Holly Barker marveled at Kate’s poise. Holly couldn’t help watching the President during the briefing. No one in the room knew there’d been a kidnapping, yet here she was, conducting the meeting with a calm demeanor as if, aside from the fact that there’d been an assassination, nothing was wrong.
“All right,” Kate said. “I realize it’s very early, but what have we got? Lance?”
Holly suppressed a smile. Lance looked like a student who hadn’t read the assignment and was hoping the teacher wouldn’t call on him.
“We’re canvassing for witnesses. Naturally, no one saw the shooting. We know where the shot was fired, from the rooftop across the street. A rifle cartridge shell is being processed even as we speak, not that there’s much to tell until we have a rifle to match it up with. We’re currently combing through security footage looking for anyone who could have smuggled a rifle in.”
“With any success?”
“Too much. Assuming the rifle was one that could be broken down and carried in an attaché case, we have a few hundred suspects. We’re sorting them out now.”
“Who are we tracking who might be responsible?”
Lance rattled through the list of suspected Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Taliban agents. “With each passing moment it becomes less likely any of them were involved.”
“Why?”
“Because no one has taken responsibility for it. With a terrorist attack of this sort, normally someone would. If there’s no claim within the next hour, we would be inclined to look on any subsequent claim as false.”
The FBI and Homeland Security reported in, but as Lance said, it was way too early and no one had anything concrete.
Holly Barker got back from the meeting to find Teddy Fay still online.
“What are you doing?”
“Requisitioning some equipment.”
“In my name?”
“No, of course not.”
“Surely not in yours.”
“No, but agent Charles Dobson has a very important mission. We don’t want to send our boys out ill-equipped.”
“What is Charles Dobson getting?”
“Sorry. It’s classified.” Teddy swung away from the computer. “You don’t have to tell me how your meeting went. I’m tracking no terrorist activity in the D.C. area yesterday. Today every top Al Qaeda agent not already romping with the eighty-two virgins is in town. No one’s got anything, so everyone’s making things up.”
“That’s about it,” Holly said.
“How’d they react to the bullet?”
“You mean its being CIA? Lance didn’t mention it.”
“Why is Lance so paranoid?”
“What makes you say that?”
“I checked out his file. His encrypted, classified, eyes-only, super-secret file.”
“What’s in it?”
“Nothing. That’s the point. He’s got this totally secure file no one can get into, and he’s afraid to put anything in it.”
“You got into it.”
Teddy waved that point away. “What’s he afraid of?”
“You recall the incident when the plane carrying the sultan’s twin sons was blown out of the sky just before it reached Dahai?”
The incident had set off an international firestorm. Only the highest ranking members of the CIA, FBI, and British Secret Service knew the true facts of the situation—that the twins had been integral participants in a plot to assassinate key figures in the US and UK. Stone Barrington had had a hand in foiling it.
“Sure,” Teddy said. “Their neighbors in Yemen took credit for shooting down the plane. Some group calling itself Freedom for Dahai.”
“Right. Those twins were sleeper cells responsible for a simultaneous attack against the prime minister of England and the president of the United States.”
“I missed that tidbit.”
“Everyone did. The attack was thwarted by a joint effort of British Secret Service and our CIA. Millie was involved, along with her friend in the FBI. We captured the twins before they could do any damage.”
“So, Lance got them declared persona non grata, sent them home, and got his friends in Yemen to shoot them down before they got there.” Teddy nodded. “Good move. It’s what I would have done.”
“Whether Lance actually did it or not, the sultan holds him responsible.”
“I can see how he would.”
“Do you think that has anything to do with this?”
“Hell, no. But it’s certainly interesting. So Lance is vulnerable. I suppose that means you and the President are, too.”
“I may be. Kate is out of the loop.”
“As I’m sure a thirteen-week congressional hearing would establish. I’d prefer to skip the process. Do you happen to know a Margo Sappington from the White House counsel’s office?”
“Sounds familiar.”
“Would she have an office in this building?”
“Let me check.” Holly did a search. “Yes, she does.”
“Great. Could you ask her to step in?”