JК
The Third Option :: Flynn Vince
Страница: 260 из 267If Mitch's identity was discovered, Irene was prepared to spread the false rumors that Mitch was a gunfor hire. That he'd been hired by the Iraqis to assassinate the count because Hagenmiller was screwing them over on their deal.»
«That's all fine unless someone else is leaking Mitchell's real story. Let me ask you this, Mr. President. How many people do you think knew about the operation to take out the count?»
«I would hope very few.»
«The four people in this room are the only people who were supposed to know the entire scope of the operation. There were roughly a dozen others who were involved in support roles but had no idea of the complete operation. Someone outside this room also knew what we had planned in Germany.» Stansfield paused and took a moment to look at each of the other three. «I know all of you well enough to doubt that you would have been so careless as to talk to someone outside of this group. That means someone else knows about the Orion Team, and I don't mean the deceased Peter Cameron. He was used to get to the Jansens in Germany, but I doubt he was the one who found out what we were up to.»
«Then who could it be?» asked the president. «You said yourself that the four of us were the only ones who knew exactly what was going to happen.»
«Yes, we were the only ones who knew exactly what was going to happen, but there were others who knew the count was a repeat offender. Furthermore, there are people in this town who know about the Orion Team. They don't know what it is called, but they were in on the decision to found it. Senator Clark was smart enough to put two and two together and come to us with his suspicions. There are others who know me well enough to know that I would trust only two individuals to run such a team, Irene or Max Salmen. They also know that you, Mr. President, have decided to take the battle to the terrorists on every front, and beyond that, you throw Mitchell's notoriety over the last year into the picture, and I'm afraid we were caught going to the well one too many times. It should not be shocking to any of us that someone with a limited amount of information was able to figure out what we were up to in Germany.»
«But how could they move that fast?» asked Rapp. «I only learned of the operation seventy-two hours in advance.»
«That's what worries me the most. Whoever this person or group is, they have the ability to move very quickly and very quietly.»
Rapp looked to Kennedy and watched her stare at Stansfield with her calculating eyes. After a long moment of silence, she said, «It's someone at Langley, isn't it?»
Stansfield nodded slowly. «Yes, I'm afraid so.
«That's all fine unless someone else is leaking Mitchell's real story. Let me ask you this, Mr. President. How many people do you think knew about the operation to take out the count?»
«I would hope very few.»
«The four people in this room are the only people who were supposed to know the entire scope of the operation. There were roughly a dozen others who were involved in support roles but had no idea of the complete operation. Someone outside this room also knew what we had planned in Germany.» Stansfield paused and took a moment to look at each of the other three. «I know all of you well enough to doubt that you would have been so careless as to talk to someone outside of this group. That means someone else knows about the Orion Team, and I don't mean the deceased Peter Cameron. He was used to get to the Jansens in Germany, but I doubt he was the one who found out what we were up to.»
«Then who could it be?» asked the president. «You said yourself that the four of us were the only ones who knew exactly what was going to happen.»
«Yes, we were the only ones who knew exactly what was going to happen, but there were others who knew the count was a repeat offender. Furthermore, there are people in this town who know about the Orion Team. They don't know what it is called, but they were in on the decision to found it. Senator Clark was smart enough to put two and two together and come to us with his suspicions. There are others who know me well enough to know that I would trust only two individuals to run such a team, Irene or Max Salmen. They also know that you, Mr. President, have decided to take the battle to the terrorists on every front, and beyond that, you throw Mitchell's notoriety over the last year into the picture, and I'm afraid we were caught going to the well one too many times. It should not be shocking to any of us that someone with a limited amount of information was able to figure out what we were up to in Germany.»
«But how could they move that fast?» asked Rapp. «I only learned of the operation seventy-two hours in advance.»
«That's what worries me the most. Whoever this person or group is, they have the ability to move very quickly and very quietly.»
Rapp looked to Kennedy and watched her stare at Stansfield with her calculating eyes. After a long moment of silence, she said, «It's someone at Langley, isn't it?»
Stansfield nodded slowly. «Yes, I'm afraid so.