Stone and Ann were hugging each other and laughing, and Dino was pounding him on the back. Viv was pointing at the turmoil on the convention floor and laughing.

Ann called Kate, but her line was busy. “We’ll never be able to get through to Kate,” she said. Then Ann’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“It’s Kate. Turn off the TV.”

Stone turned it off and Ann pressed the speaker button.

“Congratulations, Kate!”

“You mean what I just saw really happened?”

“It certainly did.”

Will’s voice came on the line. “Stone, what was Ed Eagle doing with Otero and Willingham?”

“I’m looking forward to asking him that, Mr. President,” Stone said, “but whatever he was doing, it seems to have worked.”

“If you see Eagle, please have him call me.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Ann, Stone,” Kate said, “thanks for your congratulations, but you’ll have to excuse me, I think I should take some incoming calls!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Ann ended the connection. “May I have another drink, please?”

Stone waved at a waiter. “Open some champagne,” he said. Then someone was hammering on the skybox door. Stone opened it, and Ed Eagle, Susannah Wilde, and Mike Freeman spilled into the room. The hall outside was crammed with people.

Stone got the door shut. “Come on in, we’re starting on the champagne,” he said. A waiter came with flutes and poured the wine. Stone raised his glass. “To Ed Eagle and whatever he said to Otero and Willingham.” They drank. “Ed, what did you say to Otero and Willingham?”

“Exactly what you told me to say,” Ed replied. “I may have been a little more emphatic, though.”

“We were going crazy up here watching you with binoculars.”

“Otero got it immediately,” Eagle said, “but he didn’t want to get it. Then he grabbed me and dragged me over to the Virginia delegation and got ahold of Willingham. The senator was adamant—tried to talk Pete out of it, but Pete didn’t budge. Finally, Willingham did the arithmetic, swore a few times, and said, ‘Okay.’ The rest you heard on TV.”

“We had a hell of a time getting off the floor,” Mike said. “The aisles were solid with delegates, a lot of them getting drunk in a hurry. Has anybody talked with Kate?”

“She just hung up to start taking congratulatory calls,” Stone said. “Ed, the president asked that you call him.” He produced his cell phone, pressed the button, and handed the phone to Eagle.

“Hello, Mr. President? Yes, sir.” He walked across the room and kept talking into the phone. A couple of minutes later he hung up and rejoined the others.

Stone pointed at the television set. “You’re on TV, Ed,” he said, switching on the sound. Chris Matthews was talking.