Chapter 34
The rain stopped midmorning and the sky cleared.
The storm blew away the humidity and lowered the temperature by fifteen degrees.
Stuart left the hotel on foot with no real destination in mind, though he knew he would not be sitting through the last session on cybercrime.
He doubted a crowd would show up. On the one hand he felt like he’d been duped by a clever plot to bring him to D.C.
under false pretenses, but on the other he was a bit smug because he had been chosen for a mission approved by the White House.
It was Sunday and the streets were clear.
The foot traffic picked up, though, the closer he got to the Mall.
He drifted toward the Capitol and walked along Constitution.
The tour buses were arriving, and they brought back pleasant memories of his high school days and that unforgettable field trip to Washington.
The water balloons had not been his idea but he had tossed his share out the hotel window.
The D.C. police had wanted to arrest him.
His father was waiting for him when he got home.
The school threatened expulsion but eventually backed down.
With time, the incident grew into a legend.
Wars. Stuart had never been near one and was thankful his military career had veered elsewhere.
He kept seeing the faces of Alan Stockman, Jason Snyder, and Paul Tanner, and wondered if their names would one day be memorialized as even more casualties.
That didn’t seem likely. They were the victims of terrorism, or maybe old-fashioned kidnappings, but not armed conflict.
He hoped they were just as brave. He hoped they were still alive.
He prayed he had the courage to help with their rescue.
At the Korean War Veterans Memorial he stood in the shade and studied the bronze figures of soldiers in combat. The sculptor had captured the fear in their eyes. They had courage he would never understand.
A sense of duty called him. The money seemed obscene.
His flight from Reagan National was at 4:10. At two, he met Rae Claire in an airport bar. She looked nice in tight jeans and a sleeveless blouse. Clearly he was marrying up. His family and friends would approve. His mother just wanted him to find a wife.
He sipped beer from a mug as she stirred her coffee.
“I’ll take the deal,” he said.
“Good. I must say I’m not surprised.”
“When do we consummate the marriage?”
She laughed and said, “Is that your best pickup line? Never heard it before.”
“Just joking, sort of.”
“Let’s agree that there are several issues to be dealt with later.”
“Fair enough. I have another one.”
“Okay?”
“The money. I don’t want it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Stuart. Is it Stuart, Stu, or Nash?”
“I’ll answer to all three. ‘Sweetheart’ sounds better.”
“Let’s wait for that, too. You were pretty rough with Keefe yesterday, squeezed him perfectly and he knuckled. What changed your mind?”
“Soldiers don’t think about money. Those three guys are in trouble because they wore our uniforms. I once wore one too.”
“Some kind of weird brotherhood thing?”
“I guess.”
“But you’re a civilian now and you’re risking your life.”
“You really think so?”
“You don’t?”
Nash drank some beer and thought for a moment.
“No, I don’t think so. Here’s what I think will happen.
We’ll salute the flag, do the planning, go through the motions of a wedding, jet off to Paris, check into the right hotel, and try to make ourselves appealing to the bad boys.
The odds of even getting noticed are super slim, in my opinion.
The odds of them pulling off another grab-and-go are even slimmer.
We’ll hang around Paris for a few days, nothing will happen, so we’ll pack up and come home. Then what?”
“I’m not arguing. There’s a contingency for that scenario. We’ll wait a few months and try again.”
“This job is getting better. Let’s go to Paris twice a year.”
“It’s a long shot, Nash, I admit. But it beats waiting.”
“I assume this brilliant operation was your idea.”
“It was and is. But I have a team. An amazing group.”
“Good. I want only the best looking for me if I get snatched and held for ransom.”
A crowd of rowdies entered the bar and passed by them. Stuart said, “They’re probably headed to Charlotte.”
“Take the money, Nash. There’s plenty of it and you will have earned it.”
He shook his head and ate a chip. “Here’s what we’ll do. If we’re successful and get those guys home, then we’ll sit down with Keefe, my new friend, and have a chat about the money. If your plan fails, then I haven’t earned it. If I’m dead, I can’t spend it.”
“Then, to be continued?”
“Maybe. In the meantime, we get to see Paris. I’ve never been. You?”
She smiled and looked away. “I’m lucky. I’ve traveled some.”
“I know nothing about you, but you have a book on me. That’s not fair.” He glanced at his watch and said, “I have over an hour. Start talking.”
“Okay, sure. What do you want to know?”
“Is your family loaded? Am I marrying a rich girl?”
She chuckled and said, “No, sorry. Yours?”
“Not really. A lot of land, plenty of airs and pretension. Do we really have to meet the families? I’m not sure I want you to meet mine.”
“Same here, but yes, it’s part of the plan. A real wedding with plenty of photos to share with the world. I’ll show you all the crap posted by the first three couples. Somebody noticed.”
“Are you Jewish? Catholic? Buddhist?”
“Sort of Catholic. And you?”
“You don’t already know? How’d the CIA miss that? We’re hardcore Presbyterians.”
“Sounds frightening.”
He laughed and said, “We have a long way to go.”