Chapter 74 fourth quarter

Miller's living room is as modest as the house's exterior: a modest set of couch and armchairs, a small coffee table and a 20-inch television.Everything is so neat and organized.Decker noticed a .38 revolver on the bookshelf.He thought that Miller must have held the gun in his hand when he looked out the window to see who was knocking at the door. "I don't think you can prove that you worked in intelligence," Miller said. "I can't prove it right now. To be precise, we don't use badges and job cards." "Then why should I trust you?" Miller turned to Esperanza, frowning. "Do you trust him?"

Esperanza nodded. "why?" "You haven't been with him since this time yesterday. The way he behaved in times of crisis clearly shows he's a veteran of the profession and I'm certainly not trying to sell real estate." "We'll figure it out." Miller turned his attention back to Decker. "What do you know about Brian McKittrick?" "He's one of the worst Secret Service agents I've ever worked with." Miller took a step forward, getting closer to Decker. "He disobeyed orders," Decker said, "always thinking that other people on his team were working against him; , the mission I was on with him turned out to be a disaster with so many casualties that it nearly became an international incident."

Miller studies him, as if trying to figure out how honest he really is.Finally, Miller let out a long breath and sat down feebly on the chair opposite Decker. "I admit that I have heard some rumors about McKittrick, which is not a leak. These rumors have nothing to do with the CIA, and I have no doubts about his performance in the CIA. I don't know. The rumors I've heard have to do with his behavior as a law enforcement officer. He's a braggart who always thinks he knows more than his superiors. He often disobeys orders and breaks procedure. I don't want to No idea how he got into the Federal Court Enforcement Service."

"I can guess what happened," Decker said. "When the Intelligence Agency let him go, they must have written him a lot of praise in their letters of recommendation. In exchange, they asked him never to do it again." Don’t embarrass them by revealing any details of that disastrous operation in which he was a part.” "However, if he caused the disaster, he will hurt himself if he speaks about it." "If he's convinced he's not to blame, it's different," Decker said. "McKittrick never wants to face reality. Every time he does something wrong, he always lies to himself. Pass the blame on to someone else."

Esperanza leaned forward. "Judging from your tone, you seem to be a little resentful about this." "He put the blame on me once. I resigned from government because of him - and now this bastard has come into my life." "It's a coincidence." "No, I can't believe it's a coincidence, I can't believe that Beth just happened to buy the house next door to mine. That certainly wouldn't be the case if McKittrick had custody of her. The only The plausible explanation is that McKittrick has been spying on me since I resigned from the intelligence service. He knows I'm in Santa Fe. He has a witness to relocate. After a little research, he learns that It couldn’t be better if the house was up for sale. Why not put Beth next door to mine? That way she’d have a next-door neighbor for extra protection, unwittingly acting as her bodyguard.”

Miller thought about it. "It might be cynical, but it makes sense." "The word 'cynicism' would be a misnomer. I was taken advantage of," Decker said, "and, if I'm not mistaken, Beth was taken advantage of. I think McKittrick has Go to the other side." "what?" Decker vividly remembers his phone conversation with McKittrick. "I think it was McKittrick who told the thugs where to find Beth in exchange for them killing me in that attack. I think he blamed me for his firing from the CIA from the moment he was entrusted with helping turn Diana Scolari into Beth Dwyer, this hideous dog thing was planning to ruin my life."