“Me?” said Joel. “Get you in trouble? That’s not the way it’s always been.”
Later, walking back from the Campaign Committee’s house, Joel detoured to a Union Station pay phone. He called the bulldog, said: “Yes.”
“You can still back out,” whispered Lena that night in his bed.
“No we can’t,” said Joel.
The U.S. mail brought a package to his home the next day — a disposable cell phone that buzzed in his pocket three days later. Joel put the cell phone to his ear.
A bulldog said: “Is this who it should be?”
“Probably,” said Joel.
“Z-Systems. I repeat, Z-Systems.”
After work that night Joel arranged to go out for a beer with Dick and their Committee staffer Trudy. They went to one of only four bars that survived the deluge of ferns-and-cloth-napkins gentrification that laundered Capitol Hill in the 1990s, a booths-and-stools joint with Hank Williams wannabe’s in the jukebox. A stuffed owl spread its wings above the bar mirror. Congressional aides loved the bar: It reminded them of a blue-collar real world they imagined they could still claim as their roots.
“Is it just me,” said Trudy, “or are we the oldest Hill staffers in here?”
“Congress runs on the blood of twenty-five-year-olds,” said Joel. “Guys two jumps up like us are usually thinking about getting out, back to the real world and on to big bucks.”
Trudy asked: “How many people on your staff are from D.C.?”
“One,” said Joel.
“We aren’t like ordinary factory towns,” said Dick.
“We aren’t like any town anywhere,” said Joel.
They drank cold beer. Joel let Trudy think it was her idea to meet with the Senator. Those four playmakers huddled the next morning.
Senator Ness said: “Give me your recommends.”
“The companies’ planes are essentially equal,” said Trudy. “But the future looks best with United Tech. United’s bird is more bucks per copy, but Z-Systems’ bid is a low estimate that they’ll recoup in cost-overruns. Plus, Z-Systems has that GAO probe.”
Dick said: “Are you telling us that United Tech is more honest than Z-Systems?”
Even Trudy laughed.
“I say that the GAO investigation of Z-Systems means they’re the best choice,” said Dick. “They won’t be so inclined to try a rip while the watchdogs are in their shop. Plus, Z-Systems is the cheaper right now and we pay for our pick with right now dollars.”
The Senator said. “Joel?”
“Read the headline,” said Joel. “‘Senator Ness Votes Against Low Bidder on Jillion-Dollar Contract.’ It’s hard to explain to the voters why it looks like you chose to overspend their tax dollars. I say it comes down to good politics married to good government. If you add up everything, your best choice is Z-Systems.”
“Makes sense,” said the Senator.
“Okay,” said Dick. “Z-Systems it is. How about I draft a letter of commitment to the Committee Chairman?”
Trudy said: “Great idea.”
“Yeah, Dick,” said the Senator, “except I’m voting for United Tech.”
Dick blurted: “You said Z-Systems made sense.”
“But,” said the Senator as Joel fought terror, “it makes more sense and better government to build for the future. The political stuff’s gotta take a backseat.”
Dick said: “So do I draft the letter?”
Buy time. Joel said: “Let’s think that play through, hold off until tomorrow.”
Joel walked the Senator to a vote, then hurried through the tunnels honeycombing the Hill beneath the Capitol to use the Campaign Committee phone and call back-home banker Glenn Parker.
“Glenn, our friends in your new group,” said Joel. “Are they a bunch of guys from United Tech?”
Glenn said: “No. Are we expecting any?”
“Beats me,” said Joel. “It’s a free country.”
That night, he sat on his living room couch with Lena. Streetlamps filtering through his dirty windows cut across them with light and shadows.
“After the Senator bucked me for United, knowing that committee had just formed out in the state, I thought maybe I’d catch him having done his own side deal. He’s played cagey like that before.”
Joel shook his head. “But now he’s choosing what’s best for the country, the hell with reelection. That’s why I went to work for him. He may be a personal jerk, but he stands up for what he believes. The damn son of a bitch.”
“What if you can’t get the Senator to change his mind?” asked Lena.
“Then we’re fucked.”
“You could make it up to Frank Greene on some other vote some other time.”
“There is no other time,” said Joel. “If I fuck him on this, he’ll need to fuck me. Plus more. To keep his pride, his clout. Keep himself safe.”
“What are you talking about?” she said.
“This is a tough town.”
Joel woke up under a cloudy sky. He let Mimi play out the morning office rituals. Then told the Senator: “Change your mind. Go for Z-Systems.”
“Let’s get Dick in on this,” said the Senator, pushing the intercom button.
After Dick joined them, the Senator said: “Joel wants me to change my mind and go with Z-Systems.”
Dick asked Joeclass="underline" “Why?”
“United Tech is the future, but today is tomorrow.” Dick shrugged. “Whatever that means, we agree.”
Senator Ness sighed. “Okay, I’ll vote for Z-Systems. Let’s get on to stuff we can give a shit about.”
“I think I can get TV showing you rescuing starving kids,” said Joel. He wanted to shout for joy. He wanted to cry for shame. He did his job, called the TV producer with “news” that prompted the producer to ask for a “deadline” chance that Joel granted.
Joel, Dick, Press Secretary Ricki, and the Senator huddled in his office.
“Just because they film our guy doesn’t mean they’ll use it,” said Ricki.
“Great visuals have a better chance of making the news menu,” said Joel. “Plus, if it bleeds, it leads, but — I’ve got it! The white sack. The burial bag for kids from the refugee camp!”
“Perfect!” said Ricki.
“Picture it, Senator,” said Joel. “You do the usual interview sit-down they want to film this afternoon, wait for the right moment… then pull the white sack out of your suit jacket pocket. That gives them action and the illusion of a gotchya — news film is all about gotchyas. You’ll be anointed a caring, crusading hero on network TV.”
Ricki said: “So where’s this sack?”
The three aides looked at the Senator. Who said: “Ahh…”
Joel snapped: “Don’t tell me you lost it.”
The Senator said: “Thing creeped me — wait! It’s on the pile to get auctioned off at a fundraiser or shipped to the state university’s archives. The sack’s at my house.”
Joel said: “The interview’s in three hours. You’ve got Agriculture mark-up in twenty-five minutes. You can cut out early. Dick, do that commitment letter now. Get him out of the Committee meeting with plenty of time for you two to get to his place, get the sack, come back. I like the idea of you two walking: You’ll roughen up for the camera.”
Seventeen minutes later, Dick showed Joel the commitment letter.
“Z-Systems it is,” said Joel. “Make him sign it, run copies, and bring it all to me.”
As soon as he was alone, Joel dialed the disposable cell phone.
“Yeah?” said the bulldog who answered Joel’s call.