"I haven't finished these files," he said, "but Ron Friday is obviously concerned about us having anything to do with the Black Cats. And you're apparently worried about having anything to do with Ron Friday."

Paul Hood had not spent a lot of time working in the intelligence community and he had a number of weaknesses.

However, one of Hood's greatest strengths was that his years in politics and finance had taught him to intuit the concerns of his associates, whatever the topic.

"That's about the size of it," Herbert admitted.

"Tell me about this police line blip," Hood said, still reading.

"The last home phone-to-field phone communication came a moment before the explosion," Herbert said.

"But Matt just told me that the regular pulses from field to home started immediately after that. In ELINT we want three things to happen before we posit a possible connection to a terrorist attack: timing, proximity, and probable source. We've got those."

"The probable source being a cell that's apparently been working in Srinagar," Hood said.

"Correct," Herbert said.

"I just asked Matt to try and get more intel on the continuing blips."

Hood nodded and continued reading.

"The problem you have with Friday is a little dicier." "Why?" Herbert asked.

"Because he's there at the request of the Indian government," Hood said.

"So is Striker," Herbert pointed out.

"Yes, but they've worked with Friday," Hood said.

"They'll give Striker more freedom because they trust Friday."

"There's an irony in there somewhere," Herbert said.

"Look, I see where you're coming from," Hood acknowledged.

"Friday worked for Fenwick. Fenwick betrayed his country. But we have to be careful about pushing guilt by association."

"How about guilt by criminal activity?" Herbert said.

"Whatever Friday was doing in Baku was removed from his file."

"That's assuming he was working for the NSA," Hood said.

"I just put in a call to Deputy Ambassador Williamson in Baku. Her personal file says that Friday worked as her aide. He was on loan from the NSA to collect intelligence on the oil situation. There's no reason to assume the CIA involved him in the hunt for the Harpooner.

And Jack Fenwick was playing with fire. He may not have told Friday what the NSA was really doing in the Caspian."

"Or Fenwick may have sent him there," Herbert pointed out.

"Friday's oil credentials made him the perfect inside man." "You'll need to prove that one," Hood said.

Herbert didn't like that answer. When his gut told him something he listened to it. To him. Hood's habit of being a devil's advocate was one of his big weaknesses. Still, from the perspective of accountability Hood was doing the right thing. That was why Hood was in charge of Op-Center and Herbert was not. They could not go back to the CIOC and tell them they called off the mission or were concerned about Friday's role in it because of Herbert's intuition.