“I am particularly moved by Senator Bening’s reminder that we are a nation at war, at war against the insidious enemies of freedom that use terrorism to gain an unholy advantage. We all know that special measures have to be taken in wartime, and this amendment is in total conformity with that tradition. But I will remind the Senate that any emergency state declared pursuant to this amendment is a temporary condition enacted only so long as it is absolutely necessary to keep this nation secure. I think most Americans will agree that this is a rather small price to pay to ensure that the fundamental liberty of this nation is maintained. A vote for this bill is a vote for a free America-the kind of America we want our children to grow up in, a landscape unscarred by the destruction and pain of terror.”
Presumably in the effort to maintain some semblance of fairness, the vice-president next recognized a Democratic senator, Byron Perkins of Arkansas.
Perkins was angry, or perhaps more accurately, Ben mused, had decided that the angry young man image was one that might score well on television.
“First of all, I want to say that I am disheartened and dismayed by the blatant attempts of the distinguished senators from Colorado and Montana to ramrod this amendment through the Senate by evoking fear rather than intelligence. They deplore the fear-inducing tactics of terrorists, but are effectively trying to instill terror themselves. Their approach may be less violent, but it is in spirit identical to that practiced by the maniacs and sadists behind April nineteenth.”
At least a dozen senators rose, most from the other side of the aisle. “Mr. President!”
The vice-president looked down. “Will the senator from Arkansas yield?”
“I will not!” Perkins replied. “I have barely begun.”
“Then would the good senator from Arkansas at least care to observe the standard rules of decorum and courtesy that have been honored by this legislative body since it began?” This came from the elderly senator from New Hampshire, Emerson Thomas. He had not been recognized by the chair, but he was so old no one was likely to slap him down.
Perkins was not cowed. “I am offended by the suggestion that I have done anything inappropriate, or even out of conformity with the standard procedure of Senate debate.”
“In the Senate, sir,” Thomas cackled, “we can disagree without being disagreeable.”
The vice-president intervened. “Gentlemen, let me say that I think we are very likely going to be discussing this matter for some time. Passions are high and fevers are hot. This is a controversial matter, so regardless of what you think might be the standard procedure of the Senate, I would like to ask every senator to make an extra effort to maintain civility and respect for one another at all times. Please refrain from invective and personal attacks. We don’t always have to agree with each other-but we do have to live with each other.” He took a breath, and with what appeared to be some regret, added, “Senator Perkins, you may continue.”
He did. “I agree with the chair’s remarks,” he said, although, Ben thought, you couldn’t tell it from what he was saying before. “But I will not yield and I will not be silenced by the climate of fear being created by those who support this bill. I am sure that if we were not already on Red Alert, they would have put us there today…”
Ben was distracted by another page silently dropping a note onto his desk as she passed by. He opened it.
He was invited to a nearby conference room by the leader of the opposition to the proposed amendment.
According to the note, he wanted to make a deal.
48
The problem with having a torrid passionate affair with a danger addict, Jason mused, as he staggered off the side of the bed, disoriented and practically limping, was that eventually you would run out of ways to simulate danger. Eventually she would want the real thing. She would need the real thing to get off. And even though Jason was happy enough to send Belinda into multi-orgasmic paradise to the best of his ability, this was not a time when he was willing to court real danger.
Tonight’s sexcapade had been successful, but he had gone about as far with her as it was possible to go without leaving a mark. Belinda was still being interviewed by reporters and police officers. He couldn’t afford to do anything that would create suspicion. He shouldn’t be here at all, really, but given a choice between taking that risk and finding out what would happen if Belinda didn’t get her sexual jollies, he had decided a surreptitious romp in the hay was the best course. Her suggestions that they “do it in the road” or some similar public place, however, just weren’t going to happen.
She was insatiable. He knew she would be back in an hour or so, ready to go at it again. The woman must be part rabbit, for God’s sake. He’d heard of women reaching a sexual awakening, but this was ridiculous. How was he going to keep the excitement level at the fever pitch she needed to get off? He was running out of ideas.
He decided to comb through the garage. Some sort of bizarre garden apparatus might be just the thing to stimulate that oh-so-familiar squeal of passion…
Rakes, hoes, snow shovels? No, somehow he just couldn’t see it. Trowels, shovels, spades-ugh. This place was a pit. Obviously, Belinda never came out here. Not that he blamed her. He had never been much for home gardening. Why waste life doing something you could pay a grateful teenager to do for you?
The garden hose. What would he do with it? Tie her up with it? Splash her down with it? Both at the same time?
Underneath a workbench, he found a metal lockbox about the size of a nineteen-inch television. What would the late senator have done with that? The dust told him that it had been untouched for days, so he knew it was nothing Belinda used regularly. Curiosity overcame him. What was the big secret?
There was no way he could open the lock, but it was looped through a fairly thin piece of plastic. Maybe he could sever the whole thing off the box and not have to worry about the lock.
It took a while, but a combination of wire cutters and a very strong wrench enabled him to pry open the box at last.
There were no tools inside. For the most part, it was papers. And photographs. The papers were largely in English, but some were photocopies of documents written in another language.
He picked up one stack of photos. All at once, his jaw dropped. They were obviously surveillance photos, and he knew who the primary subject was, too. How could he not?
Oh my God, Jason thought, his hand to his mouth. How could he ever have guessed He pushed himself to his feet, staggering, unsure what to do next.
What had they done? he wondered, as he slammed the lockbox shut.
Good God-what had they done?
49
The first thing Loving realized, when he regained consciousness, was that his blindness was only temporary. For that he was grateful. But since he was still tied to the chair, and it could only be a matter of moments before the General returned, how long could he expect that to last?
The second thing he realized was that there was a tugging at the tape strapping him to the chair. Someone was cutting him loose.
“Please do not move,” the voice behind him said. “The door is open. The General could return at any
