Free The Chimera Secret by Dean Crawford

‘They’re a
danger to national security, not an asset to it.’
    Mitchell leaned across the desk, his dark eyes glowering into Steel’s.
    ‘Left to you, none of those cases would ever have been investigated, let alone solved. The Pentagon has acquired extraordinary technology as a direct result of these investigations and
I’ll be damned if I’ll let the CIA kick the door down now.’
    Foster sighed heavily as Steel bolted upright from his seat and stalked out of the office. Mitchell waited until the door had closed behind him before he looked at Foster. The soldier’s
expression said it all.
    ‘Are you really in bed with the CIA?’ Mitchell asked.
    ‘Transferred out of the army for medical reasons,’ Foster explained. ‘My knees gave in. I’m too damned old to learn the intelligence game and all that computerized crap,
so they attach me to field agents instead for mutual training.’
    ‘Watch your back,’ Mitchell warned. ‘The CIA has a long history of self-preservation at the expense of its agents.’
    ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got myself covered,’ Foster said as he stood. ‘But they’ll get what they want in the end.’
    He was right, Mitchell knew. That was just the way of things. He knew that Jarvis had hoped to have cracked a few more cases before the Pentagon really started taking notice, which would have
given him more information and evidence to defend Warner and Lopez. Jarvis had a lot of time for Ethan Warner, and to his surprise Mitchell had also been quietly impressed with the man’s
tenacity and success.
    ‘I know. Just going to try to hold them off for a while longer, is all.’
    ‘Don’t try too hard. There’s too much at stake, for all three of us now that we’re involved, and for your man Jarvis,’ Foster warned him. ‘It’s better
for you all if you handle their investigations directly through this office and keep us in the loop.’
    ‘Why’s that?’ Mitchell asked.
    ‘Because I’m only here due to Warner’s military history,’ Foster replied. ‘Truth is, Abe, I’ve got very little control over what CIA might try to do.
I’m consulting, not controlling.’
    ‘Steel’s in charge of this?’ Mitchell asked in surprise. Foster nodded. ‘Under whose mandate?’ Mitchell pressed.
    ‘It went past the Director of National Intelligence,’ Foster replied.
    ‘Which means an executive order,’ Mitchell rumbled unhappily. ‘Jesus, what are they trying to keep under the carpet now?’
    ‘I don’t know,’ Foster admitted, ‘and I don’t want to know. Last I heard there’s another Congressional investigation running, looking into CIA projects that
haven’t been seen by Congress. If Steel’s gotten himself knee-deep in something, he’ll want to clear the decks and tie up loose ends before Congress gets hold of anything
solid.’
    Mitchell nodded. William Steel was a good man and an undoubted patriot, but he was also ruthless in maintaining secrecy at the CIA and hated the interventions made by Congress in the past.
Mitchell wasn’t sure just how far Steel would go to ensure his agency remained free from interference, but he was damned sure the general would not be made a patsy for a previous
director’s indiscretions.
    ‘Who’s the enforcer for all of this?’ Mitchell asked as Foster turned to leave. ‘Steel must have somebody on the ground picking up the pieces if everything goes
south.’
    Foster’s hand rested on the door handle as he replied.
    ‘I don’t know, but keep your people in sight. The administration is maintaining complete deniability for this little clean-up operation of Steel’s. If his back is forced to the
wall, Ethan Warner and Nicola Lopez are likely to end up as targets themselves.’

10
NEW MEADOWS AIRPORT, IDAHO
    The chartered Beech Twin Bonanza thumped down onto the grass runway and rumbled along beside the tiny town of New Meadows. Ethan peered out of rain-streaked windows at the
soaring mountains nearby, their peaks