Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 14

“Tell me who murdered Colonel Croft,” he said.
    â€œPrime Minister, after a thorough review of all the existing evidence, and after investigating and/or interrogating all the foreign visitors, I believe I can say that Colonel Croft’s assassin arrived on the island surreptitiously by boat, probably from St. Martin, did his work and left immediately by the same means. And, by this time, he is back whence he came, beyond our reach.”
    â€œAnd how did you come to that conclusion?” Sutherland asked.
    â€œFirst, by a process of elimination of suspects and by deduction; second, by my knowledge of certain elements remaining in Haiti.”
    â€œTell me about your deductive process.”
    â€œFirst, there is no political opposition of a violent nature on the island, and if there were, they would have no way of obtaining the weapon used—namely, a high-powered sniper’s rifle of great accuracy, fitted with a silencer; second, there is no foreign visitor on the island who possesses the motive, means and opportunity of accomplishing such a deed, and who has any background consistent with the shooting skills required to make that kill with a single bullet.”
    â€œNow, tell me who in Haiti would go to the trouble of eliminating Croft.”
    â€œNumerous people, Prime Minister. When Colonel Croft and I made our escape from Haiti, we only narrowly avoided assassination squads, and for more than a year afterward we had to exercise the greatest caution in our movements, because they were known to still be hunting us. It was only when we arrived at St. Marks, and after Colonel Croft made your acquaintance, that we began to feel safe.”
    â€œCaptain,” the prime minister said, “I am impressed with your deduction and your theory of the assassination, and I am pleased to see that you have the mental acuity to come to the same conclusions that I, myself, have.”
    â€œThank you, sir,” duBois said. “That being the case, I believe we can now reopen the country to free travel, and I think we should do so as a matter of urgency; the police have had many complaints from tourists and those in the hospitality industry.”
    â€œYou may give the order immediately, Captain, and you may also prepare a public announcement for my review explaining the circumstances of the death of Colonel Croft.”
    â€œOf course, Prime Minister. Is there anything else I can do?”
    â€œYes, Marcel, you may reinstate yourself to the rank of colonel and resume the rank, duties and perquisites of Colonel Croft. Good day, Colonel duBois.”
    â€œThank you for your confidence, Prime Minister.” DuBois saluted smartly, executed an about-face and marched out of the office. When he departed through the front entrance of Government House, he found the white Mercedes sedan waiting for him, his driver at the wheel. It was remarkable, he reflected, how much could be accomplished, and how quickly, by telling those in power what they wished to hear.
    â€œWhere to, Colonel?” the driver asked.
    â€œBack to my office,” duBois said. On the return trip he busied himself with replacing his captain’s bars with colonel’s eagles.

    L ance Cabot sat in his office, working on a Saturday morning, and watched Hugh English’s secretary supervising the removal of her boss’s personal effects from his office. When she seemed to be done he got up and walked down the corridor to the room, carrying a legal pad and a tape measure. Quickly, he made a sketch of the bookcases and computer station he would order to be constructed. He would not have a desk, he thought; instead, he would have a large, low table with comfortable chairs arrayed about it, a less formal arrangement than his predecessor had employed. He made a note of the chairs to be ordered.
    Hugh English’s secretary came back into the room and cleared her throat.
    Lance turned and gave her a little smile. “Yes, Carolyn?”
    The woman looked stonily at him. “Have you seen the Drudge Report this morning?” she asked, referring to an Internet website that many thought scurrilous, but that had a record of picking up good gossip, especially from right-wing sources.
    â€œI’m afraid the Drudge Report is not part of my regular reading.”
    â€œWell, it says that Mr. English is leaving the agency because he has Alzheimer’s disease.”
    Lance was surprised. “That’s