Choke Point by Jay MacLarty Page B

seems to have a special affinity for this one.”
    Kyra’s expression went from skeptical to one of intense interest. “Does that mean those old rumors are true? That he was responsible for putting the President in office?”
    Simon found himself holding his breath, wondering if Jake had broken their vow of silence, and had exposed their secret to Billie. A secret, Simon knew, that if it ever slipped out, would change his life forever—and not in a good way.
    “I asked him point blank,” Billie answered. “He denied having anything to do with it.”
    Kyra frowned, a cheated look, and Simon jumped in, trying to steer the conversation away from old rumors. “So what’s going on, Billie?”
    “The President has been working on a trade agreement between the United States, mainland China, and Taiwan.
    “Are you saying—” Simon hesitated, considering the ramifications. “You mean China is finally going to recognize Taiwan?”
    “No,” Billie answered. “Not exactly. That’s why I said mainland China. It’s all a matter of semantics. They both consider themselves to be the legitimate government of the Chinese people. Officially this is only a trade agreement, the Pacific Rim Alliance, but even that’s a huge concession on the part of Beijing.”
    “And what,” Kyra asked, “does Daddy have to do with all this?”
    “For want of a better term, let’s say he’s the glue. The incentive package. In return for their cooperation, I’m talking about Beijing, he’s agreed to help with their petroleum problem.”
    “I thought Daddy was pretty much out of the oil business.”
    “He’s been in and out. Presently in. Most of his holdings are now in South America.”
    “But why should he—”
    “Because,” Billie interrupted, “Congress would never agree to relinquish any of our reserves. The President needed an independent. Someone big enough to take the heat.”
    “That’s Daddy.” She glanced toward the comatose figure beyond the glass. “But why hasn’t this been in the news?”
    “They’re trying to keep a lid on the negotiations. Too many things can still go wrong. Half the world would like to see this thing fail, and some of them would do about anything to make that happen. Hell, half the Chinese Politburo would rather drop bombs than trade food with Taiwan.” She nodded toward the inert figure of her husband. “I’m afraid this won’t help. That’s why we need to keep the seriousness of Jake’s condition to ourselves, and just hope he recovers in time.”
    “In time?” Kyra asked. “In time for what?”
    “The signing ceremony is scheduled for the twenty-first of July.”
    “You must be kidding! There’s no way he’s going to be in any condition to—”
    “Your father’s a bull,” Billie interrupted. “If he comes out of this coma… when he comes out…there’s no reason he can’t—”
    “Now you’re the one being obtuse, Mother. Just look at him. He’s—”
    “Okay,” Simon cut in, “that’s enough. If I know Jake, he’ll sit up when he feels like it, and there’s nothing the two of you can do to change that.” Though somewhat simplistic, it was a statement neither of them could challenge. “What’s so important about the twenty-first of July? I thought that’s when the Pearl was scheduled to open?”
    Billie nodded. “The opening, the signing, the whole damn thing. Everything is tied together.”
    Simon pulled a small notebook from his pocket, ready to take down the details. “We’ve got a month. Why can’t the ceremony be pushed back?”
    “If only we could. The date was established by some famous feng shui master. Something to do with geology. It’s all gobbledygook to me.”
    Wrong science, Simon thought, but he couldn’t disagree with the gobbledygook assessment. “I think you’re talking about the Chinese art of geomancy. It’s a method of foretelling the future by reading the geographic patterns produced by small particles thrown at random