The First Councel

by Brad Meltzer

  “I didn’t-”

  “Tell whoever you want,” he says, staring straight out the front windshield. “Tell the papers; tell the whole damn world. I’m not embarrassed.”

  “Then-”

  “Why’d I pay the money?” He looks over my shoulder, back at his tasteful house. “How do you think the other sixth-graders are going to react when the newscaster says Katie’s daddy likes to sleep with other men? And what about the ninth-grade boys? And the one who’s about to hit college? It was never about me, Michael. I know who I am. It’s for them.”

  Listening to his strained words, I notice how tightly he’s holding the steering wheel. “So that’s why you told Caroline that I was the one who had the money?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The next morning. After the meeting. You told her the forty thousand dollars was mine-that I made the drop.”

  He lets go of the wheel and looks at me completely confused. “I think you have it backwards. All I told her was that I wanted to see your file. I figured if you were the blackmailer… ”

  “Me?”

  “Dammit, Michael, stop lying to my face! You picked up the money-you’re a co-conspirator. I know that’s why you killed her.”

  He says something else, but I’m not listening. “You never told her the money was mine?” I ask.

  “Why would I do that? If Caroline was in on it-which I always thought she was-and she knew I found out-she’d have gutted me to keep me quiet.”

  I feel the blood rush from my face. I don’t believe it… all this time… she made it up to keep me quiet-and to point the finger at Simon. It’s perfect when you think about it; she was playing us against each other. Searching for solid ground, I wrap my fist around the door handle. Slowly, painfully, I turn to look at Simon. And for the first time since we followed him out of the bar, I entertain the thought that he might be innocent.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, reading my expression.

  It doesn’t make any sense. “I didn’t do it-I never killed anyone. V–Vaughn… and Trey… even Nora said… ”

  “You told Nora about this?”

  Behind us, up the street, a bright light cuts through the darkness. A car just turned onto the block. No, not a car. A van. As it gets closer, I notice the broadcasting antenna attached to its roof. Oh, shit. That’s no mom-mobile. That’s a news van. Time’s up.

  I throw open the door, but Simon grabs me by the arm. “Does Nora know? Did she tell Hartson?”

  “Let go!”

  “Don’t do this now, Michael! Please! Not while my kids are in the house!”

  “I’m not telling anyone. I just want to get out of here!” Jerking my arm free, I scramble out of the car. The news van is almost in front of the house.

  “Ask Adenauer! I didn’t do anything wrong!” Simon shouts. I’m about to take off, but… it’s hard to describe… there’s pain in his voice. With seconds to spare, I turn back for one last question. Until now, it’s the only one I’ve been afraid to ask. “Tell me the truth, Edgar. Have you ever slept with Nora?”

  “What?”

  That’s all I need to hear.

  The door to the news van slides open and two people hop out. It’s hard not to miss the interior glow of Simon’s car. “Up there!” a reporter shouts as the cameraman turns on his light.

  “Start the car and get out of here,” I tell him. “And tell Adenauer I’m innocent.”

  “What about-”

  I slam the car door and dart for the wooden fence in the backyard. Like a spotlight in a prison break, a blast of artificial light floods through the back window of Simon’s car and lights the right side of his face. By the time they pan across the rest of the backyard, I’m gone.

  “Operator 27,” a male voice says, answering the phone.

  “I just got paged,” I say to the Signal operator. “Can you please connect me to Room 160½.”

  “I need a name, sir.”

  “It’s not assigned to anyone. It’s an intern room.”

  He puts me on hold to verify the rest. Typical White House operator. No time for-

  “I’m connecting you now,” he announces.

  As the phone rings, I huddle close to the gas station’s pay phone and thank God for 800 numbers. Looking down, I notice that the leather on my shoes is beginning to rip. Too many fences. Story of my life. When the phone rings for the third time, I start getting nervous. They should’ve picked up by now-unless no one’s there. I take a quick glance at my watch. It’s past nine o’clock. Someone’s got to need copies. It’s the-

  “White House,” a young man’s voice answers.

  I can hear it in the seriousness of his tone. Intern. Perfect.

  “Who am I speaking with?” I bark.

  “A-Andrew Schottenstein.”

  “Listen, Andrew, this is Reggie Dwight from the First Lady’s Office. Do you know where Room 144 is?”

  “I think-”

  “Good. I want you to run down there and ask for Trey Powell. Tell him you need to speak to him and bring him back here to me.”

  “I don’t understand. Why-”

  “Listen, man, I’ve got about three minutes before the First Lady issues her statement on this Garrick fiasco, and Mr. Powell’s the only one who has the new draft. So get your butt out of the copy room and get your heinie running down that hallway. Tell him it’s Reggie Dwight, and tell him I need to speak to him.”

  I hear the door slam as Andrew Schotten-something rushes out of his office. As an intern, he’s one of the few people who’ll actually fall for that one. More important, as chairman of the Elton John Fan Club, Washington Chapter, Trey is one of the few people who will recognize the singer’s real name.

  I’m counting on both as I scrutinize each car that rolls into the gas station. “C’mon, already,” I mutter, grinding my shoe against the concrete. He’s taking too long. Something’s up. To my right, a dark gray sedan pulls into the station. Maybe the kid got suspicious and called it in. Watching the sedan, I slowly lower the phone back to its cradle. The door opens and a woman gets out. The smile on her face and the snug fit of her sundress tell me she’s not FBI. Raising the phone to my ear again, I hear a door slam.

  “Hello?” I ask anxiously. “Anyone there?”

  “I knew it,” Trey answers. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Where’s the intern?” I ask.

  “I sent him to Room 152-figured you’d want to talk alone.”

  I nod at the response. There is no Room 152. He’ll be searching for at least half an hour.

  “Now you want to tell me how you’re doing?” Trey asks. “Where’d you sleep last night? The airport?”

  As always, he knows it all. “I probably shouldn’t say-in case they ask.”

  “Just tell me if you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine. How’re things there?”

  He doesn’t answer, which means it’s worse than I thought.

  “Trey, you can-”

  “Did they really shut down your bank accounts? Because I went to the ATM this morning and took out everything I could get. It’s not a lot, but I can leave three hundred for you at-”

  “I spoke to Simon,” I blurt.

  “You did? When?”

  “Early this morning. Surprised him as he got in his car.”

  “What’d he say?”

  It takes me ten minutes to relay our five-minute conversation.

  “Wait a minute,” Trey eventually says. “He thought you were the killer?”

  “He had it all worked out in his head-all the way down to the fact that Caroline and I were blackmailing people together.”

  “So why hasn’t he turned you in?”

  “Hard to say. My guess is he was afraid of his own sexual activities coming out.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “You have any reason not to?”

  “I can think of one. Starts with an N; ends with an A; her daddy’s President… ”

 
“I got it, Trey.”

  “You sure about that? If he’s sleeping with Nora, he’ll say anything to make you-”

  “He’s not sleeping with her.”

  “Aw, c’mon, Michael-we’re right back where we started.”

  “Trust me on this one. We’re not.”

  He can hear the change in my voice. There’s a short pause on the other end. “You know who did it, don’t you?”

  “It doesn’t mean anything without the proof.”

  This time, Trey doesn’t pause. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

  “You sure you’re up for it?” I ask. “Because it’s going to be a bitch and a half to pull off.”

  CHAPTER 37

  Running down my fourth flight of stairs in the concrete stairwell, I’m starting to feel sick. I don’t like being this far underground. My head’s throbbing; my balance is out of whack. At first, I assumed it was the repetitious pattern of my downward descent. But the closer I get to the final sub-basement, the more I start thinking about what’s waiting for me at the bottom. I pass the door marked B-5 wondering if it’s going to work. It all depends on her.

  The stairwell ends at a metal door with a bright orange B-6 painted on it. I pull it open and step into the lowest level of the underground parking garage. Surrounded by dozens of parked cars, I check to see if she’s already here. Judging by the silence, it appears I’m first.

  A quick breath fills my lungs with chalky air, but as a meeting place, the garage fits the bill. Close by, yet out of sight.

  A shriek of screeching tires slices through the silence. It’s coming from a few floors above but echoes all the way down. As the car tears around the ramp’s turns, the echo gets louder. Whoever it is, they’re coming my way-and driving like a maniac. Running for a hiding spot, I dash back into the stairwell and peer through the window in the door. A forest green Saab leaps toward an open parking spot and jerks to a sudden halt. When the door opens, a parking garage attendant gets out. Finally, I exhale, wiping my face on my jacket sleeve.

  The moment he leaves I hear the screeching start again-barreling down from the street level, growing louder as it goes. These guys are psychopaths. But as a black Buick careens off the ramp, it doesn’t head for a parking space. Instead, it bucks to a dead stop right in front of the stairwell. As before, the door to the car swings wide open. Ah.

  “Heard you want to get into my house,” Nora says with a grin.

  Already, she’s having too much fun. “Where’s the Service?”

  “Don’t worry-we got fifteen minutes till they realize I’m gone.”

  “Where’d you get the car?”

  “Woman who does my mom’s hair. Now, you want to continue grilling me, or do you want to be nice?”

  “I’m sorry,” I offer. “It’s just been a hard-”

  “You don’t have to say it. I’m sorry too. Even if you wanted it, I shouldn’t have let you leave like that.” Taking a step toward me, she opens her arms.

  I put a hand up and push away.

  “What’re you-”

  “Nora, let’s just save it for later. Right now, there’re more important things to deal with.”

  “Are you still mad about Simon? I swear we-”

  “I know you didn’t sleep with him. And I know you’d never hurt me.” Looking her straight in the eyes, I add, “I believe you, Nora.”

  She stares at me, weighing every word. I’m not sure what she’s thinking, but she’s got to know I’m all out of options. It’s either this, or I dance for the police. At least here, she’s still in control.

  Her eyes narrow and she makes her decision. Naturally, I have no idea what it is. “Get in the car,” she finally says.

  Without a word, I circle around to the passenger’s side and open the door.

  “What’re you doing?”

  “You said to get in.”

  “No, no, no,” she scolds. “Not with your face on every front page.” She pushes a button on her keychain and pops the trunk. “This time, you’re riding in back.”

  Curled up in the trunk of the First Beautician’s Buick, I’m trying to ignore the damp-carpet smell. Lucky for me, there’re plenty of distractions. Besides the jumper cables that I’m nervously squeezing in each hand, there’s a full chess set-which I’ve just realized was never properly closed. As Nora ascends the circular ramp out of the garage, pawns, knights, bishops, and rooks bombard me from every direction. A knight hits me in the eye and bounces into my hand, just as a sharp right turn tells me we’re back on 17th Street.

  Wrapped in darkness, I try to mentally follow the path of the car, twisting and turning its way toward the Southwest Appointment Gate. There’s no question she could be delivering me right to the authorities, but I think the last thing she wants is to be caught with the current “It” boy. At least, that’s what I’m counting on.

  Including wheelchair entrances, there’re eleven different ways to get into the White House and the OEOB. The ones that involve walking require a valid ID and a stroll past at least two uniformed officers. The ones that involve driving require a bigshot and a kick-ass parking permit. I’ve got Nora. More than enough.

  As the sound of traffic disappears behind us, I know we’re close. The car slows down as we approach the first checkpoint. I expect them to stop us, but for whatever reason, they don’t. Now comes the actual gate. This is the one that counts.

  I roll forward as we come to an abrupt halt, grinding a few chess pieces into the carpet. There’s an electric hum as Nora’s window opens. I strain to hear the muffled voice of the uniformed guard. The night we went up on the roof, they never checked the trunk. Nora got in with nothing more than a wave and a smile. But in the last twenty-four hours, times have changed. I’m barely breathing.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Hartson-those’re the rules. The FBI asked us to check every car.”

  “I’m just picking up something from my mom. I’ll be in and out in a-”

  “Whose car is this anyway?” he asks suspiciously.

  “The woman who does my mom’s hair-you’ve seen her-”

  “And where’re your agents?” he adds as I shut my eyes.

  “Down by the checkpoint-even they know it’s only gonna take me a second. Now do you want to call them, or do you want to let me in?”

  “Again, ma’am, I’m sorry. I can’t-”

  “They’re waiting right down there.”

  “It doesn’t matter-pop your trunk, please.”

  “C’mon, Stewie, do I look dangerous to you?”

  No, don’t flirt with him! These guys’re too smart to-

  There’s a loud click and the car rolls forward. Nora-one; guards-nothing. We’re in.

  As we move up West Exec, I can’t tell if there’re people running across the narrow street that separates the OEOB and the White House. Even if it’s empty, though, someone could easily walk out. Hoping to avoid surprises, and following my earlier instructions, Nora makes a sharp left up the concrete driveway and pulls right under the twenty-foot archway that leads to the ground floor of the OEOB. Out of sight and used mostly as a loading zone, it’s more obscure than the wide-open area of the West Exec parking lot. As the car levels off, I know we’re there. Nora shuts the engine and slams the door. Now comes the hard part.

  She’s got to time this one just right. The archway may lead through to a courtyard, but it’s still physically part of the OEOB’s massive hallway. Which means there’re always plenty of people crisscrossing in and out of the automatic doors that’re cut into the base of the arch. If I’m going to get out of here without being seen, she’s going to have to wait until the hallway is clear.

  Inside the trunk, I twist around on my stomach, slowly getting into position. My muscles are tensed. As soon as she opens the trunk, I’m out. I wrestle the jumper cables out of the way and brush chessmen away from my face. Nothing to trip me up. I don’t hear anything, but she hasn’t come to get me. There must be people nearby. That’s the only reason she’d
wait. As the seconds turn into a full minute, my fingers pick anxiously at the trunk carpet.

  I try to prop myself up on my elbows as a minor revolt, but the space is too small. And dark. It’s like a coffin. The walls of the trunk are pressing in. The silence is sickening. I hold my breath and listen closer. The final click of the engine as the car shuts down. Whispered friction as my shoe slides along the trunk’s carpet. In the distance, a car door slams. Is Nora even out there? Did she leave? Oh, God, I panic as I lick a tiny pool of sweat from my top lip. She could be anywhere by now. Back in the Residence; pit stop in the Oval. All she needs is a head start to feed me to the wolves. Outside, I hear a group of footsteps approach the car. Just as quickly, they stop. They’re waiting. Out there. For me. Son of a bitch.

  The trunk pops open and a shot of daylight slaps me in the face. Squinting and using my forearm to block the sun, I look up, expecting to see the FBI. But the only one there is Nora.

  “Let’s go,” she says, waving me out. She grabs my jacket by the shoulder and pulls me along.

  My eyes scan the loading zone. No one’s around.

  “Sorry about the wait,” she says. “There were a few stragglers in the hall.”

  I catch my breath as Nora slams the trunk. Reaching inside her shirt, she pulls a metal chain with a laminated ID badge from around her neck and tosses it to me. A bright red badge with a big white letter A on it. A for appointment; my very own scarlet letter. I quickly put it on. Now I’m just another White House guest-completely invisible. Wasting no time, I dash for the automatic doors on my right. The moment my body steps past the electronic eye, the doors swing wide. I’m in. So’s Nora. Right behind me.

  “So you’re all set?” she asks as we stop in the hallway.

  “I guess,” I reply, my eyes glued to the floor.

  “You sure you don’t need anything else?”

  I shake my head. “I think I’ll be okay.”

  “I guess I’ll see you at Trey’s office,” Nora adds.

  “What?”

  “That’s the plan, isn’t it? I go back and check in with the Service, then we’ll meet up in Trey’s office?”