Free Senator Love by Warren Adler Page A

you got your ark ready, Monte," Fiona
quipped. His mood was gloomy, but he managed a polite grunt of acknowledgment.
He made a sharp turn into the tunnel heading for Capitol Hill.
    "I appreciate this, Fiona," he muttered. In
profile he seemed to be biting his lower lip.
    "What are friends for?" she said, hoping that the
light touch wasn't off-putting. It didn't matter. He seemed to be ignoring it,
lost in his own thoughts. She let him brood. Finally he spoke.
    "I don't know how to handle this, Fi," Monte
said. He took one hand off the steering wheel and gripped her arm. "It's
your expertise."
    "So far it's an endless prologue," she said.
    "There's something else." He cleared his throat.
"I need your word on this. Complete silence. No one."
    She thought about that for a moment and searched for a way
to say it.
    "I render unto Caesar."
    He nodded as if he understood. Then he seemed to be mulling
it. "Fair enough," he said. He rubbed the back of his hand against
his mouth.
    "She's disappeared," he said, shaking his head.
They were out of the tunnel and into the rain again, heading in the direction
of the Capitol dome, lit now, a welcoming beacon in the downpour.
    "Who?"
    "Helga Kessel, wife of the Austrian Ambassador."
    "The beautiful Helga, mistress of Senator Love."
    Again, he ignored the attempt at a lighter touch. And yet,
the subject matter belied his obvious panic.
    "Who needed this?" He shook his head. She had
turned to watch him and he had met her gaze briefly. A headlight illuminated
his troubled eyes. "It was supposed to be all handled. Sam had taken the
pledge. Clear sailing. Then this."
    "There's missing and missing," Fiona said.
    "I know." He expelled air through his teeth.
"It's bizarre. He ... Sam ... gets this call no more than two hours ago.
The Ambassador himself, Hans Kessel. Remember him?" She nodded. "Says
they should meet at the Dupont Circle subway stop. Something urgent. Sam,
naturally, calls Bunkie, who follows him."
    "Not you?"
    "I come later. I'm the fireman, you see. When I get to
it, it's already a conflagration." He sucked air through his teeth.
"Assholes."
    "So they meet," Fiona prompted. He was obviously
too upset to focus logically. The explanation seemed painful.
    "A brief talk. Kessel is panicked. The lady has
vanished. As near as he can see no clothes missing. No notes. Nothing. She had
gone out yesterday. He wasn't sure where. He let it go by one night. Maybe he's
had some experience along these lines. When nearly another day went by, he got
the message."
    "Why Sam?"
    "He knew. The son-of-a-bitch knew that Sam was
diddling his wife."
    "Was he hostile?"
    "No. Nor irate. He's a European, if that explains it.
He and Sam have a common cause." He turned toward her. "Not what you
think," Monte sighed. "A morbid fear of embarrassment. He's also a
diddler with political ambitions back in Austria. Takes one to know one."
    "Did he have any ideas where the woman might have
gone?"
    "None. That's the point. He asked Sam that very same
question."
    "So what's the bottom line?" Fiona asked, her
mind spinning with scenarios. Maybe the woman was teasing both of them, scaring
the shit out of both of them, getting even. Fiona could empathize with that.
    "You're the bottom line, Fi," Monte said.
    The car sped through the rain, turned and proceeded on Independence Avenue.
    "We're all way out of our depth. To report this thing
could spell political sudden death for Sam and Kessel. It will come out. That's
a given. Unless we can find some way to keep the lid on." He looked again
toward Fiona. He slapped his chest. "We don't know how it's done."
    "You think I do?"
    "You're a cop. She's a missing person, for crying out
loud."
    "Could be just a game's she's playing."
    "Some game."
    "She got dumped. She was pissed off. Could be her way
to twist your you-know-whats."
    "We wish," Monte sighed. "That kind of pain
we can live with." He grew silent. "But for how long?"
    "Longer the better."
    "Okay, she was dumped. But this is