The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

He was out the door before anyone could reply.

II

[ONE]

The Oval Office

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C.

1825 1 August 2005

The President of the United States was behind his desk. Across the room, Ambassador Charles W. Montvale, the director of National Intelligence, was sitting next to Secretary of State Natalie Cohen on one of two facing couches. Secretary of Homeland Security Matthew Hall was on the other couch.

Major C. G. Castillo, who was in civilian clothing, was nonetheless standing before the President’s desk at a position close to a tease.

Or, Secretary Hall thought, like a kid standing in front of the headmaster’s desk, waiting for the ax to fall.

For the past ten minutes, Castillo had been delivering his report of what had happened since he had last seen the President—aboard Air Force One in Biloxi, Mississippi—when the President had issued the Presidential Finding that had sent him first to Europe and ultimately to Estancia Shangri-La.

“And so we landed at MacDill, Mr. President,” Castillo concluded, “where we turned over Sergeant Kranz’s remains to Central Command, and then we came here. I took everyone involved to my apartment and told them nothing was to be said to anyone about anything until I had made my report, and that they were to remain there until I got back to them.”

“Colonel Torine, too?” the President of the United States asked. “And your cousin, too? How did they respond to your placing them in what amounts to house arrest?”

“Colonel Torine knows how things are done, sir. I didn’t order him…And Fernando, my cousin, understands the situation, sir.”

“And that’s about it, Castillo?” the President asked.

“Except for one thing, sir.”

“Which is?”

“Howard Kennedy was at Jorge Newbery when I landed there from the estancia. Mr. Yung saw him.”

“The FBI agent?”

“Who was there?” Ambassador Montvale asked.

&nbs

p; “Howard Kennedy…” Castillo began.

“Who, it is alleged, is in the employ of Aleksandr Pevsner,” the President said, drily.

“The Russian mobster?” Montvale asked, incredulously.

Both Castillo and the President nodded.

“I’m missing something here,” Montvale said.

The President made a fill him in gesture with his hand to Castillo.

Secretaries Cohen and Hall, who knew the story, exchanged glances and quick smiles. Montvale wasn’t going to like this.

“Sir, we have sort of reached an accommodation with Mr. Pevsner,” Castillo began.