友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
哔哔读书 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

tc.redrabbit-第136章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



tween would sign the order; because government employees never stuck their necks out…that wasn't the way they were trained。
   Except me; Ryan thought。 But he wouldn't kill someone in cold blood。 He hadn't even killed Sean Miller in very hot blood; and while that was a strange thing to be proud of; it beat the hell out of the alternative。
   But Jack wasn't afraid of sticking it out。 The loss of his government paycheck would be a net profit for John Patrick Ryan。 He could go back to teaching; perhaps at a nice private university that paid halfway decently; and he'd be able to dabble with the stock market on the side; something with which his current job interfered rather badly。。。
   What the hell am I going to do? The worst part of all was that Ryan considered himself to be a Catholic。 Maybe he didn't make it to mass every week。 Maybe they'd never name a church after him; but; God damn it; the Pope was someone he was pelled by his lengthy education…Catholic schools all the way; including almost twelve years of Jesuits…to respect。 And added to that was something equally important…the education he'd received at the gentle hands of the United States Marine Corps at Quantico's Basic School。 They'd taught him that when you saw something that needed doing; you damned well did it; and you hoped that your senior officers would bless it afterward; because decisive action had saved the day more than once in the history of the Corps。 〃It's a lot easier to get forgiveness than permission〃 was what the major who'd taught that particular class had said; then added with a smile; 〃But don't you people ever quote me on that。〃 You just had to apply judgment to your action; and such judgment came with experience…but experience often came from bad decisions。
   You're over thirty now; Jack; and you've had experience that you never wanted to get; but be damned if you haven't learned a hell of a lot from it。 He would have been at least a captain by now; Jack thought。 Maybe even a junior major; like Billy Tucker; who'd taught that class。 Just then; Kingshot walked back into the room。
   〃Al; we have a problem;〃 Ryan told him。
   〃I know; Jack。 I just told Sir Basil。 He's thinking about it。〃
   〃You're a field spook。 What do you think?〃
   〃Jack; this is well over my level of expertise and mand。〃
   〃You turn your brain off; Al?〃 Ryan asked sharply。
   〃Jack; we cannot promise our source; can we?〃 Kingshot shot back。 〃That is the paramount consideration here and now。〃
   〃Al; we know that somebody is going to try to whack the head of my church。 We know his name; and Nick has a photo album on the fucker; remember?〃 Ryan took a deep breath before going on。 〃I am not going to sit here and do nothing about it;〃 Ryan concluded; entirely forgetting the presence of the Rabbit for the moment。
   〃You do nothing? I risk my life for this and you do nothing?〃 Zaitzev demanded; catching on to the rapid…fire English exchanged in front of him。 His face showed both outrage and puzzlement。
   Al Kingshot handled the answer。 〃That is not for us to say。 We cannot promise our source…you; Oleg。 We must protect you as well。〃
   〃Fuck!〃 Ryan stood and walked out of the room。 But what the hell could he actually do? Jack asked himself。 Then he went looking for the secure phone and dialed a number from memory。
   〃Murray;〃 a voice said after the STUs married up。
   〃Dan; it's Jack。〃
   〃Where you been? I called two nights ago and Cathy said you were in Germany on NATO business。 I wanted to…〃 Ryan just cut him off。
   〃Stick it; Dan。 I was somewhere else doing something else。 Listen up。 I need some information and I need it in a hurry;〃 Jack announced; lapsing briefly back into the voice of an officer of Marines。
   〃Shoot;〃 Murray replied。
   〃I need to know the Pope's schedule for the next week or so。〃 It was Friday。 Ryan hoped the Bishop of Rome didn't have anything hopping for the weekend。
   〃What?〃 The FBI official's voice municated predictable puzzlement。
   〃You heard me。〃
   〃What the hell for?〃
   〃Can't tell you…oh; shit;〃 Ryan swore; and then went on。 〃Dan; we have reason to believe there's a contract out on the Pope。〃
   〃Who?〃 Murray asked。
   〃It ain't the Knights of Columbus;〃 was all Ryan felt fortable saying。
   〃Shit; Jack。 Are you serious?〃
   〃What the hell do you think?〃 Ryan demanded。
   〃Okay; okay。 Let me make some phone calls。 What exactly am I free to say?〃
   That question stopped Ryan cold in his tracks。 Think; boy; think。 〃Okay; you're a private citizen and a friend of yours is going to Rome and he wants to eyeball His Holiness。 You want to know what's the best way to acplish that mission。 Fair enough?〃
   〃What's Langley say about this?〃
   〃Dan; frankly; I don't care a rat's ass right now; okay? Please; get me that information。 I'll call back in an hour。 Okay?〃
   〃Roger that; Jack。 One hour。〃 Murray hung up。 Ryan knew he could trust Murray。 He was himself a Jesuit product; like so many FBI agents; in his case a Boston College alum; just like Ryan; and so whatever additional loyalties he had would work in Ryan's favor。 Breathing a little easier; Ryan returned to the ducal library。
   〃Whom did you call; Jack?〃 Kingshot asked。
   〃Dan Murray at the embassy; the FBI rep。 You ought to know him。〃
   〃The Legal Attache…yes; I do。 Okay; what did you ask?〃
   〃The Pope's schedule for the ing week。〃
   〃But we don't know anything yet;〃 Kingshot objected。
   〃Does that make you feel any better; Al?〃 Jack inquired delicately。
   〃You did not pro…〃
   〃promise our source? You think I'm that stupid?〃
   The Brit spook nodded to the logic of the moment。 〃Very well。 No harm done; I expect。〃
   The next hour of the first interview returned to routine things。 Zaitzev fleshed out for the Brits what he knew about MINISTER。 It was sufficiently juicy to give them a good start on IDing the guy。 It was immediately clear that Kingshot wanted his hide on the barn door。 There was no telling how much good information KGB was getting from him…it was definitely a him; Zaitzev made clear; and 〃him〃 was probably a senior civil servant in Whitehall; and soon his residence would be provided by Her Majesty's Government for the indefinite future…〃at the Queen's pleasure〃 was the official phrase。 But Jack had more pressing concerns。 At 2:20 in the afternoon; he went back to the STU in the next room。
   〃Dan; it's Jack。〃
   The Legal Attache spoke without preamble。 〃He has a busy week ahead; the embassy in Rome tells me; but the Pope is always in the open on Wednesday afternoons。 He parades around in his white jeep in St。 Peter's Square; right in front of the cathedral; for the people to see him and take his blessing。 It's an open car; and; if you want to pop a cap; that sounds to me like a good time to try…unless they have a shooter infiltrated all the way inside。 Maybe a cleaning man; plumber; electrician; hard to say; but you have to assume that the inside staff is pretty loyal; and that people keep an eye on them。〃
   Sure; Jack thought; but those are the guys best suited to do something like this。 Only the people you trust can really fuck you。 Damn。 The best people to look into this were with the Secret Service; but he didn't know anybody in there; and even if he did; getting them into the Vatican bureaucracy…the world's oldest…would require divine intervention。
   〃Thanks; pal。 I owe you one。〃
   〃Semper fi; bud。 Will you be able to tell me more? This sounds like a major case you're working on。〃
   〃Probably not; but it's not for me to say; Dan。 Gotta run。 Later; man。〃 Ryan hung up and reentered the library。
   The sun was over the yardarm; and a wine bottle had just appeared; a French white from the Loire Valley; probably a nice old one。 There was dust on the bottle。 It had been there for a while; and the cellar downstairs would not be stocked with Thunderbird and Wild Irish Rose。
   〃Zaitzev here has all manner of good information on this MINISTER chap。〃 Just a matter of dredging it up; Kingshot didn't add。 But tomorrow they'd have skilled psychologists sitting in; using their pshrink skills to massage his memories…maybe even hypnosis。 Ryan didn't know if that actually worked or not; though some police forces believed in the tech
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!