Alien in the House

of the basement. The question is, did they walk out the front door, or did they go over to the Zoo?”
    “Why would they do either?” Jeff asked.
    “Front door would be to get Hamlin away from us or to a safe house. Zoo would be to have Hamlin identify someone Malcolm felt was at the party. Richard, does the shielding keep us in or just others out?”
    “Others out. Our shields are set up to allow anyone inside to exit, so the shields can’t be used to trap. And they’ve always been that way, but Gladys had a very focused team improve them after Operation Confusion.”
    “I love you, Richard, I just have to say.”
    “Again,” Jeff said. “Why does it make you so happy that he uses those names?”
    “Because I’m the only one,” White replied. He winked at me. “I like to support my partner.”
    “Why would Buchanan risk it?” Tim asked, presumably to get us back on track. “Especially with Clarence and the assassins around?”
    It had to be said. I didn’t want to, but I had to. “I never told Malcolm about the Dingo, and he didn’t believe that Clarence was back from the dead. As far as Malcolm knew, our only issue of the day was the appearance of Colonel Hamlin.”
    “So the question is, where did Mister Buchanan actually go?” Raj asked. “I agree with the ambassador—it seems unlikely he went into the tunnels.”
    “Well, Christopher found him in the tunnels under the Gaultier Research facility,” Amy said. “I’d say it’s a good bet he went there.”
    “How?” Christopher asked. “It’s miles away.”
    “We have these newfangled things called cars, and Malcolm has one. He got into his car and drove. So, the question is—did he drive Hamlin somewhere first, or did he take Hamlin with him?”
    “Why does that matter?” Christopher asked.
    “It matters because if he took Hamlin somewhere first, then we have a chance of finding Hamlin alive and well. And if he took Hamlin with him, we have a good chance of never finding Colonel Marvin Hamlin alive again.”



CHAPTER 64
    “A LL THAT’S GREAT,” Jeff said. “But we’ve used up most of our free time, and I still have no idea what was going on with Eugene, and I read the materials. And who but a moron would believe that someone who works for the C.I.A. would ‘accidentally’ receive a package addressed to someone who has no connection to the C.I.A. other than knowing a couple people who work there?”
    “Chuckie, I’ve never met Pia Ryan. Is she pretty?”
    He shrugged. “She’s attractive enough.” He jerked. “Oh. Yeah, I could see it.”
    “See what?” Jeff asked.
    “Eugene lost his mistress when Nathalie confessed to Edmund, remember? So, maybe he was looking for another one.”
    “I can’t believe that guy was a player,” Gower said. “My brother, I get it. But I’ve met Eugene. He’s not exactly what I think you, or anyone else, would consider hot, Kitty.”
    “He wasn’t,” Amy confirmed. “He wasn’t hideous, but he wasn’t going to have to worry about making
People
’s Sexiest Man Alive spread. Ever.”
    “No, but Nathalie told me he was more man than Edmund. I’m betting that means Eugene was either hung or he’d learned some moves to make up for his lack of external appeal. At any rate, women talk, and I’m just betting that Nathalie slipped up and told someone, Marcia Kramer, probably, who she’d been doing the deed with. Once it was over, I mean. And that means Pia probably knows, because I doubt Marcia could keep something that juicy to herself.”
    “I can buy him looking for another mistress,” Amy agreed. “Just because you’re a loser doesn’t mean you don’t think you’re awesome on a stick.”
    “And maybe he found one,” Reader said. “Because I can buy that a lot more easily. But why lie to you about it?”
    “Because Kitty’s never forgiven him for using her as his cover for adultery,” Jeff answered. “I’ve caught up,” he added to me with a grin. “There is no way in the world Eugene was going to tell Kitty that he got this information from Pia because they were sleeping together.”
    Reader nodded. “Makes sense. He’d just murdered someone in front of her; telling her that he was cheating on Lydia again would have only made her angrier, and he was trying to convince her that he was doing this for God and Country.”
    “Okay, so Pia recruited Eugene using one of the oldest recruitment techniques in the book. Meaning, Chuckie, that it might be time