Chapter 9: : Presidential Marshal

Cassie woke up multiple times that night. When the new security detail reported she awoke. Then Cpl. Lambskin stuck her head into the room, checking on her. Each time, within seconds, she had fallen back to sleep.

The final wakeup was approximately 8:00 when the door to her room opened and Cpl. Lambskin rolled in a food cart. Cassie sat up, holding the covers to her chest. Cassie's scan found a robe lying across her bed over her legs.

Sitting up, she pulled the robe over her upper torso and then stood where she could tie the belt on the robe. A quick trip to the bathroom and she was back sitting at the table where Cpl. Lambskin had set out the meal.

She was hungry and the food disappeared off the plates. Cassie felt like a new person after her second cup of coffee. It was good coffee, just not as good as they made at home. That stopped her for a second; she had referred to the estate as home without a second thought. It was! It was her home.

Finished with her breakfast, she stood up and took one last sip of the coffee. Then Cpl. Lambskin set to work on her. She used cotton swabs and ointments to remove any old makeup. Then she put a new face on Cassie.

An hour after getting out of bed, Cassie stepped out of her suite fully dressed in a Navy-blue uniform suit. Her chain was a triple braided gold thread. She pulled her Glock and inspected it. It was clean and ready for action. Her backup was the same.

She hung her credentials off her gun belt so that both the badge and the ID could be seen with a flick of her wrist to the bottom of her jacket.

Cassie activated her comm unit. "This is Shadow I am on the move."

"Roger, this is Security Lead; we got the hall, where to Ma'am."

"Shadow, I'm going to my father's room."

"Security 2, your father has been notified."

"Tell him to save me some coffee."

Entering her father's suite, Cassie found him sitting at the table with his breakfast before him. He was fully dressed with his suit jacket hanging on a rack against the wall.

"Well Cassie, any plans for shaking up Washington today?"

"No, but they really almost blew it yesterday."

"They don't know you, not yet. I think the President is seeing beneath the surface. If so, our welcome will be different today."

Cassie took a sip of the coffee before setting the cup down firmly and stood up.

Saying nothing, her father stood and put on his jacket. Then they walked out of the suite.

"Sergeant Schultz"

"Staff Sergeant Schultz, here Ma'am."

"I have no idea how long we will be or if we will be staying another night, so standby."

"Roger Ma'am, rear detail will stand by,"

They exited the Hotel through a side door where the Limo was waiting. The Security detail was basically unknown to Cassie.

One of the problems with having the same Security Detail the majority of the time was showing itself. These people had never worked with her; their only point of familiarity was reports and rumors.

She stopped "Security HQ, I need introductions I don't recognize any of my detail."

Cassie pivoted and stepped back inside the side entrance and then to the side.

She heard Security going all over the detail commander. "Why did you not see to introduction in a secured position? Shadow stepped out and saw no one she recognized! She is in a poor security position. You should know the protocol. Always be sure the primary knows you and knows the chain of command! Sergeant your relief is on the way. Stand by until relieved."

"Cassie, what's wrong?" Her father looked around the side entrance way carefully, and then focused down the hall.

She had scanned three of her people exiting the elevators and rushing toward her. They were fixing their uniforms as they came.

Cassie grinned as she noted SSgt Schultz, Cpl. Perkins and Cpl. Jerkin, all armed and moving rapidly in her direction.

Staff Sergeant Schultz came to attention, "Backup detail reporting Ma'am."

"Who screwed the pooch Schultz?"

"Maybe all of us Ma'am; the new detail that relieved Sgt. Townsend reported and did their job. The morning relief detail did not do so. They followed the night relief detail and just found rooms for the night and put in a wake-up call."

"This morning they knew they were to be the escort detail so they took that position. All detail commanders knew most of them and took it for granted that they had reported in."

"I should have paid more attention."

"No, I put you in a staff position with no command function. You get things done because of who and what you are without the authority needed to Command. Did you, at any time see, hear or feel that anything was wrong? If yes, then you could have come straight to me for orders. If not, then there was no error on your part. We need to get those protocols worked out and make them second nature. That Detail commander should have recognized that something was wrong and brought it up."

"Where is Sgt Townsend?'

"He was up for two hours after being relieved to show the relief commander the perimeters, floors, and the location of all primaries. He has had only a couple of hours sleep. Acting in my staff function I advised the backup details to let him sleep for another two hours."

"Do you know this detail's personnel?"

"Yes Ma'am, I verified that when they all came in last night. Ma'am, you need to meet with all Security detail commanders as soon as possible."

"Put it on the list with the other thousands of things I need to do."

"Okay, Security, the Shadow is moving."

"Security HQ, Roger that Shadow."

"Coachman 2, the Shadow approaches."

When they were out of the Hotel, Cpl Jerkin grabbed the door of the Limo and swung it open. Grace was on her other side and was glaring at the other Security personnel to back off. Schultz went in first and then Cassie was right behind her. Grace shoved her to the middle of the seat and took the Passenger side. Cpl Jerkins opened the shotgun side in front and took that.

Cassie watched the rest of the detail scramble trying to find seats for all of them. As they pulled out, the lonely Sergeant stood by himself in the driveway.

Cassie switched her channel to Captain Gifford.

"Captain Gifford?"

"Captain Gifford, on the network, how can I help you Ma'am?"

"Captain we had a screw up here in town. I came down to take my ride to the White House and did not recognize a single one of the Security detail waiting to escort me."

"Didn't the commander report in last night when he arrived?"

"No, he did not report to me or any of the other detail commanders, so I stepped out to enter the Limo and there were nothing but strangers."

"You mean there was a complete breakdown of Security Protocol!"

"Yes Captain, Security HQ should have a report soon. The Commander was relieved immediately; I picked up an escort from my personnel. The other detail scrambled to find rides. All but the commander made it to other vehicles and is proceeding to the White House."

"Oh my God! Cassie, I have no excuse for such sloppy performance, especially after the attack the other night."

"Captain, fix it. Start right now."

"Shadow out"

"Captain Gifford, roger out."

"Security HQ, Roger all out."

This time the reception at the gate entrance was a little different. They were directed to the front Portico where the doors were opened and held for them to exit the Limo. A secret service agent jumped into the Limo and gave directions to the driver where to park the Limo.

After entering the front door to the White House, Security approached for the wand treatment. Cassie waved them to halt. She removed her credentials with its badge and placed it in a plastic container on the desk. Then she undid her belt with both holsters containing her guns and her comm unit and laid them in the container. She next removed her gold chain that held her jacket closed and included it with the others in the container. Once more she spread her arms and lowered her head for the wand.

The hot spot on her chest, the combs in her hair and her ear buds were all sensed and cleared by the Secret Service Agent.

They removed her guns from their holsters and stored them in a locked box behind the desk. All the rest of her things were returned to her. They took a few minutes to put back on.

Schultz and Perkins both had to do the same though Schultz just smiled and opened her brief case showing a laptop and a portable scanner and a few papers and then held her arms out to her sides. They turned and Cassie spotted the Marine Captain from the previous night headed her way.

"Ms. Howard." He said with a bow.

"Captain Howell, a pleasure to see you again."

A person stepped up to them. "I am Gerald Lindsey, White House Protocol Officer."

"If you have no objection Captain Howell will be your escort while here today."

"I would appreciate that Mr. Lindsey."

They turned and proceeded down the hall toward the back of the White House. Then they turned into another hallway.

"Who are you Ms. Howard?" the Captain asked.

"Who am I? Why I am Cassandra Howly Howard, the daughter of George and Sarah Howly Howard."

"No, you are something more than the surface identity. I have not seen this place rumble like this since the President of the Russian Federation visited last year."

"Take the Protocol Officer. He knows the precedence and address of every title, position or ruler in the world. You shook him up. He almost stuttered when he addressed you."

"Oh, in case you were not told," he looked at both her and her father who had been a silent witness, "The First Lady will be present when you enter the Oval Office."

"That is very unusual. She is normally presented in one of the family rooms. Normally, she never goes to the Oval Office. She'd rather you call her by her first name, Mabel."

He escorted them to the entrance to the Oval Office with idle chatter about the White House. The Secret Service agent there checked only their identity at the door and then opened the door for them to enter.

Cassie motioned to the hallway which had chairs down it length. "Schultz, Grace wait here for me."

"Yes Ma'am." Schultz answered. Grace frowned but followed Schultz to the chairs.

The President and his wife stood up to greet them as they entered.

The Captain escorted Cassie to her chair. This time she was given precedence over her father who was seated to her side.

Her scan detected him trying to hide his smile. Her Dad had been right. The procedures today were changed.

"Mr. President, I am pleased to meet you today."

"And I, you Special Deputy Marshal Howard."

"As I recently told an FBI agent, my rank is more an honorary position then a regular one. It is mainly a way to allow me to carry a concealed weapon."

At that moment, a door opened and a man pushed a serving cart into the room.

"Ms. Howard, before I get left out again, I am Mabel." The First Lady said. She reached over to take Cassie's hand. When she released it she gave it a very slight squeeze.

"And before further discussion, thank you for my husband's life."

Cassie had nothing to say. This was really the first time that she even thought of the real implication of what she had done. She found that she was slightly embarrassed, something that had rarely happened to her.

You just don't tell the President, or his wife, that saving him was nothing. It was something! The ramifications of his death in the White House would have thrown the whole world into chaos.

"You are welcome, Mabel. I was advised that you wish to be called by your first name?"

"Oh yes, I fear I will have forgotten it by the time we leave Washington. Everybody just loves calling me First Lady!"

All the time they were talking she had been acting as the hostess, pouring coffee for her husband and Cassie's father.

"Coffee or Tea?", she asked.

"I love coffee. Thank you."

Cassie lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. She noticed that 'Mabel' had poured herself a cup. It was not as good as her coffee made in a Moka pot.

They sat there for a few minutes, more like any visiting friends. Then the President looked at his wife as he moved a file on his desk.

"Well, Ms. Howard it has been my pleasure meeting you. If possible, we should meet again for just a social visit. Leave me your card before you go. I must now run, I have a meeting with the National Parent Teacher Association committee." With that, she stood and shook hands with Cassie and her Dad and left the room.

"She hates to be in the room with me when I discuss anything to do with my position as President. But she does actually have that meeting she needs to attend."

"Now, Ms. Howard, I know a lot more about you today than I did when you left early this morning. NSA, FBI, even the CIA had files stacked up on my desk this morning."

"Do you really know what you have in Idaho?"

"NSA moved a geological survey satellite into position before the sun rose this morning. They might have previously missed what you found, but having a location to start from they have been able to do a rather intense survey now. Our estimate is that you are sitting on top of the largest accessible gold source in the world. There are larger ones but they are harder and more costly to access."

"You are going to end up one of the richest females on earth. With good money management you will become one of the richest individuals on earth."

"Your personal enemies were a little harder to identify, but the CIA is very good at that. Even though they are not supposed to work within the USA, something like this brings all our intelligence agencies into play."

"The consensus of the National Intelligence Committee is that your enemies are inside your extended family. As they do not represent a danger to the Government or people of the United States of America, we can take no further action in this matter."

He looked at her with a cold dead look. Then a smile lit up his face for a minute.

"The Committee also said that you have already done more damage to them then they have even thought possible."

"Having studied all of this and, interpolating what you are doing down there on your estate, it was the consensus of the Committee that a little help is all you will need. Mainly, this help is to prevent incidental interference from agencies not in the know."