…Archie wasn’t sure he could endure the nun with the paddle on this one.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, Archie opened his laptop and made a decision. He would just make it up. That was it. He couldn’t see traveling to the hinterland of Pakistan/Afghanistan and actually risking his life.

He felt as if he had been liberated as he started typing his cable. He had learned long ago that keeping it brief was best, especially when lying.

Upon completion, he slapped his laptop closed and felt a sense of deep accomplishment – he would still have plenty of time to visit that French restaurant he had seen.

From the latest in the Mingling in the CIA series, Archie.