Chapter 11

Constance was waiting for me at the helicopter, and as soon as we were belted in it took off but didn't head toward Camp David. The Judge obviously had some other agenda for me, but didn't think to tell me, so I relaxed and went with the flow.

To my surprise we landed on the White House lawn, and were ushered into the building through a rear door. Constance was dismissed by her boss to check her mail, and I was hustled to the elevator and taken to the bunker deep underground where I found the President and Shane Victorello waiting for me.

Hawk smiled and shook my hand, and Shane put his arm partway around my shoulders, to lead me to a seat at the small conference table.

Hawk cleared his throat, but Shane spoke first. "We have a situation," he said. His face was as serious as a heart attack, and his hand shook just the tiniest bit when he said that. I waited patiently. There was nothing I could add to what he said, and since I had no idea what he was talking about, there was nothing for me to say.

They looked me over like I was a lab rat, which was very uncomfortable, but still I waited for them to say what they brought me there to hear.

"We need your help, again..." This came from the President.

Shane Victorello took it from there. "When Samantha Young was taken into custody late last night, the phones of a number of people thought to be involved in a plot against the President lit up like New Year's Eve. Several of those phones were tapped and your name came up more than once, as the source of the info that resulted in Samantha's arrest. We think there is going to be, if there isn't already, another attempt on your life."

They let me think about that for a little while, and instead of responding directly, I asked a question. "Is that why you're down here, instead of in your office? Is the threat to you that serious, Mr. President?"

Shane answered. "Anytime there is even a hint of a threat to the President, we take it very seriously, and put a protective shell around the President." He thought that would suffice, but I continued.

"Mr. Secretary, you have to know that Governor Branford and Samantha Young were an item when she was working on campaigns in the upper mid-west, right? I heard all about it when Governor Gray was appointed Vice President, and was having that open affair with Samantha Young."

They both stiffened like I'd slapped them. "How could you know that, Kevin?" Shane asked.

"Mr. Secretary, if you want to know anything going on in the Federal Government, just ask a page. We're everywhere, and treated like a piece of furniture. Congressmen and Senators talk in front of us like we're not there, all the time." That answer was perfect. Shane was satisfied because it made perfect sense.

Victorello turned to Hawk and said, "I am sorry, Mr. President, but we need to look DEEPLY into the Vice President's habits, behavior, phone records, and visits. Until we can exclude him as a suspect, we have to treat him as a threat. We do not want another assassination rocking the government."

Hawk looked like he wanted to hurt someone, and I wondered just how much he was going to be able to absorb before he snapped and someone got very hurt. It was a good time for me to suggest an out for everyone.

"Mr. Secretary, Mr. President. Why not let me dangle out somewhere that your enemies can get to me, and see who makes an attempt on me? It's not like they haven't tried before. I've got the bullet wounds to prove it.

"Mr. President," I saw him beginning to get all upset at what I was suggesting. "I've been attacked and shot when there were layers of protection on me. It's not like there has been any safe place for me, so why not use the insane need those people have to kill me, to your advantage? At least if you're making me the stalking horse, then everyone will try a little harder to keep me alive, since they will fear your reaction if they don't. That gives me a better chance."

Sometime logical wins.

Sometimes it doesn't.

It took a long time for the two men to consider my suggestion.

Shane blinked first.

"Mr. President, Kevin has a point. We have been rather unsuccessful keeping him safe from harm, but if we go out intentionally trying to draw them to us, it might cause them to make a bold move."

I jumped in before Hawk could refuse. "Mr. President. The real enemy are those people behind the Vice President – if he is even in this – but we never get a hint as to who they are, and what they want, beyond hijacking the government. There HAS to be more to the story than that.

"The way those people keep coming after me is beyond insane. They must think I know something that can bring them all down, to be this crazy. If you throw me to the wolves, and they come after me, it is like each time I've been attacked. You find out more and more of the names of those involved.

"They have to be running out of soldiers, which means at some point they have to start coming after me with the chiefs, instead of the Indians."

Hawk sat up straight and said, "I don't see how we can continue to depend on a sixteen-year-old, severely injured, boy to develop our best leads. What the HELL are your people doing, if you and I are stuck down here in a bunker, hoping a child can tell how to take care of the biggest crisis facing my administration?

"Think about it Shane, Kevin gave us everything we've developed from the beginning of this whole, sordid, charade. Where are our intelligence people, while a young boy gets shot to pieces, and still hands us the keys to the investigation?"

The pressure was building on Hawk, and he was doing exactly what Presidents do: go find the senior person in charge of that part of the government and blame them.