Capitol Conspiracy

26

Agent Gatwick tried to stay in the shadows as he slowly made his way to the appointed rendezvous site. He hated this whole business. He hated meeting at night; he hated meeting in darkness. And he especially hated meeting in a parking garage. It was way too Deep Throat for his taste.

Why did they have to meet like this, anyway? The explanation he’d been given was that certain “enemy eyes” might be watching. To him, that was all the more reason not to meet in secret. Meet in their offices and close the door, for God’s sake. Surely even the NSA couldn’t eavesdrop in the Secret Service offices. And a meeting like that wouldn’t attract any undue suspicion. This one surely would-if anyone found out about it.

He would just have to make damn sure no one found out about it.

“Psst!”

Gatwick whirled around. There, huddled behind a Land Rover, was the director of Homeland Security, Carl Lehman. A huge over six-foot-tall black man wearing-swear to God-a trench coat.

Gatwick knew the man was his boss, but he still couldn’t manage to keep his mouth shut. “I’m sorry, but don’t you feel just a little bit-silly?”

Lehman frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The director of Homeland Security. Crouched in shadows.”

“May I remind you what happened to the last director of Homeland Security?”

Okay, there the man had a point. “Do you have some reason to believe we’re in danger?”

“Don’t you get it?” Lehman slowly rose, careful to keep himself in the dark and out of view of the concealed video monitors. “I’m always in danger.”

“But today-”

“I was on national television today. My face was beamed all over the globe. Every terrorist on earth knows what I look like.”

Fine. Allow the man his paranoia. It seemed to boost his ego. “It wasn’t a terrorist who asked to meet with you. It was me.”

Lehman’s eyes darted left, then right. “You can never be too careful.” He paused, then added, “I think it’s best we’re not seen together, Tom. At least not until this amendment passes.”

So that was it. “Why would us being seen together arouse suspicion?”

“You support the amendment.”

“Along with virtually every other Secret Service agent.”

“Yes,” Lehman said slowly, “but there are…special circumstances in your case. You know it as well as I do.”

A deep furrow creased Gatwick’s brow. “Those special circumstances are exactly what we need to discuss. I’ve got Zimmer crawling all over my ass.”

“Sounds unpleasant.”

“He’s certain he’s uncovered some kind of conspiracy.”

Lehman’s left eyebrow rose. “Does he indeed.”

“Yeah.”

“What does he know?”

“Just enough to be irritating.”

“What are the goals of this imagined conspiracy?”

“He has no clue. But he thinks I’m in on it. I’m not sure he doesn’t think I’m in charge of it.”

“How flattering for you.”

“Not so much. He wants to blame me for the death of the first lady.”

“Wasn’t he shielding the first lady when she was killed?”

“Exactly!”

Lehman waved the air dismissively. “Guilt. He screwed up. Didn’t take the bullet. So now his superego has to find a scapegoat, someone else to blame, some way to tell himself he was not at fault. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“I have no choice but to worry about it!” Gatwick said, raising his voice. Lehman drew a finger across his lips, hushing him. “The man is not stupid. And he has a very big mouth. People listen to him.” Gatwick folded his arms, suddenly very cold. “I think something is going to have to be done about him.”

“Something…done about him? What exactly did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. You’re the director of Homeland Security. You tell me.”

“You want me to fire him?”

“At the very least.”

“Are you saying-?”

“Look, do you understand how much I’m hanging out here? I made the changes to Domino Bravo-just like you told me. And the first lady got killed, along with more than a dozen other people.”

“All I was doing was trying to fix one of my predecessor’s poorly designed protocols.”

“Zimmer doesn’t know that. My ass is totally hanging out on this one.”

“I will make sure your ass is covered,” Lehman assured him. “Haven’t I deflected all hint of blame thus far?”

“I don’t know what you’ve done so far, but I’m worried. I don’t want to become the scapegoat for a national tragedy. I need a comfort margin.”

“You need a prescription for Xanax, sounds like to me.”

Gatwick could feel his anger rising. Nothing was more irritating than the feeling that you weren’t being taken seriously-especially when there was so much to be taken seriously. “It’s not just me, Carl,” he said pointedly. “Both our necks are sticking out here.”

Lehman stiffened. “I haven’t done anything I’m ashamed of.”

“That’s beside the point. If Zimmer talks enough about a conspiracy in the Secret Service-”

“-then absolutely no one will listen. There has never been a traitor in the Secret Service. Never.”

“So I told him. But it didn’t quell his suspicions. He’s been watching media tapes of the incident, looking for clues to what really happened. He volunteered for the investigation just to get access to the files.”

“You don’t know that. He might be motivated by a sincere desire to catch the killers.”

“Bullshit. He’s after me, period. This morning he was trying to access my personnel files. Didn’t have the security clearance, but I got a flash alert informing me of the attempt. So what are we going to do about it?”

Lehman smiled. Gatwick sensed he was trying to be reassuring, but somehow, when he was cowering in shadows and wearing that ridiculous trench coat, it just didn’t come across. “What we have to do, Agent Gatwick, is make sure this amendment passes.”

“I don’t see how that gets Zimmer off my back.”

“I do. Get this amendment passed and I’ll be able to do anything I want.”

“Didn’t the amendment get out of committee?”

“Yes, but we don’t know what will happen on the floor of the Senate. Unofficial polling shows those in favor and those against are about equal in number.”

“Just get that Kincaid kid to cry again. The rest of the Senate is sure to fall into line.”

“I’m a little worried about that young senator, actually.”

“Why? Didn’t he do exactly what you wanted him to do?”

“Yes, but he’s conflicted.”

“He told you this?”

“He didn’t have to. I’ve been around a long time. You don’t get far in law enforcement or politics if you can’t read a man’s face, and that man still has his doubts.”

“Well, as long as he keeps them to himself…”

“Yes, but will he?” Lehman batted a finger against his lips. “A change of heart at the wrong moment could throw a monkey wrench into our plans. We need some sort of insurance. Some way to make sure he plays ball until the Senate approves this amendment.”

Gatwick took a step backward. “Wait a minute, Carl-I don’t need to be taking any more chances.”

“You don’t need to piss me off, either,” Lehman said harshly. “Not if you like doing what you do and living like you live. And keeping your secrets secret.”

Gatwick’s nostrils flared. Lehman was using him. But what could he do about it? At this point, there was no turning back. “What is it you had in mind?”

“I’m willing to leave that to your discretion,” Lehman said, his eyebrows dancing. “But you know, the man is a newlywed…”