By Order of the President (Presidential Agent 1)

“Cross it to where?” Castillo asked.

There was no response. Castillo thought he detected a change in the background hiss.

“Cross it to where?” he asked again, then added, “You still there, Howard?”

There was nothing but the hiss.

“Damn!” Charley said and pushed the hang-up key.

He sensed Captain Brewster’s eyes on him.

“Cut off,” Castillo explained and then pushed the autodial key for Betty Schneider again.

“Yeah?” Her voice came matter-of-factly over the cellular.

“Is everything all right?” Charley asked.

There was no reply for a moment and then Dick Miller came on the line.

“There’s a connection,” Miller said.

“You all right?”

“I’ve decided I don’t want to be an undercover cop, but otherwise I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m fine, Charley.”

“What kind of a connection?”

“Right now, I just know that. They’re going to bring the undercover cop in. I don’t really know what that means, but it’s apparently damned hard to do. But if I get something concrete, I don’t want to tell you over a cellular. I think you better get up here, Charley.”

“Betty tell you where I am?”

“Yeah.”

“I was ordered here, Dick,” Castillo said. “I’m not sure I can come back up there. Not tonight, anyway. Jesus, I don’t know how I’d get there. I’ll get back to you. If it’s really important, call Secretary Hall.”

“It’ll wait until you know for sure you can’t get up here,” Miller said.

“I’ll get back to you, Dick,” Castillo said and ended the call.

He pushed the autodial key for Secretary Hall, then changed his mind, broke off the call, and turned to Captain Brewster.

“What’s General McNab’s ETA here?”

Brewster obviously didn’t want to answer the question and when he said, “I really don’t know, sir,” it was equally obvious that he was lying. “In the van on the way over here,” Charley snapped, “General Whatsisname said something about everybody in the van being in on the Abéché Gray Fox operation, meaning you are. I really don’t have the time to fuck with you, Brewster. Now, give me McNab’s ETA or get General Whatsisname on the horn for me.”

Brewster met his eyes for a moment, then shrugged. “It’s General Gonzalez, Major. General McNab—and the backup force—will be airborne over Morocco in the Globemaster at midnight Bragg time. That’s 0600 Abéché time. The extraction from Abéché is scheduled for daybreak—0612 Abéché time; twelve after midnight here. If the general gets a successful wheels-up report, he plans to head directly back here. If something goes wrong in Abéché . . .”

“If nothing goes wrong?”

“Then he should be on the ground here at about 0615.”

“Thank you,” Charley said and pressed the autodial key for Secretary Hall again.

“Charley, sir. I’m sorry I’m calling so late.”