“I see,” Frank Dorrien said archly. “So perhaps it’s you with a Group 99 informant on the inside?”
The comment was aimed at Milton Buck, but Greg Walton replied. “Anything’s possible, General. At this point we’re keeping all our options open. ”
Jamie MacIntosh asked, “Have you contacted Miss Whitney? I’d be curious to know what she has to say about all this.”
“Not yet,” said Walton. “We want to broach the subject face-to-face. Tracy has a bad habit of disappearing when she gets spooked. If she knows about Althea in advance, she might just run.”
“We’d be with her right now if we hadn’t been railroaded into flying here to meet with you instead,” Milton Buck added ungraciously. “We’re wasting valuable time.”
“You know, Tracy used to have something of a Robin Hood complex herself,” said Jamie, ignoring the jibe. “She and Jeff only ever stole from people they believed deserved it. And she was quite the whiz with computers. I believe international banking was her forte. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised to learn that she and Jeff were involved with Group 99.”
“I doubt that,” Greg Walton said. “I can’t speak for Jeff Stevens. But Tracy Whitney’s changed. She was an invaluable asset to us last time. I think we can trust her.”
Frank Dorrien frowned but said nothing. He did not like the sound of Tracy Whitney, not one little bit. The woman was a professional thief and liar. Hardly the sort of person they needed on the team.
“I don’t think Group 99’s the link. My guess is that these two women go back way before that,” Greg Walton went on. “Althea might have known Tracy in prison. Or through Jeff Stevens. She might have been one of Jeff’s lovers, or a rival con artist, or even someone Tracy and Jeff targeted in their heyday. We know she’s wealthy, after all. There are a million possibilities. Hopefully once we speak to Tracy in person, she can shed some light.”
“Anything else we need to know at this stage?” Jamie asked, in a tone that suggested the meeting was coming to a close.
“I don’t think so.” Greg Walton stood up to leave. “Nothing material. Finding Hunter Drexel and bringing him home safely remains the official focus of our operation. But identifying Althea is our most important strategic mission. We’re hopeful Miss Whitney can help with that. Of course, it would be nice to get this guy Argyros’s head on a plate too. Maybe you fellows can take the lead on that?”
Jamie MacIntosh nodded.
The two Americans walked to the door.
“One last thing, Mr. Walton,” Frank Dorrien called after them.
“Yes?”
“Hunter Drexel. Why do you think he refused to go with his rescuers? Why did he run?”
Greg Walton and Milton Buck looked at each other briefly.
Then Walton said with a straight face. “I have no idea, General. But when we find him, believe me, that’ll be the first question we ask.”
FORTY MINUTES LATER, JAMIE MacIntosh received a call from the prime minister.
“Can you work with them?” Julia Cabot asked, once Jamie had debriefed her on his meeting with the Americans.
“Of course, Prime Minister. Frank’s not a fan of their FBI chappie. But they provided some very useful information.”
“Do you trust them?”
Jamie MacIntosh laughed. “Trust them? What a quaint idea! Of course I don’t trust them.”
Julia Cabot grinned. “Jolly good. Just checking.”
“They’re lying through their teeth about Drexel,” said Jamie.
“You think they know why he ran?”
“I think they know, and I think they’ll do anything to stop us knowing. I would dearly like to find Mr. Drexel before they do and learn what it is they’re hiding.”
“Well,” Julia Cabot said, “we’ll just have to make that happen then, won’t we?”
“CAN YOU WORK WITH them?” President Havers’s voice sounded tight with strain.
“Yes, Sir,” Greg Walton said. “Agent Buck got off on the wrong foot with one of their guys. But the meeting was constructive. MacIntosh is a reasonable guy.”