146

"What do you have in mind?" Harry asked.
They were back in Harry's office sipping whiskey and smoking cigars. Miranda was smoking a very small cigarillo and drinking Hennesey.

"I'm looking for some tools," Nick replied. "That is to say Gideon is looking for them. These media people, sold their souls and found out it was to the wrong buyer, they're still tools. It's their nature. He wants me to evaluate some for counter-prop."

"That can be tricky."

"Yeah," said Nick. "But making it work is his problem. My job is to look at candidates. What he wants is to find some that will be convincing. We may never get to the point of using them but you know what they say about overkill."

"Yeah," Harry said. "No such thing."

"Right. We seem to have a fair supply of material here.

"Hundred and twenty something. They're all high in the food chain - news anchors, talk show hosts, analysts."

"Pretty lucrative career for a lot of no-talent midwits," Nick said.

"It was," Harry replied. "For a while."