he started to sing. A cat came along to see what the commotion was about, asked if he could help, saw it was a meal, and ate the bird. Here are the morals of the story. Everybody who shits on you ain’t your enemy. Everybody who comes along to help ain’t your friend. And if you’re warm and happy, even in a pile of shit, keep your mouth shut. That make my point?”
“Perfectly, sir,” the vice president said. “How do you suggest I explain my resignation?”
“Tough to use the always popular
Thorvaldsen watched the vice president. The man seemed to want to protest but wisely realized the effort would do no good.
“Mr. President,” Thorvaldsen said. “Stephanie and Cassiopeia okay?”
“They’re fine, Henrik. Can I call you that?”
“Nothing else.”
“They were instrumental in working things through on this end.”
“What about my mom and dad?” Gary blurted out.
“That must be Cotton’s boy. Nice to meet you, Gary. Your mom and dad are fine. I talked with your dad just a few minutes ago. Which brings me to you, Herr Hermann.”
Thorvaldsen caught the disdain in the president’s voice.
“Your man Sabre found the Library of Alexandria. Actually, Cotton did that for him, but he did try to steal it away. Sabre’s dead. So you lose. We have the library and, I assure you, not a soul will ever know where it is. As for you, Herr Hermann, Henrik and the boy better have no problems leaving your chateau, and I don’t want to hear another word out of you or I’ll let the Israelis
The vice president slumped into one of the chairs.
“One more thing, Hermann. Not a word to bin Laden and his people. We want to meet them next week while they wait for my plane. If they’re not there with missiles ready, I’m sending my commandos to take you out.”
Hermann said nothing.
“I’ll take your silence to mean you understand. You see, that’s the great thing about being the leader of the free world. I have a lot of people willing to do what I want. People with a wide variety of talents. You got money. I got power.”
Thorvaldsen had never met the American president, but he already liked him.
“Gary,” the president said. “Your dad will be back in Copenhagen in a couple of days. And Henrik, thanks for all you did.”
“I’m not sure I really helped.”
“We won, didn’t we? And that’s what counts in this game.”
The line clicked off.
Hermann stood silent.
Thorvaldsen pointed to the atlas. “Those letters are useless, Alfred. You can’t prove anything.”
“Get out.”
“Gladly.”
Daniels was right.
Game over.
EIGHTY-SEVEN
WASHINGTON, DC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
8:30 AM
STEPHANIE SAT IN THE OVAL OFFICE. SHE’D BEEN THERE MANY times, mostly feeling uncomfortable. But not today. She and Cassiopeia had come to meet with President Daniels.
Brent Green had been buried yesterday in Vermont with honors. The press had lauded his character and achievements. Democrats and Republicans said he would be missed. Daniels himself had delivered the eulogy, a moving tribute. Larry Daley had been buried, too, in Florida, without fanfare. Only some family and a few friends. Stephanie and Cassiopeia had both attended.
Interesting how she’d read both men wrong. Daley wasn’t a saint by any means, but he wasn’t a murderer or a traitor. He’d tried to stop what was happening. Unfortunately, what was happening had stopped him.
“I want you back at the Magellan Billet,” Daniels said to her.
“You might find that hard to explain.”
“I don’t have to explain myself. I never wanted you to go, but I had no choice at the time.”
She wanted her job back. She liked what she did. But there was another matter. “What about bribing Congress?”
“I told you, Stephanie. I knew nothing about that. But it stops here and now. Just like with Green, though, the country won’t benefit from that kind of scandal. Let’s end it and move on.”
She wasn’t necessarily sure of Daniels’s lack of complicity, but she agreed. That was the better course.
“No one will ever know anything that happened?” Cassiopeia asked.
Daniels was sitting behind his desk, feet propped on the edge, his tall frame leaning back in his chair. “Not a word.”
The vice president had resigned Saturday, citing differences over policy with the administration. The press had been clamoring to get him on camera but had so far been unsuccessful.
“I imagine,” Daniels said, “my ex-vice president will be trying to make a name for himself. There’ll be a few public squabbles between us over policy, things like that. He might even make a try for the next election. But I’m not afraid of that fight. And speaking of fights, I need you to keep an eye on the Order of the Golden Fleece. Those folks are trouble. We’ve cut their legs out from under them for now, but they’ll stand up again.”
“And Israel?” Cassiopeia asked. “What about them?”
“They have my pledge that nothing from the library will ever be released. Only Cotton and his ex-wife know where it is, but I’m not even going to note that anywhere. Let the damn thing stay hidden.” Daniels looked at Stephanie. “You and Heather make peace?”
“Yesterday at the funeral. She truly liked Daley. She told me some things about Larry I never knew.”
“See, you shouldn’t be so judgmental. Green ordered Daley’s death after he studied those flash drives. They pointed to leaks in the dike and he moved to plug them. Heather’s a good agent. She does her job. Green and the vice president would have destroyed Israel. They didn’t give a damn about nothing except themselves. And you thought I was a problem.”
Stephanie smiled. “I was wrong about that, too, Mr. President.”
Daniels motioned at Cassiopeia. “Back to building your castle in France?”
“I’ve been absent for a while. My employees are probably wondering about me.”
“If yours are like mine, as long as the paychecks keep coming, they’re happy.” Daniels stood. “Thanks to both of you for what you did.”
Stephanie stayed seated. She sensed something. “What is it you’re not saying?”
Daniels’s eyes gleamed. “Probably a whole bunch.”
“It’s the library. You were awfully cavalier about it a moment ago. You’re not going to let it stay hidden, are you?”
“Not for me to decide. Somebody else is in charge of that one and we all know who he is.”
MALONE LISTENED AS THE BELLS OF COPENHAGEN BANGED loud for three PM. Hojbro Plads was busy with
