The Shooters (Presidential Agent 4)

You even called me "colonel."

What's going to happen now, I think, is instead of the ordinary good guy, bad guy scam, we're going to have two good guys saving Mullroney from bad ol' Colonel Castillo.

"I understand your concerns, Colonel," Delchamps went on. "But what I have been thinking is that Detective Mullroney might be useful when we go to Paraguay."

"How?" Castillo asked, his tone on the edge of sarcasm.

"In dealing with both the people in the embassy and the local police. With regard to the former, whether you go there as Colonel Castillo or as Mr. Castillo, you are still going to be the important visitor from Washington, and they are not going to tell you anything that might come around, in that marvelous phrase, to bite them on the ass. As far as the local police are concerned-your command of the language notwithstanding-you are going to be a visiting gringo, and they are not going to tell you anything."

Delchamps paused, then continued, "Now, Detective Mullroney-"

"Actually, I'm a sergeant," Mullroney interrupted.

Delchamps flashed Mullroney a look making it clear that he didn't like being interrupted, then went on, "Sergeant Mullroney is a bona fide police officer, low enough in rank so as not to frighten away the people in the embassy but yet to be, so to speak, one of them. I'm suggesting that he might be told-or would see-things they would not tell or show you."

I am now pretending to carefully consider what Delchamps just said.

The funny thing is it makes sense, even if he came up with it just to help Lorimer and me keep Mullroney on a tight leash.

"There may be something to what you say, Delchamps," Castillo said after what he considered to be a suitable pause, "but do you really believe that it outweighs the risk of Mullroney doing something stupid that would blow the operation?"

"Well, you'd have to keep him on a short leash, of course," Delchamps said, "but, yes, Colonel, I do. You might be surprised how valuable he might be."

"Sir, I'll be sitting on him," Lorimer said.

"But you have this odd notion of fair play, Lieutenant," Castillo said.

Castillo put what he hoped was a thoughtful look on his face and kept it there for thirty seconds, which seemed much longer.

"And," Castillo then went on, "to be of any use to us in the manner you suggest, he would have to know what's going on-starting with being present at the briefing I am about to deliver-and I'm uncomfortable with that."

"Sir, I'll be sitting on him," Lorimer said again.

"You've mentioned that," Castillo snapped.

"Sorry, sir," Lorimer said, and looked at Mullroney with a look that said, Well, I tried.

"All right," Castillo said. "I'll go this far. You will not return to the United States with Colonel Torine tomorrow. I will give this matter further thought, and let you know what I finally decide."

"Thank you," Mullroney said softly.

"Take Sergeant Mullroney out to the quincho and tell the others I'll be there shortly. I need a word with these gentlemen."

"Yes, sir," Lorimer said.

He gestured for Mullroney to get up and then followed him out of the room.

When the door had closed, Castillo mimed applauding. The others chuckled.

"May I ask a question, Karl?" Munz said.

"Sure."

"You don't trust him, do you?"

"He strikes me as the kind of not-too-bright guy who, meaning well, is likely to rush off in the wrong direction. And we can't afford that."

"Can I ask why you trust me?"