Throughout the morning, several people had wanted to talk to Ms.
Lockley. She would call back later and tell them that the senator had nothing to add to the statement he had made that morning. Right now she needed to talk to Mike Rodgers. She called his cell phone and introduced herself. The general seemed happy to hear from her.
'Are the senator and I still on for this afternoon?' he asked.
'Absolutely, General Rodgers. The senator is looking forward to it. In fact, he wanted me to call and find out if you need anything.
Additional information, a brand of cigar, a favorite beverage.'
'Actually, there are just two things I want,' Rodgers told her.
'What are they?' Kat asked.
'I want to meet a man with vision and the courage to see that vision through,' Rodgers said.
'You will definitely find that.'
'I believe I will,' Rodgers said. 'I have read about the senator, and I admire the values for which he stands. The other thing I want to find is a man who is willing to listen to the people around him.'
'General, I just came from a meeting with the senator. I assure you, he listens and he hears.'
'Then I look forward to meeting with him, and hopefully to working with him,' Rodgers replied.
'May I ask a somewhat personal question, General?'
'Sure.'
'Are you eager to make a move at this time?'
'If it's the right one,' Rodgers told her.
'I'm glad to hear that, sir,' Kat told him. 'We all look forward to seeing you again.'
The woman hung up and relayed the information to Senator Orr. He was glad to hear how the general felt.
'He sounds like our kind of fighter,' Orr said.
Kat was glad to hear the senator excited. In a day that offered their first major challenge on the national stage, it was reassuring to find a potential ally.
Now it was time to call back the rest of the reporters who wanted to talk to the senator. First, however, she made another call. One that was more important to her.
She phoned the Green Pantry and ordered a turkey club sandwich.
ELEVEN
Washington, D.C. Monday, i2:53 p.m.
On the way back to Op-Center, McCaskey stopped at a gas station market for lunch. He got a hot dog and a Mountain Dew. As he stood outside eating, he glanced at a rack of newspapers. The headlines of the Washington Post, USA Today, and a handful of foreign papers were all about the untimely death of William Wilson.
When he was with the FBI, McCaskey attended a class in ATT antiterrorist tactics. The teacher, psychologist Vic Witherman, was an expert in what he called countdown profiling. Witherman maintained that it was possible to spot a terrorist who was within minutes of launching an attack. There was a dark brightness in their eyes, undistracted purpose in their step, a confident boast in the way they held their head and shoulders. It was the posture of a demigod.
'It comes from three things,' Witherman had said. 'One, of course, is adrenaline. Two is the fact that they are out of hiding for the first time in months, maybe even years. But three is the most significant of all. They possess what no one else has: knowledge of the future.'
McCaskey was struck by that observation. But today was the first time he had ever experienced something
