His casual second glance at the table revealed...
His casual second
glance at the table revealed Alexander Conklin to him; he was obviously startled by the sight of the
retired intelligence officerInstantly, he changed his reaction to one of pleasant surprise, crossing to
Conklin’s chair, his hand extended
“Good to see you, old boyIt’s been two or three years now, hasn’t it?”
“More like four, Steve,” replied Alex, shaking hands“How’s the analysts’ analyst and keeper of
the keys?”
“Not much to analyze or to lock up these daysThe White House is a sieve and the Congress
isn’t much betterI should get half pay, but don’t tell anyone
“We still keep some things to ourselves, don’t we?” interrupted the DCI, smiling“At least from
past operationsPerhaps you fake hermes bags earned double your pay then
“Oh, I suspect I did DeSole nodded his head humorously as he released Conklin’s hand
“However, the days of archive custodians and armed transfers to underground warehouses are over
Today it’s all computerized photo scans entered by machines from on highI don’t get to go on
those wonderful trips any longer with military escorts, pretending I’ll be deliciously attacked by
Mata HariI haven’t had a briefcase chained to my wrist since I can’t remember when
“A lot safer that way,” said Alex
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
16
“But very little I can tell my grandchildren about, old boy‘What did you do as a big spy,
Grandpa?’‘Actually, in my last years, a great many crossword cheap chanel bags puzzles, young manDeSole,” said the DCI, chuckling“I shouldn’t care to put in a recommendation
to cut your payOn the other hand, I couldn’t, because I don’t believe you for an instant Conklin spoke quietly, angrily“This is a setup,” he added, staring at the
overweight analyst
“That’s quite a statement, Alex,” countered DeSole“Would you mind explaining it?”
“You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
“I didn’t know you were hereIt just happened to be convenient for you to be ‘down the hall’ and ready to come in
here
“My office is down the hallQuite far down, I might add
Conklin looked at the DCI“Again, very smooth, sirBring in three people you figure I’ve had
no major run-ins with outside of the system rolex watches for sale in the uk itself, three men you’ve determined I basically trust, so
I’ll believe whatever’s said
“That’s fundamentally accurate, MrConklin, because what you’ll hear is the truthPerhaps at this end of the table so that our former colleague can study us as we
explain to himI understand it’s a technique favored by field officers
“I haven’t a damn thing to explain,” said the analyst as he headed for the chair next to Casset
“But in light of our former colleague’s somewhat gross remarks, I’d like to study himAre you
well, Alex?”
“He’s well,” answered the deputy director named Valentino“He’s snarling at the wrong
shadows but he’s well
“That information couldn’t have surfaced without the consent and cooperation of the fake chloe bag people in
this room!”
“What information?” asked DeSole, looking at the DCI, suddenly widening his large eyes
behind his glasses“Oh, the max-classified thing you asked me about this morning?”
The director nodded, then looked at Conklin“Let’s go back to this morningSeven hours
ago, shortly after nine o’clock, I received a call from Edward McAllister, formerly of the State
Department and currently chairman of the National Security AgencyMcAllister was
with you in Hong Kong, MrConklin, is that correct?”
“MrMcAllister was with us,” agreed Alex flatly“He flew undercover with Jason Bourne to
Macao, where he was shot up so badly he damn near diedHe’s an intellectual oddball and one of
the bravest men I’ve tiffany's jewelry ever