Hazardous Duty (Presidential Agent 8)
Page 58
B-POTUS WILL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING SUPPORT
-1- A SUPPORT TEAM OF EIGHT TO TEN TECHNICIANS ON A CONTRACT BASIS FROM SPARKLING WATER DUE DILIGENCE, INC.
-2- A GULFSTREAM V AIRCRAFT WITH CREW FROM PANAMANIAN EXECUTIVE AIRCRAFT, INC., PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
-3- IN LIEU OF MILITARY PER DIEM, ALL ACTUAL LIVING COSTS WILL BE ON A REIMBURSABLE BASIS, TO BE PAID IN CASH, IT BEING UNDERSTOOD THAT ALL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ALL CONCERNED WILL BE IN FIVE-STAR HOTELS, WHEN AVAILABLE.
-4- REPORTING TO POTUS WILL BE ON AN IRREGULAR BASIS AS INTELLIGENCE IS DEVELOPED, BUT NOT LESS THAN ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS.
3-CGC REQUESTS ACCEPTANCE VIA UNDERSIGNED AT US EMBASSY, MONTEVIDEO, WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR (24) HOURS AS CGC MUST CANCEL GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND, SKI RESERVATIONS WITHIN FORTY-EIGHT (48) HOURS OR LOSE HIS DEPOSIT THEREON.
NAYLOR, LTC
TOP SECRET
“Who the hell does he think he is?” the President snapped. “Telling me his conditions?”
He looked at Robin Hoboken in expectation of an answer to his rhetorical question.
When none was forthcoming, the President asked, “What the hell is Sparkling Water?”
“It’s what some people call soda water, Mr. President,” Supervisory Secret Service Agent Mulligan replied. “You know, sir, like scotch and soda.”
In the split second before he was to say something both unkind and rude, the President realized Mulligan had not seen the message.
He turned to DCI Lammelle and said, “You’re the DCI, Lammelle. You’re supposed to know everything. What the hell is Sparkling Water?”
“It’s a contracting firm, sir, one of the better ones.”
“It sounds as if Colonel Castillo wants to build a garage, or put in a swimming pool,” Robin said thoughtfully, “and wants the U.S. government to pay for it. That’s outrageous!”
“Mr. President,” the secretary of State said, “as I’m sure you know, from time to time it is in the best interests of the government, for any number of reasons, not to use a governmental agency, or government employees, to accomplish a specific mission, but rather to turn to the private sector and contract for their services—”
“In other words,” the President interrupted, “Sparkling Water is one of those Rent-a-Spook outfits, right?”
“Yes, sir. You could put it that way,” the secretary said.
“Renting a spook, a good one, that’s pretty expensive, right?” the President asked.
“You get what you pay for, sir,” Lammelle said.
“And this airplane he wants us to rent for him in Panama, that’s going to cost a bundle, too, am I right?”
“I’m afraid so, Mr. President,” Lammelle said.
“And those five-star hotels he wants everybody to stay in,” Robin Hoboken chimed in. “That’s reall
y going to cost a fortune, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t say a fortune,” the secretary of State said. “But it will be very expensive.”
“Not a problem,” the President said. “Since this is an intelligence-gathering project, I’ll send the bills to ol’ Truman C. Ellsworth. The director of National Intelligence can figure out who’s going to pay for it—the CIA, the DIA, the FBI, anybody just so it doesn’t come out of the White House budget.”
“Good thinking, Mr. President,” Robin Hoboken said.
“But there are a couple of tiny tweaks to the deal I want to make. First, Colonel Castillo will send me a report not less than once every two days, not less than once every two weeks. And second, tell him he’s going to have to find a seat on that expensive airplane ol’ Truman’s going to rent for him for ol’ Roscoe J. Danton.”
“Excuse me?” the secretary of State asked.