I’ll be upstaging the president, he thought triumphantly. And that’s only the beginning.
“I’ll give you enough time,” Darby said.
“You’re going to need some serious crowd control,” Buscema opined.
“Not a problem. The governor is part of my flock.”
“What about beyond that? Any progress on your Christmas offering?”
“The stadium’s booked,” the preacher confided. “It’ll be a rush, but we’ll make it happen. We’re bringing in some performers. Big names. You mark my words, Roy. I’m going to give the people of this country a Christmas they’ll never forget.”
Buscema went quiet. The kind of quiet he knew Darby would pick up on.
Sure enough, the pastor said, “What is it?”
“I’m just a bit concerned about sending out the right message.”
“Meaning?” Darby didn’t sound thrilled.
Buscema let out a ragged sigh, as if this were a tough call. “I’m hearing grumblings. From other pastors and church leaders.”
“I know,” Darby fumed. “We’ve been swamped with calls since the news got out. Every preacher from here to California’s been on the line. Even the governor wants in.”
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea to share that platform, Reverend. Get the word out more widely. Turn this into a much bigger and broader event. The country could use it right now.”
“I’m the guy flying him in, Roy,” Darby noted calmly. “I got him out of there.”
“And you’ll be the one greeting him when he steps off that plane,” Buscema reassured him. “You. No one else.”
“The governor’s also pushing to be there. I’m finding it hard to keep ducking him.”
“Doesn’t matter, Reverend. There won’t be any other pastors at the airport. Just you. It’ll be your moment. That’s the image people will remember when they first see him. But after that, I’d say it’s in your interest to show as much generosity as you can handle and invite as many other church leaders to join you on the big day. You’ve got to think big. You can take the lead on this. America doesn’t have a pope. It doesn’t have a spiritual leader. But the country needs one. Especially given how tough things are right now. Americans need to be inspired. To feel like they’re part of something.” He paused, just enough to let the words settle but not enough to give the preacher an opening to argue back. “You don’t want it to look like just another service at your church. This one’s for the whole country. For the whole world. You can’t be alone on that stage. But you can do it on your terms. And by extending a welcoming hand, you’ll only be elevating your own position as a gracious host . . . and leader.”
TOUGH PART’S OVER, Buscema thought after hanging up with Darby. Now he’d have to wait and see if the self-obsessed blowhard would play nice and share. He needed Darby to play nice. He needed him to share his new toy with the other kids. And that, he knew, was never easy. Not when you were dealing with a spoiled brat, let alone one with a righteousness complex.
He picked up his phone and hit another speed-dial key. The man on the other end had been waiting for the call.
Buscema just said, “We’re on. Leak it,” then hung up.
Chapter 65
Shannon, Ireland
The Gulfstream was parked by a service hangar, away from the small airport’s terminal. Gracie was pacing around by the plane as she spoke on her cell phone. She was out in the open and wasn’t really worried about being spotted. It was night, and there was no one around apart from a few dozy and disinterested maintenance guys who were refueling the jet.
It was much colder there, another shock to her system after the chill of the South Pole and the warm embrace of the Egyptian desert. The cold, though, felt good. Bracing. Numbing. Which was helpful, given that she was on the phone with the abbot and reliving Finch’s death in all its grisly detail.
He was on his way back from Cairo. He told her they’d delivered Finch’s body to the American embassy there. It hadn’t been easy getting there. He told her that fierce clashes had erupted among the hordes outside the monastery once news of Father Jerome’s departure had been made public. Jeep-loads of internal security men had stormed across the plain and contained the outburst, and were now clearing away the last troublemakers, but the situation had repeated itself in Cairo and in Alexandria and in other cities across the region.
Gracie saw Dalton coming toward her, waving his BlackBerry, indicating