Call to Treason Read Online Free

police assumed that Wilson died after the woman left. Otherwise she could have called 911 and then slipped away. This belief was reinforced by the fact that there did not appear to be anything suspicious about Wilson's death. He had perspired heavily presumably from the exertion and the bed suggested "an active evening," as one source put it. Though Wilson was young and had no history of heart trouble, many forms of heart disease could slip past a routine electrocardiograph. The autopsy would tell them more.
        There was nothing exceptional in the E-mails. A few resumes from agencies and private businesses that were being downsized. Op-ed pieces from the left, right, and center. Requests for interviews, which Hood routinely declined. He was not a self-promoter and saw no benefit to giving out information about how Op-Center worked, or with whom. His E-mail even contained links to password-protected web sites of individuals who were willing to provide intelligence from various countries and foreign agencies. He forwarded these to Bob Herbert.
        Most were con artists, a few were foreign agents trying to find out about Op-Center, but occasionally there were nuclear scientists or bio technicians who genuinely wanted to get out of the situations they were in. As long as they were willing to talk, American operatives or embassy officials in their countries were willing to listen.
        Hood was about to access his personal address for private E-mail when Bugs beeped him. Senator Debenport was on the line. Hood was not surprised. It was budget time on the Hill, and the South Carolina senator had recently replaced Senator Barbara Fox as the chairman of the Congressional Intelligence Oversight Committee. Those were the officials who kept track of what the federal intelligence agencies did and how much it cost.
        "Good morning, Senator," Hood said.
        "That may be true somewhere," the sandpaper-voiced senator replied.
        "Not in my office."
        Hood did not ask why. He already knew the answer.
        "Paul, last night the CIOC Budget Subcommittee agreed that we have to work out a strategic retrenchment," Debenport told him.
        The CIOC's euphemism for budget cuts.
        "We took a four percent hit last fiscal year and six percent the year before that," Hood told him. "What's the damage now?"
        "We're looking at just upwards of twenty percent," Debenport replied.
        Hood felt sick.
        "The night crew is going to have to cut its staff by fifty percent. I know that's a lot, but we had no choice," Debenport went on.
        "What are you talking about? You're the head of the damn committee."
        "That's right, Paul. And as such I have a duty that transcends my personal feelings about the value of Op-Center's work," Debenport said.
        "It will be my call where to make the cuts, though I want your input and I will rely heavily on it. We would prefer you work backwards.
        Make your way back to Op-Center's original configuration."
        "Our original configuration had a military component," Hood pointed out. "That's already been cut."
        "Yes, and those funds were reallocated to General Rodgers's field personnel," Debenport said. "That's an area we feel should undergo de operation We looked closely at the internal breakdowns of the other intelligence groups. The Company and the Feds have those areas covered. Merge that post with the political officer."
        "Senator, how much are you taking from the CIA, the FBI, and the NRO?"
        Hood asked.
        "Paul, those are all older, established "
        "You're not cutting them, are you?" Hood asked.
        Debenport was silent.
        "Senator?"
        "If you really want to know, Paul, they're getting a small bump,"
        Debenport told him.
        "Amazing," Hood replied. "How much time did they spend lobbying the committee?"
        "They did the usual Power Point dance, but