by Andy McNab
The day sacks were made of clear plastic the only sort of bag that could be taken into some American schools now, because the kids had to show they held only books and lunch boxes and not guns. I imagined that White House security would have thought them a good idea, too.
I could hear cartoons on the TV next door. That worried me; it meant they'd finished breakfast and were killing time. In this house, there was never any TV while there were meals to be eaten or work to be done. I looked at my watch. It was seven thirty-two.
He got an answer.
"Yo, it's Josh." There was a gap.
"Yeah, absolutely fine, I'll be there today anyway to watch my kids; we can talk then." They spun more work shit for a while, and had an in-joke about their president.
The toaster popped up. I picked up the bagels and went to the fridge, digging out some spread. Sarah's eyes followed me as she crossed to sit at the kitchen table. She looked like a student waiting for her finals results.
I deliberately didn't look at Josh; if he turned I didn't want any eye-to eye
Our unconscious bubbles away inside, and mostly we manage never to let people see in; the only place they can is our eyes. I'd spent most of my life controlling it, but Josh knew the score. He'd been there, too. I just concentrated hard on the bagel as I spread, and listened.
He finished warning and got down to business.
"Who's the shift coordinator today? Ah, right. Is Davy Boy in?" He sounded pleased.
I walked across the kitchen and sat next to Sarah. She had her hands around her mug, just sipping slowly, taking fantastic interest in the coffee's molecular structure. Josh was still gob bing off on the phone with his back to us and zipping up the day sacks Once he'd done that, he walked over to us and dumped them on the table, still waffling.
"I've got two really good friends here, over from the U.K." and I want to bring them in for a visit. What do you say, bud?" He smiled at whatever was being said at the other end.
"Yeah, today ... yeah, I know, but it's their only chance, man ... yeah, that's OK." He looked at his watch, placed his thumb on the cutout, looked at us and said, "Call back in thirty."
Both of us managed a genuine look of happiness, but I was bluffing big time. We had a problem if the kids left before we got the OK for the visit.
I checked my watch again. It was now seven thirty-nine. Josh smiled, too, feeling good about himself as he sat down at the table with his coffee.
Sarah sounded excited.
"I'll go and get ready, then. See you both soon." She gave my shoulder a loving squeeze and disappeared.
Josh checked the kitchen. His jobs were done. We drank coffee in silence.
He ate a bagel and listened to Maria still shouting at the kids in the next room. I said, "When do the kids leave, Josh? It's a bit early for a one o'clock start isn't it?"
"About eight. A school bus will pick them up and take them downtown.
Dress rehearsals, man. I'll be glad when this is all over; this quilt business seems to have taken over my life."
I nodded. I knew exactly what he meant.
I tried to fill the silence.
"What's the dress code?" I said.
"I don't want to let you down."
"Hey, no problem, man. I just gotta look good; it's my job."
We continued to drink our brews and gob off. I asked if I could borrow one of his ties.
He was about to clip me over the head when a shout came from the dining room.
"Daddy! Daddy!" There was some whining going on and Maria was just about to go ballistic. He got up.
"Back in five."
He went out with a smile on his face; mine dropped. I checked again.
Seven forty-five. Fifteen minutes till the kids left, but closer to twenty-five before we got the go or no go for the visit. Not good; I needed the kids here just in case we had a no go, otherwise plan B wouldn't work. Time to get my finger out of my ass and get in gear. I put my coffee down and went upstairs. Sarah's shower was running and she was standing naked by the curtain, just about to step in. I said nothing, but went to my bag and pulled out the 9mm, then checked the chamber.
She came over to me, putting her mouth right against my ear as she asked what was happening.
I placed the weapon in the waistband of my jeans and pulled out my shirt to cover it.
"The kids could be leaving before Josh gets the go or no go."
She leaned over the chair, got her clothes and started to dress, muttering, "Shit. Shit. Shit."
"You wait here and stand by. If I have to go for it, you'll hear. If so, get down to me and be quick about it. Remember, don't kill him, OK? Do you remember what to do?"
She nodded as she tucked her shirt into her trousers. I still wanted to run through it with her. We couldn't afford to fuck up now.
"If it's a no go, I'll hold them here, and you will have to go with Josh on your own. Can you handle that?"
She nodded again, without looking up.
"Good. Remember, he will do whatever you say if the kids are hostages.
Make sure you keep reminding him about his kids."
This time she stopped dressing and looked up at me.
"Good luck," I said quietly.
She smiled.
"And you."
Checking my shirt, I went downstairs, leaving Sarah as she checked that there was a round in the chamber, ready to go.
The bags had gone from the kitchen, but kid-type noise was still coming from the TV room. Josh came back in from giving them their day sacks
"What's the score up there, then, eh?" He jerked his head to indicate upstairs.
"Is it serious?"
"I think so, mate. I hope so."
He had a big smile on his face.
"She's magic, man. She'd make my head spin."
"Tell me about it." I sat down to finish my coffee, with a sly check of Baby-G. It was seven fifty-seven. Three minutes and the kids could be leaving; still over ten before the call.
Dakota came into the kitchen, very excited about the day's program.
"Hi, Nick. Are you and Sarah hanging out with Daddy today so you can see us sing? It's going to be so cool!"
Josh tried to calm her down.
"Wow, chill. We don't know yet, we're waiting on a call. You'd better say good-bye to Nick now, just in case." With that he went back into the TV room to usher the others into the kitchen.
Dakota came over and gave me a hug. It must have felt as strange for her as it did for me. I was holding back; I didn't want her to feel the weapon.
"If I don't see you this afternoon, I'll call you all soon--with Kelly,
OK?"
By now the others were coming through, more interested in what they were missing on the TV than in saying goodbye.
Josh was getting them organized.
"All go upstairs and say good-bye to Sarah. Holler through the door if she's in the shower." Off they scrambled.
I heard their shouts, and hers in return.
Josh was on the doorstep with Maria. It looked as if she was finished until this afternoon. Good: one less to worry about.
It was eight o'clock. Things could start getting scary soon. I made sure my work cassette was in, and stayed there. At least Josh's holster wasn't full yet; it never was with the kids around. I heard the hiss of air brakes outside.
"The bus is here, kids, let's go!" There was a thumping on the staircase and one in my heart as I walked into the hall to stop them, hand now reaching under my shirt.
They saw me.
"Bye, Nick, see you this afternoon!"
The phone rang and Josh came past me, back into the kitchen, sounding exasperated.
"Come on, kids, get your bags. Bus is waiting!"
Through the open kitchen door, I saw him answer the phone. I was standing in their way as they were about to turn left toward the door that led from the hallway into the TV room. I put my hand around the pistol grip. I knew it would work; people don't fuck about when
it comes to their children.
Sarah was at the top of the stairs, weapon strong, five steps behind. The worse scenario I could imagine couldn't be stopped now. She was walking down the stairs, pistol behind her, in case one of the children looked back.
I slowed the herd.
"Hey, hey, don't go yet. I think your dad wants you all in the kitchen. He's finding out if Sarah and I are coming to see you all sing today." They turned left through the door to their dad. I had eye-to eye with Sarah. She was nearing the bottom of the stairs and was placing her weapon in her trouser band.
"Remember what I said."
She nodded as we both went into the kitchen with the last of the kids.
He got to the end of his call and the kids were all over him, wanting to know.
"Right, we're on at ten!" He beamed.
The kids cheered and we both cheered with them.
"Well done!" I had a big smile on my face.
"Thanks a lot, mate.
Brilliant!"
He remembered the bus.
"What are you guys doing here? Go, go!" He shooed them out toward the front door.
I heard the hiss of the bus's air brakes and the chug of diesel as it dragged itself down the road. Josh came back into the kitchen and collapsed onto a chair with a loud sigh, pouring himself some more coffee as he looked up at Sarah.
"Come back, Geri, all is forgiven." He looked at me.
"Great news, huh? To tell you the truth, I'm quite looking forward to it myself."
Sarah laughed, more out of relief than anything else.
"Say, do you guys have a camera?"
We didn't.
"No problem, we can pick one up from a store. I'm quite looking forward to going downtown. I miss working the team, man." He took another slug of coffee.
"This job is driving me crazy, know what I'm saying? I've got to get back on ops." Tilting his head back, he killed the coffee.
"I'm going to make a call to arrange parking. It's a nightmare up there."
Sarah stood up.
"I'll finish getting ready and pack."
I followed her out to the stairs and passed over my weapon.
"In the bags."
I was back at the coffee percolator as Josh finished his call. I motioned to see if he wanted more, and he nodded. The phone went back on the wall and he came to the table.
I took a seat beside him.
"We'll just have to wait now while she puts her face on."
He smiled as he unfolded the newspaper. I started to flap as the Washington Post was laid out on the table top, but the chances of the story still being in there after three days were pretty slim, especially given the amount of column inches devoted to events at the White House.
"Anything interesting?"
"Hell no, just the normal shit."
He turned the paper around to show me the front page: pictures of Netanyahu and Arafat in town yesterday. The subject was a bit too close to home for me at the moment.
He turned the paper back as I asked, "What do think, mate? Think it will work? You know, the peace deal?"
He started to give his views on the summit. Not that I was listening, but I wanted him to talk, which was why I'd asked the question in the first place. The more he was gob bing off, the more I could just sit there and nod and agree or throw in the odd question, but at the same time get myself revved up for the job. I was in my own little world, so relieved the call had brought good news.
I heard Sarah coming down the stairs. It brought me back to the real world. He was now honking about all the roadworks and the D.C. traffic as Sarah came into the room with our bags and my jacket. She may not have had time for a shower but she'd made up for it with eyeliner and lip gloss.
Josh stood up, looking at his watch.
"OK, let's saddle up!"
I picked up our two bags while Josh ran upstairs. He didn't say why, but we both knew that it was to fetch his weapon.
A bleep came from the pickup and the lights flashed. Josh jumped into the cab, and Sarah and I went around to the passenger side. As I opened the door a toy racing car fell out. Crayons, a coloring sheet from McDonald's and other kids' crap littered the foot well I put our bags in the back; our weapons were inside now, and would stay there.
Sarah picked up the toy from the sidewalk and climbed in. I followed;
there was room enough for three in the front seat.
The morning sky was still overcast, but bright when the sun came out between the clouds. I had to squint as I looked through the windshield. A pair of mirrored sunglasses were hanging by their cord from the rearview mirror. Josh put them on over his shiny head and fired up the ignition. The engine gave a big four-liter growl, and out we backed, the antenna automatically starting to rise.
The radio came on, and to my surprise it was a woman talking about the place of Jesus in today's world. Josh looked at me, obviously feeling that my unasked question needed an answer.
"Christian channel," he said, not at all defensively.
"A couple of guys got me into listening. It's been a help. I've even started going to a few meetings with them."
I said, "That's good, Josh," and wondered if his bible studies had got as far as Judas yet.
We headed north, back along the route by which the taxi had brought us. Josh chatted about how long it had been since he'd been to the White House, and what he missed about working there. The thing he didn't miss, he said as we gradually crawled our way to D.C." was the traffic. He hated it. As if we didn't know by now.
Sarah saw a filling station coming up and reminded Josh to stop for a one-shot camera. Twenty-five minutes after leaving the house, we were back on the Jefferson Davis Highway approaching the Pentagon. Instead of passing it, however, we took a right onto a bridge that took us across the Potomac. Josh became the tourist guide.
"Left, that's the Jefferson Memorial, and farther over is the Lincoln Memorial. Sarah, you've gotta get Nick to take you to the Reflecting Pool at sunset; it's real romantic, just like the movies."
We had plenty of time to admire the view, as the traffic was backed up from halfway over the bridge. Eventually we started heading north on 14th Street, bisecting the vast stretch of grass that is the National Mall, running from the Capitol building all the way down to the Lincoln Memorial by the Potomac.
Once over the Mall we made a few turns. Josh said, "Here we are, where all the dirty deeds are done!" We drove past the target, leaving it to our left.
"We have to go around because of the one-way system. But that's cool, you get to see it from all sides."
Once we'd done a circuit counterclockwise, we landed up on 17th Street.
The front of the White House faced north, sandwiched between two gardens, Lafayette Park, which was part of the pedestrian area in the front, now that Pennsylvania Ave was closed to traffic, and, at the rear, backing onto the National Mall, the Ellipse, a large area of green that looked as if it had become a giant car park for government permit holders.
The White House was flanked to the west by the old Executive Office and to the east by the Treasury Department. Each of the two buildings had an access road between it and the White House, but both were closed to traffic. West Executive Avenue was closed off to pedestrians as well, but East Executive Avenue wasn't, to allow the public entry through the east wing of the White House.
We turned left and slowed down. Rows of cars were parked on the grass of the Ellipse, and in amongst them was a line of about a dozen yellow school buses.
Josh indicated again. The road had originally bent around, away from the White House, but had since been blocked off to create yet another car park. We passed the gates to West Executive Avenue and stopped on the corner of State Place. Josh opened the window and put his hand out.
"Yo!"
He got a nod from a man dressed in a gray single-breasted suit and what looked like a reddish tie. He'd been standing by the gates and started to amble toward us.
"Davy Boy!
Long time!"
"Yo, Josh, good to see you!"
Sarah and I looked at each other as they exchanged greetings. She had the same concern as I did: Was this guy going to stay with us?
"How goes it, Davy, get a place for me?"
Davy continued toward the wagon. I could see his tie now lots of small Dalmatians on a red background.
"Hey, you know what, just park in the West Exec duty pool."
As we got out of the vehicle Josh clapped Davy enthusiastically across the shoulders.
"Come here, let me introduce you to my friends from the U.K. This is Sarah." They shook hands.
"And this is Nick." We pressed the flesh.
"Hey. Good to see you. Welcome." Davy was in his mid-thirties, and very open and friendly. He was also tall, fit, good-looking and had all his own teeth white and perfect. If he hadn't been in the Secret Service, a great career would have beckoned as the Diet Coke man.
Davy had everything arranged.
"I'll take you guys to the gate house, get you an ID pass each and take you in. As you know, it's kinda busy today, but we'll do what we can for you."
Sarah and I gushed our thanks as we started to walk off with him. Josh cut in from behind us, "See you folks in a few." I heard his door close and the wagon start to move.
Davy did all the small talk.
"Take long to get here?"
I looked at my watch. It was ten sixteen.
"No, not really, just over an hour."
"That's good. Was he complaining about the traffic?"
"He did nothing but moan."
Davy Boy liked that one. It seemed that nothing had changed with his old work mate
Josh's black Dodge passed us on the way to the gates that would let him into West Executive Avenue. We were going there as well, but via the security gatehouse. Josh stopped at the big, black iron gates, which opened automatically for him. The gatehouse was to the left, with a turnstile and airport-style metal detector. From a distance it had looked as if it was made of white PVC and glass, like a conservatory. As we got nearer, I could see that it wasn't; the white paint covered steel, and the glass was so thick I could only just make out movement inside.