by Allan Topol
Craig swallowed hard. Well not exactly. This was damn complicated. He’d better just spit it out. “Mr. President, my being Enrico Marino was sort of a ruse. I’m actually Craig Page. I think you’ll remember that—”
The president’s head snapped back. “I would have never thought that in a million years. Plastic surgery?”
“Yes sir.”
“The surgeon did a good job.”
“Thanks.”
“Was he Swiss?”
“Yes, sir.”
“They do the best work.” Craig wondered if Cerconi had some work done or was considering it. “Agreed.”
“Well anyhow, I have fond memories of Craig Page. Giuseppe explained to me that your ancestors were Italian. So I could still say one of our boys won the Stresa race.”
The four of them sat down at a conference table.
“Okay. What can I do for the two of you?” Cerconi asked.
Giuseppe nodded to Craig who explained what they wanted. As he spoke, the justice minister was scowling; the president seemed intrigued.
When Craig was finished, the president said, “I like the idea of making Zhou pay for Federico’s murder. He was a friend of mine, and also one of the most prominent and well-respected people in all of Italy.”
“Let’s not go so fast,” the minister said. “You’d be damaging relations with one of our largest trading partners.”
Craig responded, “I am convinced that Chinese President Mei Ling is not backing Zhou in this.”
“That’s good to know. I don’t like being pushed around by those people,” the president said. “Besides, Zhou was trying to take over a major part of our banking business.”
“All of that may be true, but this is a legal issue,” the minister said, trying to control the turf. “And in my opinion, the case against Qing and Zhou is insufficient for the Swiss to extradite.”
“Why don’t you put the case together,” Craig replied, “and see what the Swiss say.”
The minister looked annoyed. “Are you questioning my judgment on a legal issue?”
“I was just—”
“Do you have a law degree Signor Page?”
“No, but—”
“Then my opinion must be the opinion of this government. You do not have enough evidence to warrant extradition. So I will not seek it.” His words had the ring of finality.
Craig and Giuseppe looked at the president. They were convinced Cerconi’s sympathies were with them. Would he be willing to overrule his justice minister on a legal issue?
“I’m afraid, gentlemen,” the president said meekly, “on an issue like this, I must defer to my justice minister.”
Craig realized further argument was futile. He and Giuseppe thanked the president for his time and filed out.
Depressed, Craig accompanied Giuseppe back to his office.
Giuseppe sat down behind the desk. “What now?” he asked.
Craig was looking at a map of Europe taped on the wall. He saw Ascona in Switzerland on the northern end of Lake Maggiore. On the southern end of the lake was Stresa.
“If I could get Zhou into a boat in Ascona,” Craig said. “I’d be able to bring him to Italy.”
“You mean kidnap him?”
“Yes.”
“But what good would that do? You heard the president’s decision.”
“That was only on the legal intricacies of requesting extradition. On substance, he was with us. Besides if we actually had Zhou in Italy, with Elizabeth’s help, we’d use the media to trumpet the fact that Zhou killed a well-liked Italian banker and philanthropist. That Zhou was trying to take over a large part of Italy’s banking business. And if Elizabeth succeeds, we’ll also be able to show that Zhou was trying to manipulate the Italian election for Parelli. With all that, the Italian people would demand that he be tried. The president would then overrule the justice minister.”
Giuseppe was smiling. “What’s so funny?” Craig asked.
“I have to hand it to you, Craig. You’re undaunted. You keep getting knocked down and you’re back up on your feet.”
“I take that as a compliment.”
“It was meant to be. However, your plan still has one major obstacle.”
“What’s that?”
“Are you planning to kidnap Zhou yourself?”
Craig took a deep breath. “I was hoping you’d arrange to have three or four special ops troops from the Italian army help me out.”
Giuseppe shook his head. “You’re dreaming. First of all, I don’t have authority to get those troops. And second, I know the minister of defense. After what happened to our troops in Afghanistan, he vowed that no Italian soldiers would ever leave Italy again as long as he was defense minister. Finally, after our meeting with President Cerconi, I couldn’t possibly do that. So that’s a nonstarter. You have another idea?”
Craig thought about it for a minute. “When does that United plane leave for Washington? I’ll have to get my help there.”
Beijing
Zhou was in his office waiting for Tyler to arrive when Qing called from Italy.
“The Russians failed us,” he said grimly.
“What happened?”
“Ilana Goldoni’s free. The two Russians guarding her are dead.”
“They truly are incompetent. I can’t believe the police found her.”
“They didn’t.”
“Rumors are it was the mafia. They may be in a turf war with the Russians and this is one more battle between them.”
Zhou didn’t believe it. There had to be another explanation. He had no idea what it was. Events were rapidly spinning out of control for Zhou. Nothing was going as he planned. He wasn’t used to that.
He had to catch a break. He was hoping for that from Tyler.
* * *
Moments later, Tyler staggered into Zhou’s office. He must have come here directly from the airport, Zhou thought. The American treasury secretary looked weary and bleary eyed.
Before Tyler sat down, he said, “What’s happening on the bond issue that you had to see me on short notice.” His voice was scratchy. He sounded irritated.
Zhou decided to go on the attack. “I’m so angry that I might not buy a single bond from the new issue. That’s what I wanted to tell you, Professor.”
“Whoa. Can we talk about this?”
When they were seated, Tyler asked, “What happened to make you angry?”
“The purchase of Alberto Goldoni’s shares in Turin Credit, the largest bank in Italy, means a great deal to me. And,” he said, as he paused to point a fat finger at Tyler, “and the CIA is sponsoring a competitive bidder, Barry Gorman. You didn’t even tell me about it.”
Zhou was flying blind, making his accusation on speculation, hoping for confirmation from Tyler. He narrowed his eyes, looked squarely at Tyler, and pressed ahead. “Don’t you lie and tell me you’re unaware what your government’s doing.”
Tyler looked away and said, “These are issues of foreign policy. Not my responsibility.”
Tyler’s words delighted Zhou. The American didn’t deny Zhou’s charge. His shot in the dark had hit home.
“Nonsense,” Zhou said, pounding on the table. “You made a commitment to me to stop action like this. So I have no intention of buying your bonds.”
“But—”
“National default will happen on your watch. You’ll go down in the history books as the worst treasury secretary the United States ever had.”
“But—”
“You can forget about getting a high paying job on Wall Street. They might not even take you back on the faculty at Princeton.”
Tyler looked miserable.
Zhou had stopped talking and waited for the American to capitulate. He was confident Tyler would. The man had no spine. No character.
“I fought against it,” Tyler said weakly. “I did my best. You can’t expect more than that from me.”
“But you should have told me about this Barry Gor
man business once you knew about it. You owed me that much.”
Tyler didn’t respond.
Zhou continued in a loud booming voice. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think you’d—”
“You didn’t think that I’d cancel my bond purchase. Well, you were wrong.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Could I get some coffee, please?”
Zhou hit the intercom, and his secretary came running. Once Tyler had a cup and gulped down half of it, Zhou said, “I will buy at least 50 percent of the bonds in your new issue if, and only if, you tell me everything about this Barry Gorman business.”
Tyler began explaining this in a halting voice. “I had noth— nothing to do with this.” He was stammering. “The idea came from Betty Richards, the CIA director.”
“Who else was involved?
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying to me. Keep your bonds and get out of here.”
“Can’t we discuss the—”
“Leave now. Our meeting is over.”
Tyler didn’t move.
“Leave or I’ll call my guards.”
Tyler’s hand was shaking.
After a full minute, Tyler said, “Craig Page was also involved. He used to be CIA director.”
At the mention of the name, Zhou felt a surge through is body as if he had been struck with an electric prod. “What’s Page’s role in this?”
When Tyler didn’t respond, Zhou said, “You tell me voluntarily, or I’ll—”
He left the threat hanging in the air.
Tyler took a deep breath and blurted out. “Craig Page had plastic surgery to change his appearance a year or two ago. He was hiding out in Italy racing cars. He has now surfaced again in Washington with his old friend Betty Richards. Barry Gorman doesn’t exist. Craig Page is pretending to be Barry Gorman, the owner of the Philoctetes Group, a private equity firm, which also doesn’t exist.”
“So he’s using US government money to bid against me for Alberto Goldoni’s stock and control of Turin Credit.”
“It’s all a sham. He has no intention of buying the stock. He’s trying to trap you.”
Zhou stood up and paced around the office. He had seen how Craig Page operated in the past. None of this surprised him.
“Now you know everything.” Tyler added weakly. “Will you buy the bonds from our new issue?”
Tyler stood and Zhou walked over, close to Tyler. “Of course I’ll buy your bonds. Even though you should have come here and told me on your own. Not wait for me to demand the information from you.”
“I’m sorry. Really, I am.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a forgiving person.”
But not with Craig Page, Zhou thought.
Finally, with what Tyler told Zhou, killing Page had now become a lot easier.
Washington
“Run that by me again,” Betty told Craig. “You want to have four US Special Forces troops go with you to Ascona to help you kidnap Zhou, the Chinese Finance Minister, and take him to Italy?”
They were in Betty’s seventh floor office at Langley. It was eleven thirty in the morning.
“That expresses it very succinctly,” Craig said. “What do you think?”
“Well, what I didn’t say is you are out of your fuckin’ mind.”
“That’s a positive reaction. Sort of.”
“Okay. I’ll tell you what I really think. I’m in favor of anything that brings down Zhou. The man’s a horror, and bad for our relations with China. Your plan is bold and daring. Typical Craig Page. It might even work.”
“What do you mean ‘might.’ It will work.”
“I’ve heard that from you before. Sometimes you come up empty. There’s no point you and I debating it. The critical fact is I can’t authorize it on my own.”
“You did for Argentina.”
“A different president was involved. Also China isn’t Argentina. I can and will support you. However, it’ll be the president’s call.”
Craig had expected that response. “When can we get on his calendar?”
Betty picked up the red phone that ran to the Oval Office. He heard her say, “Craig Page is back about the China-Italy matter. We’d like some time with you… . Three o’clock will be great… .We’ll be there.”
She put down the phone. “We’re on for three this afternoon.”
“You think he’ll invite Jones and Tyler?”
“Jones in Egypt. I don’t know about Tyler.”
“I don’t like Tyler.
“Really. I couldn’t tell.”
“He was so damn negative.”
“Sorry, Craig, even the CIA director can’t tell the president whom to invite to a White House meeting. Now let’s get some lunch before we go to the White House.”
“I vote for Capri, that excellent Italian place not far from here.”
“Aren’t you tired of eating Italian food?”
“Never. Not as long as it’s good.”
Over lunch, Betty asked Craig, “What’s happening with you and Elizabeth?”
“She’s working hard to get the facts about Parelli and Zhou. She’s a helluva reporter.”
“No, I mean personally.”
He began singing. “Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match.”
“Very funny.”
“Seriously. We’re back together. The sex is as good as ever.”
She blushed. “Too much information. I don’t need those details. I’d like to know if wedding bells are a possibility.”
“Right now both of us are trying to avoid getting killed by Zhou and his thugs. Everything else will have to wait.”
* * *
When Craig and Betty entered the Oval Office, Craig was glad to see President Worth was alone.
As if reading Craig’s mind, Worth said, “I would have included Jones and Tyler. But Jones is in Egypt having to endure violent protests and Tyler’s in Beijing.”
That raised Craig’s antenna. “What’s he doing there?”
“Something to do with a new bond issue we’re putting out in a little while. He wants to make sure the Chinese buy our new bonds when we roll over the old ones.”
Worth checked his watch. “We better get started.”
Craig took that as a sign Worth’s time was limited. So once they sat down in the living room section of the office, Craig gave a brief summary of what had happened since their last meeting. He ended with his meeting with the Italian president.
“I came away from that session feeling confident that if we could get Zhou to Italy, the Italians would try him for Federico’s murder.”
“And how do you propose to get Zhou to Italy?”
“Well, next week he’s going to be attending a world financial conference in Ascona, Switzerland.”
“I love that part of the world. I was there four years ago for a vacation. We took a boat ride on Lake Maggiore from Ascona to Stresa.”
The president smiled and turned to Betty. “Craig wants to kidnap Zhou and take him by boat to Stresa. Right?”
She nodded. “How’d you guess.”
“I’ve gotten to know how Craig operates.”
“If he could do it,” Betty said, “it would be good for everybody. Zhou is trouble for all of us.”
“Do we know whether Mei Ling is supporting Zhou on this Italian bank business?” Worth asked.
Craig cleared his throat and answered. “Elizabeth Crowder, the—”
“Foreign news editor for the International Herald.”
“Yes. She met with Mei Ling a few days ago. She believes Mei Ling would like to stop Zhou but she feels powerless because he has the support of the military.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Mei Ling and I had a private meeting a couple of months ago. She told me about her concerns with the military. I like her. We decided to open a line of communication.”
“Good to hear tha
t,” Craig said.
“So let’s say I agree with you it would be a good idea to kidnap Zhou and take him by boat from Switzerland to Italy. How would you do that?”
Craig took a deep breath as if he were preparing to jump off a high board. “Well, if you let me borrow four Special Ops Forces, we could get in and out with Zhou before anybody knew about it.”
“Casualties?”
“I’ll develop a plan that will hopefully avoid them.”
“But we both know these operations never go exactly as planned. Look at the Osama Bin Laden capture. One of our two helicopters crashed on the roof of the compound.”
“They got their man. Didn’t they?”
“I don’t know, Craig. Switzerland is our ally. It’s not Pakistan.” Worth looked troubled. “The French and Italians don’t want to ask the Swiss to extradite him.”
“On the other hand,” Betty said, “removing Zhou from the world stage would be beneficial for this country and lots of other people.”
Craig was thrilled with Betty. She knew exactly when to come in.
Worth put his head into his hands and closed his eyes. At least he’s thinking about it, Craig concluded.
Finally, Worth opened his eyes and picked up his head. “Okay, Craig. You have my approval on two conditions.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“First, disguise the identity of the troops. No US insignia on the shirts or anything like that. They should wear plain olive or brown so they could be from anywhere. After the operation, we can refuse to admit or deny they were ours.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Second, when your plans are set and before you head over there, I want you and Betty to come here and brief me about the logistics. After that, you must keep Betty informed about all details of the operation, and Betty you must keep me informed in real time. I want to be able to abort this at any time before you commence the operation. Is that clear?”
Craig and Betty both nodded. “We’ll do that,” Craig said.
“Then don’t waste your time sitting here. Get started with developing your plan. This won’t be easy.”
* * *
Back in Betty’s office, Craig said, “I don’t have a good feeling about Tyler. He was downright hostile when I proposed the Barry Gorman plan. Now suddenly he dashes off to Beijing.”