Once a Spy: A Novel by Keith Thomson

Author:Keith Thomson [Thomson, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Thrillers, General, Suspense, Espionage, Fiction
ISBN: 9780385532662
Google: Ao_PkKFO7WIC
Amazon: B0036S4BOO
Publisher: Knopf Group E-Books
Published: 2010-03-15T11:00:00+00:00

25

According to the map, the ’62 Chevrolet short bed needed to rattle and gasp just one more mile to reach the monument. At the wheel, Charlie imagined the government vehicle that would meet them and bring them in from the cold. He had no idea whether the Cavalry would send a sleek government car or a helicopter or something clandestine—a VW Love Bus, for instance. Whatever they sent, even another rusted-out ’62 Chevrolet short bed, he was sure he would luxuriate in the ride.

Drummond was smothering his second hot dog with a fourth packet of ketchup.

“Trying to get more condiments into your diet, Dad?”

“An interesting piece of information is that four tablespoons of ketchup have the nutritional value of an entire tomato.”

That actually is sort of interesting, Charlie would have said. But just as the pickup was about to chug past the weed-colored Battle of Staunton Historic Monument sign, which was mostly hidden behind tall weeds on the roadside, he spotted it. He pumped the brake and jerked the steering wheel, heaving the truck onto a long, bumpy dirt road that wound through thick woods. The tires kicked up so much dust, the truck appeared to be chased by a sandstorm.

“So much for stealth,” he said.

“Oh,” said Drummond, squeezing the last molecule of ketchup from the packet.

The driveway terminated at a ramshackle blacktop. Some two hundred parking spots ran along one side of a much longer field of overgrown grass that was golden in the afternoon light.

Drummond’s nostrils flared. “There’s no one here,” he said.

Indeed, the only sign of life was a few ravens perched on a statue of a soldier on horseback, about fifty feet into the field. Charlie pulled into a space close to the statue, at the center of the parking strip. “We’re still five minutes early,” he said.

“Five minutes? That’s all?”

“What were you expecting?”

“An hour at the least.”

Charlie wasn’t sure what to make of this. Drummond’s internal clock had been off by decades lately. But his intuition couldn’t be discounted. “Would you ideally have allowed yourself time to conduct one of those countersurveillance things, or to work up an escape route, something like that?”

“Of course. When is the meeting?”

“Uh, five minutes from now.”

Drummond pushed open the passenger door. The hinges croaked, scaring off some of the ravens. He lowered himself to the asphalt and edged toward the field. His eyes jumped around, as if he were watching the battle that had taken place here.

Trailing him, Charlie saw little and heard only the chatter of the remaining ravens and the rustling of tall blades of grass.

“What am I missing?” Charlie asked.

“There’s no one here.”

“Maybe I screwed up the deciphering. If you were trying to bring us in, what sort of meeting place would you choose?”

“Someplace crowded, like a train station.”

“That’s what I was thinking too.”

With a shrug, Drummond waded into the high grass, running his palms along the tips as if stroking a cat. His interest went to the man on horseback, a soldier from the Civil

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.