“So the truth this time?”
She stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Riley Weaver and Sir James are working together.” She took a breath and said, “God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I’ve broken just about every professional rule MI6 has.”
“That’s all right. Most agencies have too many rules.”
“Bloody easy for you to say,” she replied irritably.
“Why are they working together? To what purpose?”
“It wasn’t Sir James’s idea, that I know.”
“So he was persuaded?”
“As Sir James said, your president and our prime minister get along rather well. And America is the superpower. Everyone else just follows its lead.”
“So why keep it from me?”
“Weaver is afraid of you. That’s quite clear from what I’ve seen and heard.”
Stone thought, If he knows what I did to his predecessor, I would be afraid of me too.
“What exactly is your role in all of this?”
“I’ve been tasked to investigate and solve this crime.”
“Even though your prime minister was clearly not the target? Does MI6 have that much free time on its hands to allow one of their best agents to stay over here and assist us in our criminal investigations?”
She said nothing, just studied the pavement.
Stone turned away. “Don’t bother following me this time.”
She grabbed his arm. “All right, all right.”
He turned back, looked at her expectantly.
“I’ve also been tasked to watch you.”
“MI6 tasked by the American government to watch me?” he said skeptically.
“The world has gotten a lot more complicated, Oliver. Assets are not what they used to be, even for you Americans. Global cooperation, that’s the ticket these days. We do favors for the Yanks and they reciprocate. It’s not well-known of course, all hush-hush, but it does happen.”
He cocked his head. “Watch me why? Do they think I’m involved in what happened?”
“No. But Weaver has some other agenda in mind.”
“Has he shared it with McElroy?”
“I don’t believe so, at least not completely. But Sir James’s hands are tied.” She stared at him pensively. “What’s in your background that could have prompted this level of attention?”
“I have three decades’ worth of answers and not nearly enough time to explain them even if I were so inclined, which I’m not.”
“If you tell me what’s going on, maybe I can help.”
“You? The person who’s been tasked to spy on me?”
“I thought we were partners on this thing.”
“We are, but only on this thing. Nothing else.”
“So who’s withholding information now?” she said sharply.
“You were withholding things related to the here and now. I’ve never asked about your past missions. And I expect the same courtesy from you.”
“So where does that leave us?” asked Chapman quietly.
“Back where we started,” Stone said sharply. “And let’s leave it that way.”
CHAPTER 58
THEY TOOK A TAXI BACK to Chapman’s car at the parking garage.
She said, “I can drop you off at your cottage.”
“I feel like walking some more,” he replied.
“Look, I’m sorry about not telling you earlier about Weaver. But I have my orders too.”
Stone drew close to her. “If that’s how you want to operate, so be it.”
“We were assigned to bring you to him.”
“I prefer he come to me.”
The man appeared next to the woman. He said, “Sir, the director is a very busy person.”
“So am I.”
A car drove past and the old woman inside peered out at the man and woman before driving on. A few other people were walking up the street, not yet in earshot, but they soon would be.