Part 6 (2/2)

”What do you want?” Henson asked cautiously

”Merely your acknowledgures were falsified, at your suggestion, and”

”I ad up the phone

Shaken, he dialed the phone, twice In his haste he misdialed the first time ”Get me Brocker Now This is Henson”

”Brocker,” the other end of the phone responded nonchalantly

”Bill, Bob here We got troubles”

”Senator Rickfield? I think you better take this call” Ken Boyers was earnest in his suggestion The aged Senator looked up and recognized a certain urgency The youthful 50 year old Ken Boyers had been with Senator Merrill Rickfield since the mid 1960's as an aide de campe, a permanent fixture in Rickfield's national success Ken preferred the nuround rather the one in the public light He felt he could more effectively wield poithout the constant surveillance of the press Only when events and deals were completely orchestrated were they made public, and then Merrill could take the credit The arrangement suited them both

Rickfield indicated that his secretary and the two junior aids should leave the room ”What is it Ken?”

”Just take the call, listen carefully, and then we'll talk”

”Who is it, Ken I don't talk to every”

”Merrillpick up the phone” It was an order They had worked together long enough to afford Ken the luxury of ordering a US Senator around

”This is Senator Rickfield,and inviting, disguised the puzzled look he gave his senior aide Within a few seconds the puzzleave way to open mouthed silent shock and then, only moments later to overt fear He stared with disbelief at Ken Boyers

Aghast, he gently put the phone back in its cradle

”Ken,” Rickfield haltingly spoke ”Who the hell was that and how in blazes did he know about the deal with Credite Suisse? Only you,knew” He rose slowly rose and looked accusingly at Ken

”C'mon Merrill, I have as rowling ”I' hest yardar to lose Besides, I'm the one the public knohile you're invisible It's my ass and you know it Now, and Ion? There were only three of us”

”And the bank,” Ken quickly interjected to deflect the verbal onslaught

”Screw the bank They use numbers Numbers, Ken That was the plan But this son of a bitch knew the numbers damn it, he knew the numbers Ken!”

”Merrill, calm down”

”Calm down? You have some nerve to tell me to calm down Do you knoould happen if anyone, and I mean anyone finds out about” Rickfield looked around and thought better of finishi+ng the sentence

”Yes I know As well as you do Jesus Christ, I helped set the whole thing up Remember?” He approached Merrill Rickfield and touched the Senator's shoulder ”Maybe it's a hoax? Just so who”

”Bullshi+t” The senator turned abruptly ”I want a tee off time as soon as possible Even sooner Andis there Alone It's a threeso at his estate in the eminently exclu- sive, obscenely expensive Bell Canyon, twenty h it was Monday, he just wasn't up to going into the office As Executive Vice President of California National Bank, with over twenty billion in assets, he could pick and choose his hours This Tuesday he chose to read by the pool and enjoy the war The view of the San Gabrielthat his normal thirty minute scan of the Wall Street Journal took nearly two hours