Free April 4: A Different Perspective by Mackey Chandler Page A

loose hair on the floor and looked in the mirror. Damn, he looked like a recruit, but that was how spacers wore it.
    When the number of emergency vehicles going the other way got to be too many to ignore Keith turned the radio on. They still were not clear if Wiggen had been hurt or not. There was no clear public announcement and the commentators sounded gravely concerned.
    When they neared the airport the turnoff to the domestic terminal and local air services was blocked off by local police cars with flashing lights. A flashing arrow told you to move over and two officers with bright traffic batons urged everyone to pass the sealed off lanes and keep moving. As he hoped when they continued down the loop road, the ramps for air freight and the international/space terminal was still open.
    "You don't seem very worried about Wiggen," Keith suggested, not commenting on the buzz cut at all.
    "I'm not. Somebody tried something, but those boys on her detail are sharp. I mean we have some good men and we have considerable assets. But those guys play the game at a whole different level. I have every confidence that she's OK. It's just smart of them not to rush to say so. People who can arrange an attempt on the President's life might very well have the means to set it up in depth. A premature announcement she is OK might trigger a back-up attempt, just waiting in the wings."
    "You seem to have given it a great deal of thought."
    "You bet. I game things out in my head all the time, just like I'd do if we were asked to handle them. We can both be glad we don't have to provide Presidential security. Eventually somebody gets through no matter how good you are. Then there's no excuse good enough. That's why the Navy is handling her security detail now, when the Secret Service dropped the ball with President Hughes, there was no way they'd just get told to try harder next time. When they fail the whole agency is going to be replaced. The Secret Service is doing well just to have escaped being disbanded, at least that wasn't their whole mission, they still have counterfeiting and stuff. and you better believe the Navy knows how bad it will damage them if they fail. Lots of other very bright fellows didn't want to be tasked with Presidential protection, when they were looking to stick somebody with it."
    "You figure they use outside contractors?"
    "Well, sure, but you best believe they'd keep that under real tight wraps." When Keith didn't say anything Otis looked over at him again. "Real tight," he repeated.
    "Got ya," Keith acknowledged. "I've forgotten I asked already."

Chapter 12
    "Tell me in a general way what you expect your bank to do and what sort of philosophy it is directed by and what sort of business it intends to underwrite," Papa-san asked.
    Jeff went on for a long time. To the point April was getting overwhelmed. But she watched Papa-sans face and paid closest attention to which points interested him. Speaking of being late in the economic cycle and favoring capital preservation didn't surprise him. Papa-san just nodded agreement and let Jeff go on. That was no surprise to her either.
    Her attention was drifting, but when Jeff said, "As April pointed out when we were discussing the first Global Depression," she came back aware and listening instantly. She just hoped it wasn't a lead in to a joke, but when he finished the thought Papa-san just nodded agreement, she saw with relief.
    When Jeff talked about low leverage and reserves, Papa-san slid forward on the edge of his seat and they lost her in very little time. It took them two hours and speaking a utterly foreign language at times, before Papa-san was satisfied. Heather suggested they would need a break and a meal soon, so she offered to prepare supper and feed all of them.
    She looked at April like she expected her to volunteer to help. April knew her kitchen, but had no desire to miss a single word of this conversation, even if it veered outside her grasp