Chapter
76
THE ATTACK ON THE FIRST family had driven the two countries nearly to war, but a diplomatic stalemate was reached that allowed the North Koreans to save face and kept the administration from having to reveal potentially embarrassing and politically damaging facts about the planned coup on the North Korean regime. The Nantucket attack was blamed on rogue elements within North Korea, their actions denounced by the leadership.
There the matter was laid to rest. At least for now.
The North Korean team had infiltrated the town hall by virtue of their Halloween costumes. They had killed a guard near the rear door, entered that way, and then sealed off the building, killing the inner cordon of guards as they went along. The lone deputy who had shot Chung-Cha had finally gotten into the building, seen what had happened, and followed the sounds to the cellar, where his shaky aim had still proved lethal, unfortunately for Chung-Cha.
Robie and Reel had received the heartfelt thanks of the president and his wife, and their children. They were told that they had earned the status of unofficial members of the first family. Tommy was more hero-struck than ever. But both he and his sister were being given counseling to help them cope with what they had seen and endured. Claire was clearly not herself, her brashness struck clean from her. Now it seemed that her brother was supporting her, which might actually have been a good thing for both of them.
Eleanor had warmly embraced Robie and Reel as they were leaving the White House.
“My children and I owe you our lives,” she said.
“No,” replied Reel firmly. “We all owe our lives to Yie Chung-Cha.”
After the White House meeting, Robie and Reel sat in Robie’s apartment. They had learned a lot about Yie Chung-Cha, through the information pipeline that was the CIA. What they learned had made Reel even more depressed than she already was.
“She survived all that. All those years at Yodok, having to kill her own family to get out of that hellhole? Starvation, torture, killing on behalf of that rogue nation. And then saving our lives. For what? To take a bullet from an overzealous cop?”
“He didn’t know, Jess,” said Robie. “He thought she was the enemy.”
“Well, she wasn’t,” snapped Reel.
“You know Pyongyang wanted her body returned there,” said Robie.
She nodded. “But we didn’t do it. She’s buried here.”
“Why do you think she did it?” asked Robie. “I mean really?”
“I took her at her word. She was tired of it all, Robie. Just like I am.”
“I guess.”
“She was better than us, you know that, don’t you?”
“She probably was,” agreed Robie. “I’ve certainly never seen anyone take out five opponents the way she did.”
“When she pulled out her knives and looked at us I knew she wasn’t going to attack us,” said Reel.
“Why? I mean, I thought she looked conflicted, but she told us she was sorry about it.”
“Did you ever tell someone you were sorry before you killed them?”
Robie sat back in his chair and thought about this, and then finally shook his head. “No.”
“She did it for Min.”
Robie nodded again. “For Min.”
“Pretty ingenious the way she got the girl out of the country like that.”
“Well, if she thought the way she fought she would have made one hell of a chess player.”
“Six steps ahead,” said Reel thoughtfully.
“Right.”
“Blue Man seems to think that tensions will simmer down between us and North Korea.”
Robie said, “Until they start to boil again.”
“I’ll take a little peace and quiet for now.”
“Won’t we all.”
“Which brings us to Min.”
“Yeah, it does.”
“Do you think they’ll go for it?” Reel asked.
“Well, everything is in place, so now all we can do is ask, Jess.”
“Then let’s go ask.”
“You sure?” he said.
“As sure as I am of anything these days.”
Robie grabbed his car keys and they set out.