The older man’s smile stayed in place, but he said, quite seriously, “Arlan Sinclair’s always been a sonofabitch.”

Shocked, Jake couldn’t do anything but gape at Cardwell.

With a little chuckle, Cardwell said, “We’ve known each other for a long time. He was after Alice, you know. Even after she married me.”

“Sinclair?”

“Sinclair.”

“I’ll be damned.” Jake suddenly understood Sinclair’s disdain when he had mentioned Lev’s name to the professor.

“Oh yes, he and I go back a long way. A very long way. And here I thought he’d be delighted with your proposal to make MHD a major issue for Tomlinson.”

“He’s solidly in Leeds’s camp,” Jake said. “His son works in the senator’s local office.”

“I might have known.”

“So now I’ve finally set up the meeting with Tomlinson but Sinclair’s going to bring one of Leeds’s people to it.”

Cardwell rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You’re afraid that Leeds will preempt the MHD issue, snatch it away from Tomlinson before he even announces his candidacy.”

“And I don’t know what to do about it,” Jake said, feeling increasingly desperate.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“You do nothing, Jake. There’s nothing you can do, is there?”

“But Leeds will take over the MHD issue! He’ll make the voters think it was his idea all along!”

“That can’t be helped,” said Cardwell.

“It’s not fair!”

Cardwell said nothing for several moments. Then, tapping Jake’s knee, he pointed out, “You may be losing sight of the forest, Jake. What’s important is that somebody takes the ball on MHD and runs with it. Tomlinson, Leeds, the Three Stooges … it doesn’t matter who does it. What’s important is that MHD gets the chance it deserves to help this state and the nation.” Before Jake could say anything, the older man added, “And the world.”

“But what about Tomlinson?”

Spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness, Cardwell replied, “I wouldn’t worry about Frank Tomlinson. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“Me?”

“If Senator Leeds comes out for MHD and preempts Tomlinson on the issue, where does that leave you?”

Jake huffed. “Out in the cold. A science advisor with nothing to advise about.” And he thought of Amy Wexler. Would she bother with me if I’m out of Tomlinson’s campaign?

“It seems to me,” Cardwell said, “that the only thing you can do is to set up this meeting between Tomlinson and Sinclair and hope for the best.”

“Even with Senator Leeds’s man there?”

Nodding, Cardwell said, “What’s important, Jake, is that MHD gets the political backing it needs to become a successful technology.”

“You think so.”