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Harry looked away as if he were too embarrassed to answer Bullert wasn’t so self-conscious "I need a favor," he said

"What kind of favor?"

"Will you help?"

"What kind of favor?"

"It’s for your country"

Uh-oh, my inner voice said For Bullert to play that card so early in the conversation …

"A wise e of a scoundrel," I told him

"What’s that supposed totowent splat and now you need assistance cleaning up the ain he seeain Harry looked like he wished he were somewhere else

"Have you ever heard of Operation Fast and Furious?" Bullert asked

"Is that the title of the new Vin Diesel movie?"

"We’re serious, McKenzie"

"Yes, I know about Fast and Furious It was in all the papers"

"What do you know?"

"It was the nauys--and soun dealers with seventeen hundred weapons, the plan being that you would track the weapons and then arrest the dealers and their custo cartels Only you screwed up--you lost track of the guns Now they’re popping up at criht even have been used to kill our own guys Congress found out, hearings were held, disgruntled ATF agents and other whistle-blowers testified, high-ranking officials lost their jobs, the administration was embarrassed--just another sunny day in our nation’s capital"

"We’ve recovered about half the guns one way or the other," Bullert said "Still can’t account for the other half, though"

"Butterfingers"

"A couple days ago, we got a lead"

"What lead?"

"I need to tell you so, but it ain Bullert sought help froent said

Bullert rubbed his face and then set his hands palms down on the table in front of hi it carefully as if he wanted to co the Canadian border," he said