"And ?" Elliot prodded.

"And there are some troubling aspects in his personal life."

Finally! "And those are?"

"Ryan was investigated by the SEC for possible insider-stock trading before he entered CIA employ. It seems there was a computer-software company about to get a Navy contract. Ryan found out about it before anyone else and made a real killing. The SEC found out - the reason is that the company executives themselves were also investigated - and examined Ryan's records. He got off on a technicality."

"Explain." Liz ordered.

"In order to cover their own backsides, the company officials arranged to have something published in a defense trade paper, just a little filler item, not even two column inches, but it was enough to show that the information upon which they and Ryan operated was technically in the public domain. That made it legal. What's more interesting is what Ryan did with the money after attention was called to it. He cut it out of his brokerage account - that's in a blind-trust arrangement now with four different money-managers." Goodley stopped. "You know what Ryan's worth now?"

"No, what is it?"

"Over fifteen million dollars. He's by far the richest guy at the Agency. His holdings are somewhat undervalued. I'd say he's worth closer to twenty myself, but he's been using the same accounting method since before he joined CIA, and you can't critique him there. How you figure net worth is kind of metaphysical, isn't it? Accountants have different ways of doing things. Anyway, what he did with that windfall: He split it off to a separate account. Then a short while ago it all moved out into an educational trust fund."

"His kids?"

"No," Goodley answered. "The beneficiaries - no, let me back up. He used part of the money to set up a convenience store - a 7-Eleven - for a widow and her children. The rest of the money is set aside in T-Bills and a few blue-chip stocks to educate her children."

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Carol Zimmer. Laotian by birth, she's the widow of an Air Force sergeant who got killed in a training accident. Ryan has been looking after the family. He even signed out of his office to attend the birth of the newest child - a girl, by the way. Ryan visits the family periodically." Goodley concluded.

"I see." She didn't, but this is what one says. "Any professional connection?"

"Not really. Mrs Zimmer, as I said, was Laotian. Her father was one of those tribal chieftains that CIA supported against the North Vietnamese. The whole group was wiped out. I haven't discovered how she managed to escape. She married an Air Force sergeant and came to America. He died in an accident somewhere, rather recently. There is nothing in Ryan's file to show any previous connection to the family at all. The Laos connection is possible - to CIA, I mean - but Ryan wasn't in government employ then, he was an undergrad in college. There's nothing in the file to show a connection of any kind. Just one day, a few months before the last presidential election, he set up this trust fund, and ever since he visits them on the average of once a week. Oh, there was one other thing."