Alien vs. Alien (12 page)

“And Cliff sure seems to like Chuckie for who he is.”

“His last name is Goodman,” Buchanan said flatly.

“And he said his former commanding officer was a good man. We discussed this before d t happen?you rejoined us. Chuckie trusts this guy, and that’s always been and always will be good enough for me.

“Goodman is a common last name,” White said. “And there are plenty of good men out there. I don’t believe we
have enough yet to point a finger at anyone, especially based on the word of a parrot.”

Buchanan nodded. “Too true, Mister White. Now, Missus Chief, I think we have another task at hand that you wanted to get moving on. We either get going or we table it for tomorrow, your choice.”

“Let’s roll.”

Buchanan chuckled. “You sound so ‘street’ when you say that.”

CHAPTER 20

W
HILE WHITE AND BUCHANAN
went to get whatever it was they’d need for our latest adventure, I retrieved Jamie from Pierre again and headed to the fourth floor.

Pierre had insisted we put in a school and daycare center within the first days he was with us. Because they were living at the Embassy now, too, and she wanted something to do while her husband was fighting the various fuglies we were always up against, Denise Lewis was the teacher and daycare worker. Right now, we didn’t have a lot of students, just their kids, Raymond and Rachel, and Jamie. However, we had a number of infants whose mothers were about to go back to work full time and another set of babies on the way—Denise wouldn’t have it easy for too long.

Denise was a gorgeous blonde with a fabulous figure and perfect teeth. She wasn’t a Dazzler, which was what I called all the female A-Cs to myself, but she gave them a good run for their money.

She gave me a huge smile. “I didn’t want to suggest it, but I was hoping you’d bring Jamie in for a while. I’ve missed her.”

“She’s missed you, too, I’m sure.” I gave Jamie a big hug and kiss, then handed her and her diaper bag, which I’d been carting around all this time, to Denise. “Not sure when I’ll be back. I have breast milk stored up, but since her teeth have come in, she’s started solids.”

Denise laughed. “Pierre talked with your mother-in-law. We’re fully stocked for everything our little girl here needs. Besides, you’ll be back soon.”

“Huh?”

“It’s almost dinner time.”

I gave Jamie another kiss, then rejoined White and Buchanan at the front door. “Shall we go retrieve the boys from Romanian soil? I don’t think we can do much else today—Denise pointed out that time has flown.”

“That happens when we’re fighting off dangerous forces and taking impromptu politically charged meetings, Missus Martini,” White pointed out.

“Sure, let’s get the kids,” Buchanan said. “I want to discuss something with you before I do my fast fade anyway.”

W/foanhe kidse closed the door behind us and went down the steps. “You mean you want to share that whatever’s going on that I’m not allowed to know about ultimately has to do with me in some way, or else Jeff wouldn’t be worried about my being followed.”

Buchanan grinned. “Never let it be said you’re not intuitive, Missus Chief.”

“Never let it be said I’m not used to this kind of crap happening all the time, either. I’d just like to be on record that protocol which prevents the target from actually knowing what’s going on is protocol designed to ensure the target gets killed.”

“I’m not going to allow that,” Buchanan said calmly.

“I’m sure you’re not,” White replied. “I’m not either. However, Missus Martini has a point. Are you sure you shouldn’t stay and find out what’s actually going on?”

“Let’s go get your official C.I.A. bodyguards.”

White and I looked at each other. “So,” I said, “what you’re not saying, Malcolm, is that you already know what’s going on.”

“I might be saying that, yeah. I might, on the other hand, want you to get your official guards around before I disappear.”

“Or you want the boys to hear what’s going on, too. Great. Let’s include Adriana and her grandmother in this vague intel debrief. If, as is so much more likely, Olga doesn’t already know more than anyone else about what’s going on.”

We trotted across the street. Either they’d been expecting us or someone was right by the front door, because it opened before we could even knock.

“Come in, Ambassador,” Adriana said from behind the door. “And Mister White. Nice to see you up close, Mister Buchanan.”

“Never mind,” I said to Buchanan and White as we all crossed the threshold. “I presume Olga knows exactly what’s going on.”

Adriana laughed as she closed the door. “Grandmother is aware of many things and has been eagerly awaiting your return to town. Don’t worry—it’s only Grandmother and me here right now.”

The last time the entire Romanian diplomatic mission had been gone, they’d been touring their country’s visiting president around D.C. I chose not to ask if that was the case again or not. We had other issues.

As we followed Adriana upstairs to the second floor, which was much warmer and inviting than the entry area, I asked myself why Olga never used a telephone. Then reminded myself that it was because, as former KGB, she knew how easily they were tapped.

We found her at the end of the long hallway, in her study that had two floor-length windows, one facing our Embassy, one looking out onto Sheridan Circle. It was a nice room, and the handicapped handles around the windows were done, like everything else here, tastefully.

Olga was in her wheelchair, flanked by the boys, who were busy stuffing their faces with a variety of Romanian treats. Yeah, we’d
all
gotten used to eating well, and a lot, while we were in Florida. I would have mentioned that snacking here would ruin our appetites for dinner later, but I already knew that none of us had shown the least issuehe ock.

We officially introduced Buchanan for the sake of politeness, even though she already knew about him. White gave her a little bow and kissed her hand. He always did this better than Gadoire, a classic example of damning with faint praise.

I went over and gave Olga a big hug. “It’s so nice to see you.”

“And it is always nice to see you. How is your beautiful baby? All through with her traumatic teething experience?”

“I won’t even ask how you knew, but yes, all her baby choppers are in, and she seems back to her usual happy self.”

“That is good, and not a moment too soon. And I knew because your husband visited me to show off his lovely bird and have some company that did not require him to be the Ambassador, merely a husband and father missing his family.”

Nice to know Jeff had missed us. I really wished he’d attached to one of our existing pets, though. We certainly had enough dogs, cats, and Poofs around. But no. He’d gone for the bird. My luck was always consistent.

“Great, so you’ve met Bellie, the new love of Jeff’s life. I’m sure you realized whose bird she was before anyone told you.”

“Oh, yes. But the bird is innocent of her former owner’s wrongdoing. However, she is quite bright.” Olga looked at me expectantly.

Adriana brought each of us a glass of lemonade; the boys already had some. There were more chairs in here than the last time I’d visited—clearly they’d been expecting us. White, Buchanan, and I settled down as Adriana brought in more goodies. I snagged a cookie to keep up my strength.

“For once, we’re not miles behind you. It’s pretty clear Bellie heard everything Marling was plotting. She’s sort of told us. She knows ‘Daddy’s secrets’ but so far we haven’t gotten really clear answers.”

“Ah. Well, do remember—it
is
a bird. It will not speak, or reason, as humans do.”

“Point taken. So, are we going to pussyfoot, speak in vague homilies, or actually cut to the chase?”

“I understand you did not pass a required test.”

This conversational shift was classic Olga. I didn’t even blink or miss a beat. “Wow. Just how many contacts do you have, and where? I’m truly shocked you know this soon. Not that you know, mind you, just that you know only a couple hours after the fact.” Okay, maybe I blinked a little.

Olga shrugged as if to indicate still waters continued to run deep. Not that there was any doubt. “I also understand there is a scandal brewing.”

“Oh, yeah. The dirty pictures. They’re fakes.”

“I’m sure they are. Your loyalties have never been questioned by me.”

Loyalties, plural. Did she mean my being in a committed marriage, new Beloved Birdie aside, my friendship with Chuckie . . . or something else? It was Olga. Asking straight out so rarely worked.rard m I figured it was because, being mostly confined to a wheelchair, she wanted to prolong her fun as much as possible. No problem. Extra time spent with Olga, Adriana, and their foodstuffs was not an issue.

Though Adriana, as per usual for these types of meetings, didn’t stay in the room. I was quite clear that Olga briefed her later. The possibility that Adriana watched us from a secret room was also quite high. But she made sure we had plenty of food and drink and then trotted out.

“Do you have any recommendations for how to deal with the scandal?” White asked. “You do have more experience here than we do, Madame.” He was always courtly, but he turned it up to eleven for Olga. And it was also clear that Olga ate it up.

It was slowly dawning on me that White was, quite frankly, a ladies’ man. It had only taken, what, close to two and a half years with almost constant contact for this to dawn on me, but at least the realization was finally arriving, wearing a Belated Clue sign.

Olga laughed softly. “I suppose this is true. In some cases it’s best to meet things head on. In others, it is not.”

I sighed to myself. Vague innuendos it was going to be. “Which tactic do you think we should use for this scandal?”

“Whichever tactic will work at whichever time.”

I really liked Olga, and not only because she’d sent Adriana along during Operation Assassination to ensure I didn’t die, but there were times she drove me crazy. Any time she had information we needed, especially.

“Someone sent the pictures to Senator Armstrong and insinuated they were going to be released. He also told Guy Gadoire, at the least, about it.”

“Interesting choices.” She said this leadingly.

It was always Remedial Class whenever we chatted with Olga. She was a lot like my mother—usually about ten steps ahead of everyone else but determined to make you work for it so that you’d remember how to do it by yourself next time.

“The senator and Gadoire both insist they aren’t trying to blackmail me and want to help.”

“They could be telling the truth.” She didn’t say this definitively enough for me to feel truth was a given.

I went for the frontal attack. “Okay, my plan was to get Mister Joel Oliver and Senator Armstrong, both of whom have seen the pictures, and go see if the nice guys from the K-9 squad could help out.”

Olga nodded. “Your strategy has potential.” She didn’t sound like this was an awful plan, but it also clearly wasn’t first on the list of Olga’s Recommended Ideas. And I also wasn’t sure if by “potential” she meant potential to succeed or potential to be disastrous. Or both.

“What would you recommend, Madame?” White asked again. He was always the one most willing to put up with Olga’s playing around. Maybe this was a form of flirtation in the older set. I still wasn’t a fan.

“Oh, I imagine anything you try will be fine.”

There was something about how she said this that made me want to really think about the next words that were goinghatfon to come out of my mouth. “You don’t see these pictures and whatever scandal they might cause as a big deal, do you?”

“Oh, they can and likely will be made to be a very ‘big deal,’ ” Olga said gravely. “But they are hardly the biggest deal, so to speak.”

Buchanan finally spoke up. “You think the pictures are just a distraction, don’t you?”

“A distraction from what?” I asked this one, because I knew Buchanan had a good idea of what was really going on.

“A distraction from more important things,” Olga replied, speaking to Buchanan, not me. “You are prepared?”

He shrugged. “Not really. The mess at NASA Base ensured the Ambassador can’t actually know everything that’s going on.” He smiled at Olga. “At least, she can’t hear about it from anyone who officially knows.”

Olga beamed. Clearly Buchanan was moving straight to the head of the class. “Ah?”

Buchanan grinned. “However, it seems fortunate that no one in this room has been briefed on anything yet. So there’s no one here who could compromise their security clearance, since they don’t know what is or isn’t classified.”

Olga nodded and looked to me. “Definitely keep Mister Buchanan close at hand, Ambassador. He will be most useful to you and your Mister Reynolds.”