General Forrest scowled at the short blond man as he came into the room, snarling, "I want to see the man in charge right now!"
"That would be me." The man sat down and gestured to a chair across the table. "I am Major George Cowley, the commander of CI5, and I am very sorry about this. Bodie and Doyle are good men, but they have a tendency to overreact."
Forrest sat down. "I should say so. How dare they haul me in here like a common criminal?"
Cowley smiled. "Well, they've been reprimanded. They understand the situation better now. Is there anything you need before you go?"
The general said grudgingly, "I don't want to leave if there is any way I can help. This is a very dangerous situation."
"We have it well in hand," Cowley replied. "I have every confidence that we will recover the Queller before any harm is done." He got up and went to the door. "There is a car and driver waiting for you downstairs."
Forrest stood up. "What about Drs Bell and Maitland and Miss Todd?"
"Dr Bell has already been released and Dr Maitland and Miss Todd were not arrested. I'm not satisfied that this was an inside job. I explained to Bodie and Doyle your staff is above suspicion, and they are turning their attention to other channels. Again, I regret the inconvenience, sir."
Cowley shook hands with the general, saw him out, then went to his office. Bodie and Doyle were waiting, and the dark-haired officer asked, "Did he buy it?"
"Oh, yes." Cowley sat at his desk, shaking his head. "The arrogance of the man, as if the mere fact of working at Rosecrans makes a person above suspicion." He looked keenly at his subordinates. "Did you finish?"
"All four are thoroughly bugged, sir," answered Doyle. "Cars, houses, telephones…they won't be able to order a pizza without us knowing about it."
"Good." Cowley picked up a telegram. "This came in while you were at Rosecrans. It was sent to the Home Secretary." He handed the telegram to Doyle, who read it, frowned, and passed it along to Bodie.
I believe in peace but I have determined that bioweapons research is a blot on the face of England. If Rosecrans is not razed to the ground in the next 24 hours, I shall be compelled to a demonstration of the Queller. I dare not contemplate the carnage. However, the greatest good of the greatest number must prevail and I shall do what I think best for my country.
"Bit sanctimonious, isn't it?" asked Bodie, tossing the telegram on Cowley's desk. "Mind you, it is a nice turn in prose."
"Is that all you can say?" asked Cowley irritably.
"Until we have something to go on, yes." Bodie was unruffled. "The only person of interest at this point is the microbiologist, Jamie Todd. It's not much, but Dr Bell told us she was worried about the animals in the lab. She could have been in on the break-in to let the animals go. I say we take her apart."
"With nothing on her?" Doyle was shocked. "That's not how we do things."
"Desperate times, and all that." Bodie's voice was completely expressionless. "Have you forgotten there are three million lives on the line? If she's innocent, we can put her back together."
Doyle looked helplessly at Cowley. The CI5 commander said very quietly, "I don't like it, but Bodie's right. Miss Todd is the only lead we have at this point. Pick her up." His voice hardened. "Don't get carried away, Bodie. There's a limit to how much repair work can be done."