Leo Frankowski

Boswell, crumpling an eight— by-ten glossy photo in the process. “I
think you should reconsider that, Norm.”
    “I don’t owe you
a goddamn thing. Out!”
    “No, but you
have an obligation to our favorite uncle. You’re a sergeant in the reserves, Norm. He
might need to call you up.”
    “So it’s threats
now, is it? Well, have you ever thought about what a news chief can do to a
public servant?”
    “Feel free. I’m
clean. Have you ever thought about what a general officer can do to a
sergeant?”
    Hastings left the
office whistling the tune to “Call Up the God Damn Reserves!”
     
    “No! Uncle
Martin, I won’t do it!”
    “What! This I
hear from the little kid I carried through the snow on my back in Germany?
Heiny, I tell you my left kidney has failed and the other one is weak! If you do not help me, I
will die!”
    “Yeah, yeah.
Two months ago it was your right lung, and before that it was your prostrate gland,
and before that it was your thyroid. Every time you insisted that I do a hack-and-patch
job on you, and every time I’ve wasted two weeks doing the special
programming. Well, no more!”
    “But Heiny, my
kidneys—”
    “I know. I also
know that your left lung is weak and your pituitary is below par. Look. We have a
standard program for replacing your entire glandular system. It’s a proven program that
we’ve used successfully on hundreds of people. What’s more, I can start you on it in ten minutes, not two
weeks. In fifteen days you’ll be a new man. That I’ll do for you, but no more hack
and patch!”
    “There’s still
some life in this old heart, Heiny.”
    “Less than you
think, and if your heart goes, I won’t have two weeks for
programming the standard program. Take it or leave it.”
    “Heiny, you
make me ashamed, but I guess I gotta take it.”
    *
    When Norman Boswell
got to his office, his IN basket contained a telegram that began
“Greetings…” It informed him that he was to report in uniform to the base
commander, Lackland AFB, Texas, no later than noon, March 19, 2003.
    He swore at the wall
for a full hour, chewed out the girl who brought him his coffee, and called
Patricia Cambridge into his office.
    Boswell stretched and rolled his neck,
relaxing him self. “Ah. Patricia, come
in, come in. Have a seat.”
    “Thanks, boss.
What can I do for you?”
    “For me? I think
it’s what I can do for you. First, I want to say how pleased I am with your
work. In just eight years with NBC, your accomplishments have been remarkable!”
    “Thank you. And
it’s nine.”
    “Nine?”
    “I’ve been with
NBC for nine years.”
    “Oh. Right, foolish of me. As I was
saying, I’m proud of you, and I’m putting
you in for a substantial raise.”
    “Ooh! Thank
you!”
    “It should come
through in a few weeks. Furthermore, I think you’re ready for bigger
things.”
    “Bigger than a popular show?”
    “Bigger. Real
news reporting in the grand old style! The kind of thing that sent Stanley across
Africa in search
of Dr. Livingstone. The kind of thing that exposed Nixon at Watergate or Blackstone’s deeds in Gen eva. Big!”
    “Field
reporting? What about my show?”
    “Oh, Mary can fill in while you’re
gone. But for you —the Quest for Dr. Martin Guibedo!”
    “But that’s a
dead end! It’s been years! Nobody has seen Guibedo since he broke jail.”
    “Wrong, Patty.
Somebody’s seen him because somebody broke him out. Look. A lot of stuff passes over this desk. Most of it’s solid news, but a lot of it is
hints, suggestions, possibilities.
When it conies to Guibedo, those hints all point in one direction—Death
Valley.”
    “I know, boss.
His nephew owns it. But look, Jim Jennings did a show on Death Valley last fall, and his ratings were lousy.”
    “Yes, but
Jennings only spent a day there. You’ll have weeks. Jennings doesn’t know Guibedo, but you do. And Jennings had a full camera crew.”
    “I don’t even
get a camera crew?”
    “When you’re
ready for it, we can have the L.A. crew there in two hours flat. But at first you’re better off without it.”
    “At first? Just
how long do you expect me to spend in the boonies?”
    “Whatever it
takes, Patty. You’ll have an open expense account and all the time you’ll
need.”
    “And come back
to what? With Mary running it, my ratings will be a shambles! I might not even have a show.”
    “Mary can
handle it, and it will still be your show. Officially, you’ll just be on