Hot Pursuit

34

They were back in the motorcade, headed for the embassy, when the president put away her cell phone. “You did very nicely in there, Millie,” she said. “Mainly, you didn’t overdo it. It would have been a big mistake to try and make Felicity think you had more than you did, and to your credit, you stuck to the facts.”

“I didn’t think there was another choice, ma’am,” Millie said.

“Quite right.”

“You managed to keep your mouth shut at lunch, too,” Holly added.

“I had a father who didn’t much like chitchat at lunch. He wanted something substantive from me or nothing.”

“Sometimes nothing is the best choice,” Holly said.

“That was my father’s belief.”

“Is your father still alive?” the president asked.

“Yes, ma’am, and kicking.”

“Retired?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What did he do?”

“He was an attorney and a Republican, pretty much in that order. He clerked for Chief Justice Burger, and during the Reagan years he worked at Defense.”

“During what period?”

“If you’re referring to Iran-Contra, right about then. He knew nothing about it, until it hit the news, and when it did, he resigned and went to a Washington law firm.”

“Which one?”

“Miller, Chevalier, Peeler & Wilson, as it was in those days — Miller and Chevalier, by the time he retired.”

“My grandfather knew Stuart Chevalier,” she said. “They were both friends of Franklin Roosevelt when they were all young lawyers. Chevalier had polio as a child and spent his life on crutches or in a wheelchair. I suppose that helped create a bond between him and FDR.”

“I’ll tell my father about that. He would find it very interesting, if he doesn’t already know.”

“When will we have more on the Three Stooges?” she asked.

“Daily, I hope. Quentin Phillips is working on it flat-out.”

“He works for Lev Epstein?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“He’ll learn a lot from Lev. He was considered a candidate for attorney general. He turned down an offer to head the criminal division of the Justice Department — said it was less interesting than what he’s doing now. It was a smart move, and Lev is noted for smart moves. I might call on him again before I’m done.”

“I’ve met him only once, but he impressed me,” Millie said.

The president was about to speak again when something struck the window on Millie’s side. She turned to look at it and saw a thick liquid streaming down the glass, then there was a faint whoomp, and the limousine was suddenly enveloped in flames.

“Nobody move,” Kate said firmly. “Just sit tight, and they’ll deal with it.”

Millie sat tight, willing herself not to open the door and run. Only the thought of what else might be out there stopped her.

There were gunshots now, muffled by the thick body and windows of the car, and then a white cloud surrounded the car and the flames went away. Police sirens and whoopers sounded, both near and far away, but approaching.

The car began to move again. They were in Grosvenor Square, no more than a block from the embassy, and the car bumped over the curb and into the park, swerving to avoid pedestrians. The motorcade left the park at North Audley Street and whipped around the embassy to the rear, where someone opened the door and the three passengers were hustled inside and, followed by four Secret Service agents, into an elevator operated by a marine sergeant. They got off on the top floor, and the president led the way down the hall with long strides into the apartment she was occupying. She walked over to the Grosvenor Square side and looked out the big windows. “Please, Madam President,” an agent said, “step away from the windows. We still don’t know what else might be down there.”

“I’m sorry, Ted,” she replied, stepping back, “that was foolish of me. The rubberneck instinct, I suppose.”

The building was not as soundproof as the limousine, and the noise from outside continued, minus the gunshots.

“Sounds like the firefight is over,” the president said.

The agent stood behind a column and peeked around it at the square. “That’s correct, ma’am, the fire trucks are making the most noise now, but the fire is out.”

“Did you see anything when we were on the ground, Ted?”

“No, ma’am. I was operating a fire extinguisher while others were shooting. I think the car suffered only damage to the paint.”

“It was napalm,” Holly said. “Homemade. They must have dissolved Styrofoam in gasoline.”

“Yes,” Millie said, “I saw it oozing down the window — it was thick.”

The phone rang, and an agent picked it up and listened. “One moment, please. Madam President, it’s Pres... it’s the first gentleman for you.”

Kate took the phone. “Hi. I’m fine. Everybody did his job, and Holly, her assistant, and I are safe in the embassy. I don’t know much, except somebody threw a thick liquid at the car, then set it afire. It was all over in a couple of minutes. I’ll call you when I know more. I love you, too.” She hung up.

There was a sharp knock on the door, and two more agents were admitted. “I have a first report for you, Madam President,” one of them said.

The president sat on a sofa and motioned Holly and Millie to do so, as well, then nodded for the agent to continue.

“There were four young men involved,” the man said, “of Middle Eastern appearance. One of them threw an accelerant on the car, then threw a cigarette lighter at it — a Zippo, I believe. The others began firing light machine guns — Uzis. Our people returned fire in kind, and all four of the attackers went down. Three are dead, one is on the way to a hospital.”

“Casualties on our side?”

“Two with non-fatal gunshot wounds, both treated downstairs in the embassy clinic, both will recover quickly.”

“I don’t suppose we know who yet?”

“We may find a note on one of the bodies — otherwise we’ll have to wait for someone to claim credit.”

“Here are your instructions,” she said to the agent. “We will not miss a beat in today’s schedule. Everything will proceed as normal, including my speech tonight. Is that perfectly clear?”

“I’m waiting to hear from our commander on that, ma’am — he’s surveying the damage downstairs.”

“Tell him my order will not change,” she said. “Now, let’s go downstairs. I want to speak to the agents who were wounded.” She stood up and started for the door.

Agents raced to open it for her.