The Hammer of God Read Free Page B

benefit of such an intense effort to derive so few jars. The intended customer however, was glad to pay as much for two dozen jars as others paid for a whole truckload of the knockoffs that had become the stock in trade of the new Chinese economy. The amber colored jars were packed for shipment and tomorrow would be driven by truck four hundred miles to the provincial capital where they would then be sent by airplane to Beijing.
    Another job well done.

Chapter Three
    COMPOUNDS AND ELEMENTS
    For Bill, dinner that night was pleasant but uneventful. How can a mere dinner compete with a call to the Situation Room to possibly save or end the world? Their guests were the Surgeon General, Judy Pearson, and her husband, Rod, a thoracic genius and head of surgery at George Washington University Hospital. Janice had recently joined the staff there, so to Bill’s way of thinking, this was a four-point connect with Judy and Bill working for the current President and Janice and Rod working in a hospital named after the first.
    After dinner, Bill found Rod in the living room, pursuing the artifacts in the “shrine:” what Janice and he called the wall of built-in bookcases that held the mementos of Bill’s illustrious college football career.
    â€œI saw that game!”
    Bill looked to see what Rod was talking about. He was looking at a game ball and a picture of his team. “I got knocked out in the first half, sat out two quarters until the team doc pronounced that I only had my bell rung, no concussion.”
    â€œYeah, and you came back with a vengeance. Two touchdown passes in the last four minutes!”
    Three , Bill corrected in his head but let it go, “I had a great line taking the hits for me. I guess my having been knocked out of the game earlier brought out their paternal instincts to protect me.”
    Rod swooned as he turned to Bill’s Heisman Trophy. “How great must it be to have one of these?”
    â€œI was offered two million for it by some oil tycoon,” Bill said matter-of-factly as he got “the look” from Janice, who was chatting up Judy on the sectional. “I guess they were all out of them on E-bay,” Bill added.
    â€œHow can you put a price on something like this,” Rod said, marveling at the trophy even more.
    â€œYou know, if you like it that much, you can borrow it and put it over the fireplace.”
    Out of the corner of his eye Bill saw “the look” again. He knew it was because Janice wanted them over by the new couch. Mostly because she liked the way, from the new seating area, the living room windows looked out upon the sun setting on the lake at this time of day.
    â€œJudy, would never let me do that, unless you can convince her somehow that it’s Chinese modern.”
    That little man-to-man admission made Bill wonder if a surgeon being married to the Surgeon General caused a problem. Could Judy pull rank and order her husband around? And was he duty bound to follow her directives? Clean the windows, drive my mother to the store, book a trip to Hawaii. Nah, no surgeon ever got henpecked.
    â€œBill, will you get the cognac and the glasses from the cabinet?” came the order from Bill’s “general.”
    As Bill poured the cognac into the decanter, Judy couldn’t help but comment, “Janice, I have to know, did you use a decorator? I love the way this room just flows. That chair is perfect, and situating this area to take full advantage of this breathtaking view... all of it, really comfortable, yet beautifully done.”
    Janice was beaming and gave the slightest of looks to Bill when Judy mentioned “her view.” “I am so glad you like it. I pretty much just start with some ideas that I get from magazines and then add a few touches.”
    After several minutes discussing home decorating, remodeling and Chinese modern motif, Judy opened a new conversation. “There could be a shortage of