There was not a sound in the room except for the heavy logs crackling in the fireplace. Holly and Roger stood facing each other, but even though Roger remained silent, his eyes showed Holly that she had stumbled upon the truth.

"You went back to the agency? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Roger turned away and gazed at the fire. "We weren't speaking, remember?" he replied after a while.

"I'm talking about the other day at the beach. Why didn't you say something then?"

"Because I'm an agent, Holly. I can't discuss my work with anybody."

"Maybe so, but you're certainly allowed to tell your family that you're back with the CIA."

Roger turned slowly and gave Holly an amused look. "Is that what we are? Family?"

Holly began to blush and counter-attacked to hide her embarrassment. "Oh, don't you start with me! You know what I mean. You didn't tell Blake either."

Roger went to one of the couches and pointed to the other. "Come and sit. Please," he added when he saw that she wouldn't budge. She sighed and obeyed.

"You want to know the truth? I didn't tell you because I know how you are. You're nosy as hell, and if you knew what I was up to regarding Richard, you would have found a way to meddle into my work."

"You mean like I'm doing right now anyway?"

They looked at each other and smiled for the first time since Roger had picked her up on that dirt road. "Yes, something like that. I was just trying to protect you from yourself, Holly. You have to stay away from Richard. He's really, truly dangerous."

"Well, I wouldn't have kept on seeing him if you would have told me that the CIA was after him."

"No, but you would have investigated him, which is even worse. He can't know that we're on to him."

Holly scoffed. "Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence. I know how to be discreet, you know!"

"I didn't want to take any chances with your life. Can you get that into that thick skull of yours?"

Holly stared down at her hands. "I guess I can. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Roger replied in a soft voice. "Now, can you please go back to Springfield where you'll be safe?"

Before Holly could answer, there was a knock on the door. A maid came in, followed by a tall, bearded man in his mid-fifties. The man seemed slightly surprised by the sight of Holly but said nothing, waiting for Roger to introduce them. The latter sighed and pointed one to the other in a tired voice. "Raymond, this is Holly Lindsey. Holly, this Raymond Sharp, my immediate superior."

A flash of recognition passed in Raymond's eyes while he energetically shook Holly's hand. "I've heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you. What brings you to California?"

"I was here for a seminar on the media industry. I own several TV stations," Holly said, not with a little bit of pride as they all sat down.

"And she was just about to go back to the Midwest, weren't you, Holly?" Roger said with a note of warning in his voice.

They exchanged a long glance and Holly crossed her arms. "I don't know about that, Roger. I won't be a sitting duck, waiting for Richard to find me. He knows where I live, and I don't see why I would be safer at home than here!"

"Because I know for a fact that he won't try to contact you for at least a week, and by then, maybe he won't be able to at all."

Holly was about to retort something when they were both interrupted by an obviously astonished Raymond. "Wait a minute! What is going on here?" he asked Roger.

"Oh, don't worry, he didn't spill the beans on your mission," Holly snickered. "He's too much of a pro to do that. It just so happens, however, that I got recently acquainted with Richard Casey myself. When Roger warned me to stay away from him, I had to know why. That's why I'm here, if you must know."

Raymond gave his agent a stern look. "You just HAD to warn her, didn't you?"

Roger shrugged apologetically.

"Anyway, I'm not going back," Holly said firmly, to no one in particular.

Raymond picked up the glass of water that Roger was handing him. He was a recovering alcoholic and had been sober for the last two decades. He stroke his beard pensively. "Holly, may I ask what kind of acquaintance you have struck with Casey?"

Holly reddened slightly. "Well, you know," she said with a meaningful look that made Roger wince inwardly.

"So you liked him?

Holly shrugged. "I think he likes me more than I ever had. It was just a fling as far as I am concerned, but he wants to see me again. He never told me anything about any plan, if that's what you want to know."

"Yes, I'm sure he hasn't. But he might yet if you coaxed him a little," Raymond said slowly, looking from Roger to Holly.

Roger's eyes opened wide as he understood what Raymond was implying. "No! No way!" On her end of the couch, Holly was nodding excitedly. "You mean that you could use me as an informant?"

"This is the worse idea I have ever heard, and it's out of the question!" Roger said through clenched teeth.

"I think it's brilliant," Holly replied defiantly.

Roger ignored her and addressed Raymond. "Can I speak to you outside for a minute?"

Raymond followed Roger outside the library, bracing for what was coming.

"Now, Roger-"

"No, you listen to me, Raymond! There's no way that I will work with Holly on this mission. She has no training and no knowledge of the case."

"Very few of our informants have been trained before being brought into a mission. As for what she knows or could learn, I think that on the contrary, she's in a very unique position to help us."

Roger shook his head, looking almost desperate. "Ray, she's my ex-wife. Don't do this to me."

Raymond gave him a long look. "Are you afraid that bringing her on the case could impair your ability to work properly?"

"YES! Of course it would! How am I supposed to concentrate on what I have to do if I'm constantly afraid that she might get hurt?"

"You know that we have ways to protect our informants."

"Oh, don't give me that. It's still dangerous and you know it. What if we're not able to complete our mission? I don't want her ending up in a witness program and having to leave behind everyone that she loves."

"Why don't we let her decide?"

"You don't know her like I do. She won't back down now, especially if she knows that I'm against it."

Raymond smirked. "She does seem to enjoy contradicting you."

"Let me just put it this way: we do not work very well together." Memories of epic arguments at WSPR flashed through Roger's mind and he couldn't help smiling. The smile quickly faded, however, when he remembered that this situation was much more dismal than what could ever happen in a TV station.

"Listen, Rog, we'll put the case to her and leave nothing out. She will know exactly what she will be getting herself into if she decides to help us." He put a reassuring hand on Roger's shoulder. "I really think that she could be an asset, or else I wouldn't have mentioned it. We can't afford to screw up this thing, and you know it."

Roger sighed and opened the door leading back to the library. "You're the boss. Just don't say I didn't warn you if this doesn't work out."

Holly was picking absent-mindedly on her now cold food while waiting for the men to come back. She got up and went to meet them by the door as soon as they came in.

"So? What's going to be?" she asked eagerly.

Roger went straight to the couch, looking glum, while Raymond cleared his throat. "We have a proposition for you." He glanced at Roger then added: "I mean I have a proposition for you. I would like you to join the mission as an informant. You may not have to intervene, but I would like to keep you at hand."

Holly nodded. "Go on."

Raymond led her to one of the couches and sat beside her. "You have to understand that, whether we end up using you or not, you will have to stay here as long as the mission is ongoing. As soon as I revealed the details of this mission to you, you're bound to stay with us until it's over. We hope that the situation will be resolved within a couple of weeks, but I cannot guaranty anything. Can you get away for that long?"

"For this, yes, I could. I would have to make a few phone calls but it would be alright."

Raymond turned to Roger. "I wouldn't mind a glass of water before we get started."

Roger got up and rang the butler. "Can you please bring us a pitcher of water and another bottle of red, please?"

He sat back down and turned to Holly. "You must know that I'm against it, but since I have no choice," he said curtly, "I'll try to brief you as best as I can. For a few years now, the CIA has been aware of the existence of an organization called "The True Fathers of the Land". We have been monitoring their activities, and though they remained harmless for a long time, we have recently discovered that they are preparing for terrorist action."

Holly felt her mouth dropping. She had been vaguely prepared to hear something in that line, but it was still frightening to realize that she had been right.

"Who are these people?"

"The leaders are old veterans from the Vietnam war. In short, they feel that the government of this country has gone awry and they want to take over."

"What? That's insane!"

"You can say that again. To be fair, while most of their expectations are just mental, some of their demands are legitimate, especially regarding the conditions of ex-soldiers. Their means, however, are totally illegal. They are based in Thailand right now, but are planning to come back no later than in three days."

"What's their plan?"

"They have agents posted in several coastal cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington and Miami. They are waiting for shipments of weapon from abroad in each of these ports. They then plan on taking over the town halls and taking hostages, and eventually gain control over the whole country."

"Could they do it?"

Raymond shook in head. "Of course not. Their plan is too far-fetched, and they lack the right kind of weapons and the manpower. But they could still pose a very real threat to civilians if we don't stop them. What we are aiming to do here if to dismantle the organization permanently and, most of all, to prevent the loss of life."

Roger poured two glasses of wine and handed one to his ex-wife. "Our agents have managed to infiltrate the organization. They will be part of the crew receiving the shipments and make sure that the Fathers don't get their hands on it. That's also what we're going to do here when the weapons arrive."

"Where did the weapons come from?"

"From Asia, but I'm the one who arranged the whole thing. They think that I'm some sort of mercenary who will sell his country for a quick buck."

Holly cocked her head on one side. "Then why didn't you ship something else, like water balloons, or something harmless?" she asked, making Raymond smile.

"Because they asked to check the merchandise before it left Thailand," the latter explained.

"Okay," Holly said thoughtfully, taking it all in. "There's only one last thing that I have to know, I guess."

"You want to know how Richard got mixed up in this mess."

Holly nodded quietly.

"His father is one of the leaders. Our guess is that he was brainwashed from a very early age. He will be here in a few days when the shipment arrives."

"What do I have to do?"

"Hopefully nothing. He doesn't expect you to be here. But you might need you later on to make him talk," Raymond said. He stretched and looked at his watch. "My, look at the time! I don't know about you, but I'm beat. We can review the whole plan in more details tomorrow, I'm off to bed. Can I use my usual room?" he asked Roger.

"Of course, it's ready for you."

With a last nod of the head. Raymond took his leave, yawning, and the room felt silent.

After waiting for Roger to resume the conversation, Holly finally volunteered: "You're mad at me."

Roger snickered. "How perceptive of you."

"What is it, Roger? You can serve your country, but I can't? Besides, I want to stick it to that lying bastard, Richard."

"But you're not trained for this kind of work!"

"I'll be careful. You're always asking me to trust you. Can't you do the same?"

Roger gave her a dirty look and downed his wine. "Argh. I could ring you neck! I'm off to bed. The maid will show you your room."

He left briskly and slammed the door behind him. Holly laughed silently and took a sip of wine. "Talk about sour grapes," she muttered.