Black Ops (Presidential Agent 5)

"Gotcha, Ace." Delchamps smirked. "I did a quick Internet search. The CIA has data like that on the Web for anyplace you can think of. So does your State Department page boy pal's Web site--maps, data, even the address of your favorite home away from home, the U.S. embassy."

"And the odd thing, Charley," Uncle Remus said, "is that what Edgar got off the Web is just about the same thing as this."

Leverette slid a manila envelope to Castillo. He opened it. The document, on official CIA stationery, was classified SECRET and its heading read: "CONGO, DR of, Basic Conditions as of 1 Jan 2005."

"See? Says just about the same thing," Leverette said. "D'Allessando gave me that. I don't know where he got it, but there's no tie to you."

Castillo took a quick look, then slid it to Svetlana.

"Only one airport? That's hard to believe," Castillo said.

"The whole Democratic Republic of the Congo is hard to believe," Leverette said.

Castillo's cellular vibrated in his shirt pocket.

"Hola?" he said, and then listened.

"Jesus. Thanks, Liam. I'll get back to you."

He put the cellular back in his shirt pocket and looked at Svetlana.

"That was interesting," he said. "Comandante Duffy just told me that the Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt this morning had aboard a Russian diplomat by the name of Evgeny Alekseeva, who was met by a Russian diplomat from Paraguay by the name of Lavrenti Tarasov."

"He will have to be terminated, Carlos," Berezovsky said evenly.

"No," Castillo said firmly. "What we're going to have to do is get out of here, out of Argentina."

XIII

[ONE]

Pilar Golf & Polo Country Club

Pilar, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

0850 3 January 2006

"Colonel," Dick Miller said, "may I have a word with you in private?"

Castillo looked around the room.

They're a motley bunch, but they're my motley crew--my team.

"No, Dick. Unless you want to confide in me that you contracted a social disease on the way down here."

Delchamps and Davidson chuckled.

"I think it's important," Miller pursued.

"No. You know Rule One: Everybody on the team knows everything."

"Go ahead, Carlos," Svetlana said. "Talk with him. I don't mind."

"Whether or not you mind is beside the point, Susan. And Rule Two is that when I speak ex cathedra it's not open for debate."

"You are now the Pope?" she snapped.

Castillo raised an eyebrow toward her. "Actually, that means 'from the chair,' not 'from the cathedral,' if that's what you were thinking. And Rule Three is never be sarcastic unless you're sure you know what you're talking about."