Margo Sappington waited patiently in front of Holly Barker’s desk until the national security advisor finished her phone call.
“You wished to see me?” she said, when Holly finally hung up.
“Yes. Thanks for stopping by.”
“I’m surprised you have time for me in light of the assassination.”
“That’s what I’d like to talk to you about.”
“Is there something I can help with?”
“There may be.” Holly got up from her desk. “Let’s go into the conference room.”
Margo followed Holly through the door.
The massive oak table in the conference room could have seated sixteen. At the moment there was only one person sitting at it.
Teddy Fay didn’t bother to get up. “Margo Sappington?” he said.
“Yes.”
Teddy flipped open his credentials, slid them across the table. “Fred Walker, CIA.”
“What’s this all about?”
Teddy took his credentials back, slipped them into his pocket. “Please sit down.”
Margo looked at Holly, then pulled out a chair and sat opposite Teddy. Holly sat next to her as if for support.
Teddy flipped open a file. “You were at Congressman Drexel’s table at the state dinner last night?”
“Yes. But I doubt if I can help you, I didn’t even speak to him.”
“Were you seated next to him?”
“No, I was across the table from him.”
“Who was seated next to him?”
“Some congressman or other. I don’t recall.”
“On his right or his left?”
“His left.”
“And on the other side?”
“I didn’t notice.”
“So, you noticed who was on his left, but not who was on his right?”
“I wouldn’t have noticed at all if he hadn’t been shot. I’m trying my best to remember.”
“Who was sitting next to you?”
“A congressman from Ohio and an attorney from New York.”
“That would be Stone Barrington?”
“That’s right.”
“Did you know Stone Barrington was going to be sitting next to you?”
“I’m only an attorney in the White House counsel’s office. I had no idea who I would be sitting next to. I was just happy to be asked.”
Teddy referred to the file. “According to the original seating plan, Stone Barrington, the man you were sitting next to, was placed next to Congressman Drexel.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sakes.”
“What?”
“Is that what this is all about? Look, I got to the dinner early, saw I was sitting between two stuffy married congressmen. I noticed Stone Barrington’s place card, and though we’d never met, I’d heard of him, so I swapped places. It’s just as well I did. Drexel was annoyed at Stone Barrington just for being there at all, so they wouldn’t have enjoyed a pleasant dinner next to each other.”
“You wound up leaving with Stone Barrington?”
“I didn’t leave with him.”
“But you went to his hotel room later last night?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Teddy set the wiretap device on the table in front of her. “That’s when you planted this bug in Stone Barrington’s cell phone.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sakes.” Margo rolled her eyes. “You CIA guys are unbelievable. It’s like the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Yes, of course I planted a bug in Stone Barrington’s cell phone. That’s what your colleague told me to do.”
“What?”
“Your agent contacted me late yesterday afternoon when I was on my way home to change. He gave me the bug to plant, said there’d been a late addition to the dinner, Stone Barrington, an attorney from New York. I was to make sure I sat next to him, chat him up during dinner, and find an opportunity to bug his phone.”
“Which you did?”
“That’s right.”
Teddy knew the answer to the next question. He just wanted to see if she’d tell the truth. “And that’s why you went back to his hotel room and had sex with him. So you could bug his phone.”
Margo flushed. “Actually . . .”
“Actually, what?”
“I managed to bug his phone during dinner.”
Teddy gave Holly a look. She was trying to suppress her amusement.
“How’d you know how to bug a phone?” Teddy asked.
“The agent showed me. I wasn’t very good at it, so he told me to take the phone to the ladies’ room to do it. Later I’d pretend I just found it on the floor.”
“How did you get ahold of the phone?”
“Picking Stone’s pocket wasn’t hard.” Margo’s eyes twinkled. “He was rather easy to distract.”
“The agent who talked to you,” Teddy said. “What did he look like?”
“Probably of Middle Eastern descent, clean-cut, good-looking.”
“Middle Eastern?”
“Arab features. But Americanized, you know? He spoke perfect English, with little trace of an accent. And he was well-dressed. He looked like an agent.”
“How’d you know he was CIA?”
“He had credentials.”