The Hostage (Presidential Agent 2)

The man walked up to them and smiled.

"Dad," Betsy Masterson said, "this is Mr. Castillo and Mr. D'Allessando. Gentlemen, my father-in-law, Winslow Masterson."

"How do you do?" Masterson asked, offering his hand. "May I ask which of you is Mr. Castillo?"

"I am, sir."

"I was actually about to go looking for you, sir, when it somewhat belatedly occurred to me that it was likely you were asking for a word with my daughter-in-law."

That accent is not what you expect to hear from a Mississippian, a farmer, or a black Mississippi farmer, or any combination thereof. What the hell is it?

"May I be of some service, sir?" Castillo asked.

"First, let me express my appreciation for everything you have done for my daughter-in-law-"

"Sir, that's absolutely unneces-"

"Pray let me continue, sir."

"Pardon me, sir."

"And then let me inquire of you as a government official-I spoke with Colonel McElroy

, who had absolutely no idea what I was talking about-why, in a situation like this, with all the resources of the government presumably at your disposal, you have been unable to make contact with Jean-Paul Lorimer?"

Betsy Masterson and Castillo exchanged glances.

"Sir…" Castillo began.

"Mrs. Masterson's father, Ambassador Lorimer, is quite upset, Mr. Castillo. And if I may say so, understandably so. He has a certain physical condition and should not be under stress."

"Dad-" Betsy Masterson said.

"Please permit Mr. Castillo to answer the question, if he desires to do so."

"Sir, there are problems locating Mr. Lorimer. Mrs. Masterson is aware of them…"

"Indeed?" Masterson asked, and looked at his daughter-in-law.

"I didn't want to get into it with my father listening."

Masterson nodded.

"I'd really like to explain much of this to you, sir," Castillo said, "but this, I suggest, is neither the time nor the place to do so."

"He's right, Dad," Betsy Masterson offered.

"Well, I need to know what's going on as soon as possible," Masterson said. "And at the plantation, your parents will be there, and it would be impossible to exclude them without…" He paused, visibly in thought, then nodded in obvious agreement with what he had thought of.

"Mr. Castillo, it was of course my intention to ask you to stay with us at the plantation."

"I wouldn't want to intrude, sir," Castillo protested.

Masterson dismissed that with a wave of his hand.

"But is there some reason you have to go there immediately after this?" Masterson inquired, gesturing toward the activities in the hangar. "Would my daughter-in-law and the children and of course the Lorimers be safe, in your judgment, if you weren't personally there for an hour or so?"

"Yes, sir, I'm sure they would be. In addition to the state police you already have, Mr. D'Allessando and his men-"