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Ke
«No.» Rapp looked down at Stansfield. Come to think of it, he did look frail.
«All of the vultures are circling, and they're getting ready for their next meal. There's pressure coming from all sides.» Ke
If Rapp had learned one thing in the last ten years, it was that people were capable of almost anything. Despite all of that, though, Ke
«That's what we've been trying to figure out.»
«Just put me in a room alone with the team you sent to Germany, and I'll take care of it.»
Ke
«Oh, let me guess,» said Rapp with feigned surprise. «They've disappeared.»
«No, worse.»
«They're dead.»
«Yes.»
«How convenient.»
«Believe me, no one wanted to talk to them more than me.»
Rapp grunted. «Actually, I'm at the top of that list.» He aimed the gun at Ke
«What exactly happened in Germany?»
«I have a few more questions before we get to that. How is it that you happen to know they're dead?»
Ke
«You saw it, or you pulled the trigger?»
Coleman shook his head. «I didn't kill them.»
«Scott, no offense, but what in the hell are you doing in the middle of this?»
Stansfield coughed and raised his right hand. «That would be my doing, Mitchell. We received one communique from the Jansens – you knew them as the Hoffmans – after the mission. They stated that the count had been eliminated, but you'd been lost in the process. As we followed developments, it became apparent that the Jansens may have been wrong. There were reports that someone fitting your description was seen leaving the count's estate five to ten minutes after the Jansens left. Then there was the fire. The Jansens had said nothing about that. We became suspicious, and I asked Scott to go to Colorado and bring the Jansens back for a thorough debriefing.»
Ke
«In a minute.» Looking to Coleman, he asked, «Tell me about Colorado.»
«I went out there with a few men to retrieve them.»
«When was this?»
«Saturday night. The Jansens had a place west of Denver in a little town called Evergreen. We put them under surveillance and were getting ready to move in on Sunday morning when another group showed up and took them out.»
Rapp studied him for a moment, trying to detect a lie. «Who was this other group?»
«I don't know.» Coleman shook his head. «There were four of them. Three men and a woman. They were very professional. Quick and thorough.»
«You honestly have no idea who they were?»
«No.»
«That's bullshit, Scott.» Rapp raised his voice. He looked to Ke
«We were discussing this very matter when you burst in here,» Ke
«Well, excuse me if I forgot to knock, but I hope you understand if I'm just a little pissed off. You send me on a mission that only a handful of people are supposed to know about, and right after I take care of the count, I turn around and that bitch you sent to assist me pumps two rounds into my chest:' Rapp pointed at himself. «From where I'm sitting, it's pretty clear that someone set me up. You» – Rapp pointed the gun at Ke
Ke
«Sit back down!» shouted Rapp.
«No, I'm not going to sit back down! And stop pointing that gun at me!»
«Sit back down, Irene, or I swear I'll…»
«What? Shoot me?» Ke
Rapp studied her. Her face was flushed, and her fists were clenched tight. He had never seen Ke
24
The colonial grandfather clock in the comer a
Clark studied a memo that one of his senior staffers had prepared at the senator's request. It summarized the lack of affordable housing for military perso
The NEA was in bed with the Democrats; there was nothing he or any other Republican could do about that. He wasn't going to get their votes regardless of what he did, so he might as well make hay of it. The plan was to go into California, Texas, and Florida – all states with huge blocks of electoral votes and loaded with military bases. He would run on a ten-percent pay increase for all military perso