The Shooters (Presidential Agent 4)

"Indeed, I would," Castillo said. "I have been a good boy all day, and it's been a very long day."

And I just drove past the Daleville Inn, which triggered a flood of not at all unpleasantly lewd and lascivious memories.

Neidermeyer came into the living room carrying a DirecTV dish antenna.

"You want a drink, Jamie?" Castillo said.

"Wait 'til I get this thing up, sir. What I need now is a stepladder or a chair, so I can stick this thing on the roof."

"Try the kitchen," General Wilson said, and pointed, then asked, "DirecTV?"

Neidermeyer looked at Castillo for guidance. Castillo nodded.

"Actually, sir," Neidermeyer said seriously, "I have a much better one, but it says Super Duper Top Secret Delta Force Satellite Antenna and the colonel won't let me use it. He says it makes people curious."

The general chuckled.

"It took only a couple of small modifications to this," Neidermeyer said. "Mostly the installation of a repeater, so we don't need the coaxial cable to connect to the box. It ought to be up in a minute or so."

"Need any help, Jamie?" Castillo said.

"No, sir. Thank you."

Richardson came in as Castillo, Crenshaw, and Wilson touched glasses.

"Your man is installing a cable TV dish on the roof," Richardson announced.

"And any minute now, we can get Fox News," General Crenshaw said with a straight face.

Castillo chuckled, and Richardson shot him a look, wondering what that was about. Then Richardson turned his attention back to the general.

"Sir, the field-grade OD has been advised of the truck coming from Bragg. They'll be expecting it at the gate, and there will be an MP escort to guide it to the MP impound lot, where it will be under guard until Colonel Castillo tells me what he wants to do with it."

"First thing in the morning, Randy," General Crenshaw said, "go out to Hanchey Field and take over a hangar large enough for four H-models. Arrange for the MPs to guard it, then move this equipment into it. That sound about right, Castillo?"

"Yes, sir, that sounds fine."

"Sir," Richardson said, "am I to sign a receipt for this equipment?"

"Good question," Castillo said. "I didn't think about that. Well, when the truck gets here"-he stopped as Neidermeyer came back in the house, then went on-"Neidermeyer here will happily get out of bed and sign for it. Right, Jamie?"

"The stuff from Bragg?"

Castillo nodded. "Tonight it goes into an MP lot. In the morning, Colonel Richardson will have it moved to a guarded hangar at Hanchey-one of the airfields."

"Yes, sir. Am I going with you tomorrow, sir?"

"You and the magic box."

"Sir, it might be a good idea if we had our own wheels."

"I didn't think of that," Crenshaw said. "What would you like?"

"Sir, vans are pretty inconspicuous. And I don't think we need a driver."

"Randy?" the general said.

"I'll have one here in fifteen minutes, sir."