The Escape (John Puller, #3)(132)

“Do you think you know why they were meeting?” asked Knox.

“Aust is smart, sophisticated, and rich. But I’m sure Reynolds seduced him. I saw them in the restaurant. It was sexual on his part. It was totally business on hers.”

“But what is her business interest in Aust?” asked Knox.

Robert hunched forward. “For want of a better term, Aust is the secret keeper.”

“Secret keeper? I thought he hunted WMDs?” said Puller.

“That’s part of it. But only part. He’s an investigator, an overseer, and an inspector. A confidant. Depending on the situation he will adopt a different role.”

“Why would his role vary depending on the situation?” asked Knox. “Like Puller said, his job is to ferret out illegal WMDs.”

“Oh, it’s actually far more complex than that,” said Robert matter-of-factly “Take Israel, for instance. Their official stance is they have no WMDs. But they’re our staunch ally and thus we would never call for an inspection into what they have or don’t have. But for strategic purposes we need to know privately what their capabilities are. In steps Aust. Now, Pakistan has nukes. We worry about some of them going rogue because of lax security. The same with Russia. Neither of those countries are true allies of ours, but to call for an inspection of their arsenal is very tricky politically and diplomatically. If an inspection were done with, say, Pakistan, it might turn up locations of WMDs and their security status. If that information were leaked, it could lead terrorists right to the stockpiles, the very thing such an inspection was trying to avoid. Again, Aust is sort of a trusted-by-both-sides intermediary who keeps the system honest, or at least reasonable. And look at Syria. Assad has chemical weapon stockpiles. Under an international agreement he agreed to destroy them. No one with even a grain of intelligence believes that he destroyed all of the stockpiles, for what sane dictator, pardon the seeming oxymoron, would do such a thing? But Aust was sent in to verify what was done. I’m sure he is very good at his job. I’m sure he knows how much Assad destroyed. I’m also sure he knows of other caches.”

“But wouldn’t he report that?” said Puller.

“He would make an official report, absolutely. That one would be dribbled out to the global media according to the timetable of the powers that be. But there would also be an unofficial report, with limited dissemination, that would tell a different story.”

“So the public is kept in the dark,” said Puller. “How does that make sense?”

“It makes perfect sense if you want future leverage with someone like Assad or Kim Jong Un or a host of leaders of that ilk. You always hold something back to play later when you need it. Proof that someone like Assad lied and did not destroy all of his WMDs can be very powerful when used later on. It’s all in the timing. We still hope for a resolution in Syria that does not involve all-out war. Such intel can pave the way for that.”

“But why would Syria allow Aust to know of other caches? They would realize that this would be used later against them.”

“That speaks to how good someone like Aust is. He knows places such as Syria like the back of his hand. He has moles everywhere. He can sniff out WMDs. That’s why he does what he does. And countries like Syria know this. It’s a game that they all play. If the chit is played later against Syria they will respond accordingly. But it buys them time. And it also buys us time to deal with countries like that in a diplomatic, measured way, instead of declaring war and sending boots on the ground. After Iraq and Afghanistan we don’t have the stomach or the money for that anymore. But we still have a significant role to play in international affairs. The world expects America to lead. And this is one way we can without committing lives and treasure in vast quantities. It’s all about what we know and when we use what we know.”

Puller shook his head. “Way above my pay grade. It’s why I’m just a grunt toting a rifle.”

“Give yourself a little more credit than that, Puller,” said Knox.

“But it does come back to Aust,” said Robert. “If they need him, then it certainly narrows our search considerably.”

Knox interjected, “But what if he’s doing so willingly? You said Reynolds seduced him. That it’s all about sex on his part and business on hers. But what if he’s in on it?”

“And his motivation?” asked Robert.

Knox turned to Puller. “Tell him what you told me before.”

“He was the loudest voice that Iraq didn’t have WMDs,” Puller said. “And we went to war anyway. What if he wants to teach the world a lesson? Particularly America?”

“By helping someone like Reynolds? By perhaps leading her to a cache of WMDs to use against us?” Robert shook his head. “I don’t think that’s plausible, John, I really don’t.”

“Well, if it’s not then the real answer must be something totally off the wall, because nothing else I can think of makes sense.”

Knox said, “We do have one tactical advantage. I’ve been listening to the news. The authorities are all over that apartment where Schindler was. It was totally destroyed. Apartments above and below were damaged as well. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be collateral casualties. They haven’t released Schindler’s name yet. They may not have identified him yet. But Reynolds probably thinks we’re dead too, our bodies blown to bits in that rubble. If she thinks she’s free and clear of us I believe she’s going to go ahead with her mission.”