“Please call Michael, Robert, the kids, and Sienna and tell them you’ve heard from me, and I’m okay. I’ll be gone for about three days, I think. No one has forced me to do this; I’m totally responsible for leaving on my own.
“Tell Michael I’m sorry I had to go to such drastic measures to get a little time to myself and ask him not to send the troops after me. I’ll be fine, really. Also, ask him to try to keep this from the media and defend the poor agents who were guarding me. I don’t want them to get into trouble because of me.
“Well, that pretty much sums it up. I can already hear you talking to me in my head. Don’t worry; I’ve got a good plan, and I’ll share everything with you when I get back. Gotta go.”
Mavis shook her head. Ashley had never come to terms with being the wife of a politician, much less the president. She still thought of herself as someone who could lead a normal life. She honestly didn’t believe she should have to change her life in any way, and because she refused to accept who she was and her position, she made herself vulnerable.
She hated calling Michael back. She knew the stress he was under, and this little stunt of Ashley’s wasn’t going to help.
When Michael came on the line, Mavis relayed Ashley’s message.
Michael asked, “Did she sound like herself?”
“Yes, she did. Are you worried that someone might have forced her to leave a message?”
“It’s a possibility I can’t rule out.”
“Of course, you’re right, but she sounded like herself to me. I’m not an expert, but she sounded like she always does, especially when she’s up to something. Honestly I could picture the expression on her face.”
“I’m sure you know there’s nothing about this situation I find amusing. I’d like a copy of the message on your phone. We’ll want to see if we can pick up any additional clues from it. What’s your password for accessing your voice mail?”
Mavis recited her code.
“Mavis, thanks for your help.”
“I’m glad there was something I could do. If I remember anything I think can help, I’ll call you.”
“I’d appreciate that. I’ll call the kids and Sienna and let them know what’s going on. Would you give Robert a call? I talked to him earlier this evening, and he knows Ashley’s missing. He will want to know about her message. Thanks again, Mavis.”
Michael was unaware of the movement around him. He was staring into space, trying to think like Ashley. What an effort in futility. If Ashley could pull off something like this, there’s no telling what she was thinking. When she was completely safe and back in his arms, they were going to have a showdown.
40
Ashley tried to assume the body posture of a distracted student weighed down with too many books and thoughts. Her bus would be leaving in fifteen minutes. Her nerves were shot. Her palms were sweaty, and she expected to be surrounded by either the police or the Secret Service at any moment. For God’s sake, she wasn’t a criminal although she needed to think like one for now.
She glanced up occasionally to check for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. She tried to blend into her surroundings. She was almost home free and could hardly wait to be on her way. Thank goodness, she had Steve’s help.
Months ago, she’d gone to him and told him about what she’d been thinking. She swore him to secrecy, which was no great accomplishment. He loved challenging the system. In fact, he helped her with her entire plan, including lending her his vacation cabin in Ludlow, Vermont. He offered to call his part-time housekeeper and ask her to freshen up the cabin and stock it with food so Ashley wouldn’t have to venture out until she decided to return to New York.
Steve bought the wig and helped her with the disguise. If by chance her disappearance did become public knowledge, some salesperson might remember her buying a black wig. She probably could have managed without Steve’s help, but having it made everything a lot easier.
She didn’t think many people, if anyone, would make a connection between the two of them. No one knew what good friends they’d become. They were kindred spirits; both enjoyed the creative process, the beauty that surrounded them, and the unexpected. If the Secret Service decided to question Steve, she was confident he wouldn’t say a word.
Her thoughts were interrupted by an announcement over the public address system. She checked her watch; it was time to board the bus. Her goal was just within her reach.
She was well aware of the consequences of her actions. She knew her disappearance would throw everyone into a panic, and they’d be searching for her. She was truly sorry for any pain and fear she was causing her loved ones. She hoped the message she left Mavis would be found quickly and that it would help calm everyone somewhat although she knew nothing would calm Michael down. She felt guilty about the manpower that would be wasted trying to find her. In the end, however, if she could find a workable solution to their problem, it would be worth it.
As the bus lurched forward, Ashley reached for the seat in front of her to steady herself. She could still hear her heart beating in her ears, but with each mile traveled away from Manhattan, she became more convinced she was not being followed.
41
Michael was glad to be back in the United States. His trip to Europe had been successful. His goal had been to meet and get to know the heads of the European countries. He was very glad that Ashley hadn’t pulled this stunt during the middle of his time abroad. He would’ve been hard-pressed to stay put in Europe knowing Ashley had disappeared. His heart would have wanted to lead him home. Yet he knew that what he wanted to do and what he could do were decidedly different now that he was the president. He couldn’t just walk away from encouraging better diplomatic relations because his wife decided to ditch her Secret Service agents and take off.
Michael asked his secretary to set up a conference call with Jeremy and Juliette. So far he had been able to keep Ashley’s disappearance out of the newspapers; however, if by some chance the news leaked, they needed to know their mother was okay and had pulled off this latest means of trying to drive him crazy all by herself. Further news of her disregard for authority would stir up the whole First Lady controversy again, and that he didn’t need.
Michael had already met with the head of Homeland Security to decide whether they should have the Secret Service pursue her disappearance. From the evidence they had gathered thus far, it appeared that Ashley had acted alone. Michael wondered what exactly had pushed her far enough to decide disappearing like this was worth it. He didn’t believe for one minute that it was a coincidence that she took off on the night she attended Geoffrey Carruthers’s open house. Somehow there was a link; somehow there was a connection.
His fear was that her disappearance was staged. Although all forensic evidence indicated no one else was involved, Michael still considered it a possibility. It was decided to keep her disappearance on a “need to know” basis. Only the agents normally assigned to guard her would investigate her whereabouts. They didn’t want to give anyone in the media a heads-up regarding Ashley’s apparent escape.
Even though the incident didn’t happen on Matt’s and Dave’s watch, they were ticked off. When they heard what Ashley had done, it only confirmed what they had always suspected about her. She was unpredictable and capable of anything. They were determined to find her and knew they had their work cut out for them. They would be discreet, but nothing would stand in the way of tracking her down; the image of them catching her during her little hiatus was a sweet, sweet thought.
Georgia indicated that the conference call was set up and that Michael’s children were waiting for him to pick up.
“Hi, kids, sorry for keeping you waiting. I hope I haven’t alarmed you with this conference call.”
Jeremy spoke up. “Dad, something must be pretty serious if you felt the need to get Juliette and me on the phone at the same time.”
“Well, I wanted to fill you in on a situation that’s come up.”
Juliette asked, “What’s that?”
“It has to do with your mother. She’s not hurt; she’s okay, but I wanted you to know what’s going on.”
Jeremy barely let his father get the words out of his mouth before he asked, “What’s wrong? Is Mom okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine; at least I think she is. Listen, let me get this all out, and then you can ask questions.”
Silence from his two children indicated they intended to do just that.
“All right, here’s the situation. Sometime after a fund-raiser your mother attended on Saturday evening, she gave the Secret Service agents the slip, and she’s taken off for God knows where.”
Jeremy interrupted, “Cool. Way to go, Mom.”
Michael responded, “No, not so cool. She’s got everyone upset, particularly me. It happened the night before I returned from Europe. She left a message for us on Mavis’s voice mail. She said she wanted to get away for a couple of days to think and that she was okay. She also mentioned she didn’t want any of us to worry. She asked Mavis to call all of us.”
Juliette asked, “How did she manage to get away?”
“She slipped out at night after they thought she had gone to bed. They noticed the security alarm system to her apartment was off. When they knocked on the door, there was no answer. They went in and found her missing and one of the bedroom windows open. She evidently climbed down the fire escape.”
“All right, Mom. Score one for the Taylor family,” Jeremy cheered.
Michael voiced his displeasure over his son’s reaction. “Jeremy, there is nothing about this that’s cool, and I don’t appreciate your thinking there is.”
Jeremy fell silent.
“How do you know the whole thing wasn’t staged to look like Mom skipped out?” Juliette asked.
“That was one of my concerns as well, but everything, including the message she left, indicates she’s behind the whole thing. We’ve had the Secret Service go through Mom’s apartment, and we’ve analyzed the message. All the evidence points to it being planned and executed by just your mom.”
“So, what now?” Juliette asked.
“Good question. We’ve assigned the agents who normally guard your mom to the case. They’re the most familiar with her daily movements. The two she’s had the most interaction with are furious and determined to find her. I have a sneaking hunch if she’s decided to get lost, no one is going to find her until she’s ready to be found.
“I’m sorry to have to give you such scary news and then run, but I wanted you to know what had happened. If you hear anything from your mother, I want you to call me immediately, and I’ll do the same for you.”
“Dad,” Jeremy stopped him before he could hang up. “Has anyone tried to call her cell phone? I know it’s a pretty obvious thing to do, but I was just wondering. I know how worried you are about Mom, and so are we, but I really think she’s going to be okay.”
“Yes, we’ve tried to call her cell phone, but she’s either ditched it or deactivated it somehow. I wish reaching her was that easy. But, in my heart I want to believe you’re right; still, I’m terrified that she might not be all right. Knowing your mom, she’ll probably pop back up just like she disappeared. I hope none of you mind if I strangle her when she does.”
With an equal amount of emotion in their voices, they responded in one fashion or another. “Be our guest. Just don’t hurt her badly; we’re kind of attached to her.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind. Remember, this is between you and me. We’re trying to keep your mom’s disappearance from the media.”
“Okay. Call us if you hear anything,” Jeremy said.
After hanging up, Michael called Sienna. He went through the same information with her as he had the kids. Sienna took it rather well, not acting in the least bit surprised.
“Sienna, did you already know about this? Did Ashley talk to you about her plans?”
“No, but it doesn’t surprise me. In fact, I’m surprised she’s waited as long as she has. Michael, there’s one thing about which I’m absolutely certain: Ashley has done this for a very good reason. She wouldn’t put the people she loves through this if it weren’t for something extremely important. I think Ashley’s on the verge of making a life-changing decision, and she needed to get away to think. When we were kids and she would visit, occasionally she’d disappear. She usually climbed up high into a tree. She would say she needed to be alone to think. She obviously wanted time away from everyone and everything so she could think through something very serious.”
“I hope you’re right. You’ve always understood her better than I do. I swear you two have a psychic connection. After all these years, she still baffles me. Anyway, I’m going to trust that you really don’t know anything.”
“I can assure you, I don’t. If she calls me, I’ll try to find out where she is and encourage her to call you. Michael, promise me you won’t have our phones tapped.”
“You’ve been reading way too many novels. No, no phone-tapping. Please keep in touch, and I’ll do the same. Tell Jim hi for me and remind him he’s the lucky one. I don’t think I can ever remember your pulling any crazy stunts like this unless your cousin dragged you into them.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him you called. Let me know if you hear from her.”
Michael was completely exhausted, and his day was just beginning.
42
Ashley felt like an escaped convict. She tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. During the bus trip, she kept her eyes glued to a book she pretended to read. If threatened with bodily harm, she wouldn’t be able to tell you the title of the book or anything else written on the pages she continued to turn at a steady rate.
When Ashley finally reached the safe harbor of Ludlow, Vermont, she began to feel the tension in her body ease. Steve’s cabin was all he claimed it to be, a safe haven where she could find refuge and a place to reflect and contemplate the current status of her life. True to his word, the cabin was fully stocked with food and everything else he thought she might need. She wouldn’t need to leave the cabin for anything. There was comfort in knowing she could just be. She closed her eyes and breathed. She’d made it this far. That was a start.
The two-bedroom cedar log cabin was charming. It smelled wonderfully woodsy, an ancient smell so familiar it seeped into her pores and spoke to her primitive brain of a comfort once received in another time and place. The lower level housed the living room, dining room, kitchen, and one bathroom. The upper level had a narrow balcony that wrapped around the second floor with doors leading to two huge bedrooms and another bathroom that boasted a deep soaking Jacuzzi tub. The whole cabin was beautifully and artfully decorated. Rustic and antique furniture were combined with splashes of bright colors and whimsical accents insisting that its occupants not take life too seriously.
Ashley thought of Michael and the headache her leaving was undoubtedly creating for him. Michael was strong; he would be all right. Besides being furious about her ditching her security, his main concern would be for her safety. She would need to do a lot of explaining and repair work when she returned. She knew no matter what she would say to assure him she’d been safe, he would be convinced she’d put herself in harm’s way.
She had promised him early in their marriage she would never place herself deliberately in an unsafe or dangerous situation, and he would most assuredly view this as a breach of that promise. Ashley was very sure that Michael, while concerned about her safety, would also be mad as hell. There was nothing she could do about that now; she had known how he’d react before she left, and yet she still felt she must leave. Sometimes it was necessary to fly through the turbulence of clouds to get to the smooth sky above.
Michael would view her call and message to Mavis’s voice mail as throwing him a bone. He knew her well enough to know she must have been planning to leave for some time. That, in itself, would infuriate him. She was very sure that he would see absolutely no reason why
she needed to have time to herself. Still, after all their years of marriage, he didn’t understand her need to be completely alone at times.
Ashley stood up and stretched. She was physically drained from her ordeal; she definitely needed a nap. She hadn’t slept a wink during her entire four-hour bus trip. Who could have? She needed to re-energize her body so she could begin thinking about what had brought her here in the first place.
She made her way up the staircase and immediately started undressing. The cool sheets felt like a soothing balm to her bunched-up muscles. When she woke, if she ever did, she’d begin to address the purpose of her exodus. She was determined to find a resolution to the quagmire in which she and Michael were stuck. She drifted off to sleep, determined not to leave this cabin until she found a solution.
Ashley awoke abruptly but was immediately aware of where she was. She listened to see if some sound had disturbed her, but she heard nothing. She stretched and looked out the window opposite the bed. It was daytime. She reached for her watch to check the time; it was two in the afternoon. She’d been gone over twelve hours. She needed to boost her blood cells with a stimulant. She needed caffeine.
When she finally had her coffee and toast in front of her, she smiled thinking about what a creature of habit she was and how easy it was to please her. With the very first swallow of the aromatic blend, every nerve ending and electrical current in her body bowed down to the supremacy of the magical elixir. She let out a deep sigh and released the last remnants of nervous energy left over from making her escape from New York.
She retrieved a tablet of paper from her backpack. She intended to attack this problem logically. At least she hoped she could bypass her emotions long enough to let the logical side of her brain operate for a while. She drew a line down the center of the paper and wrote at the top “pro” on one side of the line and “con” on the other. Now to begin the truly difficult part: total honesty.
The Reluctant First Lady Page 23