“OK.”
“Listen, I need some advice.”
Cameron Crewe allowed himself a small smile.
She wants my advice. She trusts me.
“Shoot.”
For the next ten minutes, Tracy gave him an edited version of developments in the Group 99/Althea/Drexel case since they last met. Without divulging anything classified, she gave him a summary of her meeting with Sally Faiers and managed to convey her suspicions about British Intelligence, and in particular Major General Frank Dorrien.
To Tracy’s surprise, Cameron already knew about the Group 99 hack on the CIA and FBI systems. She kept forgetting that Cameron had also worked with Greg Walton for many years. She wasn’t the only outsider the agency had ever called on for help. But he didn’t know Tracy had traced the hack back to MI6, nor that Hunter Drexel was definitively still alive. He listened intently while she filled him in.
Finally, Tracy told Cameron about her trip to see Bob Daley’s family.
“I’d call that serious progress in five days,” Cameron said, when she finally drew breath. “I’m guessing Greg Walton’s loving your ass right now.”
Tracy said, “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”
She explained that the CIA had recalled her to Washington. That she was supposed to be on a plane tomorrow, in fact.
“I’m telling you, General Dorrien’s gotten to them somehow. He’s behind this. He made some trumped-up complaint against me and now he’s got everyone running scared. But the fact is he lied to me outright about Daley and the Prince not being friends. I know that for a fact now.” She was speaking very quickly, excitedly. Cameron found it hard to keep up.
Tracy said, “I think he was the one who stole the Prince’s stuff.”
“Who?”
“General Dorrien.”
“I’m confused,” said Cameron. “Dorrien is MI6?”
“As was Captain Daley.”
“And you think he stole things from the dead Prince’s room at Sandhurst?”
“Yes. Including his computer.”
“And the Prince’s death is connected to Group 99 . . . how?”
“I don’t know,” Tracy admitted. “But I think Dorrien knows. That’s what I need your advice about.”
“OK.” Cameron waited.
Tracy took a deep breath. “I’m thinking of breaking into his house.”
Cameron started to laugh, but stopped in the face of Tracy’s silence.
“You’re not serious?”
“Completely. I break in, find the computer and whatever else it was he took and doesn’t want me to find. And I bring it back to Walton as a fait accompli.”
“Right. May I suggest an alternate plan?” said Cameron.
“You may.”
“Get on the plane tomorrow, come to New York and have dinner with me.”
“Come on. I really need your advice.”