How long have you been standing here? The answer seemed important to him. Very important.

Long enough to hear you say something very strange, she thought.

'-Just a few seconds. But what on earth are you doing here? " "Me? " He looked around. I love the Capitol area . . . the Mall . . .

the monuments . . . they're beautiful."

"Knowing how you feel about politicians" "Let's just say I consider it a beautiful mansion that happens to be infested by termites and all sorts of vermin." His eyes bored into her.

"So why are you here? " The question she'd been dreading. "I, uh, have an appointment with Congressman Allard this morning." He grimaced. "You want to be on his staff? " "I'll be on anybody's staff. I want to be on this committee .

He stared at her again. "Yes. Yes, I see you do. Why didn't you mention this yesterday? " "You didn't exactly give me a chance." He made a soft guttural sound and glanced at the oldfashioned beeper clutched in his hand, a dinosaur of a beeper, at least six inches long.

Odd, she thought. She hadn't realized Duncan carried a pager. He wasn't on emergency call, but she guessed there was always the chance of a postsurgical complication.

Suddenly he seemed in a rush. He spoke quickly.

"I want to discuss something with you, Gin, but I have to make a call and this is neither the time nor the place. I will see you in my office after lunch this afternoon. Can you be there? " . . .

something to discuss with you . . . She didn-t like the sound of that.

"I think so."

"Good. See you then." He turned and headed for one of the doors into the south wing. Gin watched him for a few seconds, then turned her attention to where Congressman Allard continued to huddle with his aides. The totaled ages of the three younger men probably exceeded Allard's by very little, yet they were doing all the talking. Good haircuts, expensive suits, six-figure incomes or close to it for many of the more experienced aides, and a smug We're-where-it's-at look.