The Hunters (Presidential Agent 3)

“Sir,” Castillo told Silvio, “if you’ll get a secure line to the White House switchboard no one in the embassy will know I’m here.”

“I’ll have to go through the State Department switchboard.”

“They’ll switch you over.”

Silvio picked up the heavily corded handset.

“This is Silvio. Would you get me a secure line to the department switchboard, please?” That took about twenty seconds and then the ambassador said, “This is Ambassador Silvio. Please get me a secure connection to the White House switchboard.”

He handed off the handset to Castillo and said, “I’ll leave you alone.”

“Please stay,” Castillo said.

Silvio nodded.

“White House.”

“Colonel Castillo. I need Ambassador Montvale on a secure line.”

“Ambassador Montvale’s secure line,” a familiar voice said.

“This is Colonel Castillo, Mr. Ellsworth. Put the ambassador on, please.”

Ten seconds passed before Montvale came on the telephone.

“Hello, Charley,” he said, cordially. “I’ve been hoping to hear from you. How’s things going?”

“A lot has happened, Mr. Ambassador. Can I give you a quick rundown, then fill you in completely when I’m in Washington?”

“When do you think that will be, Charley?”

Castillo met Silvio’s eyes.

“I hope to get out of here late in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. It may be twenty-four hours after that.”

“You must be very busy.”

“I’ve been pretty busy,” Castillo said. “An attempt to kidnap my source in Budapest was made. When the kidnapping didn’t go off, they tried to kill him. They wounded him twice. The next morning, they tried again, this time to assassinate him in his apartment, then burn the apartment and whatever information he might have had in it. That attempt also failed.”

“He’s all right, I hope?”

“He’s all right. And his files are either en route to Washington or already there.”

“And when am I going to get to see them?”

“As soon as they get there, if you like. But I’m afraid in the form they’re in that I’m going to have to translate them. And I can’t do that, obviously, until I’m in Washington.”

“And that will not be for several days, right?”

“Just as soon as I can get there, Mr. Ambassador.”

“Is your source safe in Budapest?”

“I brought him to Argentina with me.”

“Personal jets are really nice things to have, aren’t they?”

“Oh, you heard about that, did you?”