By Order of the President (Presidential Agent 1)

“Sounds like a nice arrangement,” Castillo said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just what I said. It sounds like a nice arrangement.”

“Somehow, it didn’t come across that way. It sounded sarcastic.”

“I think you’ll know when I’m being sarcastic,” he said, then added, “All I’m doing is trying to keep you off the subject of you wanting a look at my story.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“That didn’t work, either. All you’re doing is making me really curious,” she said.

“Tell you what I’ll do,” he said. “As an olive branch. I think we’re in the same time zone here as Germany . . .”

“We are,” she furnished.

“The Tages Zeitung goes to bed at one in the morning. If we’re still up then, I’ll show you my story. If not, I’ll show it to you at breakfast.”

“You seem pretty sure I’ll want to have breakfast with you.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking but what I had in mind was that we might still be here in the bar—not drinking martinis, of course, which would be likely to get either or both of us in trouble, but maybe coffee—at 1 A.M.—or that we could meet in the restaurant at, say, half past nine tomorrow morning.”

“No, you weren’t,” she said.

He looked at her a moment.

“Okay, no, I wasn’t,” he said. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Or, in your case, probably angry. What happens now? You storm out of the bar? With or without throwing what’s left of your martini in my face?”

She met his eyes for a long moment.

“You understood me before when I said my husband was very understanding, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know if I did or not.”

“He’s twenty-three years older than I am,” she said.

“And very understanding.”

“Yes, very understanding.”

“Yes, I think I understood you,” he said. “Would you like another martini?”

“Yes, I would,” she said. “Do you think we could get one from room service?”

“I’m sure we could, but why would we want to do that?”

“Because we’re going to have to go to your room sooner or later so that you can show me your story, so why not go now?”

“I told you, not until after the Tages Zeitung goes to bed,” he said.

“I’ll split the difference with you, Karl,” she said. “How about after we do?”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Castillo said. “But, what the hell, business has been slow.”

VII