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"Any reason they can't take the Mustang, Charley? Randy would like a ride in a ragtop."
"No, sir," Castillo said, and tossed Richardson the keys to the convertible.
"See you at Hurlburt, Richardson," McNab said. He turned to Randy. "It was a pleasure meeting you, son. Give my best to your grandfather."
They shook hands.
"It was nice to see you, Colonel Castillo," Randy said as he walked to Castillo with his hand extended.
I have never wanted to put my arms around anyone, Svetlana included, more than I want to put them around Randy.
But that's obviously out of the question.
He swallowed hard and said, "Good to see you, too, Randy. Give my regards to your mother. And see if you can get your granddad to bring you out to the ranch. Between Fernando and me, we'll get you some more PT-22 stick time."
"I'd like that, sir," Randy replied a little roughly as they shook hands.
Svetlana felt no restrictions on her conduct. "You get a kiss and a hug from me, Randy." And she proceeded to give him a long one of each.
Thirty seconds later, Richardson and Randy were gone.
"Make sure that door's locked, Peter," McNab ordered.
He turned to Colonel Hamilton.
"Colonel, you have been represented to me as the Army's--maybe the country's--preeminent expert on toxins, that sort of thing. True?"
"Sir, that is my area of knowledge and some expertise."
"I don't suppose you know much about Africa, do you, Colonel? Specifically, what used to be called the Belgian Congo?"
"Sir, I don't know much about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but I do know something--far more than I would prefer to know, frankly--about Rwanda and Burundi, which, as I'm sure you know, both abut the Congo."
"Colonel, please run that past me--past a
ll of us--again, if you don't mind."
"Sir, what I said was that I know something about Rwanda and Burundi. I was there--"
"You were there?"
"Yes, sir. I was there in '94 during the worst of the Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis--hundreds of thousands massacred."
"What were you doing there?"
"Observing, sir."
"Observing for whom?"
"Sir, with respect, I am not at liberty to say."
McNab raised one of his bushy red eyebrows. "Colonel, do you know who I am?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you can't tell me?"
"No, sir. With respect, I cannot."
