Exclusive

“No doubt.”

“Then what does he think of this?”

She indicated the third big news story on the front page, which involved her and Gray. Vanessa Merritt had gone on record saying that she had prevailed upon her friends, Barrie Travis and Gray Bondurant, to remove her from Tabor House. They’d been clandestine because of the hospital’s strict policy against visitors. The confusion, resulting in Barrie and Gray being suspected of kidnapping, was absurd, she’d said from her hospital bed. Travis and Bondurant had delivered her directly to her father, who’d had a helicopter waiting. Did that sound like a kidnapping?

“I’m sure Clete scripted it and that David isn’t happy about it,” Gray said of Vanessa’s statement. “It would have been convenient for him if we’d been shot as fugitives. But now he has no choice except to back his wife’s account of the event. No one’s going to disbelieve Vanessa and Clete.”

“If I were John Q. Public, I wouldn’t believe anything positive they said about us. Not after the incident in Shinlin.”

He shrugged. “We’ve all kissed and made up.”

So it seemed, particularly when the attorney general walked in and gave them the latest update. “Senator Armbruster wants to see you.”

“Me?” Barrie exclaimed.

“What for?” Gray asked suspiciously.

“He wants to give her an exclusive. He says she’s owed one.”

“Exclusive about what?” Barrie asked. “What could it be?”

“Don’t get excited,” Gray said. “You’re not going.”

“The hell I’m not! I can’t pass up an exclusive.”

“You’ve already got one.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t have another.”

Gray turned to Yancey. “Ever since Barrie got back, all you’ve done is talk on the telephone, while we’ve been sitting here with our thumbs up our asses. Why aren’t we doing something? With what you have, you can end this thing now. March into the Oval Office, handcuff the bastard, read him his rights, and get it the hell over with.”

“It’s not that simple. We’re talking about the President of the United States.”

“I know who we’re talking about,” Gray shouted. “And he’s a murderer.”

“Calm down,” Yancey shouted in turn. Then, in a more reasonable tone: “We all understand your desire to exact vengeance for Mrs. Merritt and her baby. If the President is guilty of the crimes attributed to him—and all evidence points in that direction,” he added when he saw that Gray was about to interrupt, “then we must tread very carefully. We make one mistake, and he’s scot-free. While we’re waiting for lab reports, I see no harm in having Barrie talk to Armbruster.”

“I’ll tell you what the harm is,” Gray said angrily. “He’s as much a criminal as David. You heard what that Walters woman said. The list of charges against Clete is as long as my arm. Barrie could be walking into a trap that’ll get her killed.”

The attorney general shook his head. “Armbruster said that Mrs. Merritt is being released from the hospital this afternoon. She’ll be there too, so he couldn’t have violence in mind.” Yancey turned to Barrie. “I gather you’re game?”

“Absolutely.”

“Where and when?” Gray snapped.

“The senator’s house. Eight o’clock.”

Chapter Forty-Six

At precisely eight o’clock Barrie rang the doorbell. It was answered by a Secret Service agent who asked politely to see her satchel. He searched it, then handed it back to her and ran a portable metal detector over her.

Senator Armbruster came forward to greet her. He pressed her hand between both of his and said effusively, “I hope we can put all our misunderstandings behind us after tonight, Miss Travis. I’ve already spoken to your former employer at WVUE. As a personal favor to me, he’s agreed to reinstate you. You can have your job back.”

“Thank you, Senator, but I no longer wish to be employed at WVUE, especially as a charity case.”

He smiled magnanimously. “Frankly I don’t blame you. After tonight, you’ll be able to sell your story to the highest bidder.”

“I’m curious about the nature of this exclusive you’ve promised.”