walk back the way he had come. Within minutes Slater was comfortably in position ten yards behind, eight people separating them as a convenient barrier if the tall man turned to check his back. He hadnât by the time they reached the grassed square, which he started to cross towards the White House and where Slater chose for them finally to meet.
âLetâs sit here, on one of the benches,â said Slater, coming up from behind.
âJesus!â exclaimed the man, visibly jumping.
âYou Peebles?â
âOf course I am. What the hellâs going on?â
âMy being careful is whatâs going on.â
âI just wasted an hour back there at the hotel.â
âForty-five minutes,â corrected Slater. âLetâs sit on the bench, like I suggested.â He waited for Peebles to lower himself before following.
âWhat is it you want?â demanded Peebles. He was visibly flushed, embarrassed at his startled reaction.
âWhyâd you write the letter?â
âIt was spelled out. Itâs regulations.â
âI wasnât told that â warned about any release letter â when I went into the programme.â
âThat was spelled out, too. Thereâs been a lot of amendments. Six or seven maybe, since your case. I think the warning clause was included in the Witness Protection and Interstate Relocation Act of 1997: H.R. 2181.â
âDonât you know!â
âThat was the statute.â
Slater didnât believe it was; Peebles was making a wild guess. âMason got twenty years. Itâs only been fifteen.â
âHe got maximum remission, apparently. A model prisoner.â
âIs he already out?â
âIn four or five weeks.â
âWhich penitentiary?â
âIâm not sure Iâm allowed to tell you.â
âWhich penitentiary?â
âPennsylvania.â
Close, thought Slater. Almost too close. âWhereâs he going?â
âHow the hell do I know? If I did I certainly wouldnât tell you.â
âI donât think it was very secure, telling me in a letter like that.â
âItâs the system.â
âEveryone like me get such a letter, simply sent through the mail?â
âThere arenât a lot of people like you,â said Peebles, in weak sarcasm. âGuys whoâve been involved in criminal cases, organized crime prosecutions, sure, all the time.â
âHow many people like me have you sent such letters to?â
âIf I was asked that by somebody else like you, would you want me to answer?â
âThe letter said if I had any cause or reason for further information I was to call you,â reminded Slater. âHow many calls do you get from defectors?â
Peebles hesitated. âYouâre the first Iâve had.â
âWhat about your department?â
âWe donât share cases,â lied Peebles, his embarrassment turned to anger at believing he had been made to look stupid.
âYou any reason to believe I am at any risk from Masonâs release?â
Peebles looked sideways along the bench in genuine astonishment. âAbsolutely not! I told you, heâs been a model prisoner. He wouldnât have got maximum remission if there was a history of threats, would he?â
âYouâre not operational, a field agent, are you?â
âWhatâs that got to do with anything?â
âMaybe a lot. Perhaps weâll need to keep in touch?â suggested Slater. Thereâd been little to arouse any professional fear. What incongruities there had been were easily accountable by the fact that Peebles was clearly a back office clerk.
âIf there is a need, letâs do it properly next time, OK?â
âVery much OK,â came back Slater. âYou need to talk to me you do just that, telephone and arrange this sort of meeting. Not send a letter that could have been