Chapter 14-1
795 Words
Chapter 14
Frank: Now
No, we need answers right now, Ambassador Anselmo.” The President was not in one of his patient moods. “What is happening in your country, in Guinea-Bissau, right now?”
“Nothing is bad happening in my country. Can assure your nation of that, President Matthews.”
Frank wanted to pound his fist into the man’s dark face and then his ever so bright diplomat’s smile wouldn’t look so pretty. And by the time he was done, the man’s Brooks Brothers’ pinstripe would also be seriously mussed.
They sat in the Guinea-Bissau ambassador’s office in the U.N. Secretariat Tower. It had none of the grandeur of the U.N. Secretary-General’s. A lone receptionist, a pretty woman in a traditional red blouse, sarong, and sandaled feet, had greeted them kindly. Clearly one of the highlights of her day, not just meeting the American President, but meeting anyone in this quiet corner of the floor where the West African nations were clustered together. Her desk had been clearly devoid of any work, despite the ambassador’s presence.
Anselmo’s office bore little of the traditional African décor. Instead he had drawn deeply on the designs, colors, and motifs of his country’s heritage as a former Portuguese colony. Frank felt like he’d been trapped in an Iberian version of a Pottery Barn store. Nothing felt authentic.
“Then perhaps you can explain the attack on my embassy aircraft,” the President’s voice was calm. Matter of fact.
Hank Henson set down the photo of the massive bloodstain by the airplane’s exit stairs as the President spoke.
Frank had heard the President angry before, but this wasn’t angry. This was something new. He’d gone very quiet, so soft-spoken that Frank could barely hear him though he stood only two steps behind his chair. This was dangerous. In two years of serving with him, and six months on the campaign trail before that, he’d never heard that tone from Peter Matthews.
“After that would you care to explain the deaths of my embassy personnel?”
The photo of the exploded garage landed on the ambassador’s broad and empty desk, next to a gruesome close-up of the body parts, still there thirty-two hours later.
“The torching of my liaison office.”
A photo of the smoke still smoldering around the remains of the U.S. Liaison office building in downtown Bissau.
“These are acts of war, Mr. Ambassador. You have one hour to produce answers. After that, I will make any decisions I deem appropriate to determine the security of my remaining personnel on the ground.”
The President stood and moved from the room so quickly that Frank was hard pressed to stay in front of him. Hank brought up the rear.
As soon as they were in the elevator, the President began speaking quickly.
“You saw his face. He doesn’t know anything is wrong. Completely out of the loop, he’s playing the game with a tray full of vowels. I’ll wager he can’t even communicate with anyone in G-B at this time, though I’m sure he is only at this very instant discovering that.”
Frank blinked, it took him only that long to catch up with the President’s thoughts.
“Then why did you give him an hour?” Frank wouldn’t have given him thirty seconds.
The President didn’t answer, instead he turned to Hank as the elevator continued downward.
“Hank, what’s our closest asset? The Harry S. Truman where they launched the Raptor drone?”
“Good memory, yes sir. Operation Sure Seas off Nigeria. Nigeria’s trying to outdo Somalia on being the terror of ocean-shipping channels. The Truman’s leading a task group to fight them back.”
“Find out how fast they can have assets into Guinea-Bissau. Get the Joint Chiefs involved. We aren’t waiting an hour, we aren’t waiting a minute, I just wanted to give their ambassador some motivation. I do wish I hadn’t mentioned surviving U.S. citizens on the ground.”
In retrospect, Frank agreed. If the ambassador could get through to whatever was the government of the moment, he would tell them there was someone they needed to find. The question was whether it would be to find and save, or find and silence.
At the basement floor Hank got off the elevator, but the President remained, so Frank stayed with him. The President held the door as he finished passing instructions to Hank.
“I have a luncheon with Russia, a meeting with Pakistan that isn’t going to be any fun at all, and a dinner with Great Britain and France. After dinner there’s an informal but essential meeting with Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam about a combined trade agreement. I can’t delay any of those, but I’ll run things through Frank. Keep him posted. Call Daniel at the White House. Tell my Chief of Staff to get his wife on this and to get everyone in the Sit Room. I’ll deal with the attacks on U.S. property and personnel later. I want our people in Guinea-Bissau found and found now.”
He let the elevator door close without completing the statement to Hank, which Frank appreciated. He didn’t need to hear the President of the United States say about Beatrice Belfour, “if there is anyone still alive to be found.”
Once again, he was stuck with waiting.
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