Sleepy and angry that the hotel operator had called too early, he answered with a gruff “Yes?”
“David?”
“Yes?”
“It’s Kristen. Good morning.” She sounded up-beat and happy.
He sat up. “Kristen. I, uh…where are you? Why are you calling?”
“I’ve got someone here who wants to talk to you.”
“What did you say?”
“Daddy?”
“Callie?”
“Oh, Daddy—I—I’m…fine. But I’m so sorry for all that I’ve done. I don’t think you’ll ever forgive me. Alex. The movies. Trying to hurt you.” She cried for a moment. “I…I’m sorry…”
“Callie.” He couldn’t stop the tears forming in his own eyes. “I’m so glad you called.” He was silent for several heartbeats. “I’m the one who has to ask for forgiveness, not you. I’ve been thinking about you all night. I was so lousy to you. Never enough time to share. Then I forced you to make an impossible choice. And gave you bad advice. Not much of a father. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Can I come home?”
“Come home? Of course!” He stood up by the bed.
“I can? You won’t be mad about all that I’ve done?”
“No! I’ll hug you and love you and be so glad to see you! When are you coming?”
“I’m not sure. Kristen and I were just talking. Maybe like tomorrow.”
“Great! I can’t wait.”
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“I want you to know something and be thinking about it.”
“OK.”
“I don’t know how else to say this, so I’ll just tell you. I’m pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” He sat down again. There was a moment of silence. “Are you all right otherwise?”
“Yes, I am. But, Dad. My friend Jane is dead.”
“Jane? Oh, no. How?”
“Drugs.”
“I’m very sorry. Are you sure that you’re all right?”
“Yes, except for being pregnant. Alex wants me to have an abortion, but Kristen doesn’t. She wants me to talk about it with you and mom.”
“Kristen’s right. Callie, we love you and want you home with us. The sooner the better. Even with Alex.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m not sure about him now.”
“OK. But we’ll talk about everything when you’re home again.”
“Oh, thank you, Daddy.”
He paused, as Kristen’s words over many months gave him new thoughts. “Callie, will you forgive me?”
There was another pause. “Yes, I will. If you’ll forgive me, and we can start over.”
“Yes. I do. I promise. In fact, I’ll try to be home when you get there.”
“From Moscow?”
“Yes.”
“Extreme!”
He laughed, and she laughed in return. “Callie, let me speak to Kristen for a minute.”
“Sure.”
“David?”
“Kristen. What a wonderful surprise—and gift! Thank you.”
“David, she means it. All of it. You can start over with her. God—and I mean God, not Allah or anyone else—has done an amazing thing in Callie these last two days. And Elizabeth told us about Rob and the wreck. Now Callie is coming home with her own joys and challenges. What do you feel about all this?”
David was silent, his eyes closed. Then he spoke. “Kristen, the common denominators in both of their lives are me and USNet. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”
“You’re partly right. David, the real common denominator is the lack of any value system. You haven’t had one, so your kids don’t have one. Do you see that?”
“Yes, I do. And I’m tired of it. I want to change. I even prayed for God’s help with Rob.”
“He always listens. We’ve talked about it before, David. And we’ll talk again when you get home. I think you’ll see a change in Callie. Are you ready for that?”
“I’m at the end of my rope, Kristen. I give up. No more plans by David Sawyer on his own. But I’m afraid it’s too late.”
“Never. Think about me. Anyway, USNet has been pushing all of that stuff at everyone in our country. Callie tells me that she and Jane—the younger ones—were going to Mexico to register for the movie business. Did you know that?”
He paused. “I’m sorry to say that I did.”
“David!” There was real despair in her voice. “You knew and said nothing?”
He spoke more quietly. “I just found out.”
“David, they’re using Mexico just to get around the laws that Knox promised to support. How can you work for a company that poisons our country, threatens your own children, and then lies to you, me, the President and the whole nation?”
You don’t know the half of it.
He felt a chill and shook involuntarily. “I just…I don’t know. But now that Callie is coming home and wants to start over, it’s like nothing else matters except getting right with Elizabeth and our children. And I guess with God, if you can help me understand what that means.” He stood up again.
“Yes.”
“Kristen, I’m going to quit. Maybe I’ll do it here, away from the office. I think it’ll be easier, and I need to get home.”
“You mean, today? In Moscow? And come home?”
“Yes. Today. Now. If Knox is going to lie about everything, I want out of his company.”
“Great!” He could hear her smile. “And we can talk again about working together. I’m glad we called!”
He laughed. “Glad? I’m ecstatic that you called. I feel like a new man.” Then he paused and turned serious. “But there is also some terrible news. I didn’t have a chance to tell you when you put Callie on, but the police in Iran just killed my cousin Omid. They—somehow—sent me a link to watch a video of his execution.”
“Oh David, I’m so sorry.”
“Besides everything else, I’ve got to find out if his wife Goli is still alive, and help her.”
“Yes. I’ll pray for her, their family, and you, ‘til you’re home safely—and beyond. Here’s Callie.”
“Dad, are you coming home today?”
“I’m not sure, dear. It’s still early here, and maybe I can get a flight. I’ll try. But I’ll definitely be home in a few days. Listen, why don’t you call Mom and tell her that we’re both coming home? She’ll be very happy. I love you. And thank you. Take care of that baby.”
“What? Oh, yes. I will. And I love you, too. Come home soon.”
David hung up and almost laughed. He went into the bathroom and washed his face. I’d better think through exactly how and when to tell Trevor. Let’s see if I can get a flight.
He returned and found the phone book, looked under Airlines, and called, not expecting anyone to be there so early in the morning, but was pleasantly surprised.
The lady on the other end was helpful but told him, “I’m sorry Mr. Sawyer. For today to New York there are no business class seats remaining, only coach.”
“I’ll sit in someone’s lap. I don’t care where I sit; just put me on the plane. And thanks!”
“Fine. And your connection is set. Please be at Sheremetevo Airport by one to adjust your ticket and check in.”
“Great. And thank you. You’ve already made my day, and it’s early!”
So I’ll have to tell Knox this morning and then head to the airport. We’re supposed to have breakfast with Peter at 8:30. I’ll tell him right after that. Gotta pack! But let me try this first… God, I think you’re there, and I’m going to try to know you more, so let me start by thanking you now for Callie and for Rob’s safety. I want to change, too, and I’ll try to do a better job of this from now on. I’m going to need some guidance and help this morning.
Victor Mustafin remained on duty in the corporate jet throughout the short summer night, napping in one of the passenger seats just behind the command console area.
>
A little after eight, as planned, he received a video call from Simon North. He moved over to the swivel chair in front of the console. “Good morning, Simon.”
“Good morning. This is the day we’ve been waiting for. I’m not sure where you’re from, but I guess as a Brit I should wish you a Happy Fourth of July.”
“Thanks. This one really will be our independence day.”
“Well said. We’ve received word from our team that the missile is fully operational. They’re awaiting word from us to prepare for launch.”
David’s stomach was churning as he came down the lift and walked into the dining room. Knox, Kamali and Goncharov were already seated and having orange juice. Like David, they were dressed in business suits.
David greeted them, sat down, and in a few minutes they were sampling the large buffet. Back at their table the conversation turned to the unusual events of the day ahead of them.
As the waiter poured more coffee, Knox said, “David and Peter, I’ve got copies here for you of the talk I plan to give at the reception. I’d like you to review it and give me your comments.”
Knox handed each of them a page of notes, and David glanced at the paragraphs. He quickly scanned the parts about acting responsibly to restrict adult entertainment to adults and about the great future for family entertainment on the internet. He felt his anger rising and suddenly hoped that he wasn’t turning red.
“Thank you,” Peter said. “If I have any suggestions I’ll make them on the paper and leave it at the front desk. What time is your luncheon at the embassy?”
“Noon,” Knox replied. “But we have to be there thirty minutes early.”
“The same at our headquarters this afternoon.”
They continued their conversation through breakfast, and forty minutes later, as they were standing to leave, David smiled and said, “Trevor, can I see you for a few minutes?”
“Why, of course. But now?”
“Yes, if I could. Up in your room.”
Knox frowned slightly but nodded. “Fine.” He looked to Kamali. “Can Akbar join us?”
“I guess so.”
“Good.”
After planning with Peter to meet again at four for the drive to the new offices, the three men rode the elevator up to Knox’s floor in silence.
Knox had a suite on the top floor. They entered the living room, which had two sofas, two desks, a television inside an armoire, and several chairs. Knox’s laptop was open on one of the desks, and there were several papers next to it. “Have a seat,” Knox said, indicating the sofa with two chairs in front of it.
Sawyer looked at the arrangement and took a chair, leaving the other chair for Knox and the sofa for Kamali.
When they were seated, Knox took out his gold pen and began rotating it on the arm of the chair. “What’s up, David? Is this about a sabbatical again?”
David felt as if his heart were not beating. I’ve got to do this. Please give me strength. He looked directly at the older man. “No. Actually, it’s more than that. I’m quitting, effective immediately.”
Knox’s eyes dimmed slightly and the pen stopped, but his face remained expressionless. “Quitting?”
David nodded. “Yes. I have to do something else. My family needs me, and frankly I’m not crazy about a lot of what we’re doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Communications is one thing. That’s what we used to do. Now we’re into the internet, gambling, games, even pornography. I guess I’m not proud of what we do any more.”
“But we’ve been together while all of that growth happened, and you’ve been happy to cash our checks,” Knox said, with an edge to his voice. The pen took up its flight again.
David looked down for a minute. Come on! You’ve seen him do this before. Don’t back down! “Yes. And that’s why I’m quitting. I can’t keep taking money, given what we do.”
Mustafin shifted in his seat, and Knox smiled slightly. “David, I think you need the money right now, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then we’ll raise your base by ten percent, effective immediately”
David paused. “Thank you, Trevor, but the money is only part of it.”
“What do you propose to do?”
“I’m not sure. Real estate is all I know. But I can’t stay at USNet.”
Knox and Kamali exchanged glances. “David, we’ve been together almost since the beginning.”
“I know. I appreciate that. I just want to get on with another life, closer to my family.”
“Is there something else that you’re not telling us?”
David looked at both men for a moment, trying to figure out what they might know through the RTI that Todd had told him about. “Well, I just watched a video, sent to me on a link, of the secret police in Iran—he nodded toward Kamali—killing my cousin, because he was pushing back against their fascist mullahs. So now I’ve also got to try to find his wife, if she’s alive. As you can see, I have a lot to do with several family members, and I now know that nothing I’m doing at USNet is that important any more.”
Knox shook his head. “I can’t believe what happened to your cousin. I’m so sorry.”
David lowered his eyes and nodded several times.
Kamali moved forward on the sofa and said, “I am, too. But David, I really think you should reconsider such a move very carefully. Are you aware that a senior member of your department has been taking bribes from a developer, which has cost USNet a lot of money?”
David frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Todd Phelps. We’ve just learned that he accepted a quarter of a million dollars to put USNet’s office in that new space in Minneapolis. Now he’s negotiating on Kansas City, and there will be another big payment for him from the developer when that deal is done.”
“How was I supposed to know?”
“How could you not know? Or maybe participate? And even if you didn’t, what sort of a manager does that make you? How do you think all of that will look in the newspaper and on USNet news programs when you try to start something new? We think you should stay at USNet, forget these issues, and one day retire as a wealthy man.”
Son of a…His heart started to work overtime. David thought for a moment and then shook his head. “I’ll just have to take the hit and do the best I can.”
Knox frowned. “You must be a masochist, to trade a great job for personal ruin.”
“I guess so.”
Kamali said, “Well, there’s one more thing that you might want to consider before you decide to turn us down. We have traces on your movements, of course, from the GPS repeater in your ID card. We know that back in April you visited the apartment of a young woman, Samantha, who is now a rising star in the upload adult movie market. Do you think your wife would like to know what you were doing there?”
Kamali and Knox watched as David turned red. He stood up.
“Actually, she already does. That’s our daughter’s apartment I visited.”
Knox’s eyes squinted slightly, and he grasped the pen with both hands. “Your daughter?”
Still standing over them, his fists clenched, David said, “Yes. ‘Samantha’ is our daughter Callie…And it’s been eating me alive that our nineteen year old does the grossest things and USNet makes money. And while I’m at it, our son Rob is so consumed by our online games that he’s been doing God knows what with adults who have stalked him in our chat rooms. That’s why he was in a wreck.” He took a deep breath. “And, actually, Todd Phelps came to me right before I left and told me about something called RTI. I didn’t really believe him at first. It’s still hard to believe, and I’d rather just forget about it. But that high tech threat about me visiting our daughter tends to confirm what Todd told me, and it means that I’ve got to get out! I won’t tell anyone about any of this—I just want out.”
Knox stared at David for a few moments, as if considering his words, then looked over at Kamali an
d back to David.
“It sounds like Todd Phelps told you some stories that are made up, to cover his own issues. Or one of you terribly misunderstood the other. Who else did he tell?’
“I don’t know. He was looking for my help when I get back from Moscow. But now I don’t want to deal with it. He and I just want out. Please just let us go, and we’ll both try to do the best for our families.”
Knox returned the pen to his pocket. When he spoke, his voice was calm and resolved. “All right, David. We had no idea. I’m genuinely sorry about your cousin, and of course your son and daughter. Perhaps we can help you find something new.”
“I…” I better not mention Kristen. He unclenched his hands. “OK, thanks. But first I’ve got to help our children. I just found out this morning that Callie is pregnant and her roommate is dead. Didn’t you say our adult movies have no victims, no negative consequences?”
Knox’s face did not change. “Presumably your daughter and her roommate made choices.”
“Right. And Jane made her choice while in Mexico. Have you told President Harper about moving the younger actresses to Mexico to get around the new laws you’ve promised to support?”
Knox paused. “Clearly you’re upset, David. You’ve made your choice. We wish you wouldn’t leave USNet. But if you’ve made up your mind, we hope that it all works out. We’ll clear up whatever the misunderstanding is with Todd Phelps, and we won’t mention it to anyone. Don’t worry about it. We sincerely wish you the best with your family. In fact, we’ll give you six months severance next week, so that there are no hard feelings.”
David took a step toward the door and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Yes. Are you planning to leave today, before the reception?”
“Yes. I changed my ticket to the afternoon flight. I have to leave for the airport in just a little while.”
“Well, look. Akbar has to go to the airport in a few minutes. Why don’t you ride out with him? It’ll save you a lot of time and hassle.” He looked at Kamali. “You could give David a ride, couldn’t you?”
“Yeah. Sure. Are your bags packed?”
“Yes.”
Enemy In the Room Page 37
