A phone rang in the background.
“That’s mine.” Nick rushed into his office. “Creed” he said. A moment later, the color in his face drained. “You rotten son of a bitch. You do that and I’ll personally hunt you down and shoot you.”
Matt turned when he heard the uncharacteristic fury in Nick’s voice.
“You go public with that bunch of crap and I promise – and I mean
He emerged a short while later, his muddy-gray gaze as hard as cast iron. “Call Carolyn and tell her we’ve got a problem,” he said to Matt. “Have her meet us in the Situation Room as soon as possible. You come too, Matt. Get Ernie and call Warner.” He grabbed his car keys for the short drive to the Lane residence. “Son of a bitch, it’s eleven-thirty. Only a half an hour to Election Day. Why now?”
“What’s going on? We’re all supposed to be resting up for tomorrow.” Carolyn had been last to arrive at the Situation Room. Her face was scrubbed clean and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She looked fresh, calm, exhilarated.
“Nick received a phone call from a reporter who told him that Warner has an illegitimate child and that they’re going public with the information in tomorrow’s early edition.” Matt said.
Warner paled. “That’s not true.”
Ernie grasped Warner’s arm.
“You have a child?” Carolyn asked her voice barely above a whisper.
“I swear it’s not true.”
“You bastard.” She slapped him across the face. The smack reverberated through the room.
Warner touched the welt glowing on his cheek. “Carolyn, I don’t-”
She turned her back on his protests, afraid that if she even looked at him, she’d lose control. They were so close she could smell the scent of Washington’s cherry blossoms.
“Where’s Richard?” she asked.
“We haven’t called him.” Matt said.
“He’s part of this team.” she said. “Get him on the line and update him.”
Ernie moved into the hallway with his cell phone.
“The reporter told me that they know who the mother is and the child’s name.” Nick said. “They located them in St. Louis.”
“But it’s not true! She’s lying-”
Carolyn spun to face Warner. “If you kept your dick in your pants this wouldn’t be an issue. Do you have her phone number?”
Warner nodded.
She turned back to Nick. “Call her. Pay her off.” Carolyn glared at Warner, “The poor woman probably needs the money. And make sure the child’s well cared for.” She paused. “Then, get to the reporter. I don’t care what you have to do or say. This cannot happen. An accusation like this will destroy us. If it comes out in the morning, we won’t have time to react.”
“The reporter didn’t leave his name.” Matt said. “We have no way of contacting him.”
“What are you telling me? How could you not get his name?” Carolyn cried. “This can’t be happening!”
“He refused to identify himself. I knew the Secret Service would have the line tapped, so I didn’t worry about it.”
“Call security. They can trace it,” Carolyn said.
“We already did. It was a pay phone in St. Louis.”
“That certainly narrows it down.” Carolyn didn’t care that she sounded sarcastic.
“Not really. The reporter could be
“Think, damn it! Didn’t he give you any clues?”
“Not one clue. I’ve gone over the whole conversation, but I didn’t recognize his voice.” Nick said. “He outlined his scoop. I went into some details of what would happen if he followed through, and then he hung up.”
Warner rose. “I need a drink,” he said to no one in particular. As he left the room he flipped open his mobile phone.
Carolyn registered his departure, but didn’t follow him. First, she had to find a way to save them from the disaster that loomed over their campaign. “I need to speak privately with Nick, so will you all excuse us for now?” she asked quietly.
A subdued group of advisors departed the room.
Carolyn took a deep breath and calmed herself. Less than twenty-four hours to victory. They had to stop this – no matter what. “Call Mark Dailey. You and he coordinate the investigators. I want every one of them acting on this tonight and I don’t care what we have to do to stop this train wreck from happening. Now, please.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Nick promised.
“I know you will.” she said softly. “Make sure Richard is thoroughly briefed. He needs to know what’s going on. He should have been called immediately.”
“It was an oversight,” Nick said.
“Don’t let it happen again.”
Nick nodded.
Warner made a confidential emergency call for help to Edmund. The resources of the Council reached far into the press. The source of the threat boiled down to a handful of major news organizations. The independent newspapers would be too small to make an impact before the electorate cast their ballots. After Cain’s forces were deployed there was nothing more anyone could do, except wait until the newspapers came out in the morning.
FIFTY-ONE
Each time zone meant big newspaper releases, starting with the east coast. As soon as the latest edition arrived, Nick and Matt searched for the incriminating story. They found nothing. Finally, morning dawned in Missouri. None of them had slept. When the local papers came off the press, there still was no sign of the threatened expose.
“Just a few more hours,” Nick said. “Then we’re in the clear.”
Carolyn paced the room, glancing at the clock every few minutes, willing the hands to move forward.
At seven-forty-five A.M… Carolyn appeared in a red Donna Karan dress, and Warner wore a midnight blue, double-breasted Armani suit with a white shirt and a navy-and-red striped tie. Clasping hands, holding their heads high, confident smiles secure, they walked down their front porch steps and out to the limousine that would take them to their assigned polling place. They would be the first to cast their ballots in Missouri.
People lined the sidewalk, and camera strobes flashed as they left their car and strode over to the rope line for a few handshakes with other voters before walking into the building to vote. Carolyn walked a few steps behind Warner, bracing herself for possible questions.
The room was silent.
Nick replaced the receiver. “That’s it.”
Carolyn was the first to speak. “Are you sure?”
She could barely breathe.
“Positive.” he said. “Ohio put us over the top!”
“Oh, my God,” Carolyn said. Tears spilled onto her cheeks. “Oh, my God! We won! WARNER, WE WON!”
