Free Three Days of the Condor by James Grady Page A

outside wealth, no reported tainted contacts, no blackmail vulnerability?"
    "Nothing, sir."
    "Any signs of mental instability?" CIA personnel are among the highest groups in the nation for incidence of mental illness.
    "None, sir. Excepting his former alcoholism, he appeared to be normal, though somewhat reclusive."
    "Yes, so I read. Investigation of the others reveal anything out of the ordinary?"
    "Nothing, sir."
    "Would you do me a favor and read what Weatherby said to the doctors? By the way, how is he?"
    "He's doing better, sir. The doctors say he'll live, but they are taking his leg off this morning." The Deputy shuffled papers until he found the one he sought. "Here it is. Now, you must remember he has been unconscious most of the time, but once he woke up, looked at the doctors, and said, 'Malcolm shot me. He shot both of us. Get him, hit him.' "
    There was a stir at the end of the table and the Navy captain leaned forward in his chair. In his heavy, slurred voice he said, "I say we find that son of a bitch and blast him out of whatever rat hole he ran into!"
    The old man chuckled. "Yes. Well, I quite agree we must find our wayward Condor. But I do think it would be a pity if we 'blasted' him before he told us why he shot poor Weatherby. Indeed, why anybody was shot. Do you have anything else for us, Deputy?"
    "No, sir," said the Deputy, stuffing papers into his briefcase. "I think we've covered everything. You have all the information we do. Thank you all for coming."
    As the men stood to leave, the old man turned to a colleague and said quietly, "I wonder why." Then with a smile and a shake of his head he left the room.
    * * *
    Malcolm woke up only when Wendy's caresses became impossible for even a sick man to ignore. Her hands and mouth moved all over his body, and almost before he knew what was happening she mounted him and again he felt her fluttering warmth turn to fire. Afterwards, she looked at him for a long time, lightly touching his body as if exploring an unseen land. She touched his forehead and frowned.
    "Malcolm, do you feel OK?"
    Malcolm had no intention of being brave. He shook his head and forced a raspy "No" from his throat. The one word seemed to fuel the hot vise closing around his throat. Talking was out for the day.
    "You're sick!" Wendy grabbed his lower jaw. "Let me see!" she ordered, and forced his mouth open. "My God, it's red down there!" She let go of Malcolm and started to climb out of bed. "I'm going to call a doctor."
    Malcolm caught her arm. She turned to him with a fearful look, then smiled. "It's OK. I have a friend whose husband is a doctor. He drives by here every day on his way to a clinic in D.C. I don't think he's left yet. If he hasn't, I'll ask him to stop by to see my sick friend." She giggled. "You don't have to worry. He won't tell a soul because he'll think he's keeping another kind of secret. OK?"
    Malcolm looked at her for a second, then let go of her arm and nodded. He didn't care if the doctor brought Sparrow IV's friend with him. All he wanted was relief.
    The doctor turned out to be a paunchy middle-aged man who spoke little. He poked and prodded Malcolm, took his temperature, and looked down his throat so long Malcolm thought he would throw up. The doctor finally looked up and said, "You've got a mild case of strep throat, my boy." He looked at an anxious Wendy hovering nearby. "Nothing to worry about, really. We'll fix him up." Malcolm watched the doctor fiddle with something in his bag. When he turned toward Malcolm there was a hypodermic needle in his hand. "Roll over and pull your shorts down."
    A picture of a limp, cold arm with a tiny puncture flashed through Malcolm's mind. He froze.
    "For Christ's sake, it won't hurt that much. It's only penicillin."
    After giving Malcolm his shot, the doctor turned to Wendy. "Here," he said, handing her a slip of paper. "Get this filled and see that he takes them. He'll need at least a day's rest." The doctor smiled as he