TWENTY-THREE
June 10 2:25 p.m.Richmond Flowers, or Mason as he was known inside the agency, sat in a lounge chair gazing at the ocean from the deck of his expansive Malibu, California beach house. It was a beautiful setting, with the beach just steps from his deck and gorgeous sunsets every night. Surfers came and went, and whales and seals were frequent visitors. He sat on the deck in the afternoon sun, working on his fourth beer. Flowers stared out of the ocean, but his mind wasn’t focused on what he was watching. He felt anger rising as he considered the betrayal he had experienced. The agency told him he was being severed without the slightest hesitation. What had they said? He had been ‘compromised’ and they could no longer use his services. He was summarily dismissed after eight yea
