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Page 272
well washed and groomed, nodded and reached out to shake hands. Anna vainly tried to look as if she were totally comfortable in her rumpled state, but failed.
Colonel Duquesne said formally, "Be good enough to follow me, Mrs. Neville."
Morgan watched Anna go, limping slightly as she moved, his mind sorting out the possibilities involved. It looked as though Anna's crusade was being co-opted by higher authority. How will she react to that, he wondered. She had come a long way in a short time. She was learning the rules. She knew she had rights, even some clout. She was that rara avis, an eyewitness to a crime, untainted by any stain of belonging to "the establishment." He heard Kellner talking to Ave Peters, asking him if he was still helo qualified.
Ave's lined face showed his surprise. "Yes, sir," he said.
"You are now restored to active duty until further notice, Mr. Peters. Is that agreeable to you?"
"Have I a choice?"
"You do not." Kellner's voice crackled with strain.
Another indicator, Morgan thought. Peters was a CIA asset, and ever since the Iran-Contra mess, the CIA had been kept at a discreet distance from the White House. Now, suddenly, there seemed to be full cooperation between NSC and the CIA, organizations that were natural rivals by the very nature of their work.
"Then I accept," Peters said dryly.
"Keep yourself available," Kellner said. "I want to speak with you privately when these meetings are over."
Kellner next addressed himself to Joe Ryerson, who had moved to the doorway, peering inside with curiosity to watch Charlotte Conroy. "Now I shall dispose of you, Mr. Ryerson." His voice had gone icy cold. "I want you and these gentlemen here" He indicated his aides, the two men from the legal staff. ''to have a thorough discussion regarding highly classified information, and the misuse thereof.''

 
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