Solomon's Gold

CHAPTER 10

Elizabeth arrived at the White House and was escorted to the Oval Office. She'd made the journey often in the past. She wondered how many more times she'd be coming here, if at all, now that a new man would be sitting in the big chair.

She was surprised to see that President-elect Corrigan was there, sitting with President Rice on one of the two couches in front of Rice's desk. A silver coffee service and porcelain cups were placed on a low table in front of them. Both men rose when she came into the room.

"Director Harker, I would like you to meet your new boss. Walter, this is Elizabeth Harker. She runs the unit I've been telling you about."

Corrigan held out his hand. They shook. His grip was firm with a hint of suppressed strength.

"President Rice speaks highly of you, Director."

Walter Corrigan's voice was deep, authoritative. It went with his barrel chest and stocky build. While Rice was lean and almost aristocratic looking, Corrigan had the look of a brawler. It wasn't far from the truth. He'd come up the hard way in politics, raised in a factory town in Pennsylvania. His path to the White House had led through the streets of Rust Belt America.

Somewhere along the way, on one of those streets of his childhood, someone had broken his nose. It gave his face a rugged look, the look of a man who would stand for no nonsense. His face had been one of the strong points of his campaign. He'd been elected on a promise of fixing everything that was wrong with America. Every politician who wanted to reach the Oval Office said that. The difference with Corrigan was that many people believed he might actually do it.

Corrigan was sixty-two years old.

"Mister President-elect. I'm pleased to meet you, sir," Elizabeth said.

Rice indicated the couch. "Let's sit down."

When they were settled, Rice said, "I'm going to miss our briefings, Elizabeth."

"As will I, sir."

Rice turned to Corrigan. "The intelligence agencies hide information from this office. One of the reasons I hired Director Harker was to tell me what no one else wanted me to know. Sometimes I didn't like what she said, but she has always been direct and honest with me. Her unit has been instrumental in keeping this country out of serious trouble, more than once."

"That's a pretty good recommendation," Corrigan said. He looked at Elizabeth. "Director Harker, I need to know that everyone on my team is one hundred percent behind me. Do you think you can give me that kind of commitment?"

"Sir, I can only tell you that my commitment is to the security of our nation. That is one hundred percent, always. As President, you are in charge of that security. Does that answer your question?"

"Have you ever considered running for office, Director? That was a politician's answer."

"I'm no politician, sir. Can I give you a hundred percent? Yes, I can. I don't know any other way to do it. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty on my part. If I felt that I could not do that, I would submit my resignation."

"Fair enough," Corrigan said. He turned to Rice. "Is she always like this?"

"Pretty much."

Elizabeth said to Corrigan, "Sir, I'm not sure how much President Rice has told you about how my unit operates."

"He's given me a general picture," Corrigan said. "You have some kind of special ops team that you send to trouble spots, is that correct?"

"Yes sir, that's correct as far as it goes. But it's much more complicated than that. The Project is off the radar and out of the public eye, which means we are deniable. We don't have to answer to anyone except the man who sits in this office. Primarily I see our job as stopping trouble before it happens. Because we're outside of the bureaucratic system, we can move on very short notice. Our enemies don't have time to prepare. If we can go in and prevent an attack or retrieve important intelligence, I feel like we've done our job."

"You're not completely off the radar, Director," Corrigan said. "I have many sources. I've heard your unit referred to as the President's personal hit team. Perhaps you're not as hidden as you think you are."

"It's true that we've been involved in some high profile incidents in the last few years," Elizabeth said. "Unfortunately, I would have to agree that more people now know about the Project that I would like. However, we are still effectively operating out of the public eye and without congressional oversight."

"Mmm," Corrigan said.

"Mister President," Elizabeth said to Rice, "something's come up. I want to initiate a mission. Since it will extend into President-elect Corrigan's term and could impact an important ally, this is a perfect opportunity to discuss it."

"Go on," Rice said.

Elizabeth briefed Rice and Corrigan on the translation of the scroll and gave them her reasons for wanting to send the team into Israel.

"You are sure the scroll is authentic?" Rice asked.

"Yes, Mister President."

"Why not simply turn this over to the Israelis?" Corrigan asked.

"Sir, with all due respect, the Israeli bureaucracy is worse than our own. It's clear because of the murder of the museum guard that someone with bad intentions wanted that scroll. We translated it and so will they. By the time anybody in Israel does anything about it, whoever is interested in looking for the gold in that tomb will have found and removed it."

"It could be politically advantageous to your new administration if we're the ones to find it, Walter," Rice said. "Israel would owe you a favor. You'd have a bargaining chip in the Middle Eastern game right off the starting line. Believe me, you'll need all the chips you can get."

"I see your point," Corrigan said.

"Elizabeth," Rice said.

"Yes, sir?"

"I don't need to tell you how sensitive this could be."

"No, sir."

"Will your team be armed?"

"Yes, sir."

"I would feel more comfortable if there is Israeli participation, Director. You have contacts there. I understand your point about bureaucracy, but perhaps you can find a way to get around it. It's important there be no misunderstandings about why you are there. An armed team will make the Israelis nervous, even if we are allies. They are going to wonder what you're doing there. Get them on board."

"Yes, Mister President."

A presidential aide entered the room and stood by the door.

"Sir, the press is ready for you."

"They're always ready," Rice said. "Thank you, Bill."

Rice stood. Harker and Corrigan followed suit.

"Good luck with this mission, Director," Rice said. "I've enjoyed working with you. Perhaps we'll see each other in the future."

"I sincerely hope so, Mister President."

Corrigan said, "Director Harker. Please keep me informed. I'll instruct my staff to put you through if you call."

"Thank you, sir."

On the way out of the White House, Elizabeth thought about Corrigan. Her first impression was favorable, but it would take time to know if it was going to work out with him. Once he took office, he would be buried in the overwhelming complexity of trying to hold down the most difficult job in the world. People he didn't know would surround him. They would all have agendas. The jury was out as to whether or not the Project's continued existence would fit in with those agendas.

On the drive back to Virginia, Elizabeth thought about the mission. She needed to clear a path for the team in Israel. Friedman had to be read in, at least to a degree. She needed a secrecy agreement from him as well.

She decided to let Selena handle it.