“Unfortunately, one of his girls was a setup of the Soviets, and they took the usual embarrassing photographs. He was up against it, due to retire in a couple of years, and exposure would have gotten him fired, after his debacle in London. He began feeding them information, probably harmless stuff. Two of our people were designated to follow him to a possible meet with the Soviets, and they were both shot. Kate Rule, herself, found him out and got him sent to prison. He spent four or five years in the Atlanta Federal Prison, until the Agency got some backdoor information from a former source that seemed to clear him.

“He was also the source of a tip that put somebody we were looking for in a cottage on North Islesboro. That, apparently, tipped the balance, and the top echelon at Langley, including Kate Rule, recommended a presidential pardon. He also got a million-dollar reward and repaired to his ancestral home in Dark Harbor to amuse himself as best he could and await death. That’s about it.”

“Is he somebody I can trust?”

“Trust to what?”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Probably, especially if it’s in his interest to do so. Why do you ask?”

“Rawls told me he thinks Dick’s death was work related.”

A brief silence. “Did he give you any details?”

“He said he had some feelers out, and I’d have to be patient. He’s also afraid whoever killed Dick and his family may have a go at him as well, and he’s taken security precautions at his house. I wandered down his drive, exploring, and he trapped my car and drew down on me.”

“Well, assuming prison didn’t send Ed around the bend, there may be something to it. We all have a certain amount of paranoia trained into us, and Ed would be no exception. Did he seem to make sense to you?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Then I’d take him seriously and find out what, if anything, he has to offer. How could it hurt?”

“Well, it’s not like I have anything else to go on.”

“You’ll find Ed an entertaining character, full of stories, and he’s very smart. You could do worse than to have him on your side.”

“I didn’t see any evidence of a wife.”

“She bailed out when Ed was arrested, took half of everything and bought a house in Florida. Last I heard, she’d remarried.”

“Tell me, Lance, in what sort of repute is Rawls held by his former colleagues?”