“Ecclesiastes,” said Harkes. “The E-Program?”
“What? Oh, right. Didn’t know the man had a biblical side to him.” Quantrell downed the rest of his drink. “And then he sold the concept to the folks that mattered in D.C. Now the rest of us have been eating his dust for years.”
“Ever think of suing?”
“No grounds. He developed the stuff after he left me and he never violated the noncompete we had. Way too smart for that. No, I hate him because I don’t like to lose. And with him around I’ve been losing. A lot.” He put his empty glass down and buckled his seat belt as the plane hit some turbulence. “But Ellen Foster can hurt me a lot more. And I’m not talking just dollars and cents.”
“Yes she can,” agreed Harkes.
“President gave her carte blanche.”
“Yes he did.”
“Collateral damage? Meaning me?”
“Makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“But she has to tie it into Bunting and the others. How does she plan to get to them?”
“She has an ace in the hole,” noted Harkes.
“Who?”
“Megan Riley.”
Quantrell sat forward, looking astonished. “The lawyer? She’s one of Ellen’s people?”
“No. She was kidnapped from Maine. Foster is holding her somewhere.”
Quantrell rubbed his chin. “This really is extraordinary.”
“Yes it is,” agreed Harkes.
“She kept me out of the loop on that.”
“Me too, until now.”
“And Foster is planning to use her to get to Bunting and the others? How?”
“Playing on their guilt. And their conscience. Riley is an innocent victim in all this. If it’s played right, we can use her to draw them out.”
“And Foster wants to survive all this with her reputation and Cabinet position in place?”
“Yes she does. I told her it would be hard but not impossible.”
“Does she require my termination as part of the plan?”
“Desires, but does not require,” was Harkes’s diplomatic reply.
“Then we have an opening.”
“I think we do. A very advantageous one for you if we play it just right.”
Quantrell said, “You know what they’re doing, of course.”
“They’re playing each of you against the other. Bunting called you to turn you against Foster. And Paul corralled Foster in that ladies’ room and did the same thing.”
“Clever. Foster has clearly fallen hook, line, and sinker for it. I have to admit Bunting scared the crap out of me when he called.”