HOMELAND: Falling Down (Part 1 of the HOMELAND Series) Read Free Page B

pain in the ass?”
    “You did, if I remember correctly, on several occasions.”
    “It wasn’t all bad.”
    “It wasn’t all good, either.”
    He leafed through the binder. “You seriously expect me to know all this?”
    “You want the big chair, you get the big book.” She opened the binder to a photo of the woman Eduardo saw on airport television. “Learn everything there is to know about her.”
    “With pleasure.” Eduardo’s words dripped with sexual innuendo.
    “Her name is Martha Jefferson.”
    Eduardo butted in. “First-term Congresswoman from Tennessee. Member of the Constitutional Party. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University Law. Sweetheart of the American middle class. Holds a double digit lead over both major parties in national polls. I’ve been in the desert, not under a rock.”
    Angie’s eyes bored into Eduardo, “The election is in five days. That’s five days to do a month of preparation. Don’t screw this up. If you embarrass the network, we’ll both be out of a job.”
    “Okay, I’ll look it over at home tonight. That reminds me. Where is home exactly?”
    “We’ve got you set up at one of the network’s luxury apartments nearby. King size bed, huge TV, surround sound, great view, the whole shebang.”
    “The star treatment. I like that.”
    “I know you travel light,” Angie glanced at Eduardo’s worn backpack, “so we took the liberty of having suits made for you in advance. I assume you didn’t pork up since your last measurements.”
    Eduardo flexed a bicep. “Fit as a fiddle.”
    She shook her head, pulled something small from her desk, and tossed it to Eduardo. It was a cell phone. “Keep this with you at all times.”
    “You’re putting me on a leash.”
    “Damn right. Now go home and start reading. I’ll call you a cab.”
    “No limo?”
    “Don’t push it.”
    He laughed. “Don’t bother. I’m gonna hang around the studio for a while. You know, get a feel for the place.”
    “Fine. Your first staff meeting is Monday at noon. It’ll be in your office if it’s ready by then. Be early.” She pointed at the binder. “And be ready.”
    “Nobody likes teachers who give homework on Fridays.”
    “Today is Thursday.”
    “Same difference.”
    “Learn it, Eddie. That’s an order.”
    He stood and saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
    Eduardo made his way to the studio. Well-wishers in every office along the way shook his hand and congratulated him on the big promotion. By the time he reached the broadcast booth, his gait had a noticeable swagger.
    A very attractive intern at the audio panel caught his eye. After one look at her low-cut top, he didn’t give a hoot about comfortable shoes. She looked half his age, but it was worth a shot.
    He walked up to her and said, “Hi.”
    “Oh, my gosh!” she said suddenly, “Eduar… I mean Mister Garcia! I can’t believe it’s really you!”
    Star struck. A good sign.
    Another buxom coed entered the room. She said to the first intern, “Have you got the Denver file?” Then she saw Eduardo and dropped a bundle of folders she was carrying. “It’s you.”
    Eduardo’s smile widened. “My friends call me Eddie.”
    *****
    Friday, October 30 th
    12:30 AM
    “Answer the damn door! I know you’re in there!” The pounding on Eduardo’s apartment door started again.
    “Okay! I’m coming!” He threw on a robe and walked from the bedroom to the front door. He recognized the angry voice on the other side.
    More pounding.
    Eduardo yelled, “I said I’m coming!”
    He opened the door to find Angie fuming in the hallway.
    “Why won’t you answer your freaking phone?”
    “I’m studying.”
    She held up her cell phone. “I’ve been calling you for hours.”
    “I know. You should learn to take a hint.”
    “We need you in the news room.”
    “I may have spent the last ten years eating sand, but I know how the business works. It’s after midnight. Nobody watches the news this