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"There's a reason for that," Castillo said.
"It's easier to steal someone else's story than to write your own?"
"There's a reason for that," Castillo repeated.
"I'd love to know what it is," Kocian said.
"Because being the Washington correspondent for the Tages Zeitung is a cover for what I really do," Charley said.
"Which is?"
"I'm an Army officer."
Kocian considered that long enough to puff twice on his cigar.
"An Army intelligence officer, you mean?" he asked.
Castillo nodded.
Kocian looked at Otto Goerner, who nodded.
"You'll have to forgive me, Herr Gossinger. I'm an old man, my brain is slowing down, and for the life of me I can't understand why an American Army intelligence officer would confess that. To anyone, much less a real journalist."
"Because Otto has led me to believe we're on the same side."
"The same side of what, Mr. Intelligence Officer?"
"I'm after the people who are willing to kill to keep it from getting out that they've profited from the oil-for-food arrangement. Isn't that what you're doing?"
"You told him that, did you, Otto?" Kocian asked.
Goerner nodded.
"And what are you going to do if you learn who these people are?"
Castillo didn't immediately reply. He looked around and saw that they had an interested audience in Torine, Fernando, and Kranz.
Kranz may, just may, understand the Viennese patois. But Torine and Fernando don't. All they see is that the old guy and I are sparring, and not very politely.
"I'm unable to believe the U.S. government doesn't already know who they are," Kocian went on. "And that there are political considerations involved that have kept it from coming out."
"We don't know who murdered our chief of mission in Buenos Aires, a very nice young Marine sergeant, and seriously wounded one of my agents."
"Okay. Let's talk about that. If you find out who these people are, then what?"
"I'll deal with them."
" 'Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord,' Herr Gossinger."
"My orders are to deal with them."
"Your orders from who?"
"Someone who remembers that the Bible also says, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' "
"Someone with the authority to give an order like that?"
Castillo nodded.
