outside.”
“Richard, do you have anything before we get started?” Turner asked. Parrish stood and handed her a memo on Serick’s meeting with von Lubeck while Dennis ushered in Serick and Mazie. Dennis closed the door behind them and left. Turner could read more than 1,200 words a minute with close to 100 percent comprehension and, by the time they had sat down, she had read and digested the memo. “I hope you had a nice holiday,” she said, welcoming them back from the Labor Day break.
“We were at Kennebunkport with Went’s mother,” Mazie replied. Mazie’s husband, Wentworth Hazelton, was a scion of the Hazelton family who moved in rarefied social and political climates. But more important, his mother was Elizabeth Martha Hazelton, better known as E.M. to her friends and as the Bitch Queen of Capitol Hill to her enemies.
“How is the Queen these days?” Parrish asked.
“She had an interesting guest Saturday and Sunday,” Mazie said, “a Herbert von Lubeck.” Serick’s head almost twisted off as he turned to look at her. “They spent a great deal of time together in private conversations,” Mazie added. “I don’t know what they were talking about.”
Serick looked like he was on the verge of a stroke. “The bastard,” he finally sputtered. “I talked to him Monday and he didn’t mention meeting with Hazelton. He’s playing games with us. I don’t trust him.”
Turner tapped Serick’s memo as she considered the implications. Without a word, she handed it to Mazie to read. “I think we’re dealing with an expansionist Germany.”
“I’m not so sure,” Mazie said. “I’ve dealt with Germany before and they might just be testing the waters. I found them opportunistic, not imperialistic. There is a difference.”
“Ah, yes,” Serick said. “You’re referring to the UN peacekeeping mission to South Africa. A fiasco.”
“It did result in a certain stability there,” Parrish said.
“Temporary at best. Soon it will go the way of the rest of Africa below the Sahara.”
“I’m not familiar with that operation,” Turner said. “Or the current situation in South Africa. Put together a briefing book on it.” Parrish made a note to create another blue binder. Turner’s staff had learned the hard way not to procrastinate and it would be ready that afternoon. “The important question,” she said, “is whether there’s any domestic fallout or other linkage here?” Turner was still concerned with von Lubeck and Germany.
“There may be a linkage with what’s going on in Russia,” Mazie said. “The CIA reported that Viktor Kraiko was at a series of meetings with Mikhail Vashin and a Pole over the weekend, a man named Gabrowski. We don’t have anything on him and think he was using an alias.”
Serick’s voice was a low rumble. “What we are seeing inside Russia is nothing more than criminals capturing the legitimate government. The Germans may be opportunistic or imperialistic, depending on your point of view, but they are not criminal. So what is the linkage?”
“Poland is undergoing an economic renaissance since being admitted to the European Union,” Mazie answered. “Maybe the Russians want a piece of the action. The Germans might see that as a threat. Historically, Poland has always been the shatter zone when Russian and German interests collide.”
Turner was ready to move on to another subject. “Enough about shatter zones. I don’t want to be blindsided on some domestic issue because of what we missed in Germany, Eastern Europe, or Russia.” She tapped her right forefinger for emphasis, which they all caught. Her orders came fast. “Mazie, stay on top of the situation. Richard, I want the FBI and the CIA looking for any attempt by the Germans or Russians to buy political influence here, specifically through campaign contributions and lobbying efforts. Stephan, I want State to keep Mazie fully informed on what you’re seeing in that part of the
“Richard, do you have anything before we get started?” Turner asked. Parrish stood and handed her a memo on Serick’s meeting with von Lubeck while Dennis ushered in Serick and Mazie. Dennis closed the door behind them and left. Turner could read more than 1,200 words a minute with close to 100 percent comprehension and, by the time they had sat down, she had read and digested the memo. “I hope you had a nice holiday,” she said, welcoming them back from the Labor Day break.
“We were at Kennebunkport with Went’s mother,” Mazie replied. Mazie’s husband, Wentworth Hazelton, was a scion of the Hazelton family who moved in rarefied social and political climates. But more important, his mother was Elizabeth Martha Hazelton, better known as E.M. to her friends and as the Bitch Queen of Capitol Hill to her enemies.
“How is the Queen these days?” Parrish asked.
“She had an interesting guest Saturday and Sunday,” Mazie said, “a Herbert von Lubeck.” Serick’s head almost twisted off as he turned to look at her. “They spent a great deal of time together in private conversations,” Mazie added. “I don’t know what they were talking about.”
Serick looked like he was on the verge of a stroke. “The bastard,” he finally sputtered. “I talked to him Monday and he didn’t mention meeting with Hazelton. He’s playing games with us. I don’t trust him.”
Turner tapped Serick’s memo as she considered the implications. Without a word, she handed it to Mazie to read. “I think we’re dealing with an expansionist Germany.”
“I’m not so sure,” Mazie said. “I’ve dealt with Germany before and they might just be testing the waters. I found them opportunistic, not imperialistic. There is a difference.”
“Ah, yes,” Serick said. “You’re referring to the UN peacekeeping mission to South Africa. A fiasco.”
“It did result in a certain stability there,” Parrish said.
“Temporary at best. Soon it will go the way of the rest of Africa below the Sahara.”
“I’m not familiar with that operation,” Turner said. “Or the current situation in South Africa. Put together a briefing book on it.” Parrish made a note to create another blue binder. Turner’s staff had learned the hard way not to procrastinate and it would be ready that afternoon. “The important question,” she said, “is whether there’s any domestic fallout or other linkage here?” Turner was still concerned with von Lubeck and Germany.
“There may be a linkage with what’s going on in Russia,” Mazie said. “The CIA reported that Viktor Kraiko was at a series of meetings with Mikhail Vashin and a Pole over the weekend, a man named Gabrowski. We don’t have anything on him and think he was using an alias.”
Serick’s voice was a low rumble. “What we are seeing inside Russia is nothing more than criminals capturing the legitimate government. The Germans may be opportunistic or imperialistic, depending on your point of view, but they are not criminal. So what is the linkage?”
“Poland is undergoing an economic renaissance since being admitted to the European Union,” Mazie answered. “Maybe the Russians want a piece of the action. The Germans might see that as a threat. Historically, Poland has always been the shatter zone when Russian and German interests collide.”
Turner was ready to move on to another subject. “Enough about shatter zones. I don’t want to be blindsided on some domestic issue because of what we missed in Germany, Eastern Europe, or Russia.” She tapped her right forefinger for emphasis, which they all caught. Her orders came fast. “Mazie, stay on top of the situation. Richard, I want the FBI and the CIA looking for any attempt by the Germans or Russians to buy political influence here, specifically through campaign contributions and lobbying efforts. Stephan, I want State to keep Mazie fully informed on what you’re seeing in that part of the
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