Honorable Profession: A Novel of American Politics by Andy Kutler

Author:Andy Kutler [Kutler, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2021-12-29T23:00:00+00:00

. . .

Two miles away, Dan eased the Explorer into Walter’s driveway. A brief downpour had soaked him earlier that morning as he finished the second mile of a pre-dawn run. An immaculate sunrise soon followed, finally giving way to clearing skies. A symbol, perhaps, of the first dividends finally emerging from his determined struggle of late to defy the laws of aging.

He was running daily now – three miles along Charleston Avenue as it rose up to meet the western edge of the valley – while still braving twice-weekly torture sessions at Lifetime Fitness. There were at first the expected protests from muscles and joints pathetically out of shape, but the aches were beginning to subside. Another month, and he might be able to overtake some of the Social Security recipients hobbling around his neighborhood.

With Walter’s weekends free from teaching, Evan had pieced together yet another whipsaw Saturday. From the morning demonstration at the London Towers, Dan would ferry the professor to a neighboring MGM property where he could greet arriving casino workers. Then a lunchtime speaking engagement at a local American Legion post, followed by a side trip to campus for some brief filming with Hope. It would have been a grueling slog for anyone, let alone a 76-year-old unused to such a pace.

And now there was an added wrinkle. Walter’s personal safety had to be accounted for after the campaign had received its first threats. The caustic emails flowed into the professor’s university account two days ago, shortly after he let slip to a Reno-area podcast host that if elected, he would make “mincemeat” of the 2nd Amendment.

Dan parked next to an unfamiliar, pint-sized Chevy Spark and climbed out of his SUV, offering a friendly wave to the Metro cop parked on the curb.

“Bang!”

Startled, Dan whirled around at the sound of the voice. During his peak days on the Detail, his hand would have been a blur as it moved toward his hip, his palm instantly slapping around the butt of a holstered Sig Sauer. But that was an eternity ago, and with his only sidearm locked up in a bedroom closet, and his feet frozen to the cement, the former agent could only stare in disbelief at the source of the voice.

“Jumpin’ Junipers, Dan, my three-year-old grandson could get the drop on you.”

The twang was familiar. As was the tone of disapproval. Her face, however, was as inscrutable as ever.

The ageless Barb Patterson was as arresting as when Dan last saw her so many years ago. Still trim in figure, her back was ramrod straight and anchored a pair of perfectly squared shoulders. A thin, belted black leather coat was wrapped around her waist, and designer jeans and heeled shoes completed the outfit. Her hair was still jet black, pulled back in a braid, without a single strand either graying or out of formation. Cosmetics continued to remain mostly foreign to her complexion.

He mumbled something unintelligible.

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