Chapter 42

Colleen, Rebecca, Beth Ann, Regina, and the children arrived, with their nurses and luggage on a Wednesday. I reassigned my personal physician back to Bethesda Naval Hospital with my thanks, and installed them all in the big lodge at Camp David. Jim and Millie followed the next day, and I changed my mind and appointed Jim and Colleen as my co-chief counsels, bypassing everyone, and ignoring protocol.

Beth Ann and Regina were introduced as family members and accepted without question. What goes on at Camp David, stays at Camp David, and our new staff was intimately aware of my feeling on the subject. The Navy and Marine staff loved the babies and fussed over them non-stop. Sarah and her horde of assistants didn't work in the Lodge, or even near it, so they never came in contact with my brood.

Because of the successful assault on the White House, and Charles' death, there were no visitors, including media, to Camp David. The lodge was perfect for us, until the White House was repaired. We spread out and used it all. To keep my distance from Ken when we needed to meet, I flew in and met him at my suite in the Capital. The Speaker had arranged it when he realized that the White House would be unusable for months. He had to evict a senator of very long standing, but I was told that he moved to other accommodations gracefully, and I added him to my list to appoint when a cabinet opening occurred.

Ken and his staff still used the Vice president's office in the Executive Office Building, and I stayed away from him, not wanting to give anything away by accident.

The babies were beautiful, loving, sweet, and gave me no end of joy. We cuddled, played, cuddled some more, and then played until they were so exhausted they slept the night through. Colleen and my ladies conspired to keep me up all night and make sure I never lacked for attention. Regina enjoyed the limo rides, and Colleen came to love the choppers. I couldn't wait to get them out on Air Force One.

All this, and I still had to deal with the funerals.

Roger Wallace, the Pastor at Charles' home church in Indiana, preached a very lovely funeral service. My mind stayed fixed on his words, and when the Secret Service hoisted the casket of President Charles Thornton onto their shoulders for the trek to the caisson, I blinked away tears. Charles had a very small family, and Diane had only her father. The crowd inside National Cathedral was immense, but close family it was not.

This was the first of many funerals I would be attending. Protocol had it that those who worked for Charles Thornton would be buried after his funeral, and all the families affected seemed to accept that as appropriate. Air Force One would be carrying me hither and yon to show respect for all those who gave their lives trying to save Charles, Diane, Shirley, and my playmate, little Casey.

Things had been almost out of control since I was awakened by the phone with news of the attack on the White House, so flying to funerals would be my first trips on Air Force One. My new staff, gargantuan in size and scope, included a very talented speechwriter that caught on very quickly that I needed notes more than speeches, giving me the flexibility to craft my words to those listening.

I walked behind the coffins, out of respect and a desire to have Charles linger a little longer. He, Diane, Shirley, and little Casey were as close as family for me, and more beloved because mine had to be so far away much of the time. As I followed the littlest casket, containing Casey's broken remains, I recalled how quickly she chose me to be her friend and playmate, and how much joy that gave Diane.

Every flag flew at half-staff as the President's remains made their final trek out to Arlington National Cemetery, as a sign of respect for our slain leader. Tens of thousands of people lined the route to Arlington and watched from windows, rooftops, and almost any fixed object that got them high enough to catch a glimpse of the four caissons.

My message at their joint funeral was emotional for me, and I let myself show my human side, while holding in check my determination to hunt down and destroy those responsible. Rick and Jack were busy building my new inner circle, and I was appointing people to key positions, who embodied my concept of loyalty, strength, and commitment.

Once we were fully operational, I suspected that those responsible would have a very short life expectancy. My dreams were full of plots, violence, rabbit trails of information, and unexpected surprises.

Even now, Jack was bringing me news of 'irregularities' in the financial portfolios of several key players. When his hackers drilled deeper, they uncovered ties to others, who had opposite irregularities, and whose activities warranted further investigation.

Anderson and Shane turned into bulldogs, pulling people out of mundane assignments and turning them loose on those we began to suspect. Shane Victorello embraced my orders to Steve - everyone even loosely associated with Charles' Secret Service staff, detail, and executive ring were unceremoniously retired, fired, or transferred to far off places and less glamorous assignments.

The grumbling was inevitable, but even it dried up when Steve let it slip that those who complained would find themselves investigated as suspects in the assassination of the President and his family. No one wanted blame for that hung on them for the rest of their lives.

Using the change at the top as an excuse, four members of Charles' Cabinet notified me of their intention to leave government service as quickly as replacements could be named. We were prepared, and all four cleaned out their desks the same day. Their inner staff was broken up. Some left federal employment, and the rest were reassigned far from sixteen hundred Pennsylvania Avenue and any cabinet offices.