When We Left Cuba(77)
“You can imagine my surprise when I learned you were here in Washington D.C., residing with our esteemed and virtuous young senator,” he drawls in a voice that is decidedly unsurprised.
I ignore that.
“What happened back in London? Did you find the—”
“Dead body in your flat? Yes, we did. Luckily for you, we disposed of it before anyone realized what happened there.” His gaze sharpens. “How exactly did you kill a trained Cuban intelligence agent?”
“I have no idea,” I answer honestly. “Luck, I suppose.”
“That, and I imagine he didn’t see you coming.”
“That, too. Did you get the package?”
“We did.”
“What happened to our scheduled drop?”
“World affairs.”
“What happened in my flat—”
“You did well. Did what you were supposed to do.”
“I killed a man.”
“It’s regrettable, but it happens. Based on your reports, I gather you were fairly convinced he had double-crossed us, that he was working for the Cubans, that he was the one who blew Claudia’s cover.”
“I thought he was, but I didn’t have any proof, didn’t—”
He huffs a little laugh. “Proof? What is it you think we do, Miss Perez? We don’t operate in the world of signed confession letters and guarantees; we trust our instincts, draw our own conclusions, make the best of the information we are given. You did what you were supposed to do. You did what we needed—the intelligence you got from the Soviet colonel will prove very useful in the coming days. I’m not here to litigate your decision to kill Ramon Martinez. It was the right call.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To appeal to your patriotic sense of duty.”
“Because of the nuclear weapons.”
“Partly. If it isn’t the nuclear weapons, it will be something else. Fidel has become a dangerous threat. If you have a rabid dog in the neighborhood, you put it down before it bites someone. We need to put Fidel down. After London, you’ve proved yourself to be more capable than I anticipated. We’re ready to send you into Cuba.”
“I thought the president favored diplomacy in this course.”
Nick speaks of international organizations and calls to world leaders, not assassination plots.
“There are factions within the Agency that do not share the president’s views on this matter. This is an opportunity to rid ourselves of this problem once and for all. Castro wants to export his particular brand of revolution to Latin America and the rest of the world. For obvious reasons, we cannot allow that to happen. Nor can we allow the Soviets to use Cuba’s proximity to the United States to antagonize us or the rest of the region. The Soviets wish to establish their dominance throughout the world, and they’ve brought the fight here in order to do so.”
“What does that mean for me?”
“We want you to go to Cuba. By our estimation, the majority of the island does not support Castro. If we can destabilize him, if we can kill him, then, well, it’s all over. You and your family can go home.”
“If I go now, won’t it look like it was an assassination attempt? I thought you wanted to avoid that.”
“This nuclear situation has changed everything. Fidel has shown how far he is willing to take this, and we can’t let such an action stand.”
“How soon do you want me to move against him?”
“It depends on how the negotiations proceed. We are willing to give the president a few more days to reach a peaceful solution, but if he cannot do so, we will send you in regardless of the appearance it conveys. And if he does reach a peaceful solution, we still have need of you. We all know it is only a temporary solution; another crisis will arise shortly. If you want your chance against Fidel, this is it.”
“What will I do? Will I receive training? How will I get close to him when I arrive in Cuba?”
“One of our sources will make sure you are granted access to Fidel. We have assets embedded in the Cuban government who are not loyal to Fidel, who support our cause. I have vetted them thoroughly. Mistakes like Ramon won’t happen again.
“We’ll use a fishing vessel to sneak you into Cuba. Once you arrive, there will be someone waiting for you who will assist you and help you gain admittance to Fidel’s suite. From there on, it’s a matter of slipping one of the pills in his drink, and that’s it.”
“How will I get out? Presumably, I will be captured if they find me in a room with Fidel Castro’s dead body.”
“We’ll have an extraction plan in place, same as with any other asset.”
“And if that plan doesn’t work?”
“Then you will likely die. Either at the hands of one of Fidel’s security forces or Fidel himself.”
“And what happens after that? Is there another assassin waiting in the wings?”
“We have other plans in place, other assets we can send in.”
“Have there been others before me?”
“Yes.”
“Women?”
“A woman. Yes.”
“And what did Fidel do to her once he learned of her intentions?”
“He let her go.” Dwyer’s expression darkens. “We made the mistake of trusting a woman who, despite her agreement, held too much softness for Fidel in her heart. We won’t make the mistake again.”