Perfect Killer by Lewis Perdue Read Free Book Online Page B

their greetings.
"You're looking well this morning Greg," LaHaye said to the pudgy man. "Thank you, Laura," the man said.
At the sideboard, all six people swapped handshakes and greetings. "Dan, I don't think you've met Greg McGovern," Braxton said of the short, round
man. "Greg is the head of research and development at Defense Therapeutics.' Pastry crumbs clung to the corner of McGovern's mouth. He reeked of an overdose of expensive cologne. Braxton spoke often about this man, expressing his exasperation over the scientist's slovenly ways, but always conceding this as an acceptable trade-off for
McGovern's near-Hawking-like genius in molecular pharmacology.
"Pleasure," Gabriel lied as he shook McGovern's clammy hand slick with pastry
butter. Gabriel resisted the immediate impulse to wipe his hand on the thigh of his pants. "Good," Braxton said as he picked up a plate and loaded it from the breakfast
buffet. "Let's move along. We have a lot to cover this morning."
Gabriel made a pretense of spilling the first couple of pieces of fruit, which offered
the opportunity to wipe off his hand as he cleaned up the convenient mess. Two audiovisual functionaries pulled down blackout shades over the numerous
windows and lowered the screen in front of the overhead projector.
"Your standing in the polls has certainly skyrocketed," said CEO Walter Bentley. "My campaign people are awfully talented," Braxton said modestly "They've been
working very, very hard."
"The Democrats and Republicans seem to be working hard for you as well,"
Bentley said with a chuckle. "The more mud their candidates sling, the better you look." "Well, it's still early in the primary season," said Braxton. "We have a long way to
go to maintain our lead so we can lance the abscess which threatens our way of life." Braxton stood up, holding his coffee cup in one hand. The lights dimmed
immediately, and from high up in the rear of the room came the whir of a projector fan. In
front of the table, a simple graph filled the screen.
"Thank you very much for interrupting your tight schedules, but as you know, the
elections are approaching, and because—God willing—Dan Gabriel's probably going to
be the next secretary of defense, it's vital to bring him up to speed on the significant
progress you're making." Braxton looked at each one and, in turn, got their nods of
appreciation. "I have a series of briefings arranged for Dan, but I want him to have as
much time as possible for him to get to know you all after this formal session is over." Again, nods all around. Then Braxton addressed Gabriel. "Dan, I know you're
familiar with some of what I have to say, but bear with me because it's vital for
establishing the context for addressing the single most serious problem facing American
armed forces today: overextension and underfunding. "With his free hand, he pulled from
his pocket a custom-made laser pointer, which had been built into a .50-caliber round. "This data clearly shows that for the past thirty years, the number of personnel
under arms and the net present value of defense appropriations, adjusted for inflation, have
both been falling." His pointer emphasized the decline, then moved on to the bottom part
of the slide. "At this very same time, global demands for U.S. military intervention have
been rising." He paused for effect and took a sip from his cup.
"In short, every year we get more to do and less to do it with."
A new slide appeared.
"Technology leverages our effectiveness. Computers allow a single Apache attack
helicopter pilot to deliver the firepower of an artillery battalion; advanced guidance
systems mean one precision bomb can do the work that hundreds used to do; satellite and
other electronic surveillance can give us usable data like never before."
He drained his coffee cup and set it on the table.
"The most recent Iraq war clearly proved the power of light, fast, smart troops. But
it also demonstrated that the soldier has become the weak link now that