“I know. That was stupid. I’m sorry.”

“And you should never, ever pretend you’re drowning.”

“I know that was unforgivable. I’m sorry.”

“You’re a total jerk.”

“I know. Wanna fuck?”

She laughed.

So we drove along the lonely highway, holding hands and listening to some Connecticut station that was playing Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, and Ella Fitzgerald.

We got back to the B amp;B, and the stupid key didn’t seem to work, and I almost kicked the door down, but Kate got it unlocked, and we charged up the stairs like two teenagers who’d just discovered sex an hour ago.

Bottom line, the hot shower was better than the cold bay, and Kate, true to her word, made the wait worth it.

The members of the Executive Board and Harry Muller remained silent as Bain Madox gathered his thoughts. Then, Madox began, “First, we need to establish a time frame for Project Green. Suitcase nukes”-he motioned toward the upright suitcase-“need periodic maintenance to ensure detonation and maximum design yield. It’s all very complex, having to do with the plutonium core, but the good news is that I have a nuclear physicist in my employ who has been performing this function. The gentleman’s name is Mikhail, a Russian working in America. I’ve contacted him, and he will be here sometime tomorrow. By tomorrow night, if there are no problems, the devices will be hot.”

Scott Landsdale inquired, “Does Mikhail know anything about Project Green? Or Wild Fire?”

“Of course not,” Malox replied. He thinks these devices are to be planted in cities in the Middle East, which makes sense to him and is all he needs to know.”

“Where is he now?”

“He lives on the East Coast and works for an American university. That’s all you need to know. He understands that this is urgent.” Madox smiled and said, “For fifty thousand dollars a visit, I think he’ll get here as soon as possible.”

“And you trust this guy?” Landsdale asked.

“Not at all. But I offered him a million dollars if and when the nukes detonate. Prorated, of course, based on how many detonate and the approximate yield.” He added, “Mikhail has good incentive.”

Landsdale asked, “And when they go off in American cities-rather than Middle Eastern cities-how will Mikhail react to that?”

“I have no idea. And does it matter?”

“What happens to Mikhail after the detonations?”

Madox commented, “You ask a lot of questions, Scott.”

“I’m very security conscious. I have this unsettling thought of Mikhail having one vodka too many and telling someone that his part-time job is maintaining nuclear devices at the Custer Hill Club.”

“I don’t intend for that to happen.”

“Does that mean you’re taking care of Mikhail?”

Madox glanced at the other three Board members, then said to Landsdale, “Don’t worry about it.”

Harry Muller listened to a gentlemen’s discussion of murdering a witness. If Mikhail, who only knew a piece of this, was going to get whacked, then he, Harry Muller, didn’t stand much of a chance, though he knew his chances had been around zero anyway.

Madox continued, “Obviously, this is all on a fast track since Detective Muller’s unannounced visit, but I see no reason why we can’t get Project Green in place in the next few days.” He glanced at Landsdale and went on, “In fact, gentlemen, our hand has been forced, and we have no choice but to move forward.”

Paul Dunn, the president’s adviser, said, “Bain, I’m thinking we could hide those nuclear devices until a better time-”

“The time, Paul, is now. I believe-from recent information-there are people in the government who are beginning to suspect something, and we have to go forward before they show up here. Those nukes need to be at their destinations in a day or two, and you need to be back in Washington, close to the president, so that when we initiate Project Green, he will initiate Wild Fire.” Madox asked Paul Dunn, “What does the president’s schedule look like on Monday and Tuesday?”

Dunn glanced at a piece of paper in front of him. “The president will be in the White House Monday morning-Columbus Day-then he flies to Dearborn, Michigan, arriving at Oakland County International Airport at about three-thirty. Election Day is less than three weeks away, as you know, so the president will make a speech in support of Dick Posthumus for governor of Michigan. Then, he motorcades to the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, where he’ll make a dinner speech in support of Thaddeus McCotter for congressman of that district. Then, he leaves on Air Force One and should be back at Andrews Air Force Base about ten P.M., then he helicopters to the White House and arrives on the South Lawn about ten-thirty.”

Madox thought about that, then said, “Monday, Columbus Day, might be a day that Islamic terrorists would decide to detonate nuclear bombs in American cities.”

Paul Dunn said, “Bain, for a variety of reasons, a holiday is not a good day to… to do this.” He explained, “For one thing, neither I nor Ed will be with the president when he’s on the road Monday, and Scott will not be at the White House either.” He looked at Landsdale for confirmation.

Scott Landsdale said, “I have a company picnic and softball game on Monday.”

Madox laughed. “Well, then, we have to postpone the nuclear attack on America.” He turned to Edward Wolffer. “Maybe we need some information on JEEP to help us make this decision.”

Wolffer nodded and replied, “You probably all know a few details about JEEP-the Joint Emergency Evacuation Plan. During the Cold War, the plan called for the president and a select group of military and political leaders to be taken as quickly as possible-by vehicle or helicopter-to either Andrews or National Airport, whichever is closer to where the president happens to be.” He continued, “At the designated airport is an E-4B jet aircraft ready for takeoff at a moment’s notice. This aircraft is called the National Emergency Airborne Command Post-NEACP-known by its code word of Kneecap, sometimes referred to as the Doomsday Plane.”

Wolffer glanced around the room and continued, “The president, of course, would have the nuclear football with him, and he could launch a retaliatory attack from the airborne command post. But there is a post-9/11 variation of JEEP and Kneecap, which goes into effect when the attack on America is not from intercontinental ballistic missiles. If it’s determined that the attack was initiated by terrorists, then it’s assumed that we don’t have the ten or fifteen minutes’ warning that an inbound ICBM would give us, and that a hidden nuke could be detonated in Washington at any second. Therefore, the response is different-the president needs to get on the Marine helicopter on the White House lawn as soon as possible, and he’ll be flown by helicopter to a secure location, far away from Washington, which, of course, is a potential terrorist target.”

Madox said, “Well, we know it’s not one of the cities on our target list for obvious reasons of national survival.” He smiled and added, “Not to mention that you gentlemen will all be there at zero hour. You can all look like heroes by staying at your posts during the panic and confusion that will follow the nuclear detonations. You three men-Ed, Paul, and Scott-will need to influence events.”