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his shoulder.
 I don t have any record of that. Her voice was high-
pitched as she flipped through several piles of memos,
phone messages and written authorizations.
 I don t have all day, he told her, glancing at his watch.
 If I don t check it now I won t be able to get back this way
until tomorrow. I have four calls in line after this one.
He could see she was getting flustered. It would take too
long to find out who d made the request. Maybe she d
have to admit she overlooked it. And if she turned him
away and there was a problem she could lose her job for
making some poor patient or worse, a doctor wait until
tomorrow when the temperature would be in the high
nineties all week.
 You have to sign in, she finally said, pointing to a clip-
board and pen in front of her.
Leon shook his head and stomped back to the desk. He
made sure the duffel bag clanked out his impatience. He
scribbled an indecipherable line of ink in the place she
pointed to. But it seemed to satisfy her and she waved him
on. This time he heard the click of the lock before he even
reached the door.
Now inside, things were a little easier. Everybody who
made it past the locked door surely belonged and knew
where they were going. Leon ducked into a linen closet
WHITEWASH 249
he d found Sunday evening. He plucked off the name
badge and slipped it into the duffel bag. Then he pulled out
a lightweight cardigan and a pair of horn-rimmed glasses
and put both on, shoving the sleeves of the cardigan up to
his elbows. He dropped a pair of pliers into his pocket.
Then he stuffed the duffel bag behind a pile of towels and
headed back out.
Leon didn t spend much time on disguises. Why bother
when it was this easy to go from repairman to visitor or
resident of the loony bin?
65
Washington, D.C.
Jason didn t believe him.
 Don t worry about it, Senator Allen said for a second
time.  It s not that big a deal. There ll be other interviews.
He paced behind his desk, arms crossed over his chest.
Once in a while he rubbed at his jaw and Jason couldn t
help thinking it looked like he was trying to rub away the
sting of being sucker punched.
Jason sat in the leather guest chair on the opposite side
of the desk. He had hoped to garner a separate interview
for the senator before he found out. Who knew Senator
Allen watched GMA? In fact, Jason had spent most of the
morning trying to get in touch with Lester Rosenthal, the
ABC producer. Though he wasn t sure what he d say. He
knew what he wanted to say: Why the hell didn t you
include Senator Allen?
 Most of the interview was spent on questions about that
murder. I almost felt bad for Sidel, trying to spin it like
some terrorist plot to knock him out of competition. The
WHITEWASH 251
senator shook his head to emphasize how pathetic he
thought Sidel s effort was.
Jason kept it to himself that he believed it was far from
pathetic. It was brilliant. Only Sidel could turn a catfight
between two women scientists into a Middle Eastern ter-
rorist plot to derail his chances at the upcoming military
contract and his deserved spot at the energy summit. Yeah,
it sounded farfetched, but Sidel made it convincing. There
was a reason they called this guy  a wizard.
Jason watched Senator Allen continue to pace. He hated
seeing him like this. He had lost weight. Jason could see
that now. The senator s normally lean, athletic frame looked
too angular. His cheeks and eyes seemed a bit sunken. Jason
couldn t help noticing the contrast between the senator and
the framed photos on the wall behind him. The photos dis-
played a vibrant, energetic statesman with his arm around
leaders like President Putin or Hollywood celebrities like
Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Jason had never met a
politician and as a simple messenger he had gotten a
behind-the-scenes look at too many of them who couldn t
make anyone, within minutes of an introduction, feel like
he understood and could empathize with their agenda. And
not just a Democratic agenda but Republican, as well.
Jason had grown up with few male role models in his life
except his simpleminded but well-meaning uncle Louie or
maybe Michael Jordan. Senator Allen had entrusted him
with his entire office, his image, his reputation. That was
huge. Jason, in turn, gave him his loyalty and respect. Now
he wished there was something more he could do for the man.
The senator s desk phone rang, two short rings then
silence. Jason recognized the signal from the senator s sec-
retary that indicated he had a call he wouldn t want to miss.
252 ALEX KAVA
Jason thought Senator Allen looked almost relieved
here was something to divert his attention.
 Yes, he answered. He glanced at Jason and raised his
eyebrows.  Put him through, he told his secretary. A pause
then a sarcastic greeting,  Well, speak of the devil.
Jason thought for sure he d finally witness Senator
Allen reading Sidel the riot act. But his greeting was the
most the senator said for the next several minutes other
than an  uh-huh here and there. At one point he turned,
giving Jason his back.
 I ll take care of it, he said and hung up.
Jason stayed quiet. He didn t dare risk a joke.
Senator Allen dropped into his leather swivel chair and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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