The Hostage (Presidential Agent 2)

"And what will happen when, say, your secretary of state or, for that matter, your President learns-as they inevitably will-that someone has given you these orders?"

"That's not going to be a problem, Herr Kocian."

"You're not afraid that you and whoever gave you this order will not be-what's that wonderful American phrase?-'hung out to twist in the wind'?"

"No, I'm not."

"You will excuse me, Herr Gossinger, if I think you are being naive," Kocian said. "Junior intelligence officers-and you're not old enough to be anything but a junior intelligence officer-are expendable."

"So what?" Castillo said.

"I was very fond of your grandfather and your mother. I don't want it on my conscience that I was in any way responsible for Little Karlchen being left hanging out twisting in the wind or, more likely, being strapped into a chair with his throat cut after his teeth were extracted with pliers."

"Why don't you let me worry about that?" Castillo said.

"I just told you, I was very fond of your mother and your grandfather."

"Eric, I'm as concerned as you are that Karl may be hurt, even murdered," Otto Goerner said, in the Viennese patois. "But I have reason to believe that he won't be left hanging in the breeze."

"What reason?"

"Otto," Castillo said. "Stop right there."

"What reason, Otto?" Kocian pursued.

"I know who gave him his orders."

"Otto, goddammit!" Castillo said.

"He told you who did, or you know?"

"Let me put it this way, Eric," Goerner said. "I know he's not as junior an intelligence officer as you might think he is; quite the opposite."

"Are you going to tell me how you know that?"

"Not unless Karl tells me I can," Goerner said.

"And are you, Herr Gossinger, going to give Herr Goerner permission to tell me?"

"No," Castillo said. Then he chuckled.

"What's funny, Herr Gossinger?" Kocian asked, politely.

"If I told you that, Herr Kocian, I would have to kill you."

Kranz laughed.

"I'm only kidding, Herr Kocian," Castillo said. "That's a special o

perations joke."

Kocian met Castillo's eyes for a long moment. Then he shrugged and said, almost sadly, "I'd be more comfortable, Karl, if I was sure you were not kidding."

Castillo didn't reply.

"All right. May God forgive me, but all right," Eric Kocian said. "I will tell you what I know. Come with me."

He started to wade toward the side of the pool, pushing the floating table before him. When he reached the side, he carefully put his cigar in the ashtray, then moved the ashtray to the low-tiled coping surrounding the pool. He did the same thing with his cellular telephone, the metal pitcher, the newspapers, and the copy of the American Conservative. Then he pushed the floating table away into the center of the pool and with surprising agility hoisted himself out of the pool and sat with his feet dangling into the water.