‘It’s a kind of think-tank the Party has, very high-powered. They plan Party strategy. Senator O’Brien is a member. I think they may have something to do with it…’
‘Something to do with what? I’m not following you, Frank. What are you trying to tell me?’
‘I…’
‘Frank?’
‘He’s coming back. I have to go.’
The phone went dead. Kelly closed her eyes. She stood lost in thought for a minute or two before rejoining the meeting in Ted Lazenby’s office. Jeff raised his eyebrows. She smiled, and silently mouthed ‘It’s OK.’ Then she turned towards Ellen Trevathan.
‘Madam Vice President, have you ever heard of something called the Committee? It could be something to do with the other side, the people who are behind the impeachment?’
43
AT DAWN, JEFF Morris was handing out cups of coffee to the occupants of Ted Lazenby’s office. Ellen Trevathan was lying on Lazenby’s sofa, covered by a blanket, her head propped up on a cushion. Raul Gutierrez and Kelly Smith were sprawled in armchairs. Lazenby himself alternated between sitting at his desk and walking slowly around his office. It had been some time since anyone had spoken. Slowly, the coffee began to revive them.
‘They’re going to miss me soon,’ Ellen said, giving way to a yawn. ‘I need to be going. The press will be camping outside my house today waiting for the big story to break. It’s not going to look so good when I try sneaking in through the back door at this hour of the morning.’
‘We’ll get you home, Ma’am,’ Kelly volunteered. ‘They’ll never know.’
‘That’s all right, Kelly. My agents should still be around somewhere. I’d better go wake them up.’
‘No disrespect to your agents, Madam Vice President, but they’ll find their own way home. We can do a better job of getting you in the back door.’
‘She’s right, Ellen,’ Lazenby said. ‘The press will spot your car and agents a mile away. Let us put you in something a little more nondescript, something to match your disguise.’
‘I didn’t know you guys kept a fleet of Yugos,’ Ellen said.
‘Only for special occasions,’ Lazenby smiled.
‘Sounds like a good idea,’ the Vice President replied. ‘Thanks.’
‘Ellen, I know you have to get back, but we haven’t reached a decision about what to do,’ Gutierrez said. ‘We can’t do this again. Sneak in here in disguise, I mean. We need to have something worked out.’
Lazenby paused in his walking. ‘My view hasn’t changed. We have to get you out of Washington. It isn’t safe. Once that vote comes down tomorrow, there’s no telling what these people might get up to.’
The Vice President shook her head. ‘I told you, Ted. I’m not going abroad.’
‘Ellen, England is just a plane ride. We have friends there. The Prime Minister has never cared for Wade, and he’s certainly not about to help him stage a coup. You’ll get a warm welcome, and you’ll be safe. In the meanwhile, we can do what we can to take care of things here without having to worry about you. Time is on our side. Wade has to go eventually. We wait it out, then we bring you back.’
Ellen sat up, holding the blanket around her shoulders. ‘I’m not going abroad.’
‘Ellen…’
‘Ted, if Wade is impeached a few hours from now, I become the President of the United States. Do you understand that? I become the Commander-in-Chief, for God’s sake. I can’t run away.’
‘It’s not running away. It’s a tactical retreat.’
‘Call it whatever you want. What kind of message would that send to the people? That I hide in England while you guys fight for me? That I’m a President in exile? No. I can’t do that. I won’t do it. You can’t protect me like that.’
Lazenby shook his head and glanced towards the Air Force Chief.
‘She’s right, Ted,’ Gutierrez said quietly. ‘And she would be too far away to take decisions, military or otherwise. It wouldn’t work.’
Lazenby sat down at this desk.
‘All right, then. How would you feel about staying in the States, but setting up a temporary government outside Washington?’ he asked.
‘Where outside Washington?’
‘We’ll get to that. But, as a matter of principle? If you could establish a temporary base of operations somewhere else? Somewhere those loyal to you could defend? Just until the problem in Washington is resolved?’
The Vice President hesitated.
‘Ellen,’ Lazenby continued, leaning towards her over his desk, ‘you’re not the only person who’s in danger here. Anyone who supports you, anyone who believes enough in the Constitution to stand up to Wade, is a potential target. You said it yourself. You’re going to be the President. So you need to act like the President. You need to put together a functioning administration which has some legitimacy. You need to be able to gather the necessary people around you, and you owe it to them to offer them protection. What about the judges, for example? The Courts may be crucial in convincing the people of the legitimacy of your Presidency.’
Ellen stood, still clutching the blanket around her.
‘If I did that, it could only be for a very short time. Just enough to let the crisis die down and force Wade out. It still seems an awful lot like running away. Besides, there would be no way to run the government like that on a long-term basis. I couldn’t take enough people with me. The country would fall to pieces.’
‘I agree,’ Lazenby said. ‘It would be a short-term measure. But, in my opinion, we need to get you out, and we need to do it the moment Wade is impeached.’
The Vice President looked across at General Gutierrez.
‘Raul?’
He nodded.
‘I can go along with that. I can get you anywhere you need to go. The arrangements can be in place by this afternoon. Ted is right. You do need to protect yourself and those around you. Frankly, I’m more worried about Hessler and McGarry than Wade. I honestly don’t know how far they might go, and I’m not sure I want to find out.’
‘Well, OK, let’s assume you’re right,’ Ellen said. ‘Where would I go, for God’s sake? I can’t just pick some city, drop in at the local airport, and say, ‘Hi, I’m your new President. I’d like to stay over for a few days and run the country. Can you fix me up with somewhere to do it?’ And I don’t think it ought to be Richmond, Virginia, do you? That would give the wrong message altogether.’
The others smiled through their tiredness.
‘How would you feel about Houston?’ Lazenby asked, after a pause.
Ellen turned her head to look at him. ‘Why Houston?’
Lazenby stood again. ‘A close friend of mine from Princeton is a law school dean there. I went down there and spoke at their graduation last year. Ken is a very big fan of yours.’
‘Well, that’s very nice, Ted, but I don’t see…’
‘Wait, let me finish. The school is called South Texas College of Law. They have a great building that takes up an entire block of downtown Houston. It’s the best-equipped law school I’ve ever seen. They have state-of-the-art technology. They could have the building ready for you to occupy in a matter of hours. There’s a parking lot right next to the building, where you could land a chopper if you had to. The Court could even sit in the moot courtroom. And there’s a Four Seasons Hotel two blocks away, for the residential side. Most importantly, Ken would do it if I asked. Without hesitation. He’s a constitutional law specialist. All I have to do is pick up the phone.’
Ellen sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
‘How would you feel about Houston from a military point of view, Raul?’ Lazenby asked.
‘Houston has good air accessibility, military and civilian,’ Gutierrez replied. ‘I like that. And it’s not too far away. It’s within reasonable range of Washington, and it’s central. We could move in enough forces to defend the city within a day or two.’
‘General, forgive me if I’m speaking out of turn,�
� Jeff broke in. ‘Obviously, I’m no expert on these matters. But isn’t Houston a bit close to the ocean? If we can’t rely on the Navy, aren’t we offering the opposition an easy target?’
Gutierrez nodded.
‘You’re right, Jeff. But if any one of the branches goes entirely against us, we’re in a pretty hopeless situation, wherever we decide to go. What I believe, and what we have to hope for, is that all the branches will do no worse than split. If there’s a reasonable balance of power, then I believe the Director is correct. I believe that most military officers will support Ellen once they have time to think about it, whatever some of their commanders may be telling them. Time is on our side. All we have to do is hold firm, and Houston seems like a pretty good place to do that.’
‘So, you agree with Ted?’ Ellen asked.
‘It seems the wisest course to me,’ Gutierrez replied.
‘All right,’ Ellen said. ‘I’ll leave as soon as it becomes clear that I need to.’
‘That time has already arrived,’ Lazenby said. ‘You should be in Houston by the time the vote is announced.’
‘Agreed,’ Raul Gutierrez said.
‘Oh, come on, Ted. Look, I have no legitimate reason to be in Houston today. What happens if Wade isn’t impeached?’
‘That’s academic.’
‘OK. What happens if he is impeached and goes quietly? Why am I in Houston when all this is happening? Shouldn’t I be in Washington waiting to take over?’
Lazenby shrugged.
‘Ellen, if that ends up being the only problem we have out of all this, I’ll be doing an Irish jig all over the office. If we need to invent a story for you being in Houston, we’ll do it. No one’s going to care. Besides, I think we all know Wade isn’t going to go quietly.’
‘I think he might,’ Ellen said.
‘What about the Williamsburg Doctrine?’ Gutierrez asked. ‘What about the crowds of people camping out around the Capitol? It doesn’t look to me like he’s going quietly.’
The Vice President shook her head.
‘It’s one thing to fantasize in the privacy of the White House or the Pentagon, Raul. It’s another thing to take the fantasy on to the streets or national television and ask people to go along with it. It’s so blatantly illegal. How can they think they would get away with it?’
She paused.
‘I think if I could get Steve alone for half an hour, I could talk him out of it. I think perhaps that’s what I should be trying to do.’
Lazenby and Gutierrez shook their heads emphatically.
‘Forget it,’ Gutierrez said.
‘Why not, Raul? He trusts me. He’s always listened to me.’
‘Not this time,’ Gutierrez replied.
‘Ellen, have you forgotten that you already tried to see him, and you couldn’t get past his secretary?’ Lazenby asked. ‘He’s not going to see you. And even if he did, it’s gone way too far for him to pull back now. Later today, you will be the President of the United States. The time to act is now.’
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Lazenby’s secretary opened it and entered. She stopped abruptly, momentarily taken aback, but then, as a veteran of many unusual situations, made an instant and complete recovery.
‘I’m sorry, Director. I just got in. I had no idea you were already here. Good morning, Madam Vice President.’
‘Good morning, Rose,’ Ellen smiled.
‘I’m not already here, Rose,’ Lazenby said. ‘I’m still here.’
‘Yes, Director. Just so I know, is anything I’m seeing here happening?’
‘No.’
‘All right. Director, I thought you ought to know the breakfast television shows are saying the crowds around the Capitol got a lot bigger overnight, and there are reports that a lot of them may have weapons.’
Everyone in the room was suddenly more awake.
‘What kind of weapons?’ Lazenby asked.
‘They’re not sure. One reporter says she saw handguns. And several of our agents monitoring the situation there called in to say the same thing.’
‘Jesus Christ.’
‘Yes, Sir. The Chief of Police is now saying the situation is out of his control. I’m having it taped for you.’
Kelly bit her lip. ‘Frank was right,’ she said.
‘Wonderful,’ Lazenby said. ‘Why in the hell didn’t Bryson call us? Why in the hell didn’t our agents call sooner?’
‘I don’t know, Sir. Anything else I can do? Do you need coffee?’
‘No, thank you. We’re about through. But I need Dean Ken Hunt’s home telephone number in Houston.’
‘Right away, Director,’ Rose said, on her way out of the office.
‘Kelly,’ Lazenby said as soon as she had left, ‘get Ellen out of here and into a Yugo. Have a second Yugo follow you. And stay well out of range of the Capitol. I’m not sure exactly how you’re going to do that, but try.’
‘Yes, Sir,’ Kelly said, getting to her feet and stretching.
‘Wait one moment, Kelly,’ Ellen said. ‘Ted, Raul, would you both please face me and raise your right hands?’
Lazenby and Gutierrez looked at each other.
‘Can we know why?’ Lazenby asked.
Ellen smiled.
‘If I’m going to be President in exile, I’m going to need some help in place right away, and there may not be time to do this later. So if you wouldn’t mind…’
Both men faced the Vice President with their right hands raised.
‘Mr. Lazenby, on a provisional basis, and assuming it becomes necessary, will you promise faithfully to execute the office of Vice President of the United States, and General Gutierrez, will you on a similar basis promise faithfully to execute the office of Secretary of Defense of the United States, and will you both promise to uphold the Constitution of the United States, so help you God?’
‘Ellen,’ Lazenby asked quietly, ‘doesn’t the Senate have something to say about this?’
‘Yes,’ Ellen Trevathan replied. ‘And I’ll ask them the first chance I get. Right now, we have other things to do. So, I need to know. Are you with me or not?’
44
AFTER HE AND Kelly had escorted Ellen Trevathan safely back to her residence, Raul Gutierrez asked Kelly to drop him off, still in disguise, at his office. He changed back into uniform, ordered vast quantities of strong black coffee and a street map of Houston, and went to work. Air transport for Ellen was his first priority. He commandeered an executive jet aircraft for a flight from Andrews Air Force Base to Ellington Field, and ordered six fighters to stand by for escort duty. Soon afterwards, he placed Andrews, Ellington Field, and other strategically important air force bases under heavy guard, and scrambled every available fighter to give Houston round-the-clock air protection. Next, Gutierrez made unobtrusive preparations to mobilize all Air Force Reservists for active duty. Finally, he came to the most difficult part of the operation. He placed a call on a top-secret encrypted telephone line to his only potential ally.
‘I was wondering when you’d call,’ General Terrell said. His voice sounded tense.
‘It’s now or never, Bill,’ Gutierrez replied. ‘All hell is going to break loose this afternoon. I need to know for sure which side you’re on.’
Gutierrez heard the Army Chief of Staff sigh into the phone.
‘I don’t know what to do, Raul. I don’t like what’s going on any more than you do. But the Williamsburg Doctrine has been around for a long time. You and I didn’t have anything to do with it, but since it is in place, we have to assume there was a good reason for it. And if two of our colleagues feel it should be invoked…’
‘The Williamsburg Doctrine goes against the Constitution, Bill. You know that as well as I do.’
‘Look, Raul, I’m not a lawyer, and…’
‘Bullshit,’ Gutierrez interrupted. ‘You don’t need to be a lawyer to know that the Constitution is about to be torn to shreds, any more than you need to be a lawyer to know
you don’t let your soldiers butcher civilians in time of war. All you have to be to know those things is a professional soldier, which is what you are.’
There was silence for some time.
‘Bill,’ Gutierrez continued, ‘I’m going to tell you something that I’d like you to keep to yourself. I can’t control what you do with it, but I’m making the request. OK?’
‘OK,’ Terrell replied.
‘Yesterday afternoon, my office received credible information that Ellen Trevathan’s life would not be safe after the vote.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake…,’ Terrell broke in. ‘They wouldn’t…’
‘No, listen to me. Last night I got hold of Ellen and two Secret Service Agents, and we got into disguise, looking like goddamned street people, and we went to see Ted Lazenby at the Hoover Building. He agreed with my assessment of the situation. He and I have taken steps to make sure she’s safe. You need to know what you are getting yourself involved in if you side with Hessler and McGarry.’
‘I would never have agreed to anything like that,’ Terrell said quietly.
‘I know that, Bill. That’s why you have to help me here. Look, I remember what you said at that meeting we had with Latham. You were with me then. I need you to be with me now that the chips are down. You know I’m right.’
There was a long silence as Terrell weighed his options. Gutierrez closed his eyes.
‘What do you want me to do?’ Terrell asked finally.
‘Thank you,’ Gutierrez replied, the relief evident in his voice. ‘First, I want you to put a blockade around Houston. I want you…’
‘Houston? Why Houston?’
‘That’s down to Ted Lazenby. I’ll explain as soon as I can. I need you to trust me on this for now.’
‘OK.’
‘I want all the protection you can give. I’ve already arranged air support. I want check points on every freeway and every road leading into the city, including every point where those roads intersect with the ring roads. I want a strong presence downtown, tanks, personnel carriers, whatever you have, and I want every building, except for two, within ten square blocks of San Jacinto and Clay Streets evacuated. The police chief is on standby to help you with that.’
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