The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

House wasn't exactly new either, was it? That was probably true also. So, where
was the lie? Or was there a lie at all? Maybe they just wanted to get truthful
but sensitive information out . . . in the normal way. It wasn't the first time
he'd learned things in the northwest-corner office of the White House West Wing.
Could Holtzman not do a story on this?
Not hardly, Bobby boy, the reporter told himself.
***
The ride home was smooth as silk. Ryan caught as much sleep as he could, while
the sergeant who took care of the cabin read through assembly instructions for
some of the toys Jack had picked up.
'Yo, sarge.' The pilot was back in the cabin for a stretch. 'Whatcha doin'?'
'Well, Maj, our DV here picked up some stuff for the kiddies.' The NCO handed
over a page of directions. Tab-1 into Slot-A, use 7/8ths bolt, tighten with a
wrench, using . . .
'I think I'd rather tinker with broke engines. .
'Roger that,' the sergeant agreed. 'This guy's got some bad times ahead.'
CHAPTER 24
Revelation
'I don't like being used,' Holtzman said, leaning back with his hands clasped at
the base of his neck.
He sat in the conference room with his Managing Editor, another long-term
Washington-watcher who'd won his spurs in the feeding frenzy that had ended the
presidency of Richard Nixon. Those had been heady times. It had given the entire
American media a taste for blood that had never gone away. The only good part
about it, Holtzman thought, was that they didn't cozy up to anyone now. Any
politician was a potential target for the righteous wrath of America's
investigatorial priesthood. The fact of it was healthy, though the extent of it
occasionally was not.
'That's beside the point. Who does? So, what do we know is true?' the editor
asked.
'We have to believe her that the White House isn't getting good data. That's
nothing new at CIA, though it's not as bad as it used to be. The fact of the
matter is that Agency performance has improved somewhat – well, there is the
problem that Cabot has lopped off a lot of heads. We also have to believe what
she says about Narmonov and his military.'
'And Ryan?'
'I've met him at social functions, never officially. He's actually a fairly nice
guy, good sense of humor. He must have a hell of a record. Two Intelligence
Stars – what for, we do not know. He fought Cabot on downsizing the Operations
Directorate, evidently saved a few jobs. He's moved up very fast. Al Trent likes
him, despite that run-in they had a few years ago. There's gotta be a story in
that, but Trent flatly refused to discuss it the only time I asked him.
Supposedly they kissed and made up, and I believe that like I believe in the
Easter Bunny.'
'Is he the sort to play around?' the editor asked next.