The Kremlin Phoenix by Stephen Renneberg Page A

and Woods entered his office, he
introduced them to a well dressed man in his early forties. “This is Bill
Corman. He’ll be working with us on the Goldstein McCormack case as a civilian advisor.”
    Corman acknowledged the two
detectives with a short, businesslike nod as he shook hands.
    Ridley motioned them to seats in
front of his desk, then turned to Harriman. “When will your report be ready,
Rick?”
    “I can give you an update this
afternoon.”
    “I’d like to tell the press we
have a solid lead, and are expecting to make an arrest shortly.”
    Harriman shook his head. “I
wouldn’t do that, Captain. We don’t have much to go on, and we’re not planning arrests
anytime soon.”
    “I’m getting heat from the
Commissioner. Those murdered lawyers had powerful friends who want answers. We
need to wrap this up.”
    “I can’t promise anything yet,”
Harriman replied carefully.
    “What about the warehouse you
raided this morning?” Corman asked. “Did that produce any results?”
    Harriman raised his eyebrows
curiously, wondering how this civilian knew about the warehouse. “Not yet, but
we’re working on it.”
    Ridley looked puzzled. “What’s
this about a warehouse?”
    “We’re following a lead. It might
be a dead end.” Harriman turned to Corman. “So, what’s your interest in this
case?”
    “There are a number of agencies
involved,” Corman replied carefully, “with overlapping interests, and I
represent them all.”
    “Agencies? Which ones?”
    “Take your pick,” Corman said
evasively. “The important thing is to find those MLI documents.”
    Harriman hid his surprise that
Corman knew about MLI. “Don’t you mean, catch the murderer.”
    Corman smiled. “Finding both is
not incompatible.”
    Ridley sensed the tension rising
in the room. “I’ve been requested by the Commissioner to ensure Mr Corman is
rendered every possible assistance by our department,” Ridley said, ensuring
Harriman understood there was a political dimension to Corman’s arrival.
    “I understand your Dr Chaing has
a microchip he wants analyzed?” Corman said. “Possibly a foreign sourced
device?”
    This time Harriman couldn’t hide
his surprise. “That’s right.”
    “He doesn’t need to use back
doors or personal connections. I’ll make sure his request for assistance is
given the highest priority.”
    Harriman realized Corman was not
just helping, he was making sure Harriman understood he wielded a power that
could open any door they needed. “Thanks, I’ll let him know.”
    “I’m here to help,” Corman said.
“Also, if you recover the MLI files, you’re to hand them all to me.”
    Harriman frowned. “This is a
murder investigation, and those files are evidence. I can’t just hand them over
to you.”
    Corman glanced at Ridley, “Tell
him Captain, what he can do.”
    Ridley swallowed. “Rick, Mr
Corman has full authority. If he wants a box of files, that’s what he gets.”
    Harriman’s surprise now turned to
open irritation. “The hell it is!”
    Ridley raised his hand, silencing
Harriman’s protest. “There’s nothing I can do about it. This comes from . . .
very high up.”
    “OK, let’s talk to the
commissioner–
    “He has no more power over this
than I do.”
    “Am I still in charge of the
case?” Harriman demanded.
    “You’re in charge of the murder investigation,”
Ridley said carefully. “However, if your interests and Mr Corman’s conflict,
his interests prevail.”
     “What the Captain is trying to
say,” Corman said, “Is that your investigation is of interest to the Federal
Government. I’m here to make sure you get every possible assistance, and we get
. . . the outcome we’re looking for.”
    “What outcome are you looking
for?” Woods asked.
    “All I can say is this case has
national security implications, and that is not something you can discuss
outside this office.”
    “I see,” Harriman glanced at
Ridley. “Is that all,