“You heard me. The risk is too great. I don’t like the idea of using people’s lives as a shield, not when we’re dealing with an unknown enemy.” He pauses, purses his lips. “The truth is, we’ve got reason to believe that the sabotage out here is backed by a very large, very professional group.”

Lemon raises his eyebrows in unconscious imitation of Hereford. “Not the Soviets!”

“No no. Not directly, anyway. The truth is it may be one of our competitors, providing the money, anyway.”

Lemon’s eyebrows shoot up for real. “Which one?”

“We’re not sure. We’ve penetrated the organization on a lower level, and naturally the links between levels are well concealed.”

“I suppose it would have to be one of the companies that hasn’t been hit.”

“Not necessarily.”

Now, this statement turns certain tumblers in Lemon’s mind. He’s silent for a time as he considers the implications of what Hereford has said. A company attacks others to harm their work and eventually damage their reputation for efficiency with the Air Force. Then it attacks itself to keep suspicion away from it. And, at the same time, it could use the attack on itself to get rid of something potentially damaging in and of itself. Sure, it makes sense.

But say another company learned it was going to be attacked; and say it had something, say it had a program that was in really serious trouble for one reason or another.…

“Should we increase our security on the perimeter?” Lemon asks, testing his hypothesis.

“No reason to.” Around Hereford’s eyes there is an amused crinkle; perhaps he thinks that Lemon is dense, perhaps he is amused that Lemon has finally gotten it; no way of telling. “We’ve done what we can, I think. Our insurance is in good shape, and all we can do is hope for the best.”

“And … and get the night watchmen out of there.”

“Exactly.”

“Do you … do you have any information that indicates we might become…”

“A target?” Hereford shrugs. This goes too far, it shouldn’t be talked about. “Nothing definite enough to go to the police with.” But his eyes, Lemon thinks, his eyes; they look through the map of the Caribbean on their table, and they know. They know.

Lemon sits back in his seat, sips at his Pinot blanc. He’s been let in on it, really. If he’s smart enough to put it together, then he’s in the know. Maybe he had to be. Still, it’s a good sign.

And this means that maybe, just maybe, something will happen soon that will get him off the hook with the Ball Lightning program. Get LSR off the hook as well. And insurance … incredible. He swallows the wine.

Chapter 51

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