“Are you kidding? I can’t ask the President of the United States about-about-this.”
“Ben, you have to.”
“I most certainly do not.”
“Ben, it could be important to figuring out what really happened on April nineteenth.”
“How could this possibly relate-?”
“Just ask him about it. You two are buddies now, right? He made you his point man on this puppy. Fine. He wants your support, he should be willing to assuage any doubts you have about it.”
“What makes you think I have doubts?”
“Ben, you dither back and forth about which toothbrush to use in the morning. But I don’t care if you have doubts or you don’t. I want to hear the president’s explanation.”
“I don’t know…”
“Ben,” Christina said, giving him her most direct in-your-face look. “Heaven knows I wouldn’t want to seem pushy. But you owe me. I got those legislative holds lifted, even though I think this stupid amendment is dangerous and un-American. Now it’s your turn to do one for me.”
Ben struggled to argue with her logic, but as usual, it was unassailable. “Does it have to be the President of the United States?”
“Ben, the fact that it is the President of the United States may be the key to understanding what really happened.” Her voice dropped a notch. “To understanding why Mike is lying comatose in a hospital bed. So do this for me, Ben.” She paused. “And for him.”
34
President Blake stared out the window at the rolling back lawn behind the White House. Thank God for Teddy Roosevelt. Before him, the area where Blake now stood had been covered by gardens and greenhouses. Teddy was the one who decided he needed a retreat from his wife and boatloads of children and pets and nieces and nephews. He’d had the West Wing constructed to give himself a private retreat where he could actually get some work done. Taft enlarged it, and every president since had worked here, in this office, gazing out at this magnificent view.
When was the last time he took a moment to go outside and enjoy that lovely expanse of green? Probably not since that damned Easter Egg Roll, easily the stupidest of all the annual presidential duties. He’d rather free some idiotic Thanksgiving turkey every day than have to do that Easter egg hunt. Of course, when the cameras were rolling, he loved all the adorable orphans and inner-city youths who were rounded up each year to chase after those inedible eggs. But if it were up to him, he would’ve canceled the event a long time ago.
Emily had loved Easter, and she had taken particular joy in the egg roll. That’s the kind of person she was.
God, he missed her. He missed her so much. And the pain of separation wasn’t eased any by his lingering feelings of remorse.
There she was, staring back at him from the photograph on his desk, the slightly naughty smile, the beautiful brown eyes. What happened? she seemed to be asking. What went wrong?
He only wished he knew.
There was a knock on the northeast door. “Come in.”
Tracy Sobel entered the office, as brisk and efficient as ever. “Time for your first visitor, sir.”
Right, he thought, mentally running his calendar through his brain. He had two private confabs coming up, both relating to April 19, and neither likely to be pleasant. “Who’s on first?”
“I think it would be best to start with your Secret Service agent. He should be easier to handle.”
“And Kincaid?”
“At the helipad.” Sobel paused, thinking a moment before continuing. “Just don’t be fooled by the milquetoast mannerisms, the stammer, the awkward shyness. He’s smart.”
“So I’ve noticed. Speaking of which-I see that the legislative holds have been lifted.”
Sobel smiled slightly. “So you do read my memos after all.”
“Not to mention The Washington Post. Who leaked the names?”
“I’m not positive-but I think it was your boy Kincaid. Or someone on his staff.”
“And who organized the holds in the first place?”
“I assume it was the new Senate minority leader.”
“He says not.”
“Well, then I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything.”
“And that in and of itself is unusual enough to set my brain spinning.” He continued staring directly into her eyes. “It wasn’t, by any chance…you, was it, Tracy?”
She appeared shocked. “Me? Sir-I’m your chief of staff.”
“Yes. But I also know you personally oppose this amendment.”
“We’ve been over this ground before, sir. Regardless of what I may personally feel, I would not obstruct a piece of legislation you yourself proposed.”
“No, you’d get someone else to do it. Like three senators who could prevent it from getting to the Senate floor indefinitely.”
“Sir, I assure you I did nothing of the kind. I have never been anything but loyal to you. Don’t you trust me?”
President Blake leaned back in his chair and stretched. “I hope this won’t shock you, Tracy, but I didn’t get this office by trusting people. Trust is for losers. You win by eliminating trust from the equation. By leaving people no choice but to do what you want them to do.”
“Then you don’t believe me.”
Blake laid his hands flat on his desk. “If you tell me you had nothing to do with it, then I have no choice but to accept that.”
Sobel took the tiniest step closer. “Sir, I had absolutely nothing to do with those legislative holds.”
“Good. I’m glad.” He rearranged some papers on his desk. “Would you please send in Agent Zimmer?”
“Of course, sir,” she said, but something about the way she said it told him that this wasn’t over yet. Which was fine. If she did it, let her worry. If she didn’t do it…
Well, it probably still wouldn’t hurt for her to be a trifle on edge. Worry was a healthy thing. And he didn’t like anyone who worked for him to be too brisk and efficient. Made him a little crazy.
“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. President,” Agent Zimmer said as they shook hands. “I truly appreciate it.”
“Least I can do,” Blake replied, as if a private conference with the president were the most common thing in the world. “After all you’ve done for me.”
“I guess I should get right to it-”
“Let me stop you before you even start, Max,” the president said, snatching a piece of paper from his desktop. “I’ve seen your letter of resignation. And my answer is: No way in hell.”
“Sir, I had valid reasons-”
“I don’t care. I need you.”
“The Service has hundreds of capable agents-”
“I want you.”
Zimmer paused, unsure what to say next. The thought most dominant in his brain was: This man’s wife died while I was protecting her. And yet he did not seem to bear Zimmer the least malice, didn’t assign the least blame. He was being so generous, it bordered on the inhuman.
