Unpopular Science

Chapter 34

“I guess I’m a little slow on the uptake, Dr. Smith,” Mark Howard said. “The President knew we were tapping him. What questions does he want you to ask him?”

Smith’s eyes were heavy with dread. He had not expected this and wasn’t prepared for it. Even a man such as himself could not emotionlessly contemplate throwing the nation and the world into political chaos.

“He wants me to ask him if he is a traitor,” Smith explained, his words dull. “If he is a traitor, he knows that I will order his assassination.”

Mark sucked in his breath, then shook his head tightly. “But he wouldn’t have staged this if he was a traitor, right?”

“If he thought it through ahead of time,” Smith answered. “Maybe he realized too late that we may have tapped him. He’s trying to bluff us.”

Mark shook his head. “But we would know by now!” he insisted. “The President couldn’t hide his culpability in… I don’t even know what you think he might be guilty of!”

“I do not assume he is guilty of anything,” Smith replied carefully. “But now we are faced with the possibility. We must rule it out immediately. I hope that is what he intends to do.”

The red phone rang.

Smith picked it up. “Mr. President.”

“Smith,” said the President of the United States of America sitting in the Oval Office. “I’ve got a herd of consternated Secret Service agents who will start pounding the doors down in a minute, so we have to get this going.”

“Are my people present?” Smith asked.

“They haven’t showed up,” the President said.

“We’re here,” the draperies corrected him.

The President almost shouted. “Come out of there, would you, please?”

Remo Williams stepped into view, smiled shortly, his teeth exceptionally white against his blood red, pebbled complexion. “Evening.”

“Is the other one with you?”

Remo nodded in the President’s direction. The President glanced over his shoulder and found the ancient face of the Korean assassin just five inches from his own.

“Wah!” exclaimed the President, at his most un-presidential.

The Korean didn’t speak or twitch or even move his. glass-hard green eyes.

“That’s impolite,” the President accused.

“You summoned us,” Chiun answered.

“Yes. We have got to clear the air around here. Things are running a little amok.”

Chiun shrugged. “It is democracy. It is perpetually in a muck. Popular mandate is the least efficient form of government.”

“My government is not—” The President raised a hand to put a stop to himself. “You two. Bear witness.” The President knew about these men. He was pretty sure that they could see it if he lied. He was now under trial, and if he was guilty, the punishment would be death. They were his jury and, if needed, his executioners. Smith was going to serve as judge.

But the President couldn’t have asked for a more fair trial, and he knew it, which was why he asked for it.

Smith asked, “Mr. President, why did you authorize the release of known traitor Senator Herbert Whiteslaw?”

“What?” Remo asked. “He’s free? As in un-incarcerated?”

The President nodded, not at all surprised that the man could hear the words from the telephone.

“I told you to let me solve that problem, Smitty.”

“Allow the President to answer the question.”

The President did. “I was the one who sent him under cover originally. His trips to the Middle East were authorized by me. His assignment was to sell sensitive U.S. military secrets. The secrets were forgeries. It was part of a strategy of deception that would have helped us during the war in Iraq.”

“Buzz! Wrong answer.”

“Remo, please,” Smith said.

‘The stuff he sold was legitimate.”

The President nodded stiffly. “We found out, through other channels, that the real plans had somehow made it into the hands of the enemy. We—I—did not believe Whiteslaw was a double agent.”

“Even when we told you so?” Remo asked incredulously.

“Remo, please stay out of this,” Smith insisted.

“No,” the President said.

“So you brought him back into the inner circle? Does that seem really, you know, smart?”

“Remo…”

“When the current crisis erupted, I needed my experts,” the President responded. “That means Whiteslaw. He’s ex-Silicon Valley. He’s got his fingers in every high-tech program the Senate knows about. Even if I have major disagreements with him in terms of political views, he was an invaluable adviser.”

“Except he sold out the whole freaking country,” Remo growled.

“Mr. President, why did you not heed our report on Whiteslaw’s activities?” Smith asked.

“Because you didn’t tell me anything I did not already know. Nothing I hadn’t authorized him to do— from what I could see.”

Remo glared. Smith said nothing. Chiun was just standing there, too close. The President continued, “I started seeing the pieces falling into place after my discussion with you today. Smith. I went through the list, and every time I thought about Whiteslaw, something felt wrong. It may be that he’s dirty.”

“May be?” Remo asked.

“That’s correct. I don’t believe he is. I won’t believe it until I’ve got proof. If he is innocent, his undercover contacts just might lead us closer to whoever is really behind all this. If not, well—innocent or guilty, he’ll serve a purpose. Whatever he does next will make for some interesting watching.”

Remo Williams looked thoughtful, but Chiun sighed in disappointment.

“Come on.” The President grinned. “Tell Smith if I’m sincere or not.”

“The President is not lying, Smitty,” Remo announced. “He’s not plotting with Whiteslaw.”

“Now, if you’re satisfied, as well, Smith, let’s talk strategy,” the President said, sitting up straighter.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the basement?” Remo asked, suddenly alert. “There are a bunch of Secret Service outside the doors who’re plotting to break the door down and some of them have even started perspiring.”

“False alarm.” The President glared at Chiun. “I’ll stand them down.” But before the President lifted the second phone, Remo held a hand over it. Remo and Chiun were staring into the ceiling, as if listening to the rats in the White House attic. Then they looked at one another, frowning.

“What?”

“The alarm is no longer false,” Chiun stated, then twirled and slipped toward the window. The President jumped to his feet and by then he was alone.