by Melissa Good
Cynthia nodded. "We learn from our Lord Jesus that we must turn the other cheek, and love our neighbor, but sometimes I think that lesson stops when our neighbor does not share our values, or our faith, or our history." She studied her hands. "At times, it doesn't even extend to our families."
"Sometimes it doesn't." Kerry gazed back at her evenly. "It doesn't even take much of a difference."
Her mother's face wrinkled a little then she nodded. "Very true." She looked at her watch. "It's time to go down to the caucus room. Are you ready?"
"As I will ever be." Kerry closed her PDA and tucked it into her briefcase. "Let's go." She stood up and locked the tab on the case. "Okay to leave this here?"
Cynthia paused in the act of standing up. "Of course," she said. "We won't be long." She gestured toward the door, and followed Kerry. "Did you have something in mind that you would like for dinner?"
"How do you feel about sushi?"
"Sushi," Cynthia murmured. "I suppose I could try that. It certainly can't be any worse than the Samoan cultural dinner I attended last month."
Chapter Eighteen
ALASTAIR TOOK A moment to stroll around his borrowed office space. The room was neat, but he noticed at once that there were more personal items in it than there were in Dar's. Certificates on the walls, for one thing. He examined them.
Dar most likely had the same, and probably more, but he decided she was so secure in her technical reputation she found no use for the things as wall hangings. Kerry hadn't been at it as long, so she probably felt she had something to prove.
Both attitudes worked, he decided. He moved along to the front of the office, pausing to study the full size boxing dummy complete with what were obviously used gloves. Was it something he expected to find in a vice president's office?
Probably not. He turned and wandered back to the desk, pulling the chair out and taking a seat in it. The first thing he noticed was the pictures near the monitor. One big one of Dar, another of her and Kerry together, and one of Dar's parents with a small one next to it of the dog.
Not very different at all from his own desk. Alastair tapped his thumbs together. Then he pressed the speakerphone's button and dialed the extension to his office in Houston.
"Alastair McLean's office."
"Who the hell's that?" Alastair inquired. "Some old crackpot?"
Bea chuckled. "Hello, boss," she said. "Where are you now?"
"Caribbean Hell," Alastair answered. "I just got introduced to a demon's brew of coffee and sugar they suck down here by the gallon and my eyeballs are bouncing off the walls."
"Well that explains a lot about Dar," Bea said. "I just got off the phone with John Peter at travel, and he said he heard they'll let planes start flying again tomorrow. You want me to book you home?"
Alastair exhaled. "See what you can arrange," he said. "I've got a feeling I'm not going to make it back there before I have to go talk to some double breasted pair of wingtips in Washington, but it pays to be prepared."
"Will do," Bea said. "How's Dar?"
"Typically Dar," her boss said. "Y'know though, I'm glad I got to travel with her for a few days. I've come to the conclusion I think I like her," he added. "As a person, I mean, not as my top ass coverer."
"You're deciding this now?" his admin asked, in a puzzled tone. "I always thought you liked Dar."
"I always liked Dar Roberts, my often pain in the ass but frequently brilliant beyond belief employee," Alastair clarified. "I didn't really know Dar the karate expert who does handstands on airplanes for fun."
"Ahh."
"She's neat."
Bea started laughing. "Oh, Alastair."
Alastair chuckled along with her. "What a stinking damned mess this all is," he said, after a moment. "I have to say, though, Bea, I honestly couldn't ask for a better response than we had from everyone in the company. Across the board."
"Absolutely," Bea agreed. "Jacques was just here, and he was saying the same thing. Horrific situation, absolutely, but we did the right things so far."
"Yup." Alastair glanced up as he heard someone coming down the back hallway. "Hang on, I think I'll know in a minute if you can book those flights or not."
A moment later, the door opened and Dar's tall form eased inside. She had a look on her face that Alastair had come to characterize as here comes trouble. "Hi there. Bea's on the line."
"Hi Bea," Dar responded promptly. "How are you?"
"I've had better weeks, Paladar," Bea said. "I'm sure you have too."
"Ain't that the truth," Dar sighed. "Alastair, how do you feel about ending up in Washington tonight? Gerry's offering a flight for us. I got hold of him."
"Yeah?" Alastair's brows twitched. "What's the scoop?"
Dar sat down in one of Kerry's visitors chairs. "It's--at first I thought he needed to pressure me to get the systems back up there, but he said he's been in touch with the folks on the ground and he's very happy with our response."
Alastair smiled. "That's what I like to hear." He watched Dar's face, its sharp planes twitching into a wry acknowledgement. "But?"
"But," Dar repeated. "The loss of facility down in the tip of Manhattan has knocked out the financial sector."
"Well, sure."
"They seem to think we can fix that," Dar said. "I explained to him that it's not our piece of business. We don't deal with Wall Street, that's all private service."
"Hm." Alastair looked thoughtful. "No, it's not our piece of business," he agreed. "Yet."
Dar tilted her head in acknowledgement of the unspoken words. "The government people put pressure on Gerry to get me involved, because they've got some idea I can do a fast fix, and that's their interest. They don't much care, I got the feeling, of whose business that really is, they just need it taken care of because they need to open the markets."
"Ahh." Her boss nodded sagely. "I was wondering about that. I know they closed the indexes with some mention of market stability, but knowing where they are--yes, I see their point. They can't let the bastards know they hit us that hard in the monetary groin." He nodded. "Get in there, Dar. That's not only important to them, it's also important to us. Our liquidity is tied up in those markets."
Dar gave him a look. "Gee, thanks." She groaned. "What in the hell do you expect me to do, go to New York and start running balls of twine and tin cans? Alastair, that's a lot of destruction in someplace we usually have to unearth hundred year old conduit to run through and have thirty seven pissed off unions to deal with."
"And?" Alastair inquired. "We lost a lot of facility there too, Dar. You were going to have to have people in there fixing things anyway. This is just one more tick on the task list. Call AT&T and Verizon, find out what their plan is, you know the drill."
"I know the drill," Dar said. "So back to my question. You ready to fly up and talk to the White House about all this?"
Alastair leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. "Unlooked for, Dar, and I hate to sound so mercenary given the circumstances, but this a first class opportunity for us. Of course I'll head up there with you. Are you kidding?"
Dar nodded. "Okay. I told Gerry you would," she acknowledged. "I'm waiting to hear back from his people on the pick up details."
"Great." Her boss seemed quite pleased. "Bea, can you write up something about this just to keep the board informed?"
"Absolutely," Bea responded. "So I won't bother trying to book you a flight then, I guess. You going to break the news to your wife or you want me to?"
"How big of a chicken do you think I am?" Alastair spluttered. "Good grief!"
Dar started laughing.
"Stop that." Alastair pointed at her. "You'd be a basket case if you had to tell Kerry you weren't coming up there and you know it."
Dar blushed visibly, but kept laughing.
"Pah." Her boss finally chuckled too. "I'll call her, Bea. I think she suspected it would end this way, after I told her about the Pentagon," he said. "I think I'll have to en
d up holding the fort there while our dynamic duo here go take on the real work."
"Dar, I have an ear in to the global conference," Bea said. "It's getting a little hectic in there. You might need to drop in--they're asking for Miami ops and I don't think Mark's on. His representative is getting squashed."
Dar got up. "Will do," she said. "I'll leave you to beg for your forgiveness in private." She sauntered over to the door and disappeared through it as her boss searched for something to throw at her. "Forget it." She stuck her head back inside the office. "Kerry doesn't leave trash around--whoa!"
A rubber ball bounced off the wall, deflected by a rapid motion of Dar's hand. "Watch it. I have darts in my office." She warned, pulling her head back in and closing the door.
Alastair chuckled then sighed. "Oh boy," he said. "I wasn't really ready to go up and duke it out with the White House this week. Bea, do me a favor and fill Ham in, will ya, while I call my wife"
"Sure," Bea said. "You tell Dar to take care of you, okay? No stabbing you with darts."
"With the amount of coffee I've had so far, I'd probably be better off with a pair of darts in my ass," her boss informed her. "Call you back, Bea."
"Will do, boss. Talk to you soon."
DAR DROPPED BACK into her seat, and gave her trackball a spin. She barely had a moment to review the information on the screen when her phone buzzed. "Yes, Maria?"
"Jefa, I have your papa on the phone for you. Line uno."
Dar pressed the key. "Hey Dad."
"Lo there, Dar." Her father's deep voice arose from the speaker. "That little girl helper of Kerry's just done left here."
"That was fast," Dar said. "Thanks for pulling a bag together for me. I'm waiting to hear back from Gerry."
"Don't they need you two in this here office?" Andy Roberts asked. "Seems like you'd be more use here then messing with those crazy people up north."
Dar leaned on her elbows, regarding the phone with some puzzled bemusement. "Well," she said. "I'm sure Kerry would much rather be here than in Washington, and I'd rather not get on a military transport when I've been up for what feels like three days but we don't really have a lot of choice."
"Why not?"
"Because it's our job, Dad."
"Silly ass company."
Dar chuckled a little. "Hey, the White House is calling for me, " she said. "What I am I supposed to say, no, I'd rather go lay in the sun with my partner?"
Andrew sighed. "World's just gone nuts," he said. "Ah just heard on the television that some of them people who took them planes down got trained to fly here."
"Here?" Dar asked. "In the states?"
"Here in this here town," her father corrected her. "They arrested some folks, and rousted a bunch more and they ain't finished yet."
Dar scanned the news ticker, seeing the confirmation there. "Crap," she muttered. "Like we aren't called a banana republic already."
"Anyhow," Andy said. "You kids be careful with them govmint people. Worse than alligators sometimes. Don't let Gerry get you into nothing, Dar.
He candy assed his way out of that last damned mess we did get into."
Dar had to privately admit that was true. "I know," she said. "I don't think this really involves Gerry though, Dad. He was just passing along the message. I'm taking my boss with me, so we should be okay."
"That Alastair feller?
"Yeah," she said. "And our corporate lawyer is going to be up there too."
"That coon ass?"
Dar snorted, and started laughing. She covered her mouth to stifle it. "Ah--yes." She cleared her throat. "Hamilton is not that backwoods, Dad. He's lived in Boston for years."
"Coon ass," Andrew grumbled.
The speaker buzzed a little. "Miami exec, this is Newark Earth."
"Hang on Dad." Dar opened her mic. "Go ahead Newark. Did you get cell back?"
"For the moment, Miami--just wanted to let you know the trucks just got here from APC. They're setting up now to generate some power for us. We just sent some of the ops staff out to get...uh..supplies."
"Get them an entire barbeque with beer on me," Dar replied. "We have a dependency on your birds coming live for the uplink at the Pentagon," she said. "When that happens, that traffic takes priority. Tell everyone else to contact me if they have a problem with that."
"Yes ma'am!" The voice sounded exhaustedly ecstatic. "I sure will tell them that."
Dar clicked off. "So anyway, Dad," she said. "My plan is to get everything squared away, get the teams working, and then get my and Kerry's ass back here and out of it. You get too close if you're on the ground sometimes."
"Good girl," Andrew said. "Too damned easy to get sucked in. Had me a call from some old buddies before all hopped up and pissed. All'em off telling them to just sit and wait for the arm waving to settle down some."
Dar studied the phone somberly. "This isn't going to end here."
"Naw," her father grunted. "Ain't going to end no where, long as folks got what other folks want and everybody hates everybody." He paused. "Politics fight."
"True," Dar murmured. "There aren't any real winners anywhere in this."
"Ain't my fight," Andrew stated. "Got my fill the last time. Nobody damned learned nothing out of that and a lot of good people ended up losing from it." He sounded pissed off. "Jackasses."
"You tell Mom that?"
"Woman has been listening to me hollar about it since dark," her father said.
"Yes," Ceci's voice broke in from the background. "It's nice not to be the anti-government radical in the family for twenty minutes. Novel experience. I'm enjoying it a lot."
Dar laughed softly. "I bet." She laced her fingers together and studied them. "Hey Dad?"
"Yeap?"
"Want to come with me?"
There was a slight pause. "What in the hell do you think I am on this damn phone for?" Andrew queried. "That button down feller and that coon ass ain't going to do squat with them people."
"Okay," Dar smiled. "I'll let them know, and call you when the arrangements are done."
"Thank you, rugrat."
"I love you too, Dad," Dar replied. "See you soon." She hung up the phone and considered her decision, then after a minute she nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Another pair of strong hands never hurts." She went back to the conference call, turning up the volume a little as she let herself absorb the flickering information. "Never hurts."
KERRY WAS CONSCIOUS of the eyes on her as she entered the caucus room, a step or two behind her mother. The last time she'd seen some of these men and women, she realized, was at her father's hearing. A few, at her father's funeral reception.
She resisted the urge to fuss with her hair and merely followed her mother across the floor to one of the desks, letting her hands rest on the back of the chair behind it as the room started to fill with harried, upset, and tired looking people.
She sat down and rested her forearms on the table, having a vague memory of her father showing her this room, impressing on her the history behind it. The investigation of the sinking of the Titanic had been held in this room, for instance, along with Watergate to put an alpha and an omega on the room's dignity.
She tried to imagine what it would have been like to stand in a corner, and listen to men in handlebar moustaches and top hats argue about icebergs and lifeboats in a matter where the vessel was British and the seas international.
The senators were still gathering. Her mother wandered over to talk to one of the newcomers and she took a moment to lean back in her chair and stretch, easing her shoulders back and popping them into place to relieve the stress.
Long day. Kerry exhaled, wishing her sleep had been better. Her eyes felt sore around the edges, and she blinked, rubbing them as she straightened up and rested her elbows on the table again. She checked her watch, wishing the session was already over so she could hurry the evening along, get past dinner, and then with any luck end her day in Dar's arms.
Just the thought made her e
yes sting just a bit more. She glanced down at the table, rubbing her thumb over the lightly scarred wooden surface that reminded her faintly of the old pews in the church she'd grown up going to.
"Ms. Stuart?"
Kerry looked up, to find an older woman standing in front of the table where she was seated. "Yes?" she responded politely.
"Alicia Woodsworth." The woman extended a hand. "I'm Senator Marco's security analyst. Can I have a word with you before we start?"
"Sure." Kerry indicated a chair nearby. "I just hope I'm not going to have to say all this more than once. It's been a long day," she cautioned, in a mild tone. "I'll extend the courtesy to you though, since the Senator's from my state."
Alicia perched on the edge of the next table instead of taking a chair. She was a ginger haired woman with an athletic frame, a bit taller than Kerry was. "Thanks," she said. "I understand, and I'll be brief." She paused. "That's right. You do live in Florida, don't you?"
"I do." Kerry nodded. "Wish I was there right now, in fact." She studied her unexpected inquisitor, deciding her often off kilter gaydar was possibly accurate this time and she was in good family company. "But I'm sure everyone feels that way."
The woman nodded. "I'm sure the Senator does," she commented. "He was scheduled to fly home to attend his daughter's quinces this coming weekend." She cleared her throat. "Anyway." She folded her hands. "I'll leave the why and how and when to my boss's esteemed colleagues. My question for you is this."
Quinces. Kerry felt her attention drift a little, the word bringing back the memory of her and Dar attending Maria's daughter's quinces, there in the heart of conservative Little Havana surrounded by the scent of saffron and mint and the buzz of passionate Latin speech. "Boy I'd love a Mojito right now."
"So given that--excuse me?" Alicia paused and stared at her. "Did you say something?"
"Just clearing my throat." Kerry rested her chin on her fist. "Go on."
