Severe Clear (Stone Barrington 24)

“Yes, sir. You’re having dinner with the Secret Service detail commander at seven, as requested.”

“Where?

”

“Here in your suite’s dining room. I’m afraid you’re the first guinea pigs for the room service kitchen.”

Mike laughed. “I brought Alka-Seltzer.”

—

Rick Indrisie left work at six that evening. As soon as he had cleared the indoor parking lot, he pulled into the drive-by line at a McDonald’s, and while waiting his turn he dug out his throwaway cell phone and sent an e-mail. “All is well. I am fine.” He signed it “Wynken.”

10

Hans was replacing a defective alternator on an elderly Porsche 911 when his supervisor tapped him on the shoulder. Hans looked up at him.

“There’s a visitor to see you in the showroom.”

“Can you send him here?” Hans asked.

The supervisor looked around the shop, then turned back to Hans. “All right, we are not so busy. Next time, meet your friends in the showroom on your break.”

Hans nodded and went back to work, tightening the last bolts. When he looked up again, a man in a sports jacket, no tie, was watching him closely. “Yes?” Hans said, straightening from his work.

“My name is Carl Webber,” the man said, offering his hand. “From The Arrington.”

Hans shook the hand. “I thought you might like to see the shop.”

“Yes,” Webber said, looking around. “It’s very clean, isn’t it?”

“Always the mark of a well-run shop—any kind of shop.”

“Is there somewhere we can talk?”

“The break room,” Hans said. “This way.” He led Webber off the shop floor and into a room containing food-and-drink dispensing machines and a few tables and chairs. It was after eleven, between coffee break and lunch. “I don’t think we’ll be disturbed here,” Hans said.

They took seats. “Your résumé is very interesting,” Webber said. “You had Mercedes training?”

“Right out of gymnasium—that’s German high school,” Hans replied. “Then I worked in a dealership for four years, while I raced sports cars on weekends.”

“Why did you change to Porsche?”

“They had a better racing program, and I liked the cars better. Besides, there were no openings for drivers at Mercedes. At Porsche, one could do race driving, then, between races, give buyers who were taking delivery of their vehicles at the factory a few rides around the race track and, if they were buying the Cayenne, around the off-road park. Before I went to work there, they sent me to the mechanics’ school, and I became a certified Porsche technician on all models.”

“Good, good,” Webber said. “Your references were excellent, too. Let me tell you about the job.”

“I would like very much to hear this,” Hans said.

“Most of the car parking will be underground at The Arrington, a feature that will make the grounds more beautiful.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“We will also maintain an underground repair facility for on-site hotel vehicles, among which will be a dozen Porsche Cayennes with the hybrid engines, and a dozen Bentley Mulsannes. Have you ever worked on Bentleys?”

“I had a private job dealing with the Flying Spur model, but never have I worked on the Mulsanne.”

“We have obtained a six-hour training course on DVD that Bentley produced for the training of foreign mechanics. I think you will find it adequate to familiarize you with the Mulsanne.”