The Sky Is Falling

Dana said, "Kemal, this is Mr. and Mrs. Hudson." She looked at Roger. "I apologize for bringing him with me, but - "

"That's perfectly all right," Pamela Hudson said. "We know all about Kemal."

Dana looked at her in surprise. "You do?"

"Yes. A great deal has been written about you, Miss Evans. You rescued Kemal from Sarajevo. It was a wonderful thing to do."

Roger Hudson stood there, silent.

"What can we get you?" Pamela Hudson asked.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Dana said.

They looked at Kemal. He shook his head.

"Sit down, please." Roger Hudson and his wife took seats on the couch. Dana and Kemal sat in the two easy chairs across from them.

Roger Hudson said curtly, "I'm not sure why you're here, Miss Evans. Matt Baker asked me to see you. What is it I can do for you?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Taylor Winthrop."

Roger Hudson frowned. "What about him?"

"I understand that you knew him?"

"Yes. I met Taylor when he was our ambassador to Russia. At the time, I was head of the Armed Services Committee. I went to Russia to evaluate their weapon capabilities. Taylor spent two or three days with our committee."

"What did you think of him, Mr. Hudson?"

There was a thoughtful pause. "To be quite candid, Miss Evans, I was not overly impressed by all that charm. But I must say, I thought the man was very capable."

Kemal, bored, looked around, got up, and wandered into the next room.

"Do you know if Ambassador Winthrop got in any trouble when he was in Russia?"

Roger Hudson gave her a puzzled look. "I'm not sure I understand. What kind of trouble?"

"Something...something where he would have made enemies. I mean, really deadly enemies."

Roger Hudson shook his head slowly. "Miss Evans, if anything like that had happened, not only would I have known about it, the whole world would have known. Taylor Winthrop lived a very public life. May I ask where these questions are leading?"

Dana said awkwardly, "I thought possibly Taylor Winthrop might have done something to someone that was bad enough to be a motive to want to kill him and his family."

The Hudsons were both staring at her.

Dana went on quickly. "I know it sounds far-fetched, but so is their all dying violent deaths in less than a year."

Roger Hudson said brusquely, "Miss Evans, I've lived long enough to know thatanything is possible, but this - what do you base it on?"

"If you mean hard evidence, I have none."

"I'm not surprised." He hesitated. "I did hear that..." His voice trailed off. "Never mind."

The two women were looking at him.

Pamela said gently, "That's not fair to Miss Evans, darling. What were you going to say?"

He shrugged. "It is not important." He turned to Dana. "When I was in Moscow, there was a rumor that Winthrop was involved in some type of private deal with the Russians. But I don't deal in rumors, and I'm sure that you don't, Miss Evans." His tone was almost a reproach.

Before Dana could respond, there was a loud crash from the adjoining library.

Pamela Hudson rose and hurried toward the sound. Roger and Dana followed. They stopped at the door. In the library, a blue Ming vase had fallen to the floor and shattered. Kemal stood next to it.

"Oh, my God," Dana said, horrified. "I'mso sorry. Kemal, how could you - ?"

"It was an accident."

Dana turned to the Hudsons, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm terribly sorry. I'll pay for it, of course. I - "

"Please don't worry about it," Pamela Hudson said with a nice smile. "Our dogs do much worse."

Roger Hudson's face was grim. He started to say something, but a look from his wife stopped him.

Dana looked down at the remains of the vase. It was probably worth about ten years of my salary, she thought.

"Why don't we go back to the living room," Pamela Hudson suggested.

Dana followed the Hudsons with Kemal at her side. "Stay with me," she muttered, furious. They sat down again.

Roger Hudson looked at Kemal. "How did you lose your arm, son?"

Dana was surprised at the bluntness of the question, but Kemal answered readily.

"A bomb."

"I see. What about your parents, Kemal?"

"They were both killed in an air raid along with my sister."

Roger Hudson grunted. "Goddamn wars."

At that moment, Cesar came into the room. "Luncheon is served."

The luncheon was delicious. Dana found Pamela warm and charming and Roger Hudson withdrawn.

"What are you working on now?" Pamela Hudson asked Dana.

"We're talking about a new show to be calledCrime Line. We're going to expose some of the people who have gotten away with committing crimes, and we'll try to help people in prison who are innocent."

Roger Hudson said, "Washington is a great place to start. It's full of holier-than-thou phonies in high places who have gotten away with every crime you can think of."

"Roger's on several government-reform committees," Pamela Hudson said proudly.

"And a lot of good it does," her husband grumbled. "The difference between right and wrong seems to have gotten blurred. It should be taught at home. Our schools certainly don't teach it."

Pamela Hudson looked at Dana. "By the way, Roger and I are giving a little dinner party Saturday night. Would you be free to join us?"

Dana smiled. "Why, thank you. I'd love to."