The Shooters (Presidential Agent 4)

"Okay," Castillo said. "You get the keys to your apartment for Jake and Sparkman. And the keys to your car, if that's been fixed. All McGrory has to know about Jake and Sparkman is that they're pilots from the Presidential Flight Detachment, and will be leaving as soon as they get some rest. But tell him that, even if he doesn't ask; he's liable to be imp

ressed with that. And then come back here and let us know how he reacted."

"Yes, sir," Yung said.

Castillo picked up on something in Yung's tone, something just shy of sarcasm.

"Dave," he said, "I learned a long time ago that it's better to piss off one of your guys by telling him again and again how to do something he already knows how to do than to take the chance he misunderstood you. If I didn't think you could handle McGrory, I wouldn't be sending you to the embassy."

Yung met his eyes, then smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah," he said simply.

Castillo raised his right arm and hand in the manner of a priest blessing one of the faithful. "Go forth and do good, Two-Gun," he said solemnly.

Yung smiled, shook his head, and started for the door.

Castillo waited until they had left, then turned to Munz.

"Let's get it over with," he said. "Call Ordonez."

Munz punched an autodial number on his cellular telephone. When it began to ring, Munz pushed the SPEAKER button.

"Ordonez," the familiar voice came over the speaker.

"Alfredo Munz, Jose."

"I've been waiting for your call, my friend."

"We're in the Victoria Plaza. 2152."

"I know. Stay there."

Munz exchanged glances with Castillo, who raised his eyebrows.

"Where are you?" Munz said into the phone.

"Sixty kilometers out of Punta del Este. I should be there in about an hour. Did you hear what I said about staying where you are?"

"Yes."

"That includes Colonel Castillo."

"Understood," Munz said, looking at Castillo again.

"They weren't supposed to permit Castillo or anyone with him to enter the country," Ordonez said. "When I pointed this out to them, they wanted to arrest you. I think I stopped that, but I would not try to leave the hotel."

"Yung and three others were with us; they were just picked up by an American embassy car."

"I know. Stay in the Victoria, Alfredo."

"Very well."

There was a change in the background noise, and Munz pushed the phone's END CALL button.

Munz said, "He apparently meant it when he said, 'Good-bye, and don't come back.' I don't know what to think, Karl."

Castillo silently raised his hands in a gesture of helplessness.