“This is the second time you’ve fooled me with anchovies: the first was when you put pureed anchovies into a hollandaise sauce.”
“You’re forgetting the caesar salad dressing,” Will said. “Anchovies are an important ingredient of that. I think that what you are learning here is that you absolutely love anchovies.”
“Only when I don’t know I’m eating them,” Kate said.
Will turned the steaks. “How was your day?”
“Like all my days: unrelenting.”
“Anything special?”
“I spoke with Lance Cabot about the business in St. Marks.”
“And?”
“He says things are going swimmingly. Holly Barker has made contact with Irene Foster; in fact, she and the others are having dinner at her house, presumably as we speak.”
“Well, I’m glad they’re all getting along together so swimmingly. Is this going to help find Teddy Fay?”
“Maybe, and we should never speak that name. The Republicans may have bugged our kitchen.”
“I find a little paranoia a good thing in a director of Central Intelligence,” Will said, “but not that much paranoia.”
“I’ll try to tamp it down,” Kate said.
Will put the steaks on large plates, added baked potatoes and haricot verts and motioned for Kate to follow. He led her into the living room to a table for two in an alcove overlooking the White House grounds, their favorite place for dining alone. He seated her, lit the candles and poured the California cabernet that he had already opened, then sat down. They raised their glasses and dug into their food.
“This is the best steakhouse in the world,” Kate said.
“You certainly know the way to a fellow’s heart,” Will replied.
“Did the new polls come in today?”
“Yes, and we’re looking good. I’ve got at least a twelve-point lead over any one of the three likely Republican challengers.”
“I wish it were more.”
“Who doesn’t? But I’ll take twelve points.”
“That lead could vanish in the blink of an eye if it became known that…what’s-his-name is alive, having escaped two huge federal efforts to capture him, especially since the public has been repeatedly assured that he’s dead.”
“If that happens, I’ll deal with it,” Will said. “It will help that the ranking Republican senator on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence knows the truth.”
“It won’t help if he decides to leak the information to some right-wing talk show host.”
“If he does that, he’ll have to explain why he waited for so long after he found out to tell anybody. I don’t think he would enjoy that; he’s up for reelection too, you know.”
“Thank God for that.”
“I know you don’t like to talk about this, Kate, but suppose Lance’s people find Teddy and capture him? What then?”
“We could build a special prison for him at Guantánamo Bay.”
“He’d break out of it inside a week. What instructions have you given Lance in the matter?”
“I’ve given him no instructions whatever.”
“And is he going to interpret the lack of instructions as a license to do whatever he feels like doing?”