Removal

by Murphy, Peter

  Mason was not a member of the Committee. It was composed of two members of the House, one of whom was George Stanley, two senators, and three leading party strategists. Between them, they had an enviable amount of experience of campaigns – election campaigns, disinformation campaigns, and what the media was fond of calling ‘dirty tricks campaigns’; within the Committee, the preferred term was ‘tactical maneuvers’. Mason acted as the Committee’s convener and secretary. His relationship with the Committee, which provided and controlled the finances of the Wilson Foundation, fluctuated with the quality of the information Mason supplied through his source. The Committee knew that the source existed, but knew better than to ask who he was, or how he got the information. In all their interests, Mason would keep that to himself. Tonight, his influence with the Committee was on an up-swing. Selvey was in the process of striking the mother-lode, and Mason would hand the nuggets to the Committee or the press as he saw fit. He felt in control.

  Senator Joe O’Brien had just returned from pouring himself a generous scotch at the bar.

  ‘Well, if I understand you correctly John, you don’t place much credence on what we just heard. Is that right?’

  ‘That’s correct, Senator,’ Mason said.

  ‘You think the President is still lying about the Benoni woman?’

  ‘I think that’s pretty obvious, Joe,’ said Alex Vonn. Vonn was a veteran campaign manager with a string of impressive victories to his credit. The only laurel missing from his brow was a successful presidential campaign, and he intended to put that laurel in its rightful place very soon.

  ‘Well, I’m not sure what’s obvious and what isn’t,’ O’Brien said. ‘It all seems pretty murky to me. I’d like to get a better handle on it before we take any major decisions. John, leaving aside gossip and rumor, what exactly do we know here?’

  Mason sat up in his chair, and made a pretense of looking through some notes, of which he had no need at all.

  ‘The first thing we know is that Wade was involved sexually with the Benoni woman,’ he began. ‘He was sleeping with her in the White House, and a couple of different places on the road.’

  ‘Are you sure of that? Can we prove it? The man just denied it on national television, for Christ’s sake.’

  ‘There’s no question about it, Joe. We had been hearing about it for a while. It didn’t seem to be a big deal, so we didn’t pursue it. But after she was murdered, I had my source devote a certain amount of time and energy to it.’

  ‘With what results?’ Alex Vonn asked.

  ‘With rather good results, I would say,’ Mason replied, ‘including a potential witness in Chicago.’

  ‘Why Chicago?’

  ‘That’s where the trail led. My source went up there, interviewed the witness on tape, and got some interesting material.’

  ‘How interesting?’ Vonn asked.

  Mason treated the Committee to a broad smile. He reached over to a small recorder he had placed on the table earlier, and pressed ‘Play’.

  ‘Listen for yourselves,’ he answered.

  The Committee listened with rapt attention, as the tape of Selvey’s interview with Harold Jeffers was played to them. When the tape ended, there was a long silence.

  ‘My God,’ Senator O’Brien said, eventually.

  ‘What do we know about this Jeffers character?’ Congressman Stanley asked. ‘How do we know he isn’t just blowing smoke up our ass?’

  ‘He checks out. My source was very careful about that. And his story is consistent. I don’t think he has any reason to lie.’

  Alex Vonn snorted.

  ‘You mean, other than the money your source gave him? He’s a whore. The press will eat him for lunch.’

  ‘I don’t think so, Alex,’ Mason said, trying to conceal the irritation he always felt at Vonn’s bluntness. ‘He didn’t approach us for money. He wasn’t even going to come forward with the story. My source had to lean on him pretty hard to tell what he knew, and that involved making it worth his while. It’s been done before. In any case, we don’t have to hand him to the press. He gave us the name of the Secret Service Agent. We can hand them her. They’ll believe her.’

  ‘Well, let’s put that aside for the moment,’ Senator O’Brien said. ‘What else do you have?’

  ‘The other thing we know,’ Mason said, ‘is that the President was sharing Ms. Benoni’s sexual favors with a man by the name of Hamid Marfrela.’

  ‘For God’s sake,’ Senator O’Brien said. ‘Who in the hell is that?’

  ‘According to a reliable source within the D.C. Police Department, Hamid Marfrela was their number one suspect in Lucia Benoni’s murder. And, by a curious coincidence, Marfrela himself was murdered by persons unknown shortly after he took out Lucia.’

  There was a silence. The members of the Committee appeared dazed. Mason was enjoying himself.

  ‘Now obviously, with Marfrela dead,’ he continued, ‘the police don’t have much of an ongoing interest in the Benoni murder. But apparently someone did have enough interest in it to run some DNA tests. My source was told these tests prove that Marfrela had sexual intercourse with Lucia Benoni within a few hours of her death. Marfrela also had a thing for tying women up, which was how Benoni’s body was found. Probable conclusion: Hamid Marfrela killed Lucia Benoni, and someone killed Hamid Marfrela to stop him talking about it.’

  ‘Our friend Steve moves in interesting circles,’ Alex Vonn observed.

  ‘How in the hell do they know about the Marfrela guy tying up women?’ Senator O’Brien asked.

  ‘They found some literature in his apartment,’ Mason replied. ‘I don’t know the details.’

  ‘Unbelievable,’ O’Brien said. ‘Is that it?’

  ‘Not quite,’ Mason replied. ‘Hamid Marfrela was an accredited diplomat in the Lebanese delegation.’

  ‘Damn it, I thought the name sounded familiar,’ Alex Vonn said. ‘His murder was in the papers. The ambassador was making a big deal about how the United States should do a better job of protecting diplomats against the rampant crime in Washington. A real whiner.’

  ‘Right,’ Mason said. ‘That’s the guy. So, to summarize, what we have here is the President of the United States sharing a Lebanese mistress with a Lebanese diplomat. A mistress who could enter the White House pretty much any time using a special pass issued to her at the request of the President.’

  ‘So,’ Alex Vonn said, ‘a reasonable question might be ‘what kind of things might the President say to Lucia Benoni at the moment of climax or during the afterglow?’’

  ‘And a second reasonable question,’ Mason added, ‘is ‘how much of what the President said did Lucia Benoni pass on to Hamid Marfrela?’ But right now, it’s nothing more than speculation.’

  There was complete silence around the table for some time. Senator O’Brien felt the need to freshen his scotch.

  ‘I don’t believe that Steve Wade would betray his country, if that’s what you were implying,’ he said, walking slowly back from the bar to retake his seat. ‘God knows I don’t care for the man, but I can’t believe he would do that. And that’s the implication here, isn’t it? That he divulged material during his pillow talk which might have compromised national security?’

  ‘That is most definitely the implication,’ Congressman Stanley said. ‘And frankly, I don’t care whether he did that or whether he didn’t. The point is that it looks bad, and there’s no excuse for it, and he’s lying his ass off about it. That’s enough for me.’

  ‘Enough for what, George?’ Vonn asked.

  ‘To begin impeachment proceedings,’ Stanley replied. ‘What else?’

  Every eye in the room was focused on Stanley.

  Alex Vonn gave a contemptuous laugh.

  ‘George, are you out of your ever-loving mind? Does the name William Jefferson Clinton mean anything to you?’

  ‘This is a different case,’ Stanley said.

  ‘Yes, it is. Clinton lied his ass off to a Grand J
ury and tried to lie and manipulate his way out of a federal lawsuit. And they still couldn’t get him. So far, we have no evidence that Wade did anything other than screw the Benoni woman behind his wife’s back. The only positive difference is that, with Steve Wade, we’re probably not going to have to debate whether getting sucked off does or does not constitute having sexual relations.’

  ‘He’s right, George,’ Mason said. ‘Based on what we have now, impeachment wouldn’t have a prayer. If anything, Wade is even more popular than Clinton was.’

  ‘Then find me something else,’ George Stanley said angrily. ‘Let’s find some evidence on the national security angle.’

  ‘We’re working on it,’ Mason said, as evenly as he could. ‘But we’re not sure there’s anything to find. If you’re anxious to move it forward, we need to know what’s been going on between the United States and Lebanon recently. If anyone wants to look into that for me up on the Hill while we’re digging elsewhere, I could use the help.’

  ‘It will be my pleasure,’ George Stanley said. ‘I’ll get on it first thing in the morning.’

  ‘Good,’ Mason said. ‘But discreetly, George. We don’t want anyone jumping the gun here.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that,’ Congressman Stanley said. ‘The bastard will never know what hit him.’

  * * *

  ‘Did you see it?’ Linda Samuels asked, when Kelly Smith eventually answered her phone.

  ‘Yes, I did,’ Kelly replied.

  She reached over from where she lay on her sofa, and grabbed the remote. Pointing directly at the screen, she muted the dialogue of a British murder mystery which had just started on Public Television.

  ‘What is with this guy?’ she asked. ‘Does he really think anyone believes him?’

  Linda did not respond immediately.

  ‘Is Jeff with you?’ she asked eventually.

  ‘No, he pulled duty tonight, a stake-out. Why?’

  ‘I just wondered if we could talk for a while.’

  ‘Well, of course. Why wouldn’t we be able to talk?’

  Linda hesitated. ‘I don’t want to get in the way.’

  Kelly sat up.

  ‘What kind of crap is that, Linda? Since when have men ever stopped us talking?’

  ‘They haven’t,’ Linda admitted. ‘It’s just that this one is obviously special, and…’

  ‘Yes, he is,’ Kelly said. ‘And so are you. Talk.’

  Kelly heard her friend take a deep breath.

  ‘Look, I probably shouldn’t be asking you this. I don’t mean to stick my nose in where it’s not wanted. But are you guys still working on the Benoni-Marfrela thing?’

  ‘Technically, yes. Since the results of the DNA tests came in, the Benoni case is more or less closed. There’s no question it was Marfrela. The Marfrela case is open, but there’s nothing we can do on it for now. Our only suspect is holed up in a compound, and there’s no way we’re going in to get him.’

  Linda hesitated again. ‘I’m scared, Kelly.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I’m a witness. I know what was going on. I know the President was having sex with Lucia Benoni.’

  ‘Everybody knows that.’

  ‘Yes, but I was actually there. Well, right outside the door, anyway.’

  ‘So what? It will all blow over, Linda. Lucia wasn’t the first, and she won’t be the last. It’s not your fault the President screws around.’

  There was a silence.

  ‘Kelly, haven’t you ever been afraid without knowing why?’

  ‘Sure,’ Kelly admitted.

  ‘Well, that’s how I’m feeling.’

  ‘Is there anything I can do?’

  ‘Don’t let my death go unavenged.’

  Kelly laughed, but stopped abruptly. ‘That was a joke, right?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘Yeah, I guess. But I just have the strangest feeling about it.’

  ‘Linda, has something happened? Have you been threatened? Because, if so, I can get Lazenby involved. We can protect you.’

  ‘No, Kelly. Nothing’s happened. It’s just inside my head.’

  ‘You sure?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, if it ever does…’

  ‘You’ll be the first to know.’

  ‘Promise?’

  ‘Promise.’

  ‘So what else is going on?’

  ‘Well… guess who I saw last night?’

  ‘Tell me.’

  ‘Bob.’

  ‘Really?’ Kelly said, smiling. ‘What’s the deal with him?’

  ‘He called me up and said he wanted to meet. So we had dinner, and he told me that he wants us to think about getting back together.’

  ‘I’ve seen this movie before, Linda,’ Kelly said, not unkindly. ‘What about the bimbo?’

  ‘He says she’s history. He really misses what we had together.’

  Kelly shook her head. ‘Yeah? And you let him stay the night, right?’

  ‘Yes…’

  ‘Linda…’

  ‘I can’t help it, Kelly. I want it to turn out right. What else could I do?’

  ‘I don’t know. I just don’t think you can trust him.’

  ‘When we’re apart, I think that too. But, when we’re together, he seems so sincere.’

  ‘Oh, brother,’ Kelly said. ‘What are you planning?’

  ‘Nothing definite. We’re going to see each other again, take it one step at a time, see how it goes. Am I being stupid?’

  ‘Would you listen if I told you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘All right, then. Are we still on for Friday?’

  ‘Yes. I’ll pick you up at seven. Say’ Hi’ to Jeff for me. Love you.’

  ‘Love you.’

  Kelly hung up and watched the silent television screen for some time. She left it on ‘mute’ and called Jeff Morris’s answering machine.

  ‘Jeff, it’s me. Listen, when you get this message, would you check with your department and see whether there’s been anything new on Benoni and Marfrela? I’m interested in whether anyone has been asking questions, or trying to open the thing up again. Let’s keep it between the two of us. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good night.’

  22

  MARY SULLIVAN THOUGHT her desk might actually collapse under the mountain of paper Irene had left on it in response to her request. Irene was interning at The Washington Post during her senior year as a journalism major at George Washington University and, like all interns, she tended to get carried away with assignments given to her by celebrated reporters such as Mary Sullivan. When she returned to her office to find the results of Irene’s search, Mary experienced a moment of irritation at the student’s apparent lack of familiarity with the concept of relevance. But, remembering her own days as an intern, she had realized that Irene had made a sincere effort to impress her, and that much of the volume of paper was attributable to the wonders of electronic research.

  Mary had asked for any details Irene could find about reports recently released by both political parties dealing with the major contributors to their campaigns. She read these reports carefully every year, not so much for the financial information, as for signs of shifting alignments among the major corporate donors. Over the years, these signs had enabled her to make some almost uncanny predictions about shifts in the balance of power. It was one of the things which had contributed most to her reputation as an observer of the Washington political scene.

  Mary was now in her second day of ploughing through the morass of paper. She had tried to contact Selvey who, sometimes to her annoyance, often had insights which suggested access to materials she did not have. But Selvey was going through one of his irritating periods of not returning her calls. He could simply disappear from the radar screen for days or weeks on end, re-emerging when he saw fit. As there was nothing she could do about this, Mary resigned herself to working alone. One name she had found the day before was troubling her. It was one she did not know, which was unusual. Sh
e was familiar with all the older-established contributors, and the new ones usually showed up in news stories long before they became major players. But this one was an exception, and Irene’s research had shed little light on it. The day before, Mary had filed the name away in her mind and moved on. It was probably of no real importance. The amount contributed was large, but no more than average in this list of major donors, and it probably meant nothing. But, for some reason, the name would not let her go, and on the second day, she returned to it.

  The Western States Geophysical Research Institute was a not-for-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, which advertised that it researched and wrote position papers for groups or individuals interested in the impact of industries such as mining and logging on the environment. These people probably took an anti-Government position on environmental issues. Why were they making such a large contribution to the President’s party? Had someone promised something in return? Mary made herself a list of the senators and congressmen from the western States. There was no one she thought would have enough influence to make promises worth such a large contribution.

  Who were these people? Mary played with her computer for a while and found a list of contributors to The Western States Geophysical Research Institute itself. The list was composed mainly of individuals whose names were unfamiliar to her. One of the few corporations listed was called Middle and Near East Holdings, Incorporated. That made sense. It sounded like an outfit which might have oil and gas interests. She turned to her computer again and soon printed out the company’s corporate address in Wilmington, Delaware, and the names of the directors. Another reference source turned up a list of three branch offices, one of them in Washington D.C., North West. A bell rang in Mary’s mind. She stared at the page blankly for some time, and then suddenly remembered.