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"He is if you say so, boss. And who's to know?"
"By the power invested in me by myself," Hall said, "you are decreed to be my executive assistant. Go forth and do good work."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Castillo replied to Hall. He turned to Mary-Ellen and added, "Et merci mille fois, madame."
Hall had picked up on that.
"You speak French, do you, Charley?"
"Yes, sir."
"Any other languages?"
"Yes, sir."
Hall made a come-on gesture.
Charley hesitated, and Hall added, "Modesty does not befit an executive assistant. Which ones?"
"Russian, sir. And Hungarian. German. Some Arabic. Several others."
"Jesus Christ!"
"Languages come easy to me, sir."
"They don't to me," Hall confessed. "You have plans for the evening, Charley?"
"No, sir."
"You have a dinner jacket?"
"Yes, sir."
"Your bluff is called. We are going to a reception at the Hungarian embassy. Whenever I ask the ambassador a question he doesn't want to answer, he forgets how to speak English. Getting the picture?"
"Yes, sir."
"How'd you learn to speak Hungarian?"
"When I was a kid, sir, my mother's aunt, who was Hungarian, lived with us. She taught me."
"Nice for you. Okay, Charley, I'll have Joel pick you up on his way here to get me. Where are you living?"
"I can meet you here, sir."
"Joel will pick you up. Where did you find a hotel?"
"I'm in the Mayflower, sir."
"The Mayflower?" Hall asked. "Isn't that kind of expensive on a major's pay, including per diem?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
"Joel will pick you up just before seven," Hall said, deciding it best not now to pursue the question of affordable housing with Castillo. "Wait for him on the street."
"Yes, sir."
The moment Castillo had closed the door, Hall reached for the red phone on his desk and pressed the button that would connect him over a secure line with the commander-in-chief, Central Command.
