A Lonely Resurrection

show I was sympathetic to his point, and he continued.
    “All right, you know there was a program. But it was shut down six months ago. I don’t necessarily agree with the shutdown, but my private thoughts on the matter are irrelevant. What is relevant is that Kanezaki has been continuing it on his own.”
    “I can see where that would be a problem.”
    “Yes, well, it’s a shame in some ways. He’s got a lot of passion and he’s not without talent. But this matter must be put to rest, before some real damage occurs.”
    “What do you want me to do?”
    He looked at me. “I want you to. . . look, I understand that you can arrange these things so it looks as though the person did it himself.”
    “That’s true,” I said, noting that he had initially spoken of what “we” want and was now saying “I.”
    “Well, that’s what needs to be done. Is there a usual fee?”
    “For a CIA officer? The fee would be high.”
    “All right. What is it?”
    He was eager enough so that I was half tempted to bilk him. Make him pay up front, then
Sayonara, asshole.
    And maybe I would. But I still had a few questions.
    “Let me ask you,” I said, furrowing my brow in my best Columbo imitation. “How do you know about me? About my services?”
    “The Agency has a dossier on you,” he said. “Most of it assembled through Holtzer’s efforts.”
    “Oh,” I said. “Of course. That makes sense. And when you first started looking for me, was it for the same job you’re offering me today?”
    He wouldn’t know I was aware he was with Kanezaki when he had first approached Tatsu inquiring about my whereabouts. The question was designed to trip him up.
    But it didn’t. “No,” he said. “The original thinking was that we could use you for Crepuscular. But the program is done now, as I said. There may still be some role in the future, but for now I just need you to tie up loose ends.”
    I nodded. “It’s just that it’s strange. I mean, you had Kanezaki looking for me, right?”
    “Yes,” he said. His tone was cautious, as though he was afraid of what I might ask next and was already trying to think of an answer.
    “Well, isn’t that odd? Given that you actually wanted me to ‘interfere’ with him.”
    He shook his head. “He was only supposed to locate you, not actually meet you. I was going to handle the meeting personally.”
    I smiled, seeing the truth.
    “All right,” he said. “I’d read your dossier. I thought it was possible that, if you learned someone was trying to find you, you might, as you put it, see that person as a threat and act accordingly.”
    I almost laughed. Biddle had been looking for a freebie.
    “What about the guy who was with him at the time?” I asked. “Kanezaki said he was diplomatic security.”
    “He was. What of it?”
    “Why would you offer a bodyguard to a guy you wanted taken out?”
    He pursed his lips. “Solo surveillance against someone like you is impossible. Kanezaki needed a partner. I wanted someone from outside the Agency, someone who wouldn’t know what was really going on.”
    “Someone expendable.”
    “If you want to put it that way.”
    “Mr. Biddle,” I said, “I’m getting the feeling this is a personal matter.”
    There was a long pause, then he said, “What if it is?”
    I shrugged. “It’s all the same to me, as long as I get paid. But we’re not off to a good start. You’ve been telling me the problem with Kanezaki is that he’s a rogue, that his activities could cause embarrassment on both sides of the Pacific. It sounds as though the potential embarrassment is more localized than that.”
    He looked at me. “What I told you is not untrue. But yes, I have personal reasons, as well. What do you think is going to happen to me as Kanezaki’s direct supervisor if his activities are discovered?”
    “Likely a shit storm. But I don’t see how Kanezaki’s suicide would solve your problems. Won’t there still be records of his activities? Receipts from disbursements, that kind of thing?”
    His eyes narrowed. “I’m taking care of that,” he said.
    “Sure, you know better than I do. I’m just mentioning it. By the way, where do you suppose Kanezaki has been getting the money to run Crepuscular even after the higher-ups have shut off the spigot? I imagine we’re talking about some significant sums.”
    He glanced to his right. The glance said,
Think of something.
    “I don’t know,” he said.
    “If you keep lying to