The Shooters (Presidential Agent 4)

"And justifying their actions-which wouldn't be hard, I admit-by telling themselves the company never appreciated all they'd done for it for all their long years of faithful service, the proof of that being Weiss riding a desk in Langley and Crawford being station chief in godforsaken Asuncion, Paraguay. So why not take a few bucks for slipping the drug guys a little information from time to time? Everybody knows the damn drugs are going to go through anyway."

"I'll be a sonofabitch," Castillo said, softly. "That explains why nobody in Langley knew about their seize-the-cruise-ships operation; there was no seize-the-cruise-ships operation."

"It also explains why they were going to try-probably still are trying-to whack you. You were liable to stumble across something they didn't want you to hear or pass to Langley. So you get whacked, and they, of course, would have no idea who did you…"

"Isn't whacking me a little extreme?"

"So was Weiss coming to me at Langley, and then to you, with that bullshit story. Desperate people do desperate things, Ace. These guys are not only liable to lose their pensions, they're liable to get sent to the slam."

"Okay. Point taken. But doesn't that suggest they'll try to whack you, too? And Two-Gun?"

"And anybody else they consider a threat," Delchamps agreed. "And we must bear in mind they probably have access to the Ninjas."

"And anybody else would include Ambassador Lorimer and his wife. Shit!"

"Yeah," Delchamps agreed. "Including Ambassador Lorimer and his wife. Who will arrive in Montevideo shortly after we do."

Castillo exhaled audibly.

"And with us whacked and pushing up daisies," Delchamps went on, "nobody even hears about the bullshit seize-the-cruise-ships scenario they handed us, because we're the only ones they handed that line to."

"Except Dick Miller," Castillo said. "He eavesdropped on that conversation. And now he's coming down here…where they can whack him, too."

"They don't know he heard it," Delchamps said.

"He's close to me, so they whack him just to be sure. And blame that on the drug guys, too."

"Yeah," Delchamps agreed after a moment.

"So what do we do?" Castillo asked.

"Well, we can go to Langley and tell the DCI or Lammelle. You can go to the DCI or Lammelle without going through Montvale. And an investigation will be started-"

"Which they will hear of," Castillo interrupted, "and so long, Special Agent Timmons."

"Or we can get Timmons back and then go to the DCI…"

"Who may or may not believe us," Castillo said. "More egg on their face."

"Or," Yung put in, "we can try to find out where their money is. I don't think they'd have it in a Stateside bank. Or in Paraguay or Argentina. The Caymans, maybe. Or maybe in Montevideo. I ran across a number of accounts with interesting amounts in them that I couldn't tie to anybody."

"That possible, Two-Gun? That you could tie them to these bastards?" Castillo asked.

"Yeah. With some help. From Doherty, for example. It would take some time, but yeah, Charley. Now that we know what we're looking for."

"Say something nice about the FBI, Ace," Delchamps said.

"Hallelujah, brother!" Castillo said, waving both hands above his head. "I have seen the light! I am now second to no one in my admiration of that splendid law enforcement organization. Just hearing the acronym 'FBI' sends shivers of admiration up and down my spine."

"Actually, it's full of assholes," Yung said. "Inspector Doherty and myself being the exceptions that prove the rule. There may be one or two more."

There were chuckles.

"Sir, me too," Bradley said.

"You too, what, Lester?" Castillo asked.

"I heard what Mr. Weiss told you and Mr. Delchamps about the seize-the-ships op."