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Essex stared into his teacup as though seeing a vague picture on the bottom. "It's true," he said finally.
"Besides his day-today observations of State Department procedure and a few photos in the family album, little remains of my grandfather's memory."
"Can you recall him from your childhood?"
Essex solemnly shook his head. "No, he died a young man of forty-two, the same year I was born."
"Nineteen fourteen."
"May twenty-eighth, to be exact."
Heidi shot him a stunned look. "Eight days after the treaty signing at the White House."
"Think what you will, Commander," Essex said patiently. "There was no treaty."
"Surely you can't discount the evidence?"
"Bryan and my grandfather paid innumerable visits to the White House. The scribbling on the back of the photograph is undoubtedly an error. As to the letter, you've merely misconstrued its meaning."
"The facts check out," Heidi persisted. "The Sir Edward that Wilson writes of was Sir Edward Grey, Britain's foreign secretary. And a loan to Britain one week prior to the date on the letter for one hundred and fifty million dollars is a matter of record."
"Granted that was a,large sum at the time," Essex said knowledgeably. "But prior to World War One, Great Britain was grappling with a program of social reform while purchasing armaments for the approaching conflict. Simply put, she needed a few bucks to tide her over until laws for higher taxation could be passed. The loan can hardly be called irregular. By today's international standards it would be considered a rather routine negotiation.
Heidi stood up. "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Essex. I won't take up any more of your afternoon."
The twinkle returned in his
eyes. "You can trouble me anytime."
At the door Heidi turned. "One other thing. The library has a complete set of your grandfather's monthly desk diaries except the final one for May. It appears to be missing."
Essex shrugged. "No great mystery. He died before he completed it. Probably lost in the shuffle when they cleaned out his office.
Essex stood at the window until Heidi's car disappeared into the trees. His shoulders drooped. He felt very tired and very old. He walked over to an ornately carved antique credenza and twisted the head of one of the four vacant-eyed cherubs adorning the corners. A small, flat drawer swung out from the bottom edge, a bare inch above the carpet. Inside rested a thin leather bound book, its engraved cover cracked with age.
He sank into an overstuffed chair, adjusted his spectacles and began reading. It was a ritual, performed at varied intervals over the years. His eyes no longer saw the words on the pages; he had memorized them long ago.
He was still sitting there when the sun was gone and the shadows had stretched and melted into blackness. He clutched the book to his breast, his soul agonized by dread, his mind torn by indecision.
The past had caught up with a lonely old man in a darkened room.
Lieutenant Ewen Burton-Angus slipped his car into a parking stall at the Glen Echo Racquet Club, hoisted his tote bag from the passenger seat and hunched his shoulders against the cold. He hurried past the empty swimming pool and snow-coated tennis courts toward the warmth of the clubhouse.
He found the club manager seated at a table beneath a glass case stacked with rows of trophies. "Can I help you?" asked the manager.
"Yes, my name's Burton-Angus. I'm a guest of Henry Argus."
The manager scrutinized a clipboard. "Right, Lieutenant Burton-Angus. Sorry, sir, but Mr. Argus called and said he couldn't make it. He told me to tell you he tried to catch you at the embassy, but you'd already left."
"A pity," said Burton-Angus. "As long as I'm here, do you have a racquetball court available where I can practice?"
"I had to reshuffle the reservations when Mr. Argus canceled. However, there is another gentleman who is playing alone. Perhaps you can pair up."
"Where can I find him?"
"He's seated in the bar. His court won't be free for another half hour. His name is Jack Murphy."
Burton-Angus found Murphy nursing a drink by a picture window overlooking the Chesapeake Canal.
