Supreme Justice

Chapter Eleven

Dennis Masterson’s driver powered down the tinted window of the limousine and identified his passenger to the guard at the east gate of the White House. The guard checked to see if Masterson was expected, then checked the attorney’s identification before waving the car through. As the limo made its way along the horseshoe-shaped driveway, Masterson thought about the brief affair he’d had with President Gaylord when the then United States senator from Ohio was starting her second term. After Masterson had briefed the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed-door session about a clandestine operation in sub-Saharan Africa, Gaylord had asked him to join her for drinks, ostensibly to pick his brain about what she would need to know to be more effective in her new assignment. Masterson suspected that Gaylord had more on her mind than self-improvement and was delighted when his suspicions were confirmed. The senator had been a Miss Ohio and had worked hard to keep her figure and looks. Masterson grinned as he remembered the few nights they’d spent together. Gaylord was unquestionably the only president who would have looked good as a Playboy centerfold.

The affair ended almost as soon as it began, and Masterson had no illusions about Gaylord’s reason for beginning it. Every move she made was calculated to give her an edge. The president had grown up dirt-poor and had financed degrees in business and law with scholarships won in beauty pageants. She’d made a personal fortune and important contacts while serving as counsel to a major corporation, and her rapid rise in politics was well documented. The president was a shark with a dangerously high IQ, and Masterson knew he would have to be careful to gain what he wanted without being eaten.

The Rose Garden came into view, and the chauffer pulled up in front of a door that stood between the Oval Office and the State Dining Room. A Secret Service agent led Masterson upstairs to the private quarters and left him in a small study. After making Masterson wait for fifteen minutes, Maureen Gaylord walked in. The stately brunette was dressed in an understated outfit that the truly discerning would know was the product of a top fashion designer.

“Dennis,” she said, flashing a warm smile that lit up her wonderful features. Masterson savored the moment. He knew the smile would disappear as soon as Gaylord learned the reason for his late-night visit.

“The presidency hasn’t aged you a bit, Maureen,” Masterson said after they’d cheek-kissed and were both seated.

“You were always great at flattery, but keep it up. I need to hear something nice after dealing with that asshole from North Korea all day.”

“Then you should welcome my visit. I’m here to ease the burden of your office.”

“Oh,” Gaylord said. The president knew there was no such thing as a free lunch when the ex-CIA director was involved.

“Vivian Chalmers is a wonderful woman. It’s got to be tough for Ron.”

“He’s devastated. I was one of the first people he told,” the president said.

Masterson nodded sympathetically. “Ron is going to be tough to replace.”

“I agree.”

“But I believe I’ve found the perfect person for you to nominate.” Masterson was relaxed. A calm smile illuminated his handsome features. “You know I had some terrific people working for me at the CIA. Well, the brightest person in the group is now a respected academic with a deep understanding of the world around us.”

“And who would that be, Dennis?”

“Audrey Stewart.”

“You’re kidding?”

“You can use another woman on the Court.”

“Audrey is to the right of Attila the Hun. There would be a donnybrook in the Senate, and the liberals would go insane.”

Masterson stopped smiling and fixed Gaylord with a cold stare. “I guarantee that I can deliver the votes, Maureen.”

“And how exactly will you do that?”

“The same way J. Edgar Hoover kept a string of presidents in line. The director of the CIA has access to secrets. I’ve kept proof of some very dark ones for a rainy day.”

For the first time, Maureen Gaylord looked less sure of herself.

“Why Stewart? She’s very smart, but so are any number of qualified candidates I could name.”

“I regard Audrey very highly,” Masterson answered evasively.

“Well, I don’t, but I’ll place her in my pool of possible nominees, and I’ll see what my advisors think.”

“I’d prefer something more substantial,” Masterson said, his tone hardening.

“That’s the best I can do, Dennis. You’re not the only person advocating for a candidate. All I’ll promise is that I will consider your suggestion seriously.”

Masterson reached into his pocket and slid a DVD case across the coffee table that separated them. Under the DVD was a seemingly innocent photograph of Gaylord and a man who appeared to be of Middle Eastern origin sitting in a hotel lobby. Masterson watched the color drain from the president’s face as he stood up.

“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I’d appreciate it if you’d consider Audrey as a possible nominee to the Court. Why don’t you give me a call when you’ve made a decision?”

The president of the United States was still staring at the photograph when Masterson closed the door to the study behind him. Although he appeared supremely confident, the encounter had left him drained. As an attorney, he was well aware of the federal criminal statutes he’d violated by blackmailing the president, but the consequences of having cert granted in Woodruff were potentially far worse. Besides, he was certain that Gaylord would not want the conversation that had been recorded on the DVD he’d given her heard by anyone who didn’t already know about it.

Masterson told his driver to take him home. Then he opened the bar in the back of the limousine and poured a glass of fifteen-year-old single-malt scotch. He took a sip and closed his eyes. When he was calmer, he considered his problem.

Masterson’s mole in the Court had told him that if Moss was going to vote to bring Woodruff to the Court, the justices were just one vote shy of the four votes needed to grant cert. If Stewart was appointed, it wouldn’t matter what Moss did, but Masterson didn’t like leaving anything to chance. Moss was the wild card. She was the Court’s brightest legal mind and she had a knack for bringing other justices over to her way of thinking. Gaylord was right when she said that the liberals would go berserk if Audrey was nominated. Masterson was pretty certain that he could leverage the votes he needed to get Stewart the appointment, but nothing was certain in politics. It always helped to have a contingency plan, and Masterson decided to put his into action.