The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

“I’m not sure the ambassador will be available within that time frame, Colonel.”

“That’s all the time frame I have available.”

“You understand, I hope, Colonel, that anything you’d like to say to the ambassador you can say to me.”

“I’m calling because I understand the ambassador has a message for me.”

“You’re talking about the message sent to Berlin?”

“I know there was a message sent to Berlin for me, but I haven’t seen it. The man who called me was unwilling to tell me what the message said, only that there was a message I could have only if I went to Berlin. I didn’t have time to do that. Can you give it to me?”

“I see. Well, Colonel, the idea was that you would go to Berlin and, once you’d received the ambassador’s message, get on a secure line at the embassy there.”

“Okay. Well, that’s moot. When I walked in the embassy here, Mr. Franklin gave me a similar message. Which is the reason I placed the call. I’ll be available here if the ambassador becomes available in the next”—he paused and checked his watch—“fourteen minutes. Thank you very much, Mr. Ellsworth.”

Castillo tapped the switch of the telephone several times, said, “Break it down, please,” and hung up.

Castillo exhaled audibly, then took a cigar from his briefcase and very carefully unwrapped it, carefully nipped one end with a cutter, and carefully lit the other end.

He tried to blow a smoke ring but failed.

That’s funny. This room is sealed, and if the air conditioner is working I can’t feel it. I should have been able to blow a nice ring.

Possibly, Colonel, that is because you’re just a little nervous.

David obviously managed to hit Goliath Junior just now. Probably right between the eyes. But the projectile didn’t blow him away—it just bounced off, making Goliath Junior mad.

And when Goliath Junior reports what just happened to Goliath Senior, Goliath Senior is going to be even angrier.

Which is probably happening at this very moment.

Goliath Senior, like everyone else on the White House secure circuit, is never supposed to be more than ninety seconds from picking up the phone—and fifteen seconds is preferred.

It is of course possible that Goliath Senior was taking a leak. It is far more likely that he was in his office all the time. He has Ellsworth answer his phone to make the point that he is too important to answer his own phone, even when the President might be calling.

And he especially wanted to make that point to me. He was going to make me wait.

And if I hadn’t hung up when I did, it’s more than likely that Ellsworth—when signaled to do so, of course—would have cheerfully announced, “Well, the ambassador just walked in,” and Goliath Senior would have come on the line.

Castillo took several puffs on his cigar, held the last one for a moment, then very carefully tried to blow a smoke ring.

This time it worked.

He watched it until it bounced off the wall and disintegrated.

Fuck it! One of two things is going to happen. Goliath Senior is going to call back. Or he isn’t.

If he does call back, let him wait for me.

He stood up, put the cigar in his mouth, opened the door, and left the room.

“Why don’t we go have a look at your arsenal, Mr. Franklin?” Castillo said.

Franklin obviously didn’t like the suggestion very much, but he nodded and said, “It’s one floor down. Are you through here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Colonel, smoking is forbidden in the embassy,” the second man said.