Dark Ambition (55 page)

As Ben looked around the room for agreement, it was deathly still. Silence from the others meant assent, he thought grimly.

"So let's bring Gwen to the party too," Jennifer said. "Theo can call Gwen on her cell phone and tell her things are turning bad here. They've got to do some damage control."

Traynor scratched his forehead. "She's a real pro, that one. She may smell a trap."

Excited by Jennifer's suggestion, Ben brushed aside Traynor's concern. "Suppose she doesn't take the bait? We haven't lost a thing."

"Oh, she'll come, all right," Campbell said in a dark tone that alarmed the others. "She'll come because she'll want to kill Theo—the only witness against her for Winthrop's murder."

Ben was charged. "We can protect Theo. It's a question of the right setup." He turned to Traynor. "Why don't you go find them in the cafeteria and bring them up?"

Traynor didn't move. "Not so fast, Ben. We've got to think this through. We're asking a lot from Theo to put her life on the line. You gave her as much as you could by agreeing to a two-year sentence. She's met her end of the bargain."

"I'll lean on her hard. Tell her it's part of the deal."

"And Talbott will tell you to fuck off unless we've got something else to motivate his client—like eliminating jail time."

Ben ran his hands through his hair. "To hell with that. She's already got the best deal we can offer."

"Then you'd better come up with something else."

Ben looked dejected. Traynor was right. "What do you think, Jenny?" he asked.

"I've got an idea."

Ben smiled. "That's what I figured. I could smell the wood burning."

"She always has an idea," Campbell quipped. "Which is what's been saving your ass in this case."

"Put Theo in a cell overnight," Jennifer said. "In solitary. Let me talk to her in the morning."

Ben was puzzled. "What'll you do then?"

"You wouldn't understand. It's a girl thing."

* * *

"Mr. Peng, please," Donovan said to the operator who answered the phone at the Taiwan Trade Mission in Paris.

"And who should I tell him is calling?"

"Gus Brock from New York," Donovan said in French, using the code name that he and Peng had used for communications over the last several years they had worked together.

A few moments later, Peng came to the phone.

"My company is interested in building a plant in Taiwan," Donovan said. "I was told that you could help me."

Peng knew that Donovan wanted to meet him to discuss an urgent matter. "Perhaps we can meet over lunch today and discuss this new plant," Peng said. "I'll make a reservation at Pre Catalan for one o'clock. We can meet in front of the restaurant. Is that agreeable?"

"Excellent. I think it best if we discuss this matter ourselves before advising others."

"I understand."

Two hours later, Donovan entered the large grassy park known as the Bois de Boulogne. Approaching Pre Catalan on foot at twelve thirty with a copy of the morning
Herald Tribune
in his hand, Donovan scanned the park in every direction. Satisfied that no one was there, he sat down on a bench about fifty yards from the entrance to the restaurant.

The wind was whipping through the park, blowing the leaves. Donovan turned up the collar on his coat against the cold. Calling Peng was a gamble on his part. He was betting that Joyner hadn't put the word out among intelligence services of friendly governments that Donovan had jumped out of the boat, as they said at Langley, and shouldn't be rescued. Or if she had, that Peng was willing to entertain a better offer.

At precisely one o'clock, Donovan saw a black BMW pulling into the restaurant's parking lot. Peng climbed out and walked slowly toward the front of the restaurant. As he looked around, he saw Donovan on a park bench holding up a newspaper. Peng turned and walked that way.

"Would you like to talk over lunch?" Peng asked. "The tables are well spaced."

Donovan was relieved. Peng would never have suggested talking in a public place if he had known that Donovan was on the run from Joyner and the CIA. So the news wasn't out on the street yet.

"I would prefer to walk," Donovan replied.

He took the path that led away from the restaurant back toward the city. If this was a setup, he wanted the option to avoid being trapped in the deserted park.

"What happened with Operation Matchstick?" Peng asked.

"Chen was compromised. They were all arrested at the missile base before the bomb was set. They tortured Chen. He coughed up my name."

"How do you know that?"

"Liu, their ambassador in Washington, told Cunningham."

Peng didn't like that news. "Who compromised Chen?"

"I wish I knew." Donovan hesitated, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I thought it might have come from your end. Somebody sympathetic to Beijing."

Peng shook his head. "It's possible, but I don't think so. Is that why you wanted to see me?"

"It's more complicated than that."

Peng took a package of cigarettes out of his pocket and pointed to a bench. "Let's sit."

Satisfied no one was around, Donovan followed Peng to the bench. The moment of truth had come. He wasn't certain that he could trust Peng. The trouble was, he didn't have a better idea. "I'm persona non grata in Washington," he said quietly. "If Joyner finds me, she'll put me under arrest."

Peng took a deep puff on the cigarette, blowing out the smoke in circles while absorbing what Donovan had said. "Because she didn't authorize Operation Matchstick?"

"That's part of it." Donovan stopped there. Taiwan had viewed Winthrop as a friend. Donovan didn't dare say that he'd played a role in the secretary of state's death.

Peng sat silent. A patient man, he was waiting to hear why Donovan had called this meeting.

"I want to make an arrangement with your government," Donovan said.

"What kind of arrangement?"

"I want to come and live in Taiwan. It'll have to be done in secret, because if Joyner finds out and Washington seeks extradition, I suspect your government will turn me over, regardless of what your laws provide."

Peng nodded, then took another drag on his cigarette. "You're asking us to risk a lot. Washington will be furious if they ever find out. Without their backing, Beijing would gobble us up in a minute." He let the cigarette smoke flow out in a thick stream. "So what do we stand to gain?"

Donovan had known all along they'd get to this question. "I'll tell you everything I know about Beijing's intelligence operations. I'll give you suggestions for operations you can launch against them. I'll tell you where your own points of vulnerability are."

When Peng didn't respond, Donovan added, "Don't forget that at Langley we've spent years playing war games that involve China and Taiwan. I know a lot about them."

Peng put out his cigarette. "I can't make this decision myself."

"I appreciate that. How long will you need to consult with Taipei?"

"A few days. Until, say, next Tuesday."

"Good. I'll call you Tuesday morning and suggest a meeting place. Will you assure me that no one on your side will leak this to Washington?"

"I can't assure that." Peng paused to ponder how he could deal with Donovan's concern. "When you call, if I mention the word 'Paris' in my response, then you'll know someone did talk to Washington."

"That's fair enough. I trust you."

Peng rose to leave.

"There is one other thing," Donovan said, now believing that Peng was hooked by what Donovan could tell him about China. "A sweetener that I need from you to seal the agreement."

Peng was wary. "What's that?"

"I want you to find out how Beijing learned about Operation Matchstick. Who compromised Chen?"

"You can't possibly expect me to get that information."

"C'mon. I know that you have moles deep inside the Chinese intelligence agencies. Make contact with one of them."

"I don't know..." he said, hesitating. "How important is the information to you?"

Donovan's face tightened in hatred. If it weren't for that traitor, he'd be back in Washington drinking single malt scotch in his house instead of being on the run. "Without it, we don't have a deal."

 

 

 

Chapter 36

 

"I'm worried about my kids," Theo said to Jennifer.

They were alone in the prison cell. Jennifer opened up a brown paper bag, handed Theo a cup of coffee and a muffin, then pulled out a second cup for herself. She settled down on an old battered chair facing the bunk where Theo was sitting. Jennifer's guess was that Theo hadn't slept a minute all night. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from crying. Her hair was falling over her face and touching the shoulders of her orange prison outfit.

"I stopped by your house on the way down," Jennifer said, without explaining that she had wanted to see if Slater had called. "Kevin and Kirstin are both doing well. They miss you. Your sitter can stay on indefinitely."

Theo took a deep breath. "Thank God for that." She paused to sip some coffee. "Did anybody call me?" she asked hopefully.

"You haven't heard from Jim, if that's what you're wondering."

Theo looked away, beaten down. "I can't believe that I got myself in such a mess. I'm in jail, and Eddie's dead."

What a great opening, Jennifer thought. She had been wondering how she was going to get started. "The fact is that you didn't get yourself into it. Jim conned you and used you, the same as he did me. We were both fools."

Theo stared at Jennifer, wondering if she'd heard right. "He was sleeping with you, too?"

"We didn't get that far. But I have to say if all of this hadn't broken, he'd probably have had me in bed before long."

As Jennifer hoped, Theo responded with bitterness. "He must have fed you that line of his about how special you were and how he could do so much more if he had you with him. Improve the country and all that."

"Yeah, he laid it on thick." Jennifer touched her tongue to her lips. "And all he wanted was me in the sack."

At the thought Theo's face turned crimson with rage. "That man is scum."

"He's smart. He's smart enough to push our buttons."

"In my case," Theo said angrily, "he didn't have to work very hard. Hell, just the idea of his power made me wet. Christ, if I had to do it over again, I'd feed that chocolate mousse to him rather than Eddie."

Jennifer kept fueling the fire. "You know what really ticks me off? Jim will remain free as a bird while you leave your kids and stay in jail."

Theo was horrified. "What do you mean? I gave Ben the facts to hang Jimmy."

Jennifer shrugged. "It won't do the trick. It's your word against Jim's. Ben's got no chance of establishing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't even think he'll bring the case."

"There has to be a way to get that bastard. To put him away for a long time."

Jennifer said, deadpan, "You really want to nail Jim don't you?"

"More than anything in my life! He made me kill Eddie."

Jennifer stared out through the cell bars as if she were thinking. Finally she said, "There is a way, but it'll be dangerous for you."

"I don't care. What's your idea?"

"Suppose," Jennifer said slowly, "just suppose you don't let Jim know you've spoken with us. Call him for a meeting. We'll put a wire on you, and we'll give you a script that will let him spill out enough incriminating information to hang him. What do you think?"

Theo shot to her feet, a determined look in her eyes. "I'd do it in a minute. Why not? Where's the danger?"

This was the crucial moment. "Ben won't set it up unless you invite Gwen as well as Jim. That way he can wrap up the whole thing."

All of the color drained from Theo's face. "Gwen," she said softly. "That woman's a psycho. She scares the hell out of me." Her eyes opened wide. "Besides, she'll want to kill me to eliminate a witness against her. Won't she?"

"They'll set it up in a way that protects you."

Jennifer could see that Theo was torn. Two years in jail was a long time, but at least she'd see her kids that way. Not if she were dead. Jennifer switched gears, letting Theo realize the dangers. "Look," she said, "you're right. Gwen may try to kill you. And no matter what Ben says, the cops may not be able to stop her. So don't do it if you're not comfortable. They can't force you to do it."

Jennifer got up, snapping her coffee lid tightly closed. "Think about it for twenty-four hours. I'll come back tomorrow."

As she started toward the cell door, Theo called, "Don't go. If I agree to do it, will they let me out of here?"

"Until the meeting. I'm sure of that."

"And afterward?"

Jennifer didn't respond to the pleading look in her eyes. "If the meeting goes well, you can make another run at Ben to reduce or eliminate the two years in jail. I can't promise he'll agree, but I'll help you persuade him. You can count on that much."

Theo seized upon the new terms. "I sleep in my own house until the meeting?"

"With female plainclothes cops there posing as nannies."

"Okay, let's do it. Get me to a phone, and I'll make the calls setting it up."