I Am Pilgrim(230)

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘but there’s an important issue we have to resolve first.’ He looked at the two wise men, and they nodded. Let’s do it, they seemed to be saying.

‘You may not know this,’ Finbar said, ‘but Bill cared about you very much. More than that, he believed that in some way you were special – he thought you were destined to do something very important.’

I grinned. ‘Yeah, one of Grace’s friends told me that. Obviously, he’d become unhinged.’

Finbar smiled. ‘Not unhinged, no – although he did become increasingly concerned about you. Especially after you left Harvard and went to live in Europe. Frankly, he didn’t believe you were involved in the art business at all.’

The news didn’t surprise me – Bill had been not only intelligent but also highly intuitive. I didn’t reply – I just looked at the elderly lawyer, poker-faced.

‘Bill had no idea how you earned money,’ he continued, ‘and was worried that you had become involved in a business that was either illegal or, at least, immoral.’

He waited for a reply, but I nodded and made no comment.

‘He said that on several occasions when he tried to talk to you about it, you were not what he called “forthcoming”.’

Again, I just nodded.

‘So, this is my question, Scott: what exactly do you do?’

‘Nothing right now,’ I replied. ‘I’m back in New York to see if I can find something that might grab my interest.’ I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell him I was looking for cover, running from my past.

‘Yes, but before that?’

‘I worked for the government,’ I said after a pause.

‘Well, it seems like half the country does that – although I use the term “work” loosely.’ He had a pretty wry sense of humour, old Finbar. ‘What exactly did you do for the government?’

‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I’ve been told not to talk about it.’ I saw the two wise men exchange a glance – they obviously didn’t believe it.

‘Told by whom?’ Finbar said, ignoring them. I felt sorry for him – it was clear he really wanted it to work out.

‘By executive order,’ I replied quietly.

The former secretary of commerce raised his eyes – it was getting too much for him. ‘You worked in Europe, but the White House won’t allow you to discuss it, is that right?’

‘That’s correct, Mr Secretary.’

‘There’s got to be somebody – a superior or someone – we can talk to about it, even in general terms,’ Finbar said.

‘I don’t think that’s possible,’ I replied. ‘I’ve probably gone too far already.’ And anyway, The Division – which had never officially existed – had already been buried.

Finbar sighed. ‘Bill was very clear, Scott – we can’t go forward unless I’m satisfied about your integrity and honesty. You’ll have to help us—’

‘I can’t – I’ve given my word not to speak about any of it. I signed undertakings.’ I think they were surprised at the harshness and finality of my tone.

‘Then I’m afraid …’ Sadly, the lawyer looked at the other two men for confirmation, and they nodded. ‘I’m afraid we have to terminate this meeting.’

I stood up, and the others did the same. I was disappointed that I would never know what Bill had intended, but I didn’t know what else to do. The former secretary of commerce was putting out his hand in farewell when a thought occurred to me.

‘I have a letter of commendation which might help. It concerns an event I was involved in some years ago.’

‘An event? What sort of event? A charity run or something?’ the former secretary asked.

‘Not exactly,’ I replied. ‘Some parts of the letter would have to be blacked out, but I think you could see it.’

‘Who’s it from?’ Finbar asked eagerly.

‘From the president. It’s handwritten on White House stationery.’

The three men didn’t say anything. Finbar looked as if he’d have to bend down and pick his jaw up off the floor. The former secretary was the first to recover, still sceptical.

‘Which president?’ he asked.

‘Your old boss,’ I said coldly. I didn’t like the guy much.

‘Anyway, call him,’ I continued. ‘I’m sure you have a number. Ask him for permission to read the letter. Tell him it concerns a young man and a terrible event in Red Square – I’m sure he’ll remember.’

The former secretary had no response, and Finbar filled the silence. ‘We should stop here,’ he said. ‘I think we’ve stumbled into an area concerning national security—’