The Hostage (Presidential Agent 2)

"If I had known how to reach you yesterday, I was going to tell you not to make inquiries, discreet or otherwise, about Oil for Food, moving money to Argentina, or anything remotely connected with either."

"Not to worry, I won't have time now. I'm on the kidnapping story."

"Yes, I'm sure you are," Goerner said.

That was a not-very-well-veiled reference to what he knows I do for a living.

"One of the reasons I called was to ask what-off the top of your head-you think might entice someone to kidnap a diplomat's wife?"

"When I gave your story to the foreign news editor- it will run in all the papers, with your byline and photograph-he asked me, 'Isn't Masterson that football player who got seventy-five million dollars after he was run over by a coal truck?'"

"Basketball, sixty million, and a beer truck," Castillo said.

"That wasn't in your story, Karlchen," Goerner said. "We're going to see if the AP or CNN or BBC mentions it. Then we'll either quote them in our wrap-up, or run it as a sidebar."

Why the hell didn't I mention it? I was writing a news story, not an embassy press release.

Because you are not a bona fide journalist, that's why.

"It should have been in the story," Castillo said.

"What did you say, sixty million? That would inspire a kidnapper, I'm sure."

"One of my sources, a good one"-you know who he is, Otto. Alex Pevsner-"just told me there is some doubt in the minds of the senior cops here-they're called SIDE, sort of a combined CIA and FBI-that the abduction and the murder had anything to do with collecting a ransom."

"Even more reason that you not ask penetrating questions when you are far from home. There are some very unpleasant people in the world, Karlchen. People who are willing to attract all the attention that kidnapping an American diplomat's wife, and then killing the diplomat, would bring to them would not hesitate before killing a journalist from a not very important German newspaper if they thought he was asking impertinent questions."

"Hey, I'm a big boy, Otto."

"Who has always been too big for his pants," Goerner said. "There was something else I found missing in your story, Karl. What happens now?"

"I don't know what you mean."

" 'Ambassador Joe Blow said the remains of Masterson will be flown to the United States for burial in Arlington National Cemetery.' Something like that."

"I don't know, Otto. But I'll find out and send it to you."

"Your editor would like you, if possible, to accompany the remains to the United States, and provide the full story of the funeral."

"I'm not sure that will be possible."

"I'm not sure you would go if it was possible. But I am a foolish old man who worries about the godfather of his children, and thought I should ask."

"Otto…"

"Hold it a minute," Goerner said, and a moment later, "It just came in on Agence France Press," he said. "They say seventy million and baseball player."

"Trust me, it's sixty million and basketball."

Castillo's cellular buzzed.

"My cellular just went off. I have to go, Otto. I'll keep you up to speed."

"After you give me that cellular number and where you're staying," Goerner said.

"Hold one," Castillo said to the cellular, then gave Otto the cellular number and his room number in the Four Seasons.

"Please, Karlchen, be very careful," Otto said.