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“I’m going to make a brief statement,” he said, “and then I’m going to turn things over to Director Ke
Garret said, “He’s going to build her up before he drops the ax.”
“Director Ke
The president stepped away from the podium and opened his arms for Ke
Garret shook his head in disgust and said, “You see! That’s what happens when you’re done ru
Ke
She looked straight at the press corps and said, “Since the terrorist attack here in Washington this past October, the CIA has been actively trying to identify the person or persons behind the assault on the motorcade. This past weekend a team of CIA operatives, after nearly a month in the field, apprehended a man on the Greek island of Cyprus. This man has been identified byThe New York Times as Alexander Deckas, a Greek national. Just this morning the Greek government filed an official protest at the United Nations accusing the United States of kidnapping one of their citizens. The Greek government is demanding Mr. Deckas be returned immediately.”
Ke
“This surveillance footage was taken at a Starbucks on Wisconsin Avenue only a few blocks away from the explosion that took place this past October. Based on the testimony of a Secret Service agent who was in the motorcade that day, we believe the man standing at the counter wearing the baseball hat is the person who detonated the bomb.”
Ke
Ross’s eyes narrowed and he asked, “What in the hell is she up to?”
“The man on the right entered the U.S. using a Greek passport and was traveling under the name of Nicholas Panagos.” Ke
A hand shot up and then a man stood blocking a good portion of the camera angle. The image on the TV quickly switched to show the reporter from the front. As he began to speak his name appeared at the bottom of the screen along with the newspaper he worked for. It was Sam Cohen, the White House correspondent forThe New York Times.
“Director Ke
The camera angle switched back around to Ke
“So you’re not denying it?”
Ke
Cohen wrote while he talked. “Are you denying reports that Mitch Rapp shot this man four times, once in each knee and then again in both hands?”
Once again Ke
Cohen had a look of surprised amusement on his face. “Were these injuries inflicted while Agent Rapp was torturing Mr. Deckas?”
“They occurred during the apprehension of the suspect, but I think you’re getting a bit ahead of the story here, Sam.”
“With all due respect, Director Ke
“If the man was indeedi
“You have shown us nothing that comes close to proving that this Deckas fellow was the one who attacked the motorcade and I can’t conceive of a scenario where an individual gets shot in both knees and both hands while being arrested.”
Ke
The smile was what gave Ross reason to pause. It was the same smile one would give during a chess match when an opponent had stepped into your trap. Something was wrong. Her expression was not what he expected from someone who was about to be gang raped by the media. Ross watched as she turned back to the screen and pressed the remote. The photo of Deckas stayed on the screen and was joined by a second, younger photo of him.
“Mr. Deckas is in fact not a Greek citizen. His real name is Gavrilo Gazich, and he is wanted by The Hague for war crimes committed in the former republic of Yugoslavia. Mr. Gazich is a person of Bosnian heritage who is charged with killing over three dozen men, women, and children during the war. Five years ago he moved to Cyprus and set up a fake identity and a company that specialized in bringing aid to the impoverished nations of Africa. Based on information we found at his office and home, we are now looking into the fact that he may have been involved in as many as sixteen assassinations over the past decade. His targets included a United Nations official, relief workers, politicians, warlords, generals, and at least one reporter.”
Garret tore his eyes away from the TV and said, “What the fuck is this?”
Before Ross could answer Ke
“Was that confession made before or after he’d been shot in both knees?” The voice was that of Sam Cohen of theTimes. He stayed in his seat this time.
Ke