The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

eight-thirty in the evening and drove to a gas station. There he told the
attendant to fill up the car – he hated pumping it himself and walked over to
the pay phone.
'Yeah,' Holtzman said, answering his unlisted line.
Clark didn't identify himself. 'You have a chance to run the facts down?'
'Yeah, as a matter of fact. Got most of 'em, anyway. Looks like you were right.
Really is annoying when people lie to you, isn't it?'
'Who?'
'I call her Liz. The President calls her Elizabeth. Want a freebie?' Holtzman
added.
'Sure.'
'Call this evidence of good faith on my part. Fowler and she are getting it on.
Nobody's reported it because we figure it's not the public's business.'
'Good for you,' Clark observed. 'Thanks. I owe you one.'
'Five years, man.'
'I'll be around.' Clark hung up. So, John thought, I thought that's who it was.
He dropped another quarter in the phone. He got lucky on the first try. It was a
woman's voice.
'Hello?'
'Dr Caroline Ryan?'
'Yes, who's this"
'The name you wanted, ma'am, is Elizabeth Elliot. The President's National
Security Advisor.' Clark decided not to add the other part. It was not relevant
to the situation, was it?
'You're sure?'
'Yes.'
'Thank you.' The line clicked off.
Cathy had sent Jack to bed early again. The man was being sensible. Well, that
wasn't a surprise, was it? she thought. After all, he married me.
The timing could have been a little better. A few days earlier, she had planned
to skip the official dinner, claiming work as an excuse, but now . . .
How do I do this . . . ?
***
'Morning, Bernie,' Cathy Ryan said as she scrubbed her hands, as usual, all the
way to the elbows.
'Hi, Cath. How's it going?'
'A lot better, Bernie.'
'Really?' Dr Katz started scrubbing.
'Really.'
'Glad to hear it,' Katz observed dubiously.
Cathy finished, shutting off the water with taps from her elbows. 'Bernie, it
turns out I overreacted rather badly.'
'What about the guy who came to see me?' Katz asked, his head down.
'It was not true. I can't explain now, maybe some other time. Need a favor.'
'Sure, what?'
'The cornea replacement I have scheduled for Wednesday, can you take it?'
'What gives?'