“Like?”
“Like she was screwing a spook.”
Well, thought Brodie, a young unmarried woman ought to be able to screw whoever she wants. But the truth was, while the various military branches and intelligence services were all working toward a common purpose, each of them operated in its own insular world with its own culture, traditions, and prejudices—and when you engaged in extracurricular activities with a member of another tribe, people always noticed, and often judged.
Still, this innuendo was a bit disturbing.
“Colonel, I’m about to fly to a country that might not be a country when I land. I need someone I can count on. You want to assign me a new partner?”
Dombroski shook his head. “She’s fluent in Spanish and she’ll never sleep with you. We better keep her.”
Brodie downed the rest of his beer. “I should be hitting the road. It’s a long drive.”
“It’s less than an hour to Dulles.”
“We’re going to New Jersey to interview Al Simpson.”
“Someone already did that.”
“Not very well,” said Brodie.
Dombroski gave him a long look. Brodie didn’t exactly have a reputation for double-checking his parachute before he jumped.
“This one’s going to be a bitch,” said Dombroski.
“You picked the right man, Colonel.”
“Everybody else turned it down.”
“Anything further, Colonel?”
“Stay in touch with me.”
“I always do.”
“You never do.” He reminded Brodie, “Encrypted communication only. And keep in mind this case is a hot potato.”
“Right.”
“Captain Mercer is a U.S. citizen with constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and to be represented by legal counsel.”
“I’ll inform him of that before I kick him in the nuts.”
Dombroski smiled, then continued, “Could be that he’s left the country after Simpson spotted him. Or he was just passing through.”
“Could be.”
“Or maybe he feels safe there. Maybe he has a business. Drugs. Arms. Maybe he’s a hit man for the government or the opposition.”
Brodie had thought about all this, and concluded that speculating without a clue was a waste of time. “I’ll let you know.”
“My point is, if Mercer has a business there, he’s got bodyguards like everyone else in Venezuela who has a few bucks.”
Brodie didn’t reply.
“Mercer by himself is a one-man army. Mercer with armed hombres is not going to be easy to apprehend.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
