AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What about Clark?”
Stansfield adjusted the afghan on his lap and thought about the question. “I’m not sure about Senator Clark. For the most part, he has always been good to us, but I sense no loyalty in the man. In the end, I think he is looking to serve only himself.”
“What are they after?”
Stansfield looked at Kennedy and decided it was time. “We need to discuss something.”
Kennedy tensed a bit. “All right.”
“I’ve spoken to the president, and he has agreed that you will be his nominee to succeed me as DCI.”
Kennedy had not seen this coming. She had wondered who would succeed Stansfield but had honestly never thought of herself as a candidate. “I’m very flattered, but I don’t think I’m qualified.”
In a rare show of emotion, Stansfield grinned. “You are more than qualified.”
“But what about all of the other people…”
“You are the best candidate for the job.”
“I disagree.” Kennedy slowly shook her head. “I can barely keep up with things as it is. It’s to the point where I’m lucky if I spend an hour with Tommy a day, and then I have to try to tear him away from the TV.”
“Right now you have the hardest job at the Agency. Things will get easier when you become director.”
“How?” asked an incredulous Kennedy.
“You surround yourself with good people, and you delegate.”
Kennedy was still filled with disbelief. How could a job with more responsibility translate into fewer hours? It didn’t compute.
“Irene, how many Sundays have you seen me work since you’ve known me?”
Kennedy thought about it for a second. “Not very many.”
“Correct.”
The more she thought about it, the more she knew he was right. The CTC was a pressure cooker. “I’m not qualified.”
“You are more than qualified.”
“I’m too young.”
“You’re a little young for the job, but that is balanced out by your success with the CTC.”
“I don’t know, Thomas. I don’t know if I want your job, and that’s assuming they’ll confirm me.”
“Oh, they’ll confirm you. The Republicans love your hard stance on terrorism, and they won’t want to look like sexists. The Democrats…well, they’ll follow the president. He might have to grant a few favors, but that’s nothing unusual.”
Kennedy took a deep breath. This was a little too much of a surprise. “I’ll have to think about all of this.”
Stansfield smiled. “Of course you will, but keep in mind that the Agency needs you. It needs someone like you to protect it from the likes of Chairman Rudin and Secretary Midleton.”
Kennedy frowned as a piece of the puzzle fell into place. “Is that what this meeting tomorrow is really about?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I think so.” Stansfield looked at Kennedy with steely gray eyes. “They fear you, Irene, just like they fear me. They fear us because they can’t control us.”
IT TOOK RAPP and his new four-legged friend eight minutes to reach the far side of the preserve. After that, it took several more to find the house he was looking for. Rapp had been to the house before, but he had been invited and had arrived by car—not on foot through the woods. He almost mistook the neighbor’s house for Stansfield’s. They were similar—both colonials. The neighbor had a small storage shed in the back corner of his lot that was adjacent to Stansfield’s. Rapp and Shirley walked through the tall grass and took up a position behind it.
The complete lack of security that was placed around high-ranking U.S. officials here in America never failed to amaze Rapp. With the exception of the president, the vice president, and the first family, protection was a joke. When officials were out of the country, it was much better, but here at home, they usually had no more than a glorified home security system and a chauffeur who doubled as a bodyguard. He expected Stansfield’s to be a little better than most, but still nothing he couldn’t overcome.
