Savich nodded. “Yes, most people agreed with you, here in the U.S. as well. But the president refused to accept her resignation regardless, though you hoped he’d be forced to, sooner or later.
“That almost happened. But then, out of the blue, someone tried to kill Natalie in her car off the A2 near Canterbury. You had no idea who that was, but the press soon put it out that she was hysterical or, more likely, flat-out lying, twisting a simple accident into an alleged attempt on her life to confuse the public and gain their sympathy. Of course, you knew Natalie was too honest to make something like that up. And, naturally, since you were her friend as well as her boss, she told you all about it. What better reason for you to order her back to the United States, to keep her hidden away until you could force her to resign? Have you figured it out yet, Mrs. Abbott?
“No? George was in touch with his son, William Charles, in the last days of his life. William loved his father, knew how much his father loved Mrs. Black. He knew about the bad publicity surrounding his photograph, knew about the email, though evidently his father died before he could tell his son it was a hoax. So it wasn’t difficult for him to believe his father had fallen apart when Natalie cut off their engagement. He believed she drove his father to kill himself. It was William who returned to England on a forged passport and tried to run her off the highway.
“It was William, too, who followed her back to the United States and tried to run her down in Buckner Park, but he failed again.
“When William Charles attacked Natalie Friday night and Hooley was shot, everything changed. You had to scramble then, Mrs. Abbott. It was all coming too close to home.
“All your finely executed plans, all your successes, were coming apart. Natalie was a U.S. ambassador someone had tried to assassinate—she was a heroine, and the president would back her more than ever. You decided you’d better change sides, and so you did. You joined the president and took the lead in bringing Natalie back into the public eye.”
Savich waited a beat, but Arliss said nothing. She looked composed and faintly bored, her eyes flitting between him and Eric Hainny. She never once looked at Natalie. She looked down at her watch, frowned, as if she was concerned with her next appointment.
Natalie spoke for the first time. “I’m glad I was wrong that George was murdered, Arliss. I’m glad you didn’t try to kill me. But we’ve been friends for so many years. How many years have you smiled at me, laughed with me, shared secrets and tragedies?
“Yet you hate me enough to ruin me, to destroy my reputation and my good name? When you did an about-face in Thorn’s office and supported me, I was so pleased, so happy you believed in me after all. But Agent Savich is right; you had no choice but to back the president. You were protecting yourself.”
Arliss Abbott shook her head. “I don’t hate you, Natalie. I could have no reason to. How could you ever come to believe that? We’ve been friends since we were both twenty years old, sophomores at Yale. You, Brundage, Thornton, and I, we’ve been close our whole lives. I do not know where this is coming from, but it is very wrong of you to be convinced by what Agent Savich is spinning.”
Savich paused, studied her face. “It must have angered you beyond bearing that the president, a man you’d known since college, your most important supporter, didn’t take your advice and ask for Mrs. Black’s resignation as you hoped he would.
“You had to introduce her at the United Nations yourself, call her a heroine in front of the world, when she was your bitterest enemy.
“I wish ruining Natalie was the beginning and ending to it, but you know it’s not. What you couldn’t allow to happen was for your son to marry Perry Black.”
Day yelled, “That is crazy! My mom’s loved Perry since she was born!”
Savich waved Day to quiet. “That’s why the threatening notes to Perry, the trashing of her Harley, the attack on her at her condo. Of course, you knew all about Carlos and Isabel since you and Day have been an intimate part of Natalie’s life. But you wouldn’t have done those things yourself, you could never manage it, anyway, with the DS agents you have guarding you all the time. So did you hire someone to terrorize Perry? Perhaps you’d gotten Natalie’s half-brother, Milton Holmes, involved. Or maybe your assistant, Theodore Reynolds. But neither felt right. Who then? That was the question.
“Everything became clearer after the attack on Perry and Davis last night at her condo. Davis wounded the shooter. We managed to collect blood and get DNA. We collected Davis and Perry’s DNA, as well as yours, Mr. Abbott.