“Does he authorize these forays in writing?” Stone asked.

“Yes, he does.”

Stone sat back and let Mike continue.

“How familiar are you with our operations, Lance?” Freeman asked.

“More familiar than you might think,” Lance replied.

“Do you have any questions about our operations?” Freeman asked.

“Not at the moment,” Lance said. “I expect I’ll have specific questions if we come to the point of hiring you.”

“Are you contemplating hiring us for activities currently within our various fields of operations?”

“Possibly,” Lance said.

“Why don’t you tell us the sort of thing you have in mind, then,” Freeman said.

Stone cut in again. “Or, perhaps specifically what you have in mind.”

“I can see us using your personnel protection services,” Lance said. “I can see us purchasing armored civilian vehicles from your transportation division. I can see us chartering your C-17 cargo jet for delivery of personnel and equipment in foreign zones.”

“We would be pleased to consider projects in any of those areas,” Mike said.

“Lance,” Stone said, “I somehow have the feeling that you are contemplating operating in some areas where you might not want the Agency to be seen to be operating. Is that the case?”

“Quite possibly,” Lance said. “Tell me, Mike, what percentage of your operations people have former or current high-security clearances?”

“All of them,” Freeman replied, “who are former military, FBI, or intelligence people. The ones who have served in similar capacities in other countries would not, of course, have American clearance status, present or former. They would amount to about twenty percent of our operations people.”

“Would that include you yourself?” Lance asked.

“I am Canadian by birth but I have been a U.S. citizen for eight years now, and I have never applied for a security clearance.”

“Would you object to being vetted for such a clearance?”

“Not at all.”

Lance reached for his briefcase beside his chair, opened it, and produced a form and handed it to Mike. “Would you kindly complete this form?”

“Of course,” Freeman said, taking the form and glancing at it. “How soon do you need it?”

“Now would be a good time,” Lance replied.

Freeman took a pen from his pocket and a magazine from the coffee table for support and began filling out the form.

“Well, Stone,” Lance said, “what have you been up to?”

“Work, work, work,” Stone replied. “Not much else.”

“Anything you can talk about?”

“I’m afraid not,” Stone said. “Client confidentiality, of course.”

“Of course. I understand you’ve recently become type-rated in the Cessna Citation Mustang.”

Stone was surprised he knew. “Yes, I have. Jim Hackett arranged to have me trained in the airplane.”

“Good skill to have,” Lance said.

“A pleasant one.” He looked over at Mike to see how he was doing on the form. He appeared to be on the last page.

Freeman picked up a phone and buzzed his secretary. “Would you come in, please?”

The woman entered the room, and Mike handed her the document. “Would you fill in the relevant spaces on past employment and residences, please? It’s all in my curriculum vitae in our files.”