"What for, Charley?" Matt Hall asked.
"I don't think you want to know, sir," Castillo said.
"Yes, I do," Hall said.
"There's a few details I have to clean up, sir:"
"Those bodies?" Hall asked.
"Matt, I don't think you want that question answered," General Naylor said. "Colonel Torine, if you'll come with us, Major Castillo will join us just as soon as he can."
He gestured toward an Air Force Dodge Caravan.
"Major," General McFadden said to the Air Police officer, "I'm sure you were mistaken when you thought you saw bodies on the aircraft."
"Hey, Charley," the pilot of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Black Hawk said after the helo was loaded and its wheels left the ground, "where we going?"
"Sightseeing, Tom," Castillo said. "How about someplace along Alligator Alley where I could see some really hungry gators? The more, the better."
"I know just the place," the pilot said and banked the bird southeast toward the Everglades.
[FIVE]
Room 14B
Transient Field Grade Officers' Quarters
MacDill Air Force Base
Tampa, Florida
2005 10 June 2005
"Hello," Fernando Lopez said when he picked up the telephone.
"Major Carlos Castillo, please, the president is calling."
"He's in the shower."
"Did you understand what I said before? The president is calling."
"That won't get him out of the shower anytime soon."
"I will call again in five minutes. Please have Major Castillo prepared to speak to the president."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you very much."
Charley came out of the bathroom two minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Anything happen? What was on the phone?"
"The first was Elaine Naylor. We were expected for dinner five minutes ago. All is apparently forgiven by Uncle Allan. So get dressed."
"And the second?"
"That was Isaacson, to tell us he's on his way here to pick us up."
"That's all?"
"There was one more," Fernando said. "Let me think. Oh yeah. It was the president. I said you were in the shower."
"Oh, fuck you. I say that with all possible respect and affection."
"You mean you don't believe me?" Fernando asked, innocently.
Charley gave him the finger and started to get dressed.
The telephone rang again.
"Major Castillo," Charley said somewhat abruptly.
The startled voice at the other end replied, "One moment, please, Major."
"Charley? I understand you were in the shower," the president of the United States said a moment later.
"Yes, sir, Mr. President, I was."
"You'll have to wait until he gets off the phone," Fernando said five minutes later to Supervisory Special Agent Joel Isaacson. "He's talking to the president."
"Okay," Isaacson said. He seemed neither surprised nor impressed, but when Charley came out of the bedroom two minutes later he immediately asked, "So what did the president have to say?"
"None of your fucking business, Joel."
"Okay. If you're going to be a hard-ass, I won't tell you what I know."
"That the world isn't really flat?"
"A new addition to the Secret Service."
"Who?"
"While you two were flitting around the Caribbean, soaking up the sun, the boss sent me to Philadelphia. He was concerned that Betty 'Nice Boobs' Schneider was really going to have her ass in a crack for coming to Washington with us and wanted me to see what I could do."
"Which was?"
"I went to Chief Inspector Kramer-one cop to another-and asked him. He said he didn't think she would have any problems, the mayor was never going to find that out, but he was worried about Ali Abd Ar-Raziq, aka Detective Jack Britton."
"Oh, yeah," Charley said.
"He said there was a very good chance the AALs would try to whack him-and that was before you stole the airplane back, which is really going to piss those people off. Whack him or his family. And could I offer him a job somewhere-anywhere-out of Philadelphia?"
"And you did?"
"I actually had to sell him on the Secret Service, but yeah. And I put a couple of guys in the Philadelphia office on the AALs until we get him and his family out of town. I wonder if he'll spot them?"
"Probably. That guy is one hell of a cop. I'm really glad to hear that, Joel. Thank you."
"He'll earn his keep," Isaacson said.
"I'm sure he will."
"And I figured what the hell, since I was already there, and I know the boss was really impressed with her, I asked Sergeant Schneider if she was interested in moving up in the world of law enforcement."
"And was she?" Charley asked.
His heart jumped.
"Yeah, sure. Once I told her how much a special agent makes. You know how little the cops get paid?"
"That's very interesting," Charley said. "I'm sure she'll be an asset."
"Who the hell do you think you're kidding, Gringo?" Fernando Lopez asked, laughing. "Your nostrils are flaring."