Time of the Assassins (35 page)

'I called Bailey that night to find out what had gone wrong. That's when he told me what had really happened. He had found out that a Delta unit was in the area, under your command, but he couldn't risk telling your commanding officer that I was a CIA asset without compromising my position. He knew it was your first operation as a unit leader and, understandably, he thought you might crack, given the right pressure. Your wife and son were kidnapped on his orders to force you to give the order to pull back. I know several eyewitnesses claimed that three Arabs, all wearing balaclavas, were involved in the kidnapping because they were sure the men had been speaking a language similar to Arabic. It was Arabic but they weren't Arabs. They were Americans speaking Arabic: Bailey's men - Paul Brett, Jack Rogers and
a third man called Kennedy, Rick Kennedy. He was killed in a light plane crash a few months ago.
'Your wife and son were brought here, to this safe house. That's why I came here after I was forced to leave the apartment in Murray Hill. It's the only other CIA safe house that I know of in the United States. I don't know whether Bailey ever intended to let them go but it seems your wife went for one of the men after he'd manhandled your son and in the ensuing struggle she managed to unmask him. They couldn't let either of them go after that. Both were shot that same day and their bodies buried at the back of the house. I don't know exactly where but it was somewhere close to the house. That's what happened, Graham. I don't expect you to take my word for it. There's a file in Bailey's computer entitled "Operation Delta". It's all there. I'm sure your Colonel Philpott will be given access to it by the CIA.
'You must be wondering right now why I made this tape for you. Well, I can answer that in one word - respect. Like me, you're a field man, and one of the best by all accounts. Bailey's a desk man who manipulates the lives of the people around him. He may have been my controller, but that didn't mean I had to respect him. How could I? You, though, gained my respect the moment you gave the order to attack. You believed in your principles enough to sacrifice your own family for them. That's the mark of a true soldier.
'But having said that, the past can never be undone. We both have to live with what happened that day. Each of us has our own guilt to bear. And no matter
what happens, we'll have to carry that guilt to our graves. Assalam alaikum.'
Graham sat back in the chair and rubbed his hands slowly over his face. He knew the anger would come, in time. But at that moment all he felt was relief, relief that the last pieces of the jigsaw had finally slotted into place. At last, he knew the truth. The pain and the anguish of the past two years were at an end. But most importantly of all, Carrie and Mikey could now be laid to rest in sacred ground. Carrie had always been the religious one of the family, and he knew she would have wanted it, not only for herself, but for Mikey as well - together, side by side for ever.
He switched off the tape deck, pocketed the cassette, then picked up his cup and went through to the kitchen. Sabrina was sitting at the pine table.
'Are you OK?' she asked softly.
'Yeah,' he replied then went on to quickly outline the gist of what Bernard had said on the cassette.
'I'm sorry, Mike,' she said softly when he'd finished speaking.
'I always knew they were dead. I can't explain why, though. I guess it's just a feeling you have when you're as close as I was to them. What's always preyed on my mind these last couple of years was the fact that they'd never had a proper burial. But now I can rectify that. Then I can visit the graves every week and be with them again.' He shrugged uncomfortably. 'I know that sounds kind of corny...'
'Only to you. You've never allowed your feelings to surface since they disappeared, have you? You've always made yourself out to be the hard, uncaring
maverick. Well, that's the image you wanted to portray, and it's worked with most people. It even worked with me, at first. But not now. I've seen the other side of Mike Graham. And he's not as hard as he likes the world to believe.'
'Yeah?' he said then put the cup down on the table. 'It's late. I'd better be going.'
'There's a spare room. It's only ever used when my parents come up from Miami.'
'No, I want to get back to the hotel. But thanks anyway.'
'OK. I'll get my keys.'
Til get a cab. You need your beauty sleep.'
'Don't be silly -'
'I'm taking a cab.' Graham indicated the cup on the table. 'Thanks for the hot chocolate.'
She nodded then got up and walked him to the front door. 'Are you sure I can't give you a lift? It's no trouble.'
'I'm sure.' He opened the door then looked back at her. 'See you this afternoon.'
She kissed him lightly on the cheek. 'Night, Mike.'
'Yeah,' he muttered and closed the door behind him.

EPILOGUE

'Hello, Mike,' Sarah said as Graham entered the room.
'Hi,' he replied, closing the door behind him. 'Are C.W. and Sabrina here yet?'
'They've already gone through,' Sarah replied then switched on the intercom and announced Graham's arrival.
'Send him in, Sarah,' Philpott replied.
The door slid open and Graham walked into Philpott's office. He greeted Philpott then nodded to Sabrina and Whitlock who were sitting on one of the black sofas.
'I'm not late, am I, sir?' Graham said, looking at his watch. 'You did say nine.'
'You're not late. Sit down.'
Graham sat on the second sofa. 'Is there any news from the safe house yet?'
'Yes, word came through about an hour ago. The police have found something. Sergei's over there now. I'm waiting for his call.'
'Something, sir?'
Philpott turned his empty pipe around slowly in his fingers then pushed it away from him. 'Human remains. I've arranged to have you driven out there as soon as we're through here.'
'Thank you, sir.'
Philpott tapped the folder in front of him. 'These are the findings of the internal investigation. It's highly critical of C.W. and Sabrina for withholding information from Sergei during the course of the assignment, especially you, Sabrina. You became involved in the politics of a foreign power, a point the Secretary-General raised on several occasions. I know it's easy to fall into that trap when an assignment verges on the political, but you have to know where to draw the line. That's what the Charter's there for, to clarify those boundaries. And if you're still not sure, you ask. We have enough enemies at the UN as it is without further aggravating the situation by blatantly taking sides as you did in Zimbala. What if it hadn't turned out the way it did? What if Ngune had seized power? We would have been branded mercenaries. There are already whispers to that effect amongst some of the more radical African and Asian countries as it is. Why give them the ammunition they want to shoot us down? You're here because you're regarded as the best in the business. Let's act that way, shall we?'
'Yes, sir,' Sabrina muttered guiltily.
Philpott's eyes shifted to Graham and he shook he head slowly. 'I don't even know where to start with you. I'm not going to go through all the rules you've broken in these past few days, you know what they are already. And that's what makes it all the more serious - your blatant disregard for your colleagues and for UN AGO in general. And even when Sabrina went out to Beirut to bring you back you gave her an ultimatum that put her in an impossible position. She
had no option but to go along with your plan. And that's what got her into trouble in the first place.'
'It was my decision, sir,' Sabrina said. 'I could have shopped Mike when I spoke to Sergei but I thought it best to work with him rather than against him. And I doubt Sergei would have understood that, do you?'
'Your loyalty's touching, Sabrina,' Philpott said. 'But the fact remains that Mike disobeyed a directive to return home with you.'
'And can you blame him?' she shot back. 'What would have happened if he had come back with me? Bernard would probably have succeeded in killing President Mobuto. It was only Mike's determination that eventually led us to Remy Mobuto and to ultimately preventing a serious embarrassment to the White House.'
'But those weren't Mike's intentions when he went after Bernard, were they?' Philpott said, glancing from Sabrina to Graham. 'Your sole intention was to put a bullet in him, wasn't it?'
'Initially,' Graham replied. 'But when Sabrina agreed to work with me, my first duty was to prevent Mobuto's being assassinated, not to put a bullet in Bernard. I've already explained all this at the hearing yesterday.'
'Which brings me to another point. You were even abusive to the panel of investigators. Why?'
'Four desk men: two ex-CIA, two ex-Feds. What the hell do they know about field work? All they've done is push pens all their lives. Their questions were loaded and misleading and my answers were twisted
when I did try to explain myself. What was I expected to do, sir? Thank them?'
Philpott shook his head in dismay. 'The Secretary-General wants you thrown out, do you know that?'
'You have my resignation, sir.'
'Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I'm going to accept it. I'm the Director of UNACO. You're my operatives and I have the final say on whether anyone is to be dismissed from this organization. And the Secretary-General knows that.' Philpott removed the letter from the folder and tossed it onto the desk. 'Get rid of it before it falls into the wrong hands.'
Graham got up and took it off the desk.
'That doesn't mean I condone your actions for one moment, Mike. I had to do a lot of hard talking to convince the Secretary-General that you were worth a second chance.'
'I appreciate it, sir.'
'I should hope so,' Philpott shot back. 'I realize this was a one-off situation. And now that Bernard and Bailey are dead, perhaps we can expect a little more co-operation from you in the future. Believe me, Mike, you screw up again and you will be out. That goes without saying. There's a black mark against your name right now and it's up to you to prove to UNACO, and the Secretary-General, that you're worthy of another chance.'
'I won't let you down, sir.'
'No, you won't, because I won't be here.'
'I don't understand, sir.' Graham said, frowning.
'My doctor nearly had a heart attack of his own
when he found out I was back at work. He thought I was resting at home. He's told me that the next attack could be the big one. That's why I submitted my resignation to the Secretary-General last night. I'll be leaving as soon as I've handed over properly to Sergei. He'll be taking over as the new Director.'
'And who's taking his place?' Sabrina asked.
Philpott gestured towards Whitlock. 'I know all the Strike Force teams will give him their full support.'
Sabrina was the first to congratulate him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Graham pumped his hand firmly.
'I know C.W. still has some reservations about the job, because, like you, Mike, he's not a great admirer of the desk man. But let's face it, C.W., you're not getting any younger, you know.'
'So Carmen keeps reminding me,' Whitlock said.
'How long have you known about this?' Sabrina asked Whitlock.
'A couple of months now. Look, I would have told you guys before but I was sworn to silence.'
'Has anyone been pencilled in to take C.W.'s place yet?' Graham asked.
Philpott nodded. 'We've been grooming his successor for the last six weeks. You worked with him on your last assignment when he was still with the Italian anti-terrorist squad, the NOCS.'
'Fabio Paluzzi?' Sabrina said.
'Yes. As you know he's been with Strike Force Nine since he joined us from the NOCS. But that was just to let him get the feel of the organization. He'll be taking over from C.W. in the next couple of weeks.'
'That's great,' Sabrina said with a grin then quickly patted Whitlock on the arm. 'Don't take that the wrong way, C.W.'
'I would if I didn't know you better.'
'I'll be briefing Fabio this afternoon, so if you do happen to see him before that, don't say anything.'
'Drinks at my apartment tonight,' Whitlock said. 'I'll invite Fabio after the Colonel's had a word with him. Mike, I hope you can make it but I'd fully understand if you wanted to be by yourself tonight.'
Til be there, buddy,' Graham said, wagging a finger at him. 'You just make sure the Perrier's cold.'
'It's already in the fridge,' Whitlock replied with a smile.
'C.W., Sabrina, I'd like a few words with Mike. I'll see you both at the flat tonight.'
Sabrina paused in front of Graham and put a hand lightly on his shoulder. 'If you want to talk, you know where to find me.' \
'I might take you up on that,' Graham replied. 'It just depends what time I get away from the safe house.'
'See you, Mike,' Whitlock said then followed Sabrina from the room.
Philpott activated the door behind them. 'I spoke to Sergei and C.W. after I'd seen the Secretary-General last night. They're both behind you one hundred per cent. Don't let them down.'
'Sergei? He's been on my back ever since I got back from Zimbala.'
'Quite right, too. You screwed up, Mike. Badly. But he also knows how valuable you are to the organiza-
tion. We all do, that's why you're still here. I doubt any other operative would have been given another chance if they'd flouted the rules as you've done. You've got the potential to be the best operative UNACO's ever had, but you've got to work on this maverick streak that seems to come out at the worst possible times. I know a lot of it has to do with what happened to your family. You always felt that someone at Delta had let slip your position to Bernard and Al-Makesh. Trust suddenly became a dirty word in your book. But now you know the truth. It had nothing to do with any of your men. Use that knowledge to channel your resources positively back into Strike Force Three from now on.
'I don't have to tell you how lucky you are to have Sabrina as a partner. There isn't a field operative here who wouldn't give his right arm to trade places with you. Not only that, she also thinks the world of you. That's a great compliment from a fellow professional. And now Fabio's coming in. He'll need to draw off both of you until he's found his feet. And that means supporting him. What use will you be to him if you're going to continue with these maverick tendencies? Now that C.W.'s coming onto the management side, you'll be the most experienced field operative not only in Strike Force Three but in the whole of UNACO. That's quite a responsibility, Mike. Added to which you'll be officially promoted to team leader when Fabio joins you. And a good leader always leads by example, doesn't he? You of all people should know that.'
'Yes, sir, I do.'
'There's a car waiting outside to take you over to the safe house.'
'Thank you, sir.'
Philpott activated the door then closed it again behind Graham. Sarah looked up from her typing as Graham approached her desk.
'Excuse me,' he said then leaned across the desk and dropped the letter into the shredding machine beside her. '"Things that are done, it is needless to speak about. Things that are past, it is needless to blame."'
She frowned.
'Confucius,' he added.
She watched him leave the office then, shrugging her shoulders, went back to her typing.