Read Shall We Tell the President? for Free Online

thing that
worries me,’ Barry said. ‘It could just be a cover for something completely
different. I think I’ll speak to the boss to be on the safe side.’
    Calvert headed for the pay phone by the
side of the elevator and took out two quarters. All agents carry a pocketful of
quarters; there are no special telephone privileges for members of the Bureau.
    ‘Well, was he hoping to rob Fort Knox ?’
Elizabeth Dexter’s voice startled Mark, although he had half expected her to
return. She was obviously on her way home: the white coat had been replaced by
a red jacket.
    ‘Not exactly,’ replied Mark. ‘We’ll have to
come around tomorrow morning to tidy things up; probably get him to sign a
written statement and take his fingerprints, then we’ll pick up the gold.’
    ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘Dr Delgado will be on
duty tomorrow.’ She smiled sweetly. ‘You’ll like her, too.’
    ‘Is this hospital entirely staffed by
beautiful lady doctors?’ said Mark. ‘How does one get to stay the night?’
    ‘Well,’ she said, ‘the flu is the
fashionable disease this month. Even President Kane has had it.’
    Calvert looked around sharply at the
mention of the President’s name. Elizabeth Dexter glanced at her watch.
    ‘I’ve just completed two hours’ unpaid
overtime,’ shesaid. ‘If you
don’t have any more questions, Mr Andrews, I ought to get home now.’ She smiled
and turned to go, her heels tapping sharply against the tiled floor.
    ‘Just one more question, Dr Dexter,’ said
Mark, following her around the corner beyond the range of Barry calvert’s disapproving eyes and ears. ‘What would you say
to having dinner with me later tonight?’
    ‘What would I say?’ she said teasingly.
‘Let me see, I think I’d accept gracefully and not too eagerly. It might be
interesting to find out what G-men are really like.’
    ‘We bite,’ said Mark. They smiled at each
other. ‘Okay, it’s 7:15 now. If you’re willing to take a chance on it, I could
probably pick you up by 8:30.’
    Elizabeth jotted her address and phone
number on a page of his diary.
    ‘So you’re a left-hander, are you, Liz?’
    The dark eyes flashed momentarily up to
meet his. ‘Only my lovers call me Liz,’ she said, and was gone.
    ‘It’s Calvert, boss. I can’t make my mind
up about this one. I don’t know if he’s a jerk or for real so I’d like to run
it past you.’
    ‘Fine, Barry. Shoot.’
    ‘Well, it could be serious, or just a hoax.
He may even be nothing more than a small-time thief trying to get off the hook
for something bigger. But I can’t be sure. And if every word he said turned out
to be true, I figured you ought to know immediately.’ Barry relayed the salient
parts of the interview without mentioning the Senator, stressing that there was
an added factor he did not want to discuss over the phone.
    ‘What are you trying to do, get me in the
divorce courts - I suppose I’ll have to come back to the office,’ said Nick Stames , avoiding his wife’s expression of annoyance. ‘Okay,
okay. Thank God I got to eat at least some of the moussaka .
I’ll see you in thirty minutes, Barry.’
    ‘Right, boss.’
    Calvert depressed the telephone cradle with
his hand momentarily and then dialled the Metropolitan Police. Two more
quarters, leaving sixteen in his pockets. He often thought the quickest way to
check out an FBI agent would be to make him turn his pockets inside out; if he
produced twenty quarters, he was a genuine member of the Bureau.
    ‘Lieutenant Blake is on the front desk.
I’ll put you right through.’
    ‘Lieutenant Blake.’
    ‘Special Agent Calvert. We’ve seen your
Greek and we’d like you to put a guard on his room. He’s scaredto hell
about something so we don’t want to take any chances.’
    ‘He’s not my Greek, damn it,’ said Blake.
‘Can’t you use one of your own fancy guys?’
    ‘There’s no one we can spare at the moment,
lieutenant.’
    ‘I’m not exactly overstaffed