that on a gloomy day in April a disgraced and humbled Dan Cox addressed his fellow Americans from the Oval Office and announced that he would resign the presidency of the United States at noon the following day.
And he did.
CHAPTER 89
A MONTH AFTER COX'S resignation Sean and Michelle once more visited Atlee.
Tippi Quarry had been buried beside her mother in the graveyard of a nearby church. Based on evidence that Sean and Michelle had given as to the time of Sam Quarry's death, his estate had passed to Ruth Ann Macon under the terms of the will that Sean had found in the basement, since Quarry's death had preceded hers, if only by an hour or so.
And that meant that Gabriel, as her only living descendant, inherited Sam Quarry's property. Sean was working on the legal part of all this with a lawyer licensed in Alabama. They were planning to sell the two hundred acres to a real estate developer who was willing to pay a price high enough that Gabriel would have no problem paying for college and with quite a bit left over.
After they finished meeting with the lawyer and representatives of the developer they were walking back to their rental car when a voice reached them.
'Hello?'
They turned to see a man with brown skin, shoulder-length white hair, a wide-brimmed straw hat, and a heavily wrinkled face. He was standing by where the porch to the house had once been.
'Hello, back,' said Sean. They walked over.
'Are you Fred?' said Michelle.
Fred nodded as he moved toward them.
'I'm Michelle, this is my partner, Sean.'
They shook hands and then surveyed where the plantation had once stood.
'Did you know Sam?' asked Fred.
'A little. I suppose you did?'
'Good man. Let me live on his land. Brought me smokes and the Jim Beam. I'm going to miss him. I'm going to miss them all. I guess I'm the only one left now that Gabriel isn't living here anymore. I had two indigenous staying with me, but they moved on.'
'Koasati?' she asked.
'The lost people, yes. How did you know?'
'Lucky guess.'
'I hear the property is being sold. Are you involved in that? I saw you meeting with some folks.'
'That's right. But Gabriel told us about you and we've made provision that you and your Airstream will still have a place here.'
Fred smiled grimly. 'I doubt that'll matter.'
'Why?'
He coughed deeply. 'Doctor says I've only got a few more months left. Lung thing.'
'I'm sorry,' Sean said.
'Don't be. I'm old. I'm supposed to die.' He put a small hand on Michelle's sleeve. 'Would you like to come back to my trailer for a beer? It's close by here. And my Airstream has never seen anyone as beautiful as this young lady.'
Michelle smiled. 'How can a girl refuse an offer like that?'
They sat inside his little trailer and drank a bottle of beer each and Fred regaled them with stories about Sam and Gabriel and life at Atlee.
'You know, I could always tell that Sam was unhappy. He tried not to show it, but he was an unhappy man.'
Sean took a swig of beer and nodded. 'I think you're right there.'
'Sam had great respect for our culture. Asked me lots of questions about it. Our symbols and rituals.'
Sean sat up. 'Fred, I saw a mark on Sam's arm one time.' On the layer of dust on a rickety table in the trailer, Sean drew it out and spoke as he did so. 'Four lines. A long one intersected by two perpendicular ones at each end, with a short one in the middle.'
Fred was already nodding before he finished. 'I told him about that. You see, in Native American culture that is the mark of spiritual protection. It's not Koasati, but another tribal language. Not sure which one. Anyway, the left line means winyan, or woman. The right mark stands for wicasa, or man. The long center line stands for the wakanyeza, or innocent children.'
'But what does it mean?' asked Sean.
'It means it's the responsibility of the parent to always protect the child.'
Sean looked at Michelle. 'Thanks, Fred. That really clears it up.'
On the drive back to the airport, Michelle said, 'How do people like Jane and Dan Cox go as far as they have?'
'Because she's strong and tough and will do whatever it takes. And he has the gift of making people want to root for him. A real people person.'
'So that's all it takes? God help us.'
'But it all comes with a price, Michelle.'
'Really?' she said skeptically.
'Knowing that one day it could all come crashing down.'
'That doesn't seem to be enough of a price to pay, sorry.'
'Trust me, his resigning the presidency was just the beginning. They're looking at a few decades of depositions and trials. And they'll be real lucky if both their butts don't end up in prison.'
'We can only hope they're not that lucky.'
They drove on for a few more miles before Sean reached in the backseat and slid something out of his briefcase. Michelle, who was driving, looked over at it.
'What's that?'
'The file you threw in the Dumpster the night you broke into Horatio Barnes's office.'
'What? How?'
'I came around the corner in time to see you chuck it. I got it out and dried it off. I haven't read it, Michelle. I would never do that. But I thought you might want to have it.'
She glanced down at the pile of papers. 'Thanks, but I don't need it. My dad and I already worked it out.'
'So you already know what it says?'
'I know enough, Sean. I know enough.'
After they landed in D.C., Michelle drove her SUV out of the airport parking lot. Thirty minutes later they were at Michelle's apartment. They had decided that Gabriel would stay at her place for now, but Sean would be an equal caretaker.
Tonight, though, Gabriel was sleeping over at none other than Chuck Waters's house. The FBI agent had six kids, three of them near Gabriel's age, and the veteran and sour-faced federal cop had shown that he had a very soft heart for children and had taken to Gabriel immediately. The agent lived out in Manassas and over the last few months Gabriel had gotten to be good friends with all the Waters kids. Sean thought Chuck was secretly recruiting the highly intelligent Gabriel for a career in the FBI once he finished college. However, Sean had set Gabriel straight on that. 'You gotta aim higher than the FBI,' he'd told Gabriel as the two of them and Michelle were having dinner one night.
'Higher how?'
'The Secret Service of course,' Michelle had answered.
Michelle dropped the car keys on the kitchen counter. 'Help yourself to a beer. I'm going to grab a quick shower and change into some fresh clothes. Then maybe we can get some dinner.'
'I'll give Waters a call and check on Gabriel.' He smiled. 'This dad thing isn't so bad.'
