“Not at all,” Wilfred said. “The bond of family is very strong. After all, who can you trust more?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Not your family, though,” Wilfred said. “You disliked your father.”

“I certainly did. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him. I was disappointed that he died before I achieved flag rank.”

“Yes, it would have given you pleasure for him to know that, wouldn’t it?”

“The greatest pleasure,” Roger admitted. “I would have loved to see his face when I told him. I dream about that, sometimes.”

“Your father knew Dame Felicity Devonshire’s father, did he not?”

“Yes, they were at school together and maintained their friendship their whole lives.”

“Your next target is Dame Felicity,” Wilfred said, then gave that a moment to sink in. “Would you have gotten pleasure from him knowing that you had killed his friend’s daughter?”

“I had never thought of that, but yes, very much so.”

“Doing so would be a great blow to British intelligence,” Wilfred said. “There’s really no one to replace her. If she were gone, whoever sat at her desk would, by definition, be inferior, perhaps even inept. The Russians have always taken pleasure in the ineptness of their British opponents. That’s why they were so fond of Kim Philby. The British knew for years that he was a mole, but they couldn’t prove it. The Russians would shoot such a person and not bother with proof.”

“Very efficient, the Russians.”

“They, as a race, also enjoy vengeance,” Wilfred said. “That is why the assassination of Dame Felicity would be what the Americans call a ‘twofer.’”

“And who would be the other half of that?” Roger said.

“Someone else you dislike,” Wilfred replied.

Roger smiled a little. “Barrington,” he said. “But what is he to Russia?”

“First of all, he has had a number of encounters with their mafia, over the years, and their mafia is, of course, very close to the government at its top. But Barrington has another, perhaps more satisfying qualification.”

“And what would that be?”

“He is quite close to Lance Cabot—a favorite, even. Cabot has recently brought him inside the CIA. Whereas before he was a consultant, he is now a personal adviser to Cabot, with the rank of deputy director.”

“What qualifications has Barrington for that rank?”

“None, apart from intelligence and wit. The rank is a mark of Cabot’s regard for him, to those both inside and outside the Agency. We have learned that this does not set well with others of that rank, and those who hope to achieve it.”

“I should think not.”

“Taking out Barrington would be a deeply painful blow to Cabot, one likely to affect his judgment. Taking out Dame Felicity would, as I have said, be a serious wound to British intelligence.”

“I see,” Roger said.