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Back Strategic Moves Save as PDF
Chapters (66)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. Acknowledgements
  66. AUTHOR’S NOTE

“Look,” Eggers said, “when a high official of the intelligence community calls and asks for some informal advice, I consider it my duty to my country to help if I can. Isn’t that why you and Dino are under contract to Lance?”

“It is, or was,” Stone said. “Not speaking for Dino, I find that Lance calls on me when he wants to make my life miserable or, at least, worse, and I’m getting tired of it. I’ve tried to resign my consultancy, but he says I can’t.”

“He seems to make my life more interesting when he calls,” Dino said. “I like that spook stuff.”

“You stay out of this,” Stone said petulantly.

“Were you on that airplane that the Mercedes departed from?” Eggers asked.

“Yes, I was, and at the invitation of the firm’s client, Mike Freeman, of Strategic Services, who was in the employ of Lance at the time. That doesn’t mean that I caused or failed to prevent the car from taking flight. And I would suggest to you that if our work for Strategic Services somehow infringes on the gardening rights of Dr. Holland, then the good doctor should be told to take a hike, since Mike Freeman is demonstrably the more important client.”

“I don’t question that,” Eggers said.

“Then deal with Dr. Holland however you like, and leave me out of it, okay?”

“Okay,” Eggers said, uncharacteristically chastened.

THIRTY-FOUR

THIRTY-FOUR

Stone awoke the following morning, still a little steamed at Eggers, and switched on the Today show. Moments later the screen was filled with the image of a battered black Mercedes being lifted by a crane from a swimming pool, water pouring from every orifice, and it had some new orifices.

“Dr. Holland tells me that nearly a hundred mature plantings have had to be removed temporarily to allow the crane access,” the reporter was saying, “and he wants to know who’s going to pay for that. As for the Mercedes, all the glass in the car was shattered on impact, and there isn’t a body panel on the car that isn’t bent. The vehicle appears to be a total loss for whoever owns it, and that’s not even counting the two bullet holes in the left front fender.”

“Misty,” Matt Lauer said, “we’ve had confirmation that the registered owner of the car is a Spanish corporation with the rather bland name of Overseas Info. I don’t know what that is in Spanish, but our correspondent in Madrid tells us that the company is widely viewed in that country as being a front for an American intelligence agency, which shall remain nameless.”