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override and get these studies by Monday.”
    David held the phone away from his ear.  He had not realized that Mary Beth was even capable of the language she was using.  After her tirade had ended he spoke up. “Mary Beth, I told you it was a big favor.  I would not ask you to do it unless it was very, very important.  What am I looking for?  I am looking for a Brown Dwarf.  Yes, I understand that Hubble is not the ideal instrument for that, but this one is not that far away, I think.  I understand Mary, but unless I am mistaken, Hubble might be able to see this one if we are lucky.  How close...well within one light year I would think.  Yes, you heard me right.  I really need this study done Mary, and I need the results and reason for the search kept under wraps until I can talk to David Holstein.  I understand Mary. Just see what you can do.  I am going to email you the coordinates and if you can do a narrow field search around those it should suffice.  Sure, sure, looking for a suspected new comet would be a good excuse…or say a gyroscope is acting up. Just make something up.  I will be in Washington, call me on my cell phone.  Thanks Mary Beth, I owe you a big one!”  Mike grabbed his keys and headed toward his office.  “It is going to be a long weekend,” he told himself.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
    March 19 th , 2016
    Washington, DC
     
    Mike Banscott departed his plane at the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington at 7:40 am Saturday morning.  He had left LAX airport in Los Angeles almost five hours ago but due to a weather delay and the time difference it was morning here in Washington and he had been up all night without sleep.  The woman across the airplane aisle from him had fussed and messed with her two year old the entire flight.  They should just not allow children in first class he had decided.  It made it impossible to sleep.  He contemplated taking a taxi to the government vehicle lot to pick up his car, but he was so tired at the moment he just could not bear the thought of driving.  He chose instead to go straight to his hotel room.
      After checking in and going up to his room, he did not even bother to get undressed.  He just shed his shoes, pulled the blanket up and fell into a fitful sleep.  He awoke at three o’clock that afternoon. Damn he thought, I forgot to set the alarm on my phone.  Picking up his phone he attempted to check his messages. As soon as he turned his phone on it immediately went into battery saving mode and it started blinking to let him know that the phone had less than five percent of its battery life left. “Damn, damn, damn,” he said to himself.  His trip was not off to an auspicious start.  He dug his wall charger out of his luggage and plugged his phone in to charge while he shuffled into the bathroom for a shower and shave.
    Feeling much more alert after his shower, he put on a pair of slacks, a shirt, and checked his phone again.  It indicated his battery was back up to twenty percent, so he could now check his messages.   His face broke into a big grin. He was going to have to get his secretary Mattie back at JPL a raise.  She had left a message for him that Dr. David Honstein had invited him over to dinner at his house at five o’clock today.  “Oh shit, five o’clock,” that was going to be cutting it close he realized.
    He grabbed his laptop, satchel, keys, and ran out the door.  He was halfway down the hall when he turned and ran back to the room and grabbed the car charger for his phone.  “Thank God for navigation and map programs,” he thought, but they were worthless if his phone was dead.  He hailed a taxi at the lobby and headed for the Government car lot to pick up his car.  From the looks of the address and the route on his Google map application, he might just make it by five pm.  He was lucky it was a Saturday and not rush hour during a week day.
    Mike pulled into the