that much to me. I was just trying to help. I mean, you know what they say, if you retire and head for the couch, they bury you the following year.”
He liked Kirby. The explanation he’d given Cole had been reasonable enough. Still, it wasn’t the only issue. He glanced up at an image of a command capsule coming over the rim of the Moon. “By the way, Frank—”
“Yes?”
They stopped in front of the picture. “I wanted to apologize for the newsman. He’s from the Associated Press, and he tends to be a bit pushy sometimes.”
“It’s okay,” Kirby said. “No big deal.”
“I have to admit, though, he’s got me curious. Was Peters really the only guy you were talking to during that
fifty
hours?”
“I don’t know, Jerry. This is something that happened a half century ago. I was talking to whoever I was talking to. What difference does it make?”
They exchanged stares. “Frank, a Navy pilot who was present when they were bringing the astronauts on board the carrier at the end of the flight said one of them was carrying
rocks
.”
Kirby’s features hardened. “What is this, Jerry?” he asked. “A setup of some kind? You bring me all the way down here to put me through this?”
“No, of course not, Frank. I’m just curious, that’s all.”
He’d given the plaque to his son, Frank, Jr. Now he looked around, saw him, and waved him over. When he arrived, Kirby took the plaque from him. “Here, Jerry, you can have it back. And if we weren’t in polite company, I’d tell you what you could do with it.”
“Frank—”
“And I’ll tell you something else.” Everybody was staring at them now, mouths open. “Just back off this thing, okay? Do yourself a favor. Back off.”
—
Fortunately, Mary didn’t see it happen. But a few minutes later, Jerry was called to her office. “What the hell happened?” she said.
He tried not to look guilty. “I’m not sure.”
“What’s
that
supposed to mean? Damn it, Jerry, I told you not to embarrass us. Did you know the whole thing got recorded? It’s out there now.” She waved in the general direction of her computer. “I wouldn’t have believed you could be so dumb.”
“Listen, Mary—”
“What?”
Her eyes sliced into him. “Look, doesn’t it suggest anything to you that he got so upset?”
“It suggests he didn’t want to discuss it.” Her mouth tightened. “It suggests he thought it was silly. Did you set that reporter on him?”
Jerry was having a problem breathing. He’d never seen her so angry. “Not—”
“—Exactly,” she said. “Well, that’s really good. What the hell is this business about rocks?”
“I got a call from a retired helicopter pilot. He says one of the Myshko astronauts dropped some rocks on the carrier deck.”
“Rocks?”
“That’s what he said.”
“As in Moon rocks?”
“No way to know, Mary. Not sure what else—”
She took a deep breath. “Where’s the plaque?”
“In my office.”
“All right, Jerry. Fix the problem.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“Find a way. And be grateful you still have your job.”
—
Jerry didn’t think it would be a good idea to call Kirby’s cell, so he tried the hotel. But they’d apparently checked out before coming to the luncheon. Maybe it was just as well. Let him cool off on the ride back to Orlando.
Mary was right, though: The incident was all over the Internet, the public-relations director for NASA being hammered by Kirby, who was being described by everybody as a person who was very popular and gracious and a champion of the downtrodden.
But why was he so upset? If it was really nothing, just some sort of lame joke between himself and Myshko, wouldn’t he simply have laughed it off?
Barb’s voice came through the fog: “Jerry, you have a call from Bill Godwin. He says he’s the producer of
Koestler Country
.”
That couldn’t be good. NASA’s public-relations director never got invitations to appear on cable TV.
He liked Kirby. The explanation he’d given Cole had been reasonable enough. Still, it wasn’t the only issue. He glanced up at an image of a command capsule coming over the rim of the Moon. “By the way, Frank—”
“Yes?”
They stopped in front of the picture. “I wanted to apologize for the newsman. He’s from the Associated Press, and he tends to be a bit pushy sometimes.”
“It’s okay,” Kirby said. “No big deal.”
“I have to admit, though, he’s got me curious. Was Peters really the only guy you were talking to during that
fifty
hours?”
“I don’t know, Jerry. This is something that happened a half century ago. I was talking to whoever I was talking to. What difference does it make?”
They exchanged stares. “Frank, a Navy pilot who was present when they were bringing the astronauts on board the carrier at the end of the flight said one of them was carrying
rocks
.”
Kirby’s features hardened. “What is this, Jerry?” he asked. “A setup of some kind? You bring me all the way down here to put me through this?”
“No, of course not, Frank. I’m just curious, that’s all.”
He’d given the plaque to his son, Frank, Jr. Now he looked around, saw him, and waved him over. When he arrived, Kirby took the plaque from him. “Here, Jerry, you can have it back. And if we weren’t in polite company, I’d tell you what you could do with it.”
“Frank—”
“And I’ll tell you something else.” Everybody was staring at them now, mouths open. “Just back off this thing, okay? Do yourself a favor. Back off.”
—
Fortunately, Mary didn’t see it happen. But a few minutes later, Jerry was called to her office. “What the hell happened?” she said.
He tried not to look guilty. “I’m not sure.”
“What’s
that
supposed to mean? Damn it, Jerry, I told you not to embarrass us. Did you know the whole thing got recorded? It’s out there now.” She waved in the general direction of her computer. “I wouldn’t have believed you could be so dumb.”
“Listen, Mary—”
“What?”
Her eyes sliced into him. “Look, doesn’t it suggest anything to you that he got so upset?”
“It suggests he didn’t want to discuss it.” Her mouth tightened. “It suggests he thought it was silly. Did you set that reporter on him?”
Jerry was having a problem breathing. He’d never seen her so angry. “Not—”
“—Exactly,” she said. “Well, that’s really good. What the hell is this business about rocks?”
“I got a call from a retired helicopter pilot. He says one of the Myshko astronauts dropped some rocks on the carrier deck.”
“Rocks?”
“That’s what he said.”
“As in Moon rocks?”
“No way to know, Mary. Not sure what else—”
She took a deep breath. “Where’s the plaque?”
“In my office.”
“All right, Jerry. Fix the problem.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
“Find a way. And be grateful you still have your job.”
—
Jerry didn’t think it would be a good idea to call Kirby’s cell, so he tried the hotel. But they’d apparently checked out before coming to the luncheon. Maybe it was just as well. Let him cool off on the ride back to Orlando.
Mary was right, though: The incident was all over the Internet, the public-relations director for NASA being hammered by Kirby, who was being described by everybody as a person who was very popular and gracious and a champion of the downtrodden.
But why was he so upset? If it was really nothing, just some sort of lame joke between himself and Myshko, wouldn’t he simply have laughed it off?
Barb’s voice came through the fog: “Jerry, you have a call from Bill Godwin. He says he’s the producer of
Koestler Country
.”
That couldn’t be good. NASA’s public-relations director never got invitations to appear on cable TV.
Similar Books
