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“I really don’t But I’ve read an old FBI intelligence assessht be there Juan Lopez Valdez is a former asset of both the FBI and the CIA He may even still do some work for the CIA I don’t know Officially, he’s attached to the Cuban secret police, but he’s a man for hire, with no loyalties other than to himself There are people here ant to knohy, besides the coin, he chose to contact Foster And those files could provide the answer”
“They do”
“You’ve read them?”
“Enough to know this is not going on 60 Minutes This gets its own one-hour, prime-time special report”
“Cotton, listen to reat job I really appreciate the effort But let me handle this from here on”
“You’ve yet to say a word toto Benjamin Foster”
Silence reigned for a few moments
“It wasn’t necessary for you to know that But I had to judge the man for myself”
“He set me up to take the fall with Jansen and Oliver He wanted them to take the files He was able to do that, thanks to you”
More silence
“You wanted me out here because you said you liked the fact that I didn’t play ith others and I iave me half the story, which led me into a trap So how about you let me do this my way now”
“And you’re not going to tell ?”
“Let me play this out If it leads nowhere, I’ll bail and turn it all over to you”
This was the beginning of a pattern that would mark our relationship for many years to come Sure, it was flawed, but we came to accept that rarely did either of us tell the other everything My working relationship with Stephanie Nelle ran sht It also delivered results because we both possessed an iron purpose, and ere good at e did
“What do you want me to do about Tom Oliver?” she asked “My inclination is to arrest him”
“Leave hi leash”
“And if that leads straight to you?”
The prospect of that was not encouraging, but I knew the correct answer to her question “I’ll handle it”
She didn’t like the situation, but finally agreed to my conditions
“One day,” she told ive you”
“Fair enough”
“Keep in touch”
I ended the call
I stood for afrohter, the clink of glasses, the dozens of ht down over the black asphalt I debated whether toto do
I dialed my house
Pam answered
“I wanted to let you know I’m still okay,” I said to her
“You sound tired”
“It’s been a long day”
“Where are you?”
Stephanie had instructed me that no one was to know my mission or my whereabouts “You know I can’t say”
“How convenient Too bad you didn’t have that excuse before”
I closed ue I’d become accustomed to her not-so-subtle reminders of my infidelity “I assure you, I’m on the job and it hasn’t been fun”
“And what you did before was fun?”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it I called to tell you I’m okay and that I love you”
“Both are always nice to hear When will you be home?”
Never did she return those three words Not once since all that had happened had she uttered them to me More of my punishment “I don’t know But I’ll try to keep in touch”
“Are you lying to ain?”
Looking back, it was foolish to think that I could ever , you tend to think that all can be ht
But it can’t