permits extraordinary action on the part of the Agency in times of national crisis.'
'Any such finding would have to have a time limit.'
'It does, sir. It's for a period of five days.'
'I'll sign it,' said Jennings, taking the paper and reaching for another on the Queen Anne desk. 'And while I do, I want you to read this—actually, you don't have to. Like most computerized printouts from the press office, it takes too long. It came to me this afternoon.'
'What is it?'
'It's an analysis of a campaign to push Congressman Evan Kendrick on to the party's ticket next June.' The President paused. 'As the vice presidential candidate,' he added softly.
'May I see that, please?' asked Payton, stepping forward, his hand outstretched.
'I thought you might want to,' said Jennings, handing the elongated page to the director of Special Projects. 'I wondered if you'd take it as seriously as Sam Winters took you.'
'I do, sir,' answered Payton, now rapidly, carefully scanning the eye-irritating computer print.
'If there's any substance to that paranoia of yours, you may find a basis there,' said the President, watching his unexpected visitor closely. 'My press people say it could fly… fly fast and high. As of next week, seven respectable newspapers in the Midwest will do more than raise Kendrick's name, they'll damn near editorially endorse him. Three of those papers own radio and television stations in concentrated areas north and south, and, speaking of coincidences, audio and visual tapes of the congressman's television appearances were supplied to all of them.'
'By whom? I can't find it here.'
'You won't. There's only a half-assed ad hoc committee in Denver no one's ever heard of and they don't know anything. Everything's fed to Chicago.'
'It's incredible!'
'Not really,' disagreed Jennings. 'The congressman could prove to be an attractive candidate. There's a quiet electricity about him. He projects confidence and strength. He could catch on—fast and high, as my people say. Orson Bollinger's crowd, which I suppose is my crowd, could be having a collective case of the trots.'
'That's not the incredibility I'm talking about, Mr. President. When I'm presented with such an obvious connection, even I have to back off. It's too simple, too obvious. I can't believe Bollinger’s crowd could be that stupid. It's too incriminating, entirely too dangerous.'
'You're losing me, Doctor. I thought you'd say something like “Aha, my dear Watson, here's the proof!” But you're not, are you?'
'No, sir.'
'If I'm going to sign this goddamned impeachable piece of paper, I think I'm entitled to know why.'
'Because it really is too obvious. Bollinger’s people learn that Evan Kendrick is about to be launched in a nationwide campaign to replace their vice president so they hire Palestinian terrorists to kill him? Only a maniac could invent that scenario. One flaw among a hundred-odd arrangements, one killer taken alive—which we have— and they could be traced… will be traced, if you'll sign that paper.'
'Who will you find then? What will you find?'
'I don't know, sir. We may have to start with that committee in Denver. For months Kendrick has been manoeuvred into a political limelight he never sought—has run from, actually. Now, on the eve of the real push there's the obscenity of Fairfax and the aborted assault on Mesa Verde, aborted by an old man who apparently doesn't let his age interfere with his actions. He killed three terrorists.'
'I want to meet him, by the way,' interrupted Jennings.
'I'll arrange it, but you may regret it.'
'What's your point?'
'There are two factions, two camps, and neither is unsophisticated. Yet on the surface, one may have committed an extraordinary blunder which doesn't make sense.'
