The Fourth K

Klee nodded his head in agreement. "Of course that is true. But Bert Audick came to visit you and I know that had to do with the oil industry.

But let me tell you that Mr. Audick is in very serious trouble in the United States. He would be a very bad ally for you to have in the coming years. "

"And you would be a very good ally?" the Sultan asked, smiling.

"Yes," Klee said. "I am the ally that could save you. If you cooperate with me now."

"Explain," the Sultan said. He was obviously angered by the implied threat.

Klee spoke very carefully. "Bert Audick is under indictment for conspiracy against the United States government because his mercenaries or those of his company fired on our planes bombing your city of Dak. And there are other charges. His oil empire could be destroyed under certain of our laws. He is not a strong ally at this moment."

The Sultan said slyly, "Indicted but not convicted. I understand that will be more difficult."

"That is true," Klee said. "But in a few months Francis Ke

"I still fail to see how I can help you," the Sultan said. And then more imperiously, "Or how you can help me. I understand you are in a delicate position yourself in your own country."

"That may or may not be true," Klee said. "As for my position, which is delicate, as you say, that will be resolved when Ke

The Sultan seemed to be impressed and even amused by this courtesy. "By all means," he said.

Klee said, "First, and most important, here is how I can help you. I can be your ally. I have the ear of the President of the United States and I have his trust. We live in difficult times."

The Sultan interrupted smilingly, "I have always lived in difficult times."

"And so you can appreciate what I am saying better than most," Klee retorted sharply.

"And what if your Ke

"Accidents befall, heaven is not always kind."

Christian Klee was cold now as he answered, "What you are saying is, what if the plot to kill Ke

But it doesn't have to come to that. I'm a reasonable man and I understand your position. What I propose is an exchange of information between you and myself on a personal basis. I don't know what Audick proposed to you, but I'm a better bet. If Audick and his crowd wins, you still win. He doesn't know about us. If Ke

The Sultan nodded and then led him to a sumptuous banquet. During the meal the sultan asked Klee i

Klee looked him directly in the eye. "There is no way that Yabril can escape his fate. If his fellow terrorists think they can get him released by holding even the most important of hostages, tell them to forget about it. Ke

The Sultan sighed. "Your Ke

When Christian Klee returned to the United States, the first person he went to see was the Oracle. The old man received him in his bedroom suite, sitting in his motorized wheelchair, an English tea spread on the table in front of him, a comfortable armchair waiting for Christian opposite.

The Oracle greeted him with a slight wave to indicate that he should sit down. Christian served him tea and a tiny bit of cake and a small finger sandwich, then served himself. The Oracle took a sip of tea and crumbled the bit of cake in his mouth. They sat there for a long moment.

Then the Oracle tried to smile, a slight movement of the lips, the skin so dead it barely moved. "You've got yourself into a fine mess for your fucking friend Ke

The vulgarism, spoken as if from the mouth of an i

"I'm talking about that atom bomb thing," the Oracle said. "The rest of the shit doesn't matter. But they are accusing you of being responsible for the murder of thousands of citizens of this country.

They've got the goods on you, it seems, but I refuse to believe you to be so stupid. Inhuman, yes-after all, you're in politics. Did you really do it?" The old man was not judgmental, just curious.

Who else in the world was there to tell? Who else in the world would understand? "What I'm astonished about," Klee said, "is how quickly they got on to me."

"The human mind leaps to an understanding of evil," the Oracle said. "You are surprised because there is a certain i

"You have to understand," Christian said, "that letting something happen is so much easier than actually doing something. There was the crisis, Francis Ke

Gresse and Tibbot. I had the time to do it. The whole thing flashed by in that one second and it was done."

The Oracle said, "Give me some more hot tea and another piece of cake."

He put the cake in his mouth, tiny crumbs appearing on his scarlike lips.

"Yes or no: Did you interrogate Gresse and Tibbot before the bomb exploded? You got the information out of them and then didn't act on it?"

Christian sighed. "They were only kids. I squeezed them dry in five minutes. That's why I couldn't have Cloot at the interrogation. But I didn't want the bomb to explode. It just went so quick."

The Oracle started to laugh. It was a curious laugh even in so old a man.

It was a series of grunted heh, heh, heh's. "You've got it ass backwards," the Oracle said. "You had already made up your mind that you would let the bomb explode. Before you told Cloot not to interrogate them. It didn't go by in a second, you pla

Christian Klee was a little startled. What the Oracle said was true.

"And all this to save your hero, Francis Ke

"Francis really gave me the go-ahead," Klee said. And that made the Oracle touch a button on his chair so that the back of it straightened to make his body upright and alert.