by Lisa Harris
Now, the walls were light gray and the furnishings were a combination of smoky gray, mint green, and sandy beige, colors I usually associated with a beach house.
“Hi, there, Sally Jo. I see you’ve been doing some redecorating.”
She gave me a big smile. “Well, hi, Titus,” she said in her distinctive Southern drawl. “I’m surprised you noticed. Most men who walk in here don’t see the changes. Your wife must be training you right.”
“Nikki’s been training me all right. My first month of married life has been a real learning experience.”
Her eyes twinkled as she brushed aside a wisp of silvery hair from her forehead. “Yes, I thought that might be the case. If you remember, the last time I saw you, I warned you things were about to change in your world. I have a feeling those changes are for the better, though. You look very happy.”
“As usual, you’re very observant, Sally Jo. I can definitely say I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
Sally Jo—or rather Mrs. Hartford as Carlton insisted everyone call her—beamed when I mentioned her observation skills.
I’m sure she knew I just said it to stay on her good side, but she didn’t seem to mind.
She was used to such flattery.
Sally Jo was Carlton’s gatekeeper, and despite her grandmotherly manner and charming smile, getting past her was almost as difficult as getting past a Pakistani border guard.
To be truthful, I handed out compliments to Sally Jo for the same reason I handed out American dollars at the Pakistani border—it made things a lot easier.
She said, “After forty years of married life, I can tell you things are always changing, but as long as you work through those changes together and keep on loving each other, you’ll always be happy.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
I pointed over at Carlton’s private office. “Would it be possible for me to speak with Douglas a few minutes before our debriefing? You can tell him I won’t take long.”
She shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Titus, but Mr. Carlton has someone with him right now.”
“I understand. Would you mind if I just waited here a few minutes? Maybe I can speak to him when he’s done.”
“No, I don’t mind. Have a seat and tell me what you think about the new artwork on the wall.”
Once I had exhausted my repertoire of accolades for her decorating choices, I took a look at my watch and realized I wasn’t going to have enough time to talk to Carlton before our meeting.
“I know Douglas hates being late for meetings,” I said, standing to my feet, “so I think I’ll just catch him later.”
“Yes, he doesn’t like to—”
Sally Jo stopped in midsentence when the door to Carlton’s office suddenly opened.
I admit I was surprised to see Ben Mitchell walk out.
I was equally surprised to see the smile on his face.
“Hi, Titus,” Ben said. “Are you ready to meet with the congressional committee for our debriefing?”
“Yes, but I was hoping to chat with Douglas first.” I glanced over at Sally Jo. “Do you think it’s too late for that?”
“Give me a second. I’ll check with him.”
As she walked over and tapped on Carlton’s office door, I asked Ben, “Well, how did it go with Douglas? Did you tell him about Omer?”
“Yeah, it’s all good. No problems.”
No problems?
It’s all good?
Before I had a chance to ask Ben for an explanation, Sally Jo came out of Carlton’s office and said I could have five minutes with him.
I figured five minutes would be plenty of time to ask him what was going on.
It made me feel better when I saw Carlton’s office hadn’t been redecorated. Except for the addition of a computer, his office looked exactly the same way it looked when I met him twenty years ago.
Dark wooden bookcases lined each side of the room, and every book on every shelf was in line with the other. The same thing was true for the stacks of papers on his desk and the files on his credenza—Carlton had a thing about alignment.
On the left side of the room, in front of the bookcases, was a round conference table with four brown leather chairs, and on the right side of the room was an upholstered sofa with a couple of matching armchairs.
Visitors who arrived for a scheduled meeting with Carlton were invited to be seated on either side, depending on what they wanted to discuss with him—Carlton was the one who made that decision.
However, drop-in visitors were told to take a seat in one of the guest chairs in front of Carlton’s massive desk, and the moment I walked in, Carlton pointed to one of them and said, “Have a seat, Titus. I’m surprised to see you here.”
As I sat down, I said, “I promise this won’t take long.”
Carlton leaned back in his chair. “Do you want to go over the protocols of Operation Invisible Target before the oversight committee starts questioning you about what happened in Baghdad?”
“No, I accessed the Agency archives last night and reviewed the operation, so I shouldn’t have any trouble answering their questions.”
He stared at me a moment. “I’m glad you decided to wear a tie today. Committee members always take note of that sort of thing.”
Carlton was an immaculate dresser. Except when he was directing an operation in country, I seldom saw him without a suit and tie on.
Today, he was wearing a dark gray suit, a silver tie with black stripes, and a white shirt that looked brand new. Naturally, he was showing just the right amount of cuff. His cufflinks, which appeared to be made of titanium, complemented his suit.
No matter what I was wearing, I always felt scruffy beside him.
“Yes, I thought wearing a tie would be appropriate to the proceedings today, even though I’m pretty sure Senator Mitchell only asked for this debriefing to give me a reason to be in town. He just wanted to give me an excuse to speak with Ben about Kamila Hanim.”
Carlton frowned as he ran his hand over his bald head. “I suppose you know Ben was just here.”
I nodded. “I saw him as he was leaving. After we talked yesterday, I urged him to tell you what happened outside his townhouse yesterday with Omer Hanim.”
“Are you referring to Omer pulling a gun on him?”
“That’s right. I saw the whole thing, and even though Ben doesn’t seem to think Omer poses any kind of threat to him, I figured you’d want him to follow Agency rules and report it.”
“Yes, of course. I’m glad you reminded him he should always follow Agency rules.”
I felt sure Carlton was about to elaborate on what he told Ben he should do regarding his relationship with Kamila Hanim, and I felt sure he was about to tell me he’d told Ben he would be informing the DDO about the incident with Omer.
Not so.
He sat there in complete silence for a few seconds.
We both sat there in complete silence for a few seconds.
As I was trying to think of how to phrase my next question, I saw him glance down at his watch.
“Well, Titus, unless there’s something else you wanted to say, we should leave now. I don’t want to keep the senators waiting.”
“No, there’s nothing else. I just wanted to make sure Ben had told you about Omer.”
“Yes, we discussed it.”
I stood to my feet. “Okay . . . well . . . I guess I should go now.”
“I’ll see you in the conference room in a few minutes.”
As I was about to walk out the door, I turned around and said, “You know, Douglas, I noticed Ben didn’t seem very upset when he left here just now. Would you mind if I asked you what you said to him about his relationship with Kamila Hanim?”
“No, I don’t mind. I told him the same thing I told you when I found out you were dating Nikki.”
I thought for a second, and then I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Douglas. I don’t remember what you told me about Nikki.”
; “I said when it comes to issues of the heart, we’re often blinded by our own misconceptions.”
I walked out of Carlton’s office completely baffled.
I couldn’t understand why he had dismissed the relationship between Ben and Kamila so casually, and I had no idea why he wasn’t going to inform the DDO about what was going on between them.
Most puzzling of all was his last statement.
When it comes to issues of the heart, we’re often blinded by our own misconceptions. I knew he’d never said anything like that to me when I was dating Nikki.
What was going on with him?
More importantly, what was going on with Ben?
I pushed those questions to the back of my mind when I entered the large conference room on the sixth floor for the congressional debriefing on Operation Invisible Target.
Since the senators were allowed to ask the operational team about anything written in the final report of the mission, I knew I needed to stay focused on those details.
The conference room on the sixth floor didn’t have the usual rectangular table found in most Agency conference rooms.
Instead, the table was shaped like a modified half circle, and the participants in the meeting—whether they were there for a seminar, a lecture, or a debriefing—sat behind the curved table and faced the audience.
In the case of a debriefing, there was no audience, so the members of the congressional committee faced a rectangular conference table where the operational team was assembled.
It was more or less the same setup the senators used in congressional hearing rooms on Capitol Hill, except the Agency’s conference room was much smaller, and there were no media people, congressional staffers, or other personnel allowed in the room while the debriefing was going on.
In addition, each senator who attended the Agency meeting had to sign a secrecy agreement which prohibited him or her from disclosing what they saw and/or heard at the debriefing.
Needless to say, there were no cameras or cell phones allowed.
When I walked in, the ten senators attending the debriefing were clustered in several small groups on their side of the room—the side with the curved table—and Ben Mitchell and Jennifer Sanders were standing by the rectangular table on the other side of the room, waiting for the senators to tell them to be seated.
The two of them appeared to be enjoying each other’s company.
She was definitely Ben’s type—attractive brunette with dark brown eyes, long straight hair, and an assertive personality.
Jennifer, who was permanently assigned to the Agency’s Communications Center in Baghdad, had been in charge of communications on the ground in Baghdad during the mission.
She hadn’t been the only female on the Invisible Target operational team. The operational team Carlton sent to Baghdad consisted of a primary officer—that would be me—along with the mission’s secondary officers, Ben Mitchell and Liz Cummings.
I suspected Liz Cummings wouldn’t be at the congressional debriefing since there were only four chairs at the table, and Carlton would also be seated with the operational team.
Her absence didn’t surprise me. Even though Liz had been a member of our operational team, she worked the Far East desk, so I figured she was probably off on an assignment.
A few minutes later, when Carlton walked in the room without Senator Mitchell, I realized he would also be a no-show.
I wasn’t disappointed when I realized this.
However, the day still had its share of disappointments.
Chapter Eight
By the time the congressional oversight debriefing was over, I was more convinced than ever the whole thing had been unnecessary.
The senators only asked for clarification on certain details, and instead of questioning me about a decision I made that resulted in Ben’s injury, they commended the whole team, including Carlton, on the way Operation Invisible Target had been handled.
As the meeting broke up, I heard Ben ask Jennifer how long she was going to be in Washington and where she was staying.
I was talking to Carlton at the time, and after I heard Jennifer say she was staying at a hotel near Langley, I said to Carlton, “As long as the invitation’s still open, I believe I’ll take you up on your offer to stay out at The Meadows.”
“You aren’t flying back to Oklahoma tomorrow?” he asked.
“No, while I’m here, I need to meet with the social worker who’s handling Eleanor’s adoption. If I’m able to meet with her now, I won’t have to fly back to Washington at the end of June.”
“Of course, you’re welcome to stay out at The Meadows. I’ll let Millie and Arkady know you’re coming. I’m sure they’ll both be happy to see you.”
Millie and Arkady Orlov were Carlton’s live-in housekeepers at his estate in Fairfax, Virginia.
They were also part-time employees at the Agency, so they didn’t ask too many questions about the people Carlton invited to stay at The Meadows.
Carlton seldom stayed out at the estate himself. After Gladys passed away, he said he preferred to stay at his townhouse in McLean, Virginia, close to CIA headquarters.
That didn’t mean he never went out to The Meadows. At certain times of the year, he threw a big party at the estate and invited all of his operatives, plus a few select Agency personnel.
I suspected he did this so Millie could show off her culinary skills, and Arkady could show off his gardening expertise.
“Thanks, Douglas,” I said. “You can tell Millie I’ll call her when I’m on my way, but I’m sure it won’t be until late this evening.”
I gestured over at Jennifer. “I just heard Jennifer say she’s staying at a hotel while she’s in town; if you want to invite her to stay out at The Meadows, I doubt if we’d get in each other’s way.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Is that because you want to play matchmaker between Ben and Jennifer?”
“You know that’s not a bad idea.”
After I heard Carlton asked Jennifer to stay out at The Meadows—an invitation she eagerly accepted—I walked over and asked both Jennifer and Ben if they’d like to go to lunch with me.
I was surprised to hear Ben say he was sorry, but he didn’t have time for lunch because he needed to be somewhere.
When I heard him say that, I gestured at Jennifer and said, “So I suppose it’ll just be the two of us. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the next few days. Douglas told me he’s invited you to stay out at The Meadows.”
“Is that where you’re staying?” she asked.
“That’s right.”
“You’re not headed back to Oklahoma?” Ben asked, looking a little agitated. “Don’t tell me the honeymoon’s already over.”
“No, of course not. I just need to stick around here a few more days and take care of some business.”
Ben turned to Jennifer. “I really need to be going now, but I’ll give you a call soon. Maybe we can have lunch together while you’re here.”
“I’d really like that,” she said with a smile.
I believed her, and when I saw the lingering gaze Ben gave her, I felt sure he believed her too.
Once Ben left, I said, “I’m sorry, Jennifer, I just remembered somewhere I need to be. Could I take a raincheck on lunch?”
“Oh, sure. No problem. I need to go back and check out of my hotel anyway. I guess I’ll see you out at The Meadows later.”
“Yes, I’ll be out there this evening.”
When I left the conference room, I did a quick recon of the hallway to be sure Ben wasn’t waiting by the elevators, and after taking the elevator down to the lobby, I scanned that area as well.
I saw no sign of him.
However, as I was walking across the parking lot to get to my Nissan, I spotted his red SUV just clearing the security gate at the main entrance.
By the time I drove out of the parking lot, Ben was already merging into traffic on the Parkway, and I decided I couldn�
��t have timed it any better even if I’d spent weeks planning it, because when I got on the Parkway, I discovered I was in the perfect spot behind Ben’s BMW.
It was the perfect spot because I was several car lengths away, and I could tail him without drawing attention to myself.
Although I realized he could be on his way to his physical therapy session or meeting Kamila for lunch, I suspected that wasn’t the case.
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I felt that way, except my gut was telling me Ben was headed somewhere else.
I felt that same churning sensation in the pit of my stomach yesterday after telling Ben he needed to speak with Carlton about his encounter with Omer, and he agreed to do it without a word of protest.
It kicked in again when Ben came out of his meeting with Carlton and told me all was well.
At that moment, I suspected he was hiding something from me.
Then, when Carlton didn’t appear to be concerned about what was going on with Ben and gave me a cryptic answer when I asked him about it, he confirmed my suspicions.
They were both hiding something from me.
About ten minutes after I left CIA headquarters, I watched to see if Ben would stay on the Parkway or head east on I-495. If he turned east, he was probably headed over to the Benchmark facilities for a physical therapy session.
He remained on the Parkway.
Obviously, he was going to miss his session at Benchmark today.
Since he remained on the Parkway, I wondered if he might be meeting Kamila for lunch at a location away from her work.
Approximately five minutes later, when Ben exited the Parkway and took the Georgetown Pike in a northwesterly direction, I questioned whether he could be headed to lunch with Kamila since the Pike was mainly a scenic route with very few eating establishments along the way.
Although it was a scenic drive, it was also a four-lane highway connecting McLean, Virginia, to Great Falls, Virginia, and a few minutes after he turned north, I decided that’s where Ben was headed—to Great Falls, Virginia, where Camp Tamal was located.