The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

“Give in,” Miller said.

“I will. Stay there. I’ll go get one. You want another?”

Without waiting for an answer, he went into the living room and to the wet bar. As he was taking two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, he heard the telephone ring and when he went back into the bedroom Miller was holding out a handset to him.

“Your guardian angel, saving you from temptation,” Miller said.

Castillo took the phone. “Castillo,” he said.

“Matt Hall, Charley.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Two changes in the plan,” Hall said.

What plan?

“Yes, sir?”

“I’ll pick you up there at half past seven, not eight.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said I’ll pick you up at half past seven, not eight.”

“Where are we going, sir?”

“To the White House. I told you.”

Oh no you didn’t. You told me that you were going to the White House. I was going to be on the Metroliner on the way to Philadelphia at seven-thirty.

“That message must have come through garbled, sir.”

“Obviously,” Hall said. There was a suggestion of annoyance in his tone. “And the second change is that the President wants you to wear your uniform.”

“Excuse me?”

“The President said about ten minutes ago, quote, Tell Charley to please wear his uniform, end quote.”

“What’s that all about?” Castillo blurted.

“The commander in chief did not choose to share with me any explanation of his desire,” Hall said. “The Seventeenth Street entrance, seven-thirty. Brass and shoes shined appropriately. Got to go, Charley.”

The line went dead.

Castillo said, “Sonofabitch!”

“Good news, huh?”

Castillo didn’t reply. He went to the walk-in closet.

Miller heard him say, “Thank you, West Point.”

Castillo came out of the closet, carrying a zippered nylon bag.

“‘Thank you, West Point’?” Miller parroted.

“Yeah,” Castillo said. “The first thing I learned on the holy plain was that when you fuck up the only satisfactory excuse is, ‘No excuse, sir.’ The second thing I learned was to get your uniform pressed the minute you take it off because some sonofabitch will order you to appear in it when you least expect it and it had better be pressed.”