Hazardous Duty (Presidential Agent 8)

“When they are recording themselves for posterity, Frank,” Ellsworth explained, “they won’t have time to worry about seizing a Mexican airfield. It’s a matter of priority. Getting your picture in the paper with the Rotarians or the Boy Scouts helps your reelection chances. Thanks to Mulligan and Hoboken, I don’t think we really have to worry about get

ting ordered to seize the Mexican airfield.”

“You may have something there, Truman,” Lammelle said.

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their vehicles. Following the protocol of rank, Secretary Cohen’s Yukon arrived first. Charlene Stevens jumped out and opened the right rear door for her, and Cohen got in without saying anything else and drove off. Then Ellsworth’s Jaguar Vanden Plas pulled up and he got in it, and it drove off. Lammelle’s Yukon was next, and he got in and drove off. Finally General Naylor’s Suburban pulled up, a sergeant jumped out of the front seat and removed the covers from the four-star plates, and then held the right rear door open for the general.

[TWO]

The Cabinet Room

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C.

0935 14 June 2007

“Mr. President,” Presidential Spokesperson Robin Hoboken had asked the moment the door closed on Secretary Cohen and the others, “did you mean what you said about wanting to shut down that Mexican airfield, the one Castillo calls ‘Drug Cartel International’?”

“By now, Robin, you should know that—unlike some other politicians I can name—I always mean what I say.”

“Mr. President, I have an idea—”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Hackensack,” Supervisory Secret Service Agent Mulligan said, “not again! Every time you have one of your ideas, you get the Commander in Chief in trouble.”

“What did you say?” the presidential spokesman demanded angrily.

“I said, Hoboken, that every time you get one of your ideas, you get the President in trouble.”

“No, you didn’t. You called me Hackensack and you know you did.”

“You’ll have to admit, Hackensack, that Mulligan is right,” the President said. “Sometimes your ideas, while well intentioned, are really off the wall.”

“Now you’ve got the Commander in Chief doing it!” Robin fumed.

“Doing what?” Clendennen asked.

“Calling me Hackensack!”

“Why would I call you Hackensack, Hoboken?” the President asked.

“Probably because Mulligan did, Mr. President,” Robin replied.

“If I called you Hackensack, Hoboken, it was a slip of the tongue,” Mulligan said.

“Hah!” Robin snorted.

“What’s the big difference?” the President asked.

“I would say population, Mr. President,” Robin said. “Hoboken is right at fifty thousand and Hackensack right at forty.”

“There’s only forty people in Hackensack?” Mulligan asked. “I would have thought there were more than that.”

“Forty thousand people, you cretin!” Robin flared.

“Are you going to let him call me that, Mr. President?” Mulligan asked.