‘Why did you ever go to that party?’ snapped Dexter.
‘Because you instructed me to find out if Fitzgerald had landed a job that would keep him in Washington. Don’t forget that it was his daughter who gave us the lead that made it possible to convince Thompson that it might not be wise to employ him. I’m sure you recall the circumstances.’
The Director frowned. ‘What happened after Mrs Fitzgerald left the Cafe Milano?’
‘Nothing significant until she returned home that night, when she made several calls - she never makes personal calls from the office - including one to Chris Jackson’s cellphone.’
‘Why would she do that, when she knew he’d left the Company?’
‘They go back a long way. He and Fitzgerald served in Vietnam together. In fact, it was Jackson who recommended Fitzgerald for the Medal of Honor, and who recruited him as an NOC.’
‘Did Jackson tell her about you?’ asked Dexter in disbelief.
‘No, he didn’t have a chance,’ replied Gutenburg. ‘I gave an order to block his cellphone the moment we discovered he was in Russia.’ He smiled. ‘We can, however, still identify who’s been trying to call him, and who he’s been trying to call.’
‘Does that mean you’ve found out who he’s reporting back to?’
‘Jackson has only dialled one number on that line since he landed in Russia, and I suspect he only risked that because it was an emergency.’
‘Who did he call?’ asked Dexter impatiently.
‘An unlisted number at the White House.’
Dexter didn’t even blink. ‘Our friend Mr Lloyd, no doubt.’
‘No doubt,’ replied Gutenburg.
‘Is Mrs Fitzgerald aware that Jackson is reporting directly to the White House?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Gutenburg. ‘Otherwise I suspect she would have tried to contact him herself some time ago.’
Dexter nodded. ‘Then we must make certain that she never finds out.’
Gutenburg showed no emotion. ‘Understood. But I can’t do anything about that until I’ve got my hands on the family video.’
‘What’s the latest status on that?’ asked Dexter.
‘We wouldn’t have progressed an inch if we hadn’t picked up a clue in an intercepted phone call. When Joan Bennett rang Mrs Fitzgerald from Langley at two in the morning to say she’d be with her in an hour, one of my people checked what she’d been calling up on the reference library’s computer. It soon became clear that she must have stumbled on something that made her suspect it was her old boss who was in prison in St Peter
sburg. But, as you know, she never kept her appointment with Mrs Fitzgerald.’
‘A little too close for comfort.’
‘Agreed. But when she failed to turn up, Mrs Fitzgerald drove out to the GW Parkway and waited for the police to dredge up the car.’
‘She probably saw a report on TV, or heard about it on the radio,’ said Dexter.
‘Yes, that’s what we assumed - the story led the local news that morning. Once she knew for certain it was Bennett in the car, she immediately phoned her daughter at Stanford. If she sounds a little sleepy, that’s because it was only five o’clock in the morning in California.’ He leant forward again and touched the ‘Play’ button on the tape recorder.
‘Hi, Tara. It’s Mom.’
‘Hi, Mom. What time is it?’
‘I’m sorry to call so early, darling, but I have some very sad news.’
‘Not Dad?’
‘No, Joan Bennett - she’s been killed in a car crash.’