Interestingly the news had also failed to report the arrest of Aaron Jackson, but Darnell figured it was due to the fact that he was a minor and therefore was required to be protected by the police in regards to the media.
The following morning, after yet another line of questioning from the FBI, they were just about to hail a cab to take them to the airport when the hotel manager ran out and handed them an envelope. Darnell opened it nervously but was delighted to find a special invitation.
‘We’re wanted at the White House.’
An hour later and a swift change into fresh attire, and Darnell was sitting outside the Oval Office in his tuxedo, which he’d worn just two evenings before when his meal with Vanessa was interrupted by the call to visit Ford’s Theatre.
Darnell sat on his own in the Cross Hall. A red carpet with a gold rim ran across the hallway. The National Flag stood proudly beside every door, and marble arches and chandeliers lined the corridors. He’d visited the White House before on an organised tour with his family but had never been invited on official business. He wasn’t sure if he should be excited or scared about the impending meeting with the head of state.
A door to the right of him opened and Vanessa stepped out, dressed in a black formal dress with lace sleeves, which she picked up from her apartment where her sister had excitedly handed her the freshly ironed attire. Around her neck, she had a blue ribbon with a gold star hovering above her chest. She smiled at Darnell with a look of astonishment.
‘He’s ready for you,’ Vanessa said, her voice shaking with excitement. She clutched onto her chest as the adrenalin kicked in.
‘How did it go?’ Darnell nervously asked.
‘It was amazing. Better than I could ever imagine. You’ll be just fine, I promise you.’
‘Your son didn’t help snatch the body of Abraham Lincoln. I doubt he’s my biggest fan right now,’ Darnell replied with an air of scepticism. He took a deep breath and walked through the doors into the Oval Office.
Two caramel leather chairs sat parallel to each other in the centre of the round room. A bay window looked out onto Washington and, before it, a desk gave its owner a space to address the nation. A painting of George Washington hung above a fireplace and a rug with the nation’s eagle took centre stage. Behind the desk, the President stood waiting for his guest. His sparkling brown eyes and silvering hair were just as dazzling as his photographs suggested.
Darnell stood still and looked at the man who was the first ever to have his position who looked just like him; African American. The detective reminisced about the night he was elected and felt the same rush of adrenaline he now experienced as he stood just a metre away from him. He didn’t understand the world of celebrity, but he got the same goose bumps now that his wife had described after meeting Bon Jovi at a backstage meet and greet package, which he bought for her birthday.
‘Detective Jackson,’ the President said.
‘Mr President.’ Darnell shakily replied and bowed his head, lightly giggling that the leader of the free world knew his name.
‘I never got to personally thank you for saving my life back in Illinois. I was told what a heroic job you did back then.’
‘It was nothing, sir. Really, just some good insight and a gut feeling when something ain’t right.’
‘I heard you pounced on the guy when you spotted a gun. My own security didn’t even see him and they’re meant to be the best in the world.’
‘Well I’ve been in the game a long time, sir.’ Darnell grew a little red and a bead of sweat dribbled down his forehead, which he dabbed with a hanky.
‘Please take a seat.’ He held out his hand towards the chair before his desk and Darnell obliged. ‘You’ve been on quite a journey, I hear.’
‘It’s been one hell of a tour,’ Darnell said, before placing a hand over his mouth. ‘Apologies, I shouldn’t swear.’
The President laughed and waved his hand. ‘You and Detective Jamison have been quite a pair, so I hear. You’ve delved into the minds of this crooked team and brought our former president home. I wanted to invite you here today to simply say thank you.’
‘Thank you, sir. It’s truly an honour.’
‘This morning, our small task force on the case have interviewed all the suspects involved and with some degree of influence, we’ve managed to get them all to agree to a bargaining plea. They’ll serve some time, let me assure you, but they’ve had it easy compared to the standard domestic terrorism charges we could’ve had on them. We’ll simply tell the news outlets that it was a simple ransom case. ’
‘You’re letting them off?’ Darnell gasped.
‘Not at all. But this way we can avoid the court cases and maintain Lincoln’s legacy along with it. We don’t want to bring light to some of their ridiculous claims.’
‘Excuse my position here, Mr President, but are they ridiculous?’ Darnell asked furiously, suddenly forgetting that the man before him was the leader of the free world. ‘Vanessa and I have spent some
