raunchy joke just like New Yorkers did. And once a New Yorker took a liking to you, you had a friend for life; not so different from southerners once you got down to it. He began to realize that most differences were superficial. It was a matter of adjusting to dialect, body language, and temperament.
His thoughts about Al were at once warm and perplexed.
The boss was a big-hearted bear of a man, yet, like a bear, potentially dangerous, Wentworth felt. He was a tempestuous and emotional man; almost like an overindulged child. Thus far, Wentworth only saw his good side. He wondered about the bad, the flip side of character that we all possess in varying intensity. It also struck him that Al may have many things to hide. For example, Wentworth knew next to nothing of his boss's personal life. Was he involved with someone? Did he have kids? Mother? Father? And the way the older man would suddenly screech to a halt when discussing certain 14 JAMES
BRUNO
subjects that aroused Wentworth's curiosity. Finally, the way he just thrust a two thousand dollar bonus on his new minion after a mere two weeks on the job floored the young man. That was almost a month's net take-home pay when he was working for the government. Working for the government was like Al's description of how it was to work under a union: whether you busted your ass or merely showed up for work comatose, you got paid all the same.
Wentworth liked the private sector.
PERMANENT INTERESTS
15
CHAPTER TWO
CONFIDENTIAL
TO: SECSTATE NIACT IMMEDIATE
FROM: AMEMBASSY ROME
FOR THE SECRETARY
DEPT PLEASE PASS WHITE HOUSE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MORTIMER MURDERED
REF: BALDWIN-CROFT TELCON 5/21
1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.
2. ROME MUNICIPAL POLICE INFORMED THE
EMBASSY AT 0545 TODAY THAT AMBASSADOR
ROLAND MORTIMER'S BODY WAS FOUND IN AN
ALLEYWAY OFF THE VIA VENETO. POLICE
REPORT THAT THE AMBASSADOR BLED TO
DEATH AS A RESULT OF A DEEP GASH ACROSS
HIS THROAT. BODY WAS MUTILATED. NO
SUSPECTS HAVE YET BEEN APPREHENDED.
ROBBERY IS APPARENTLY NOT A MOTIVE SINCE
THE AMBASSADOR'S MONEY, WRISTWATCH, ID, ETC. WERE NOT TAKEN. NO TERRORIST GROUP
HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY. AMBASSADOR
16 JAMES
BRUNO
WAS NOT -- REPEAT NOT -- WITH SECURITY
DETAIL.
3. BODY CURRENTLY AT POLICLINICO UMBERTO
I HOSPITAL. AS OF 0700 LOCAL, WE HAVE
RECEIVED NO -- REPEAT NO -- PRESS QUERIES, BUT EXPECT NEWS WILL BREAK ANY MOMENT.
4. DCM HAS NOTIFIED MRS. MORTIMER HERE.
RECOMMEND DEPARTMENT CONTACT FAMILY
MEMBERS IN CLEVELAND ASAP.
5. MINISTER OF INTERIOR AMBROLINI HAS
INFORMED DCM IN TELCON THAT HE WILL
PERSONALLY LEAD THE INVESTIGATION. DCM
WILL MEET WITH AMBROLINI AT 0730.
6. WILL REPORT FURTHER DETAILS AS THEY
BECOME AVAILABLE.
BALDWIN
As senior watch officer in the State Department's 24-hour Operations Center, Bob Innes had acquired a finely-tuned sense of what constituted news important enough to bring to the immediate attention of the Secretary of State or, in this case, to wreck his sleep at quarter-to-two in the morning.
Innes had been sitting at his work station waiting for Rome's tragic message to flash on his screen. He had already been informed of the news by Robin Croft, a junior watch officer working the night shift. She had received the PERMANENT INTERESTS
17
call about the ambassador's murder from Joe Baldwin, the Deputy Chief of Mission, now Chargé d’Affaires.
Innes didn't mind phoning the Secretary in the middle of the night -- even to bear bad news -- so much as having to deal with the boss's overprotective and scatter-brained wife.
"Hello, Mrs. Dennison? This is Bob Innes at the Ops Center. I'm terribly sorry to disturb you at this hour but I'm afraid that something has come up that Mr. Dennison really should know about right away.
"Yes, I know this is the second time this week that we've had to disturb the Secretary after hours…. No, it isn't the Middle East again…. Uh, no. I'm afraid that you won't be able to help me on this one…. Well, if we
His thoughts about Al were at once warm and perplexed.
The boss was a big-hearted bear of a man, yet, like a bear, potentially dangerous, Wentworth felt. He was a tempestuous and emotional man; almost like an overindulged child. Thus far, Wentworth only saw his good side. He wondered about the bad, the flip side of character that we all possess in varying intensity. It also struck him that Al may have many things to hide. For example, Wentworth knew next to nothing of his boss's personal life. Was he involved with someone? Did he have kids? Mother? Father? And the way the older man would suddenly screech to a halt when discussing certain 14 JAMES
BRUNO
subjects that aroused Wentworth's curiosity. Finally, the way he just thrust a two thousand dollar bonus on his new minion after a mere two weeks on the job floored the young man. That was almost a month's net take-home pay when he was working for the government. Working for the government was like Al's description of how it was to work under a union: whether you busted your ass or merely showed up for work comatose, you got paid all the same.
Wentworth liked the private sector.
PERMANENT INTERESTS
15
CHAPTER TWO
CONFIDENTIAL
TO: SECSTATE NIACT IMMEDIATE
FROM: AMEMBASSY ROME
FOR THE SECRETARY
DEPT PLEASE PASS WHITE HOUSE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MORTIMER MURDERED
REF: BALDWIN-CROFT TELCON 5/21
1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.
2. ROME MUNICIPAL POLICE INFORMED THE
EMBASSY AT 0545 TODAY THAT AMBASSADOR
ROLAND MORTIMER'S BODY WAS FOUND IN AN
ALLEYWAY OFF THE VIA VENETO. POLICE
REPORT THAT THE AMBASSADOR BLED TO
DEATH AS A RESULT OF A DEEP GASH ACROSS
HIS THROAT. BODY WAS MUTILATED. NO
SUSPECTS HAVE YET BEEN APPREHENDED.
ROBBERY IS APPARENTLY NOT A MOTIVE SINCE
THE AMBASSADOR'S MONEY, WRISTWATCH, ID, ETC. WERE NOT TAKEN. NO TERRORIST GROUP
HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY. AMBASSADOR
16 JAMES
BRUNO
WAS NOT -- REPEAT NOT -- WITH SECURITY
DETAIL.
3. BODY CURRENTLY AT POLICLINICO UMBERTO
I HOSPITAL. AS OF 0700 LOCAL, WE HAVE
RECEIVED NO -- REPEAT NO -- PRESS QUERIES, BUT EXPECT NEWS WILL BREAK ANY MOMENT.
4. DCM HAS NOTIFIED MRS. MORTIMER HERE.
RECOMMEND DEPARTMENT CONTACT FAMILY
MEMBERS IN CLEVELAND ASAP.
5. MINISTER OF INTERIOR AMBROLINI HAS
INFORMED DCM IN TELCON THAT HE WILL
PERSONALLY LEAD THE INVESTIGATION. DCM
WILL MEET WITH AMBROLINI AT 0730.
6. WILL REPORT FURTHER DETAILS AS THEY
BECOME AVAILABLE.
BALDWIN
As senior watch officer in the State Department's 24-hour Operations Center, Bob Innes had acquired a finely-tuned sense of what constituted news important enough to bring to the immediate attention of the Secretary of State or, in this case, to wreck his sleep at quarter-to-two in the morning.
Innes had been sitting at his work station waiting for Rome's tragic message to flash on his screen. He had already been informed of the news by Robin Croft, a junior watch officer working the night shift. She had received the PERMANENT INTERESTS
17
call about the ambassador's murder from Joe Baldwin, the Deputy Chief of Mission, now Chargé d’Affaires.
Innes didn't mind phoning the Secretary in the middle of the night -- even to bear bad news -- so much as having to deal with the boss's overprotective and scatter-brained wife.
"Hello, Mrs. Dennison? This is Bob Innes at the Ops Center. I'm terribly sorry to disturb you at this hour but I'm afraid that something has come up that Mr. Dennison really should know about right away.
"Yes, I know this is the second time this week that we've had to disturb the Secretary after hours…. No, it isn't the Middle East again…. Uh, no. I'm afraid that you won't be able to help me on this one…. Well, if we
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