Mounting Fears

17

"Good morning, Bob. When can I expect your report on Martin Stanton?"

"Sir, I anticipate completing that early this afternoon, when the final detail should be in place. I'll messenger it over the moment it's in my hands."

"E-mail it, Bob. It's faster and cheaper."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll look forward to receiving it." The president hung up.

KERRY SMITH LOOKED UP into the eyes of Shelly Bach, who was astride him, moving rapidly.

"I love it that you look at me when we're fucking," Shelly said.

"Looking at you is fun," Kerry panted, massaging her breasts.

She began moving faster, and they were at the peak of their mutual orgasm when the phone began to ring.

"Shit!" Kerry yelled. "Sorry, that was for the phone, not for you."

He picked up the phone, while Shelly laid her head on his shoulder. They were panting in unison. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Kerry. What do you have for me?"

"Good morning, sir. Nothing just yet. It's three hours earlier out here, and we're planning to be at the Martнnez place at eleven a.m., local. He's due back for his lunch."

"Why are you breathing so hard?"

"I was working out, sir, doing sit-ups, when you called. I was just about to get into a shower."

"I see. At what hour can I expect your report?"

"Sir, if Martнnez returns on time, we should be done by one p.m. and on the airplane by two. I'll e-mail it to you from the airplane, so you should have it between five and six your time."

"Call me the minute you have confirmation from Martнnez, so I can call the president. He's on my case about this."

"Yes, sir. I will."

"How's Special Agent Bach?"

"I haven't seen her yet this morning, but I'm sure she's fine. She certainly was at dinnertime. She's just next door, if you'd like to speak to her."

"I'll take your word for it," Kinney said, slyly. "Call me." He hung up.

"You're very quick," Shelly said.

"Maybe not quick enough."

"You think Kinney thinks we were fucking?"

"I can't read his mind, but it's probably best to assume he does."

"You want to do it again?" she asked.

"We did it three times last night and again this morning," Kerry sighed. "I think that is the maximum performance level for an assistant director. If you want an improvement on that, you're going to have to start seeing the new agents."

She rolled over and lay beside him, her hand holding his balls. "I wouldn't want to seem greedy," she said.

"Good, because if you were greedy, you'd be flying me back to D.C. in a coffin."

She kissed him on the ear. "You were wonderful," she said.

"Once I sign off on your report and e-mail it to Kinney, this won't be against agency policy anymore."

"Does that mean we can do it on the plane?" she asked.

Kerry groaned.

THEY GOT INTO THE CAR at eleven sharp, showered and pressed, if sore, and were at the Martнnez casa fifteen minutes later. Kerry was about to knock on the door when he heard a car coming.

An elderly Toyota pulled up, and an old man got out.

"Seсor Martнnez?" Shelly asked in her best Spanish.

"Yes, seсorita," he replied in his best English. "What can I do for you?" He climbed the stairs to the porch and indicated that they should sit.

"I'm Kerry Smith, and this is Shelly Bach," Kerry said. "We work for the FBI in Washington, D.C., and we've come to ask you a few questions." He surreptitiously switched on a recorder in his pocket.

"Ohhh," Pedro said with mock fear, "am I under arrest?" Kerry laughed. "No, Seсor Martнnez, nothing like that. I believe you're acquainted with Governor Martin Stanton of California."

"Yes, I am," Pedro replied. "In fact, you could say I am the first person he ever met. We have been acquainted that long."

"Could you tell me how you first met?" Kerry asked.

"Oh, yes, seсor. It is my favorite story. I was the driver for his father, you see. Every morning I would come to his house in Tijuana and drive him to the Coca-Cola bottling plant in his new Cadillac. I liked to drive the Cadillac."

"They're very nice cars."

"Oh, yes. Well, on the morning I first met Little Martin, as all who worked for Big Martin would call him, I came to the house to drive the car, and Big Martin and his wife, Magdalena, were coming from the house in a hurry, because her time had arrived a little sooner than expected." He made a big belly motion with his hands. "You understand?"

"She was pregnant," Kelly said.

"Yes, seсor, but not for long. We get in the car, the two of them in back and myself behind the wheel, and we head for San Diego, where the hospital is where Big Martin and his father were born. There is a little delay at the border, but when the guard saw what was happening, he waved his arms and yelled for us to get going! Then Big Martin said to me, 'Pedro, I can't do this. You do it, and I will drive.' So we changed places, and I got in the back and we are racing for the hospital. Two or three minutes later, Little Martin's first cry was heard. Soon we were at the hospital, and the doctors told me what a fine job I had done. Then Big Martin and I went to a bar across the street and got very drunk."

Kerry laughed. "I don't blame you-that was quite an experience. You say two or three minutes after you left the border crossing, Little Martin was born?"

"Yes, seсor, about that. Of course, I was pretty busy at the time; it could have been longer."

"And which country were you in when the baby was born? Mexico or the United States?"

"Oh, the United States, seсor. We were halfway to the hospital by then."

"That's a wonderful story, Seсor Martнnez, and I thank you for telling it to us. Now we must be going back to Washington."

"I'm very glad to have had you as my guests," Pedro said.

They got into their car and, with a wave at Pedro, drove away.

Kerry breathed a sigh of relief and called Bob Kinney.

"What happened?" Kinney asked.

Kerry told him the story, blow by blow.

"And Martнnez is certain they were on U.S. soil when the boy was born?"

"He's absolutely certain, sir, and I have him on tape saying so. I'll e-mail you the report as soon as we're in the air."

"See you tomorrow, Kerry, and thank Special Agent Bach for me, will you?"

"Yes, sir, I'll thank her."

WILL PICKED UP THE PHONE. "Yes, Bob?"

"It's confirmed, Mr. President. Martin Stanton was born on U.S. soil. I'll be e-mailing you Assistant Director Smith's report in just a few minutes."

"Thank you, Bob," Will said. "And thank Assistant Director Smith and Special Agent Bach for me."

IN THE AIR, Kerry closed his computer. "The report is submitted," he said.

Shelly looked over her shoulder at the closed cockpit door. "Since there's only one pilot, he can't leave the controls, can he?"

"No," Kerry replied, taking off his coat, "he can't."

"Oh, good," she said, shucking her panties.