on one of a pair of chintz-covered love seats near a large window overlooking Constitution Avenue.
“When he dropped your name, I had to follow up,” I said.
“Of course. Actually, I’ve known Michael Hendricks for years. His father’s Owen Hendricks,” Harp said, settling down on the love seat across from me.
“Who’s that?”
“A retired four-star admiral who was once in line to be secretary of the Navy. Shame it didn’t work out. Anyway, our families each have camps on the same lake in Maine. Michael skippered my boat for years. I guess I could describe him as the son I never had.”
“He’s too old to be your son,” I pointed out.
“You flatter me,” Harp said. “He’s in his late thirties, mature enough to have earned a Bronze Star in the first Gulf War, but restless enough to have left the Navy for civilian government service. It turned out to be a good fit for him, with his background in Asia and the Middle East. He’s a rising star over there, Rei. I think you’ll like working for him.”
“How can you say that when you don’t know what the work involves?”
Harp leaned forward and asked, “Has Michael asked you to perform an action that’s illegal?”
“Not exactly,” I admitted. “But it’s—classified, so I’m not allowed to tell anyone about it. And since our meeting, my whole existence seems to have changed. My personal freedoms and even my living space aren’t secure anymore.”
“You mean that someone broke in?” Harp’s eyebrows rose.
I shook my head.
“Aha. So you must mean…they’re monitoring it for sound?”
I paused, not knowing whether I should answer. Maybe I’d said too much already. If he was so close to Michael Hendricks, he might pick up the phone and report that I was too talkative.
“Of course, while you’re on a mission, that’s par for the course. It’s for your own protection, as well as theirs. I can assure you this room is secure, and so is any conversation that we have. We have some serious shared history, Rei. I won’t betray that trust.”
“I just don’t know what I should do. Ever since the restaurant closed, I’ve barely worked. So this would be good, not to mention that it could improve another—situation—in my life.” I was thinking about my visa status.
“How are things with Hugh?” Harp asked.
I sighed, thinking about Hugh’s slow, tortured-looking exit from the apartment that morning. “Hugh’s been under the weather since my thirtieth birthday party the other night.”
“Really? If the party was too wild for him, it’s probably a good thing I had to send my regrets.” Despite his passionate liberalism, Harp was cautious about his image. I’d grown to respect this caution as a sign of real intelligence.
“Hmm. Well, you missed a few spectacular sights, but probably it’s for the best.” I thought about Kendall and her striptease. “But to get back to Hugh, despite his being a little ill, things between us are fine. His brother and the band are here for the moment, as is my cousin Chika from Japan—”
“A full house.” He looked at me sympathetically. “Not that you could talk with him about it, anyway.”
“That’s something I wanted to ask you,” I said. “When people undertake special jobs like the one Michael wants me to take on, why can’t they tell a significant other?”
“Because they love the other person enough to want to spare him or her the worry, and in the long term, it’s for the person’s safety. When I was in Vietnam, things happened that I never told my wife. But now, the dangerous time has passed, and I can be open.”
Maybe—when the ibex vessel was safely back in Iraq—I could tell Hugh. And he might actually be proud, rather than anxious or angry.
“By the way, Rei, I’ve been wondering what’s in that box you brought. That is, if it isn’t classified information.”
“A few thousand calories worth of Japanese pastries from the new shop on Connecticut
“When he dropped your name, I had to follow up,” I said.
“Of course. Actually, I’ve known Michael Hendricks for years. His father’s Owen Hendricks,” Harp said, settling down on the love seat across from me.
“Who’s that?”
“A retired four-star admiral who was once in line to be secretary of the Navy. Shame it didn’t work out. Anyway, our families each have camps on the same lake in Maine. Michael skippered my boat for years. I guess I could describe him as the son I never had.”
“He’s too old to be your son,” I pointed out.
“You flatter me,” Harp said. “He’s in his late thirties, mature enough to have earned a Bronze Star in the first Gulf War, but restless enough to have left the Navy for civilian government service. It turned out to be a good fit for him, with his background in Asia and the Middle East. He’s a rising star over there, Rei. I think you’ll like working for him.”
“How can you say that when you don’t know what the work involves?”
Harp leaned forward and asked, “Has Michael asked you to perform an action that’s illegal?”
“Not exactly,” I admitted. “But it’s—classified, so I’m not allowed to tell anyone about it. And since our meeting, my whole existence seems to have changed. My personal freedoms and even my living space aren’t secure anymore.”
“You mean that someone broke in?” Harp’s eyebrows rose.
I shook my head.
“Aha. So you must mean…they’re monitoring it for sound?”
I paused, not knowing whether I should answer. Maybe I’d said too much already. If he was so close to Michael Hendricks, he might pick up the phone and report that I was too talkative.
“Of course, while you’re on a mission, that’s par for the course. It’s for your own protection, as well as theirs. I can assure you this room is secure, and so is any conversation that we have. We have some serious shared history, Rei. I won’t betray that trust.”
“I just don’t know what I should do. Ever since the restaurant closed, I’ve barely worked. So this would be good, not to mention that it could improve another—situation—in my life.” I was thinking about my visa status.
“How are things with Hugh?” Harp asked.
I sighed, thinking about Hugh’s slow, tortured-looking exit from the apartment that morning. “Hugh’s been under the weather since my thirtieth birthday party the other night.”
“Really? If the party was too wild for him, it’s probably a good thing I had to send my regrets.” Despite his passionate liberalism, Harp was cautious about his image. I’d grown to respect this caution as a sign of real intelligence.
“Hmm. Well, you missed a few spectacular sights, but probably it’s for the best.” I thought about Kendall and her striptease. “But to get back to Hugh, despite his being a little ill, things between us are fine. His brother and the band are here for the moment, as is my cousin Chika from Japan—”
“A full house.” He looked at me sympathetically. “Not that you could talk with him about it, anyway.”
“That’s something I wanted to ask you,” I said. “When people undertake special jobs like the one Michael wants me to take on, why can’t they tell a significant other?”
“Because they love the other person enough to want to spare him or her the worry, and in the long term, it’s for the person’s safety. When I was in Vietnam, things happened that I never told my wife. But now, the dangerous time has passed, and I can be open.”
Maybe—when the ibex vessel was safely back in Iraq—I could tell Hugh. And he might actually be proud, rather than anxious or angry.
“By the way, Rei, I’ve been wondering what’s in that box you brought. That is, if it isn’t classified information.”
“A few thousand calories worth of Japanese pastries from the new shop on Connecticut
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