Enemy In the Room (37 page)

“I’ll start reviewing our due diligence
file. And, David, can I ask you one other thing?”

“Sure.”

“On Kansas City—if the two deals are close,
let’s go with the brewery. It’ll be a great project, and we’ll have
office space to grow into. The guys who are doing Brookglen will do
a great job for us.”

“We’ll see. It sounds good. But they need to
get right on their rent, too. Anyway, let’s get Capital Tower in
the barn, and then I’ll owe you one. How’s that?”

“Fine. But we’ve got to make a decision
soon, and I think Cheryl is leaning toward the cheaper space. But
it’s not necessarily the best, if you ever think we’ll expand in
that market.”

“How about you and Cheryl work out a
priority of recommendations, and we’ll take a look? But for now, go
nail down that appointment and let’s make a deal with those folks
on Capital Tower before they change their minds.”

Todd turned and walked toward the door. “You
got it.”

Later that night, delayed by two hours,
Burke and Sawyer left for Washington in USNet’s smaller corporate
jet. David couldn’t contain his pleasure after the meeting that
afternoon with the Capital Tower attorneys, who agreed to let USNet
buy the property for the same amount offered by Bill Porter. The
two executives spent much of the flight seated on opposite sides of
a small table, going over the plans and forming preliminary ideas
on how to combine Capital Tower with their own West Capital Grand
to create a new, striking corporate headquarters.

“This will be a real showplace.” Paul nodded
as they concluded.

David smiled. “Yes, but very functional, and
actually less expensive.”

“Yes. It was a great idea, David.”

Genuine compliments were few and far between
in the corporate world, even among friends, and David appreciated
the words. “Thanks.” He smiled. “Let’s just hope that there are no
surprises. We can celebrate when we move in.”

The next morning the two men were picked up
at their hotel and driven to the White House gate designated for
guests. The driver showed his badge to the guard, who looked
quickly into the backseat and made notes on a clipboard. The gate
opened, and they were deposited at one of the private entrances. A
pleasant young woman greeted them, gave them badges, and led them
upstairs.

As they entered a small waiting room, their
guide offered them seats and said, “Mr. Burke, Mr. Fuller’s
assistant should be here in a few minutes. Mr. Sawyer, Ms. Van
Huyck’s office is just across this hall; someone will come for you
in a bit. Can I get you gentlemen some coffee while you’re
waiting?”

The two men shook their heads and thanked
her. Then she left.

“Have you ever been here before?” David
asked in a low voice.

Burke smiled. “No. You?”

David shook his head. “It’s kinda neat,
isn’t it?”

They heard steps and voices outside. A
moment later President Susan Harper came into the room, accompanied
by Bradley Fuller. Several other men and women waited just outside
the door.

The two visitors stood up. President Harper,
wearing a dark blue suit with red trim, greeted them. Smiling
warmly, she shook their hands. “Thanks for coming. Brad was just
telling me about your meetings, and I thought I’d stop by for a
minute and let you know how much we appreciate what you’re
doing.”

Burke and Sawyer nodded, and Paul said,
“Thank
you
, Madame President. We appreciate the opportunity
to do this together.”

“Yes.” She was about their same age, and she
looked briefly from one to the other. The President continued. “It
means a lot to us to have USNet onboard to cut down on the
prevalence of ‘adult’ entertainment, if not eliminate it. It’s
pushed right into our homes, schools, libraries. Anyway, you
already know that, and I really appreciate your willingness to help
us contain it.”

Burke spoke again. “Yes. And Trevor Knox
asked me to tell Mr. Fuller that we’re one hundred percent
committed to the pledge we made to you earlier this week.”

“Good. We have to make the changes. This
stuff tears down kids and families. Devastating. So, thanks again.
And, Mr. Sawyer, we’re glad you’re here, too. As Sandy will tell
you in a few minutes, we’ve been looking for the right place and
time to announce some major new initiatives with the Russian
government, and your reception may be just the right spot.”

David smiled and said, “It’s an honor,
Madame President.”

“Yes. Good. Well, I’m sorry I have to go,
but Brad and Sandy will take good care of you. If all goes well
I’ll see you in Moscow—in less than a month.” She extended her hand
to each man.

“Thank you,” David said. “We’ll do our best
to make you feel welcome.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Should be
exciting. Thanks again.” President Harper turned and left. Bradley
Fuller, who had been standing a little behind the President during
their conversation, said, “Paul, let’s walk around to my office.
David, I think Sandy will be ready for you in a minute. I’m glad
you had a chance to meet the President.”

The two USNet executives looked at each
other briefly. “Yes. We are, too,” Burke replied for both of
them.

As soon as the two men left, David looked
out the window at the White House lawn and thought,
‘Tears down
kids and families’. She’s so right. Why on earth do we produce the
stuff
?

His thoughts were interrupted by a young
woman. “Mr. Sawyer? Ms. Van Huyck is ready to meet you. Please come
with me.”

For the next twenty minutes, Sawyer met with
the President’s fiftyish foreign policy advisor about the
opportunity the reception would give to emphasize US-Russian
cooperation in many business and government areas.

As they finished discussing the combined
invitation list of business and government leaders, there was a
knock on the door. A woman in her early thirties came in.

“Here’s Tanya. Ms. Prescott, please meet Mr.
David Sawyer of USNet. You two will be working together for the
next few weeks.”

Tanya Prescott was of medium height with
short dark hair. Her face reflected the high cheek bones of her
Slavic mother and the piercing blue eyes of her American father.
She smiled and extended her hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”

David took it and was impressed with her
grip. “Yes. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Let’s sit for a few minutes and go over our
general plan,” Van Huyck offered, “and then the two of you are
welcome to meet in the adjoining conference room for as long as you
need.”

“Sounds like quite a party,” Tanya
commented, when David and Sandra finished. “David, when I get to
Moscow I’ll need a few days on the purely governmental events and
to meet with our Russian counterparts. Then I’ll want to meet with
the head of your USNet security team and check out the site.
Hopefully it will be pretty cut and dried, as you’ve suggested. But
we’ll have to be cautious, since this event and the Fourth of July
celebration are the only ones that are outside government
circles.”

She paused. “Why don’t we go next door to
continue, unless you have anything else for us, Sandra?”

“No. I think you have it well in hand.
David, we appreciate your offer to host the reception, and as you
can already see, we’ll try to take care of the details so that you
and your guests can enjoy yourselves.”

As they walked to the door, Tanya said,
“David, I think you ought to be there by the end of June, if the
event will be on the Fourth.”

He nodded.

At the door they shook hands with the
foreign policy advisor. “Have a safe trip home, David, and to
Moscow, Tanya. I’ll see you both soon. Thank you for coming.”

Once outside, Tanya indicated a small
conference room, where they reviewed the plans in detail. When they
finished, Tanya walked David back to the reception area. “I imagine
that we’ll be talking a lot. You have my cell phone number, and
I’ll check in with you in about a week, once I’ve been on the
ground a few days.” She smiled. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.
See you again soon.”

They shook hands. Ten minutes later he and
Paul Burke retraced their steps to the car.

Outside, as the driver opened each door for
them, Paul said, “That was an unusual morning. How was your
meeting?”

They took their seats and the driver started
the engine. David answered, “They want to expand the reception to
include more government types and announce some joint programs.
Should add about fifty people—and be good for business.”

Burke smiled. “Yes. Sounds like it. Our
meeting went well, too. We’re going to announce our support for the
President’s program tomorrow. I called Trevor, and he concurred.
That way a couple of us can be available for the Sunday morning
talk show circuit, if anyone wants to pick up on it.”

They drove through the gate. “That’s good,”
David agreed.
And maybe I can get Callie home in a few
weeks
.

David looked out the window, and Paul pulled
out his cell phone and dialed his wife. “Sarah? Hi. David and I
just met the President.” He went on to describe to his wife their
meetings that morning. “Isn’t that something? Yeah. We’ll be
leaving shortly. See you for dinner tonight. Bye.”

As he hung up, David turned back to him from
the window and asked, “Do you ever think about whether our cell
phone calls are secure?”

Burke looked puzzled and a little taken
aback. He dialed the number for his voicemail messages. “No.
They’re pretty secure, aren’t they? I mean, who could listen to all
these phone calls? That would be impossible.” He clicked the
buttons for his mailbox and pass code, then began listening to his
confidential messages.

David looked out the window again. “Yeah. I
hope you’re right.”

It was too warm that evening to eat outside,
so the Sawyers gathered in the breakfast room. Elizabeth had
prepared tacos. David had changed into shorts and a knit shirt. Rob
was in baggy shorts and a blue T-shirt. The main topic of interest
was, of course, David’s visit to the White House.

“So you actually met the President?” Rob
asked a little incredulously. “Like, President Harper of these
United States?”

His father smiled as he passed the taco
sauce. “Yes. The actual one.”

“What’s she like?”

“Very friendly. She seemed genuine.
Interested in what we’re doing. She said she was glad that USNet is
now supporting her initiatives.” David went on to describe their
meetings in some detail.

When he finished, Elizabeth said, “It sounds
like the reception in Moscow has turned into a major event. Do you
think the press will be there?”

“I would think so.”

“Will they broadcast it live here?”

“Maybe. It’ll be the Fourth of July, so they
might. At least on the cable news channels. With the time
difference, our afternoon reception will be early morning
here.”

“So maybe we’ll see you,” Rob said. “With
the President.”

“Yes. Maybe.”

“Extreme.”

“When do you have to go?” Elizabeth
asked.

“I’m not sure. Sometime at the end of the
month. We’ll start working on the ticket and visa tomorrow. And,
oh”—he looked across the table at Elizabeth—”before Moscow, I may
have to go to Los Angeles again.”

She brightened. “Really? Can I go, too, and
visit Callie?”

“Uh, I’m not sure. Maybe. Let me see how
many days I have to be there.”

“Try to combine a weekend, dear. It would be
great to see Callie.”

“Yes. I’ll check.”

Rob was finishing his last taco. “I bet that
Tanya woman can do karate.”

David paused for a moment. “Uh? Oh, yes. I
bet she can. She had quite a grip.”

“I wonder if she’s ever tried Street War
2100?”

“I don’t know. I’ll be talking to her. Would
you like me to ask her?”

“Really? Could you? That would be awesome.
If she’s on a team, I could tell our Blue team to look out for
her.”

“Yes. Speaking of which, I noticed you
haven’t been online as much lately, but haven’t you been staying
out late? Or at Justin’s? What time did you come in last
night?”

“Uh, I’m not sure. About midnight.”

Elizabeth frowned. “No it wasn’t. I’m sure
you locked the door after one.”

He looked down at his plate. “Uh,
maybe.”

“What are you doing out so late?” his father
asked.

“Just hangin’ with Justin and some friends.
Usually at Justin’s house. No big deal.”

“And who brings you home?”

“Most of our other friends are sixteen, and
they drive me home.”

The parents exchanged glances. “Rob, we
don’t want you out after midnight, being driven home by sixteen
year olds. Either be home on time—without speeding—or call home,
and one of us will come get you. And don’t do anything crazy.”

Rob kept his head down. “I won’t.”

Late that night David went outside on their
patio and dialed the number in Estonia with one of the new cell
phones that his colleague in IT had secured for him. He had not
heard from Omid since their conversation about Goli, which worried
him.

“Omid, how are you?” he asked, when the
second connection was made.

“Cousin David. We are here. Goli is just
starting to be better, thanks to our doctor friends, but she says
almost nothing. She just sits at our window and looks out at the
city. I cry a thousand tears inside, but I’m trying to be strong
for her.”

“Omid, what can I do?”

“I may be close to a plan. If we can visit
family in Turkey, can you help her?”

“I’ll do my best. But you must come
together.”

Omid paused. “I must stay and try to change
this madness. These crazy people are not Iran. They are thugs,
clinging to personal power in the name of Islam. We must change our
country, and if people like me leave, who will do it?”