Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

"No, I think he was holding a lot back."

"Of course, they have checked you out thoroughly," Harry said. "They've got to believe you're who you say you are and not a Fed."

"I'm sure they do. Jesus, I wish I had been wearing a wire."

"Did they search you for one? Have they ever?"

"No, never."

"That's kind of weird, in a way," Harry said. "You'd think they'd be more careful."

Eddie the Hacker spoke up. "They don't necessarily have to frisk him, you know. They could have something that could pick up transmissions."

"Yeah, but that sort of thing couldn't pick up a recorder."

"You've got to start wiring me," Ham said.

"I know," Harry replied, "but I'm reluctant. If they should ever really search you…"

Eddie spoke up again. "We don't have to send him in there with a conventional wire. We can do a lot better than that, if you'll make a call to Washington for me."

"I'll make the call," Harry said.

"He's talking about subverting the army, Harry," Ham said. "I don't really see how he can do that. I mean, this is not Germany in nineteen thirty."

"We know there are right-wing, racist groups in a lot of army outfits," Harry said. "We keep a very close watch on that sort of thing. I don't think they could actually do what John says they're going to do. I'm more interested in how he's going to finance all this. He can't rob that many banks."

"He said he'd have the financing soon," Ham said. "I didn't press him on that."

"He must have a benefactor," Harry said. "Somebody with big bucks, who's willing to invest in a future he thinks he can control. I'd sure like to know who that might be."

"I don't think that's the kind of thing he'd tell me," Ham said.

"I agree. You're too new."

Ham turned to Eddie. "Have you got some equipment I can plant out there? They seem to hold a lot of meetings in Peck's office; that would be a good place to bug."

"Depends on how paranoid they are," Eddie said. "If they sweep the place and find something, then we're screwed."

"You mean Ham's screwed," Holly said.

"Come on, Eddie, you must have something that would work."

"I've heard rumors about stuff," Eddie said, "but I don't think the Bureau is in charge of it."

"You're talking about the National Security Agency, aren't you?" Ham asked.

"Yeah. I've heard rumors about their capabilities, and they're scary. They could be listening to us right now."

Holly looked at Harry. "Why do I think you wouldn't want to bring another government agency into this?"

"Don't needle me, Holly."

"Something's building out there," Ham said. "I don't know what it is, but if all you've got is me, then I think you need a lot more help, Harry."

"I guess at some point I'm going to," Harry admitted. "But not yet. In order to get the NSA in on this I'd have to go right up the Bureau's chain of command to the director, who'd then chat with the attorney general about it, and if he thought it couldn't damage him politically, then he might talk to the director of Central Intelligence, and if he felt like it, he might authorize the director to talk to somebody at NSA. But there's no way to be sure of that, and before I go that route, I want some hard information."

"I believe this is a catch twenty-two," Holly said. "We can't get the information without outside help, and you don't want to ask for outside help until you have the information."