Interview with Caitlin Murphy…
Author: [Whispers, like announcing the Masters.] Readers, today I’m interviewing Caitlin Murphy, FBI agent and main protagonist in my sci-fi thriller Soldiers of God. [My normal voice.] Caitlin, you had a thing for the priest, Juan Pablo Gomez. How’s he doing?
Murphy: Funny you ask. I just received a video-mail from him. He’s looking a bit gray and says there’s a lot of intrigue in the Vatican. Since Vatican security is more secretive than all of our agencies combined, I knew better to press for more information. I imagine he has some interesting stories to tell, though.
A: Do you still love him?
M: How do you love a priest? If anyone’s married to his work, Juan Pablo is, although I’m not sure what that work involves now and he won’t tell me.
A: Are you ever going to visit him in Rome? It sounds like a good way to receive a personalized tour of the Vatican.
M: From what he has said in earlier video-mails, he’s not often there. I also travel so much for my job that it’s just not practical either. So, let’s change the topic, shall we? Is this interview about me or not?
A: Definitely about you. Are you still dealing with religious terrorists and hate groups? It seems the U.S. has been involved with them for too many years.
M: The problem has grown. While we dealt the religious terrorists a real blow, other nuts come out of the woodwork all the time. And not just here. Our office collaborates with other agencies here and abroad and we have international operations too. The world’s economic situation also seems to act like a catalyst for these activities.
A: Were you in charge of the follow-up on Sergio Battaglia?
M: Aka Rupert Snyder aka Vladimir Kalinin? I was involved because I nearly saved his butt. There are still many loose threads. The man was an evil genius, born to manipulate people—as near as I could tell, anyway. I think the investigation is still on-going. Tracking down the intricate webs of his deceit is like trying to unravel a bowl of Angel’s hair pasta. We may never know the extent of his activities.
A: And what about Robert Pelham?
M: Now Senator Pelham. He’s a very nice man, we have fun together, but I think I might not suit his needs.
A: Word’s out that you two are an item. Isn’t that true?
M: DC is gossip town. As far as I know, he’s not seeing anyone else, if that’s what you mean. But I don’t see much future in our relationship. He needs more of a trophy wife. I’m not that woman. He’s in campaign mode now and getting a lot of heat for being a fun-loving bachelor. The public is fickle. His opponent is extolling family values when he’s been divorced three times. Bob gets slammed by the Christian right for being a bachelor. Strange country.
A: Has your name come up in the campaign?
M: No, but it won’t be too long now until the media “discovers me” and gives his opponent ammunition. The joke is on me because my profession and the good I’ve done for the country will be conveniently overlooked.
A: You don’t expect him to win, then?
M: I keep telling him he has to go negative. It’s the only way. You have to fight fire with fire. His opponent has a lot more baggage than he does. But, again, let’s change the subject. I’m tired of the political crap.
A: Actually, I was going after the romantic crap, but point taken. How are Asako and Simon?
M: They’ve adopted two children, a boy and a girl, and are happy as clams trying to be good parents. Asako still works with us, so I see her occasionally. Simon has moved to higher echelons as a CIA analyst, but I think the stress is starting to get to him. He’s been talking about retiring from government service and becoming a professor. I think that could work out well for him.
A: Do you have any regrets about the way events portrayed in Soldiers turned out?
M: Do you have any regrets about the way you wrote them? [laughs] Rhetorical question, don’t answer. Writers have to stop writing their book sometime. Besides Juan Pablo, I regret that Frank Chavez’ Maryland team didn’t win the championship, but he has two more years. I also regret that he got Trudy Kerrigan pregnant. They’re a bit young to be parents but they’re doing a good job, considering. I also regret killing Frank Suarez.
A: Suarez was a cold-blooded assassin. You probably saved the federal government a ton of money and years of waiting on death row.
M: He was a person in inner conflict. He was deeply religious, you know. People took advantage of that. I felt sorry for the man.
A: Are you religious, Caitlin?
M: Interesting question—and probably the subtheme percolating through all of Soldiers. I believe people can lead a spiritual and moral life without even believing in God. Since no one knows for certain what’s in the great beyond, I believe we have an obligation to do the best we can for our brothers and sisters in the here and now. In fact, I wouldn’t do what I do if I didn’t believe that.
A: But how is that motivation? A fervent believer, for example, might kill an abortion doctor in order to prevent future murders.
M: These are extreme fundamentalist beliefs, even terrorist beliefs, and have no place in a civilized society where diverse beliefs and customs are respected. It’s why I have regrets for killing Frank Suarez. It’s not my place to be judge and jury. Secular society must stand above fanatic beliefs and apply a measured, deliberate, and possibly therapeutic punishment, as opposed to an emotional and punitive one. Otherwise, we spiral down a vortex to chaos—anarchy results when we try to placate all extremes.
A: That doesn’t quite sound like Caitlin Murphy, down-to-earth FBI agent. A bit too philosophical?
M: Juan Pablo Gomez and Bob Pelham have knocked off some of the rough edges. I’m still a diamond in the rough, though.
A: With emphasis on diamond. Best of luck, by the way. Will some of your present and future work be written about?
M: That’s up to you. I’ll be there when you need a diamond. [laughs] I need to get back to work now. O, bhuel…sin uile, slainte.
[Note: Soldiers of God is only available in trade paperback directly from Infinity Publishing or from Amazon and other online retailers. As I did with Full Medical, I might release a second edition as an eBook sometime in the future. All in good time….]
In libris libertas!
