Iron Orchid (Holly Barker 5)

“Good. With that, an Agency investigator would see that you can afford the place in the islands.”

“This is exciting,” she said, putting her hand on his.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Teddy replied. “I just want to tie up some loose ends here.” He looked across the room at Holly again. He would be sorry to say goodbye to her.

FORTY-NINE

IRENE FOSTER WALKED into the Barn’s front desk and asked for Lance Cabot. “Ma’am, may I see some I.D.?” the man at the desk asked.

She noted that, as he spoke, one hand went below the desktop. Security was pretty good here. It was her first visit to the Barn since it had opened, and she was looking forward to seeing the place. She handed him her Agency I.D.

“Thank you, ma’am,” the man said, picking up a phone. “Ms. Irene Foster to see you, Mr. Cabot. Yes, sir.” He hung up the phone and turned back to Irene. “Please take the elevator to the twelfth floor; you’ll be met there.”

“Thank you.” Irene rode up in the elevator and was met by an attractive, fortyish woman.

“Ms. Foster? I’m Holly Barker,” the woman said. “Please come with me to Lance’s office.”

So this was the girl Teddy was so interested in, Irene thought, following her down the hallway. She was more attractive than she had imagined, and she felt a pang of jealousy.

Lance stood up to greet her as she came into his office. “Irene, it’s good to see you somewhere other than on a teleconference,” he said, shaking her hand. “You’ve met my assistant, Holly Barker?”

“Yes, but I didn’t even know you had an assistant,” Irene replied.

“I wanted to give her a chance at some supervisory work,” Lance said. “How’s Hugh English?”

“Oh, about the same, I think. He asked me to look in on you and see how things were going in the hunt for Teddy Fay.”

Lance sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t have much to report,” he said. “We keep trying new things, but so far, he’s been very slippery.”

“That’s not going to sound very good to Hugh, Lance, or to the director.”

“Irene, you can tell Hugh for me-and the director, too-that if anybody at Langley thinks they can do a better job up here, I’ll step aside in a flash. Quite frankly, I’m getting tired of being Langley’s cop, and as nice a guy as Kerry Smith is, I’m tired of having to deal with the FBI on everything I do.”

“Now, Lance,” Irene said placatingly, “everybody at Langley, including the director, knows how good you are, and we all know we don’t have anybody better. You just keep plugging away at this, and, eventually, you’ll get a break and capitalize on it.”

“I hope to God you’re right,” Lance said.

“I read your report on the extra surveillance you’re putting on likely targets; I think that’s a very good idea.”

“Well, we were a little late coming up with it,” Lance said. “You’ll recall we lost the first name on the list before we could act.”

“It happens,” she said. “Don’t be discouraged. By the way, you got my e-mail about Ali ben Saud, I hope.”

“Yes, but I don’t understand why we’ve had to pull surveillance on him. I should think he’d be a prime target for Teddy.”

“Things are pretty tense with the Saudis right now,” Irene said, “and Hugh felt it could hurt the political situation with them if ben Saud or his people made your people.”

“I understand,” Lance said. “Is this something the president has asked for?”

“No, it was Hugh’s decision, on his own authority.”

“How are Hugh and the director getting along these days?”

“As well as can be expected.”

“Is he ever going to retire?”

“Not until he has to.” She paused. “I’m thinking of putting in for it myself, though.”