It’s a comfortable office, Pappy thought when they got to the Senator’s suite of offices, all nicely paneled in some kind of beautiful wood. There was a host of luscious green plants, a rogue’s gallery of pictures on the wall. Pappy recognized presidents, heads of state, prime ministers, and assorted senators and congressmen. The senator, he noticed, was decked out in a power suit and power tie. He was a big man, with a shy smile and warm eyes. He wondered how the senator had evaded the marriage game so long. He had to be at least forty-five, and it was a known fact that there were few if any bachelors in the Washington fishbowl because Washington socialite matchmakers simply wouldn’t tolerate a bachelor in their midst.

The senator opened the door to his office. “I dismissed my staff earlier, so we’re alone. Can I get either of you a drink, or would you prefer coffee? What the hell is going on, Pappy?” he asked irritably. “I was told you never leave the mountain. I was also told the reasons why you never leave the mountain. Isn’t this dangerous for you?” His tone of voice suggested that he feared Pappy’s appearance in his office might be dangerous for him as well. “As for your disguise, it leaves a lot to be desired—you just look like an old man.”

“This is the first time I’ve left Big Pine Mountain in over ten years. I left because your colleagues in the consortium ordered a sanction on you. I refused to go along with it. In fact, I tendered my resignation last night when the four of them came to the mountain to see me.”

The senator turned white. “Me? Why?” He lowered himself onto a chair.

“I don’t know, Senator. They wouldn’t tell me. They came up the mountain several months ago to put me on alert, with specific details to follow. I just came here to warn you. I’ll be returning to the mountain tomorrow. And don’t bother telling me what this is all about because I don’t want to know.”

The senator jumped to his feet, his eyes wild. “I don’t have a clue. All I know is our last two meetings here in DC were canceled. Once they said it was because of bad weather, the second time, because one of them had the flu. They did accept my quarterly check in April. I can’t imagine what I could have done to warrant this. You actually resigned?” he asked, bafflement and fear ringing in his voice.