Mounting Fears

12

MARTIN STANFORD CLOSED THE DOOR OF THE LITTLE OFFICE HE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED in the family quarters of the White House and sat down. He figured a president's secretary had once worked in this room; it was too small for a visiting dignitary. He unlocked his briefcase and removed a cell phone that had been purchased for him at a grocery store in Los Angeles, one containing a prepaid phone card and no GPS chip, then he dialed the number, which he had committed to memory and not stored in the phone, of a duplicate cell phone.

"Hi there," she said.

"Hi there, yourself."

"How did it go this morning?"

"Well, I think. At least he didn't immediately dump me. My guess is, the way he thinks, he'll want me to make it public soon, to get it out of the way."

"How is the gargoyle going to feel about that?"

"She'll be good with it. She thinks she wants it even more than I do."

"How about your kids?"

"They're grown-ups. They'll take it well, and they probably won't be very surprised."

"Is there any suspicion of us?"

"Not that I've detected. How about on your end?"

"Nope. We've been very careful, and it's paying off."

"Are you still willing to move here?"

"You bet I am. Your successor and I don't really get along all that well, and I don't want to work for him when you're gone. And there's some news: I've heard through the legal grapevine that the AAG for criminal stuff is not going to be around for the next term, and he wants to leave as soon as his boss can find a replacement."

"That would be a great job for you, after your years as an ADA and state justice, before you came to work for me."

"You bet your ass it would, and I've already made some calls. They're sending me an application to start the process."

"Listen, baby, I can't have anything to do with your application; I can't even write a letter, unless the AG asks me to."

"How about if I give the big guy as a reference. I've known him since he was a Capitol Hill aide, worked with him a couple of times on justice issues."

"Good idea. He'll ask me, and I'll give him my highest recommendation."

"Then I'll get started on the application as soon as it comes. When do you want me to resign?"

"We talk almost every day on state business. During the next call, tell me about your plan, then send me a letter saying that you want to start looking for something, but you'll stay on until you've nailed down a new job. That'll get it on the record, and be sure to log the content of our conversation. I'll do the same."

"Can we get together when I'm in town?" she asked.

"Baby, you know we can't do that. I've got the whole process to go through, and I've got a security detail on my back now. But announcing this means we can start the proceedings immediately, and I've already talked with my people about how to divvy up, so that shouldn't take long. I'm sure she has a list of what she wants. I'll give her the house at home, of course, and she'll pretty much get half. Don't worry, there'll be enough for us, especially if I get the job. And after that, who knows?"

"How are we going to handle it when I get there?"

"After everything's over, we'll arrange to bump into each other at some public event, then we'll do a few dinners, or something, just to let people get used to seeing us together, and after that, we'll be home free. I think you might like that very nice house over at the Naval Observatory."

"I might at that," she said.

"I wish you were here, now, babe," he said.

"I want to fuck you," she said.

"How would you like it?"

"Every which way."

"That's a promise, but we have to be patient. If you get a chance, be seen with other men around town. That would be good for us."

"What if I fall in love?"

"You're already in love," he said, "and so am I. We're going to make this work. Bye-bye, now. We won't be talking for a while, and always let me make the call."

"Will do, and I'm holding you to that promise."

Stanton hung up and tried not to think about her body.

A BLOCK AND A HALF AWAY, a man in an extremely well-equipped car was fiddling with a very illegal scanner that operated on cell-phone frequencies. He had caught only snatches of that conversation, since in this neighborhood he couldn't park where the reception was best and listen without attracting Secret Service attention. He didn't know who the parties were, but he knew there was a story in this, probably a big one. He would just have to keep listening. He shut off his recorder and made a note of the time and place where the reception had been best, then he took the memory chip from the recorder and slipped it into his pocket. He'd go over it later with Marlene; she was very good at figuring out this stuff.