“Nothing, just…” Leopold trailed off. “The canisters looked familiar, somehow. Like I’d seen the design somewhere before.”
“Don’t start down that road.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re thinking Chemworks, I can tell. You always expect the worst.”
“That’s why you’re in a job.”
Jerome smiled and changed the subject. “They get a statement from Johnson?”
“I called in a favor,” said Leopold. “A lawyer from Perkins Rives met with her an hour ago. She’s agreed to cooperate in exchange for leniency.”
“You think it’ll work?”
Leopold sighed. “She was protecting her family. That’s got to mean something.”
“In a perfect world.”
“In a perfect world, one wouldn’t need a five-hundred-dollar-an-hour law firm to prepare a defense.” He shook his head. “The Attorney General isn’t going to want to blame a US citizen for this. Opens up far too many questions. My guess, they’ll focus on the convenient story.”
“The North Koreans?”
Leopold shrugged. “Who knows. All I can tell you for sure, heads are gonna roll.”
“Harper?”
“She did her best. But she’s an obvious scapegoat. Thankfully, she’s smart enough. If the A.G. blames the North Koreans, all eyes will be on the CIA. If he goes after Johnson, the FBI are gonna hang for it. Federal employee, and all. Without any evidence pointing to a third party, the A.G. isn’t going to risk admitting they don’t know who’s behind it. Either way, Secret Service comes out of this looking like they saved the day. They got Melendez and the President out of harm’s way and apprehended those responsible. Can’t ask for much better than that.”
Jerome smiled. “That’s politics for you. Always more complicated than justice.”
“Getting justice is never simple. Nothing is.” He took another sip of Scotch. “Engawa no shita no chikaramochi.”
“What’s that mean?”
“The last thing our Yakuza friend said before he died. Literally, it means ‘A powerful person underneath the deck.’ Someone helping behind the scenes. I think he meant Johnson.”
Jerome chuckled. “And you thought she just wanted to have dinner? You really know women, Leopold.”
“What’s to know?”
“That nothing is ever as it seems.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“How’s Mary?”
Leopold felt his stomach knot. He ignored it. “How should I know?”
“Admit it,” said Jerome. “You missed having her around.”
“Ludicrous.”
“You’ve been moping around ever since we got here. Why do you think you’re so desperate to get home?”
Leopold drained the last of his drink, but didn’t reply. Admittedly, the weekend hadn’t gone as planned. Mary would have been a valuable asset. She had a knack for forcing him to think differently, act differently. When Mary was around, life just seemed a little… easier. Did that mean anything? Leopold shrugged the thought away.
“I need another drink,” he said, eventually.
Jerome leaned back in his chair. “What you need is a holiday.”
“We tried that already. Didn’t go well, as far as I remember.”
“I meant a real vacation. With beaches.”
“You just want an excuse to lie around a pool.”
“Doesn’t sound so bad.”
“I’d get bored.”
“You could do with a little boredom. We could take Mary.” Jerome grinned.
“Drop it.” Leopold stood up and looked around. “I’m going to the bar.”
The lounge was largely deserted. A few travelers huddled together at corner tables in small groups, a few lone businessmen hunched over their laptops. The bar was just across the hallway out of sight of the main lounge. A TV was playing highlights from a Seahawks game, the volume turned right down but still audible. The light cast bright green, blue, and silver through the gloom, reflecting off the brass taps where the barman waited. He looked up as Leopold approached.
“Same again?” he said.
“I’ll try the Aberlour,” Leopold replied. “No ice.”
“You got it.”
Leopold took a seat on the stool, the scent of wood polish and beer drifting up into his nose. The barman returned with an empty glass, poured a measure of whisky and then handed it over.
“Thanks.”
“Heading home this evening, sir?”
Leopold sniffed his drink. Sweet and rich, hints of toffee. He took a sip, let the liquid slip down his throat. He looked up. “Back to New York. Not a moment too soon.”