The Bin Laden Plot

67 FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA

As Christine and Rolow mapped the way ahead regarding Khalila, Christine heard Rolow’s front door open and close, followed by footsteps on the stairs. Christine turned to confront Khalila once she arrived with Harrison, but another woman appeared instead. Secretary of the Navy Brenda Verbeck stopped in the study’s doorway.

The two women locked eyes for a moment before Brenda turned to Rolow.

“What’s the plan?”

McFarland’s revelation that Rolow had dated Brenda for five years flashed in Christine’s mind, and she suddenly realized that their relationship had endured in some capacity. A capacity that didn’t bode well for her tonight.

The realization must have been evident on her face, because Brenda said, “So, you finally get it now. This was never going to turn out the way you imagined, Christine. You live in an imaginary world of right and wrong, good and bad, innocent and guilty. A world where I go to jail and you live.”

From a nearby table drawer, Rolow pulled a pistol with an attached suppressor, then leveled it at Christine.

“I misinterpreted the reason for your visit,” he said. “I figured you had come across definitive proof that Brenda was involved in the death of her aide and Pentagon supervisor or that she had deliberately misled Captain Wilson regarding the UUV. That being the case, and with you being the only person who knew all the elements of the plan — you were the only one at the agency who had talked with Wilson — we figured it was time you were removed from the equation.”

“This is unfortunate,” Brenda said. “I’ve tried to keep those affected to the minimum, and I hate to see a woman as accomplished as you meet her demise, but I really don’t have a choice. The others — Bryant, McFarland, and your two field officers — have incomplete information and can be managed, and whatever Wilson has discovered can be concealed with the right security classifications and nondisclosure agreements.

“Plus, there’s nothing linking me to the murders of my aide and the Pentagon chief.” Brenda moved beside Rolow and draped an arm on his shoulder. “PJ was kind enough to make the arrangements.

“Unfortunately,” Brenda said, “you have the necessary information to put it all together. That’s something we can’t allow.”