Read Online Jack Ryan 9 - Executive Orders by Tom Clancy - Free Book Online
Authors: Tom Clancy
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been a Navy yeoman, but the Detail was still a little too shell-shocked to allow just anyone into the Sit Room. “FBI, sir.”
Ryan pulled the phone from its holder under the desktop. “Yes?”
“Dan Murray here.” Jack nearly smiled to hear a familiar voice, and a friendly one at that. He and Murray went back a very long way indeed. At the other end,
Murray
must have wanted to say Hi, Jack, but he wouldn't— couldn't be so familiar without being so bidden—and even if Jack had encouraged him, the man would have felt uncomfortable to do so, and would have run the further risk of being thought an ass-kisser within his own organization. One more obstacle to being normal, Jack reflected. Even his friends were now distancing themselves.
“What is it, Dan?”
“Sorry to bother you, but we need guidance on who's running the investigation. There's a bunch of people running around on the Hill right now, and—”
“Unity of command,” Jack observed sourly. He didn't have to ask why
Murray
was calling him. All those who could have decided this issue at a lower level were dead. “What's the law say for this?”
“It doesn't, really,”
Murray
replied. The discomfort in his voice was clear. He didn't wish to bother the man who had once been his friend, and might still be, in less official circumstances. But this was business, and business had to be carried out.
“Multiple jurisdictions?”
“To a fare-thee-well,”
Murray
confirmed with an unseen nod.
“I guess we call it a terrorist incident. We have a tradition of that, you and I, don't we?” Jack asked.
“That we do, sir.”
Sir
, Ryan thought. Damn it. But he had another decision to make. Jack scanned the room before replying.
“The Bureau is the lead agency on this. Everybody reports to you. Pick a good man to run things.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dan?”
“Yes, Mr. President?”
“Who's senior over at FBI?”
“The Associate Director is Chuck Floyd. He's down at
Atlanta
to give a speech and—” Then there would be the Assistant Directors, all senior to
Murray
. . .
“I don't know him. I do know you. You're acting Director until I say otherwise.” That shook the other side of the connection, Ryan immediately sensed.
“Uh, Jack, I—”
“I liked Shaw, too, Dan. You've got the job.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Ryan replaced the phone and explained what he'd just done.
Price objected first: “Sir, any attack on the President is under the jurisdiction of—” Ryan cut her off.
“They have more resources, and somebody has to be in command. I want this one settled as quickly as possible.”
“We need a special commission.” This was Arnie van Damm.
“Headed by whom?” President Ryan asked. “A member of the Supreme Court? Couple of senators and congressmen?
Murray
's a pro from way back. Pick a good—whoever's the senior career member of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division will oversee the investigation. Andrea, find me the best investigator in the Service to be
Murray
's chief assistant. We don't have outsiders to use, do we? We run this from the inside. Let's pick the best people and let them run with it. Like, we act as though we trust the agencies who're supposed to do the work.” He paused. “I want this investigation to run fast, okay?”
“Yes, Mr. President.” Agent Price bobbed her head, and Ryan caught an approving nod from Arnie van Damm. Maybe he was doing something right, Jack allowed himself to think. The satisfaction was short-lived enough. Against the wall in the far corner was a bank of television sets. All showed essentially the same picture now, and the flash of a photographer's strobe on all four sets caught the President's eyes. He turned to see four iterations of a body bag being carried down the steps of the Capitol building's west wing. It was one more cadaver to
Ryan pulled the phone from its holder under the desktop. “Yes?”
“Dan Murray here.” Jack nearly smiled to hear a familiar voice, and a friendly one at that. He and Murray went back a very long way indeed. At the other end,
Murray
must have wanted to say Hi, Jack, but he wouldn't— couldn't be so familiar without being so bidden—and even if Jack had encouraged him, the man would have felt uncomfortable to do so, and would have run the further risk of being thought an ass-kisser within his own organization. One more obstacle to being normal, Jack reflected. Even his friends were now distancing themselves.
“What is it, Dan?”
“Sorry to bother you, but we need guidance on who's running the investigation. There's a bunch of people running around on the Hill right now, and—”
“Unity of command,” Jack observed sourly. He didn't have to ask why
Murray
was calling him. All those who could have decided this issue at a lower level were dead. “What's the law say for this?”
“It doesn't, really,”
Murray
replied. The discomfort in his voice was clear. He didn't wish to bother the man who had once been his friend, and might still be, in less official circumstances. But this was business, and business had to be carried out.
“Multiple jurisdictions?”
“To a fare-thee-well,”
Murray
confirmed with an unseen nod.
“I guess we call it a terrorist incident. We have a tradition of that, you and I, don't we?” Jack asked.
“That we do, sir.”
Sir
, Ryan thought. Damn it. But he had another decision to make. Jack scanned the room before replying.
“The Bureau is the lead agency on this. Everybody reports to you. Pick a good man to run things.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dan?”
“Yes, Mr. President?”
“Who's senior over at FBI?”
“The Associate Director is Chuck Floyd. He's down at
Atlanta
to give a speech and—” Then there would be the Assistant Directors, all senior to
Murray
. . .
“I don't know him. I do know you. You're acting Director until I say otherwise.” That shook the other side of the connection, Ryan immediately sensed.
“Uh, Jack, I—”
“I liked Shaw, too, Dan. You've got the job.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Ryan replaced the phone and explained what he'd just done.
Price objected first: “Sir, any attack on the President is under the jurisdiction of—” Ryan cut her off.
“They have more resources, and somebody has to be in command. I want this one settled as quickly as possible.”
“We need a special commission.” This was Arnie van Damm.
“Headed by whom?” President Ryan asked. “A member of the Supreme Court? Couple of senators and congressmen?
Murray
's a pro from way back. Pick a good—whoever's the senior career member of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division will oversee the investigation. Andrea, find me the best investigator in the Service to be
Murray
's chief assistant. We don't have outsiders to use, do we? We run this from the inside. Let's pick the best people and let them run with it. Like, we act as though we trust the agencies who're supposed to do the work.” He paused. “I want this investigation to run fast, okay?”
“Yes, Mr. President.” Agent Price bobbed her head, and Ryan caught an approving nod from Arnie van Damm. Maybe he was doing something right, Jack allowed himself to think. The satisfaction was short-lived enough. Against the wall in the far corner was a bank of television sets. All showed essentially the same picture now, and the flash of a photographer's strobe on all four sets caught the President's eyes. He turned to see four iterations of a body bag being carried down the steps of the Capitol building's west wing. It was one more cadaver to
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