Honorable Enemies (1994) Read Online Free PDF

wasn't fond of the newly appointed Director, and he made every attempt to distance himself from Paul Holcomb.
    Wickham, like many of his peers, wondered how the former Army major general had surfaced in command of the CIA. Th e m an was reasonably competent technically, but his logic and social skills were not what one would expect of a flag-rank officer, let alone someone responsible for directing a sophisticated intelligence agency.
    The truth of the matter, as Wickham discovered only weeks after Holcomb ascended to his position, was that his father had been a four-star general who used his wide-ranging influence to get his son through West Point. Although young Paul graduated near the bottom of his class, his father's extensive political connections carried him all the way to two stars.
    Unfortunately for Holcomb, the Secretary of the Army finally pulled the plug on the major general's less-than-spectacular Army career. In order to smooth any ruffled feathers of the elder General Holcomb, the powers-that-be agreed to give his son a reasonable period of time as the Director of the CIA. The retirement agreement would look good on his resume and biography. Besides, the President himself kept a firm hand on the Agency, so Paul couldn't do too much damage during his short tenure.
    "General Holcomb," the hollow voice exclaimed. Paul Holcomb was using the speakerphone in his den.
    "General Holcomb, Steve Wickham returning your call."
    "Yes, Stephen," he said in his nasal Bostonian accent, "glad to hear from you. I suppose you've heard about the shooting--the incident in Hawaii?"
    "Yes, sir. I just saw it on television."
    "Well," Holcomb continued impatiently, "back when I was the C . O . of Schofield Barracks, we didn't have any trouble with the goddamned Japs in Hawaii. They stayed in their place--not like those overbearing bastards who cruise around Pearl Harbor like they own it."
    Wickham seized the moment. "General, you asked me t o c all."
    "Yes," he answered cryptically and cleared his throat. "The Chief launched two missiles late this afternoon."
    Holcomb had an underlying contempt for the President and always referred to him as the Chief. Even though the Presiden t h ad appointed him to his post at the CIA and helped smooth his Senate confirmation, Holcomb still believed the former governor could have countermanded the Secretary of the Army and salvaged his career.
    Holcomb coughed and raised his voice. "One of them landed on the FBI building and the other one landed in my office."
    Unsure of how he should reply, Steve remained silent and glanced at the television. The network was replaying video of the helicopter assault on the tour ship.
    "The White House has put a priority on finding the person, or persons, behind the attack before things get out of control." As he always did when he had important information, Holcomb paused for effect. "The Chief wants to clamp a lid on this before the Japs bomb Pearl Harbor again." Holcomb punctuated the statement with a hasty chuckle.
    Caught off-guard by the remark, Wickham inwardly cringed. The few times he had been around Paul Holcomb, Steve sensed that he was a callous, intolerant man. But his open contempt for the Japanese people came as a surprise to Steve.
    "I understand his concern," Wickham replied diplomatically.
    "That's good, because you've been nominated to work on the shooting incident with two of the finest from the FBI's Criminal Division."
    "Nominated?"
    "By the Chief himself," he announced with undisguised sarcasm. "He's impressed by your previous accomplishments, and our records indicate that you have a working knowledge of the Japanese language."
    "That was years ago, when I was stationed in Japan." "Well, we don't argue with the Chief."
    Steve reached for a pad and pencil. "When do I leave?"
    "We're going to fly you from Andrews to Chicago tonight, and, let me see my notes . . . you need to be at Andrews by twenty-two hundred, and you've got a reservation on