If he hadn't passed, he sure as hell wouldn't have been in Elliott's office, which was all the more aggravating for Elliott.

"Can't you at least turn off.., the recording and video equipment?" White asked.

"I cannot and will not," snapped Elliott. "Well, Colonel, what is it? I'm extremely busy."

"Sir, the information I want to pass on to you is not only very unofficial, it's strictly between you and me. What you do with it is up to you, but I've risked my very career coming here, not to mention the possibility of arrest."

Elliott stared coldly at White. "Colonel, you may be enjoying this, but I'm about to put an end to it right now."

"Then kick me out. I've only come halfway around the world to try and see you. I've tried other channels, other ways to find a solution to this."

Elliott saw something in White's eyes-desperation, and determination. Whatever had brought him here had been bothering him for some time. He wanted to resolve it and didn't seem to care about the consequences one way or another. "There's always a way to get something done without ruining your life to do it. I think I know you, Colonel. We're a lot alike.

You're an innovator, a dreamer. If things aren't working right, you fix them. Certainly you can fix-"

"No, General Elliott, I can't. You can. I went through the channels I was supposed to use. By the book. Nothing's happened. Believe me, I would've known."

Elliott had been around long enough-including two tours of Vietnam, where he was the youngest squadron commander in the Air Force, several command positions in Strategic Air Command tactical units, commander of the Eighth Air Force, and his current position as director of HAWC- to know a true soldier. An honorable soldier. White had pretty much convinced him he was on the level. He could see it in White's eyes, his body language.

"Known what?" Elliott demanded.

"That something had been done about.. . David Luger."

Elliott froze, trying to recover from his surprise and the reaction he'd just given White. He averted his eyes to his desktop, then back to White:

"Luger, you say?. . . David Luger? The name doesn't ring a bell."

"Your face says something else, General."

"You've got one more chance to get off this track before the locomotive wipes you out-and I promise you, it will. The subject of Lieutenant Luger is highly classified."

"I have a clearance .

"Colonel, I would need clearance to begin any inquiries into David Luger, and I'd probably be denied," Elliott said. "You don't know what you're fooling with here, Colonel. You could have a security clearance to wipe God's ass for all I care, but you have no need to know-"

"I think I do," White said. He unzipped his Air Force blue lightweight jacket, then pulled a manila envelope from the inside lining.

"You sneaked a photograph inside the lining of your jacket?" Elliott asked incredulously.