Chapter 11

"Mr. Vice President, it is true that we are talking about your life. However, we are talking about my job. It is my job to make sure you are safe, secure, and your life is protected at all costs. We can't just 'forget' that part of my job because you are concerned about the President's safety.

"At the same time I agree that this is a very unusual problem, and one I have never had to examine before. One the one hand we are talking about you and your safety, but on the other, we are talking about possibly choosing the President over the Vice President. If you look at it strictly, that is the right thing to do.

"My agents are going to scour everything trying to find out the real deal here, and then I have to make a choice. It's the ugliest choice I ever want to have to make, but you are pushing me to choose between you and President Thornton. If I come to a place where I have pick one or the other, I will pick the President, but it will haunt me for the rest of my life."

We agreed at least in part, and I could live with that for the time being.

Everyone left, and I headed up to bed, still turning the whole problem over and over in my head.

Just as I turned out my light, the phone rang, again.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Vice President. I have to give you credit for balls, Sir. You stood up to waffle-face, and forced him to see things your way. Good show, sir."

"Who is this, and what do you really want from me?" I was tired, irritable, and running out of patience.

"What I want is obvious, Sir. A woman connected to the deposed EPA Secretary wants you dead, and we want her five million dollars. In the deal you get to not die, and everybody wins, as long as your new friends at the Secret Service unravel that idiot's plan and put her and her girlfriend in prison."

I considered that for a moment. There was an idea that wanted to bloom in the back of my mind, but I couldn't draw it up. To stall, I said, "How did you know the Treasury Secretary was here, earlier?"

He laughed. It was a satisfied laugh. "I didn't. But it was what should have happened, and I guessed that you would come out on top of the inevitable power struggle over how to proceed. Don't worry about the Service guys. They won't get near the contractor. That dopey dyke has no idea who she called, where they are, or what they can do. If she did, she would immediately move to the African dessert and hide under a rock." He laughed again, and I sensed a bond forming, at least on his part. He WANTED to be friends.

"If all this is true, the only thing that really matters is keeping the President safe. As long as that's my motive, no one can fault me for talking to you, so let me have it. What is this really all about?"

Silence...

For a long time I sat waiting for him to speak. Eventually he had to, right?

"When you put it that way, partner, I see your point," he said, somewhat grudgingly. "The federal branch is a pig-pen, where powerful pigs fleece less powerful pigs, who fleece medium powerful pigs, who fleece regular pigs. You two guys seem like you want to end that string of failed policies and make an actual sea change.

"When the imbecile dyke decided to have you capped and had the great good fortune to call my friend trying to get it done, she started a snowball rolling. It will get bigger, faster, carry more momentum, and eventually break over someone's head. Fate placed us in a spot where we can make sure the snowball breaks when we want, where we want, and on top of who we want it to burst.

"You keep breaking down the old boy and girl network, and we'll manage to keep this predator away from you.

"Don't wait up, but we'll be in touch..." and he was gone.

As soon as I hung up, I dialed zero for the Residence operator and asked my Secret Service detail to come immediately. It took them no time, and I shared as much as I could remember about the call. The lead agent, Marvin Jenkins, called Steve, and he called the Secretary. Before he could get all steamed up, I grabbed the phone out of his hand and said, "Do Not Come Back Here

Tonight. I'm not afraid, not having any nightmares, and don't care to be babysat.

"I did want Steve Gross to know I got another call, and I think I'll go to bed now. Thanks for your support and have a good night, Mr. Secretary."

Throughout the night I had a recurring dream, and an earlier tendril of an idea I was grasping at kept repeating. I couldn't grab on to it and woke frustrated at six.

Rick was waiting with a ream of paper when I came downstairs. "Mr. Vice President, I did some digging during the night and found a string of contracts that look benign, but all tie back to the former director of EPA. Do you have any idea who to turn these over to?"

"First, why don't we dispense with Mr. Vice President and try something less ... officious, shall we?"

Rick caught my drift and suggested, "How about 'Boss, ' Boss?"

"Not bad," I said. "Let's get some breakfast in this big bay," I said, patting my stomach, and leading the way towards the kitchen.

The cook had set breakfast out on a table near the study, and we picked it all up and took it back to the kitchen where we could spread out Rick's work and look it over together.

"Do any of these contracts connect back to the former director's girlfriend, Rick?" I was going to pull at that string till I found something that passed the reasonable test.

"I don't have any idea, Sir. Do you know his name?"

"I don't believe the former director likes men, Rick. At least that's what I am being led to think. Ms. Hosner seems to have a serious girlfriend, who might be furious about her girlfriend's firing, especially if it cuts her off from the taxpayer-funded gravy train. Can you follow up on that? I'll see if Steve's guys can get us a name for you, quickly."

We worked until eight and gathered up all our notes and carefully put them away where they would be safe under lock and key. My staff wouldn't bother my notes while we were gone, but why invite trouble?

When we were strapped in and flying towards CIA, Steve spoke for the first time. "Your phone calls last night really – oops, is it Ok to speak of the events of last night in front of Rick, Sir?" He was afraid he'd stepped in it, but I reminded him that he cleared Rick to work closely with me, not the other way around.

"Our electronics guys spent the night digging and identified a small group of potentials for your source. Both phones used to contact you are burners. There is no way to track them to anywhere tighter than an area, but we are drilling down and should have better info by tonight.