So　you　became　the　Minotaur。〃　Jake　Grafton　made　it　a　statement；　not　a　question。
　〃We　needed　bait；　good　bait。　We　wanted　those　three　deep　agents。　Or　two　or　one。　Whatever　we　could　get。　Someone　had　to　bee　the　Minotaur；　so　the　President　chose　me。〃
　〃The　President？〃　Toad　said；　incredulously。
　〃Of　course。　Who　better　to　choose　what　military　secrets　the　Soviets　would　find　interesting？　Who　better　to　reveal　the　aces？〃　Caplinger　sipped　his　coffee。
　〃So　you。。。〃　Jake　began。　〃You　wrote　the　letters　and　mailed　them？〃
　〃Yes。　The　National　Security　Agency　gave　me　the　puter　codes　I　needed　and　helped　with　the　encryptions。　But　I　had　to　sit　down　and　write　each　letter。　The　human　touch；　you　see。　Each　letter　would　reveal　something　of　the　man　who　wrote　it；　so　they　all　had　to　be　written　by　one　man。
　〃Much　to　our　dismay；　the　instrument　the　Soviets　chose　to　exploit　the　gifts　of　the　Minotaur　was　a　traitor…for…hire　who　had　already　approached　their　embassy　a　year　or　so　before。　Terry　Franklin。　What　Terry　Franklin　didn't　know　was　that　the　National　Security　Agency　has　special　programs　that　reveal　when　each　selected　classified　document　is　accessed。　He　wrote　a　trapdoor　program　that　got　him　by　the　first　security　layer；　but　there　was　another　that　he　didn't　know　about。　So　we　were　immediately　on　to　him。　And　immediately　faced　with　a　dilemma。〃
　〃If　you　arrested　him　too　soon；　the　Soviets　might　just　ignore　the　Minotaur。〃
　〃Precisely；　Captain。　For　this　to　work；　the　information　had　to　be　very　good　stuff；　the　best。　And　we　had　to　give　them　enough　so　that　they　would　bee　addicted　to　it。　Then；　and　only　then；　would　they　feel　the　potential　profit　was　enough　to　risk　deep　plants　that　had　been　in　place　for　twenty　to　thirty　years。〃　The　secretary　looked　from　face　to　face。　〃Don't　you　see？　These　sleepers　were　assets！　They　belonged　to　someone　in　the　GRU　who　had　built　his　career　on　the　fact　that　he　had　these　assets；　which　would　someday；　at　the　right　moment；　be　of　incalculable　value。　Our　task　was　to　convince　him　or　his　superiors　that　now　was　that　moment。〃
　〃So　you　let　Franklin　do　his　thing。〃
　〃Precisely。　And　we　gave　them　excellent　information。　We　let　them　see　the　best　stuff　that　we　had。　We　got　them　addicted；　and　curious。　So　one　day　Franklin's　control　approached　Camacho；　Tsybov。〃　He　lifted　a　finger　skyward　for　dramatic　effect。　〃That　was　a　very　important　event。　The　Soviets　had　gone　to　one　of　the　names　on　the　list。　Now　we　knew　we　were　on　the　right　track。　We　were　heartened。〃
　Caplinger　rose　quickly　from　his　chair　and　began　to　pace。　He　explained　that　Harlan　Albright；　the　control；　was　a　GRU　colonel。　He　made　contact　with　Camacho；　moved　into　the　house　beside　him；　insisted　on　biweekly　briefings。　〃What　the　Soviets　wanted；　of　course；　was　the　identity　of　the　Minotaur。　So　the　game　began　for　Luis　Camacho。　We　didn't　authorize　him　to　reveal　the　Minotaur's　identity。　But　he　knew。　He　had　to　know。　He　knew　from　the　first。　He　was　the　man　who　was　actually　going　to　uncover　the　sleepers。〃
　He　was　silent　for　a　moment；　thinking　it　over　yet　again。　〃Once　Camacho　was　in　the　game；　he　became　the　key　player。　It　was　inevitable。　He　had　to　appear　to　be　a　double　agent　and　yet　he　had　to　force　the　Soviets　to　act。　To　act　as　we　wanted　them　to。　He　was　playing　a　dangerous　role。　And　to　appreciate　how　good　he　was　at　it；　you　would　have　to　have　known　Luis　Camacho　very；　very　well。　I　didn't；　but　I　got　the　flavor　of　the　man。　In　his　own　way；　in　his　own　field；　he　was　a　master。〃
　Caplinger　stopped　at　the　window　and　looked　out　at　the　meadows　and　distant　blue　mountains；　which　were　a　thin　line　on　the　western　horizon。　〃Inevitably；　and　I　do　not　use　that　word　lightly；　people　were　going　to　get　hurt。　Smoke　Judy　was　an　information　peddler。　He　killed　Harold　Strong…your　predecessor；　Captain…when　Strong　found　out　about　his　activities。　Camacho　learned　his　identity；　but　we　thought　he　might　be　of　use　later；　so　the　mittee　ordered　him　left　alone。　Certainly　no　one　could　foresee　that　an　indirect　result　of　that　decision　would　be　the　loss　of　the　TRX　prototype　and　your　wife's　injuries；　Lieutenant；　but。。。　there　were　reasons　that　looked　good　at　the　time　why　it　was　handled　the　way　it　was。〃　He　finished　lamely　and　turned　to　face　Tarkington。　〃I　am　sorry。〃
　Tarkington　was　examining　his　running　shoes。　He　retied　one　of　the　laces。
　〃Anyway；　there　were　several　other　deaths。　A　woman　was　killed　who　witnessed　a　drop　set　up　by　the　Soviets　to　give　Terry　Franklin　information；　a　Mrs。　Matilda　Jackson。　Harlan　Albright　killed　her；　after　we　ordered　Camacho　to　reveal　her　identity　to　Albright　as　proof　of　his　bona　fides；　his　mitment。　Camacho　refused　at　first；　but　we　convinced　him。　This　was　the　way　it　had　to　be。　Better　to　sacrifice　one　to　save　the　many。〃　The　secretary　wen