“Then why are we eating them?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just told them to fix some food. This isn’t easy.”
“And why are we here, as opposed to your office?”
“Too many eyes and ears there.”
A strange response, but she let it go.
“You realize,” he said, “that Mary Todd Lincoln was probably a manic depressive.”
“She was a sad woman who lost nearly everything dear to her. It’s amazing she didn’t lose her mind completely.”
“Her surviving son, Robert, thought she had. He committed her.”
“And she managed to legally reverse that decision.”
“That she did. Then, not long after that, she sent Ulysses Grant a letter. Why in the world would she do that?”
“Apparently she wasn’t as crazy as history wants her to be. Grant not only kept what she sent, he classified it. There have been a lot of presidents since 1876. Why are you the first one to be concerned about this?”
“I’m not.”
Now she was interested.
“There are indications that both Roosevelts looked into it, along with Nixon.”
“Why am I not surprised.”
Daniels chuckled. “I thought the same thing. Nixon had two Mormons in his cabinet. He liked the church and the way it thought. He courted them in 1960, ’68, and ’72. In July 1970 he visited Salt Lake City and met with the prophet and twelve apostles. A thirty-minute, off-the-record discussion, behind closed doors. A bit unprecedented for a president, don’t you think?”
“So why did he do it?”
“ ’Cause I imagine ol’ Tricky Dick wanted to know if what Mary Todd Lincoln wrote was right. Did the Mormons still have what Abraham Lincoln gave them?”
“And what did he find out?”
“We’ll never know. Everybody there that day, save one, is dead.”
“Seems like you need to talk to that one.”
“I intend to do just that.” He pointed at Madison’s message. “Thank goodness we found that, or we wouldn’t even know to ask or look.”
Her gaze wandered the room and settled on a portrait of John Adams, the first person to serve as vice president. “You need to get to the point, Danny.”
The use of his first name signaled how irritated she truly was with him.
“I like it when you say my name.”
“I like it when you’re straightforward.” She paused. “Which is a rarity, by the way.”
“I just wanted to finish out my eight years,” he quietly said. “The last few months should have been peaceful. God knows we’ve had enough excitement. But Thaddeus Rowan had other ideas.”
She waited for more.
“He’s been trying for over a year to access certain classified files. Things his security clearance doesn’t even get close to allowing. He’s pressured the CIA, FBI, NSA, even a couple of White House staffers. The man’s been around and knows how to throw his weight. So far, he’s been moderately successful. Now he’s focused on you.”
She understood. “So I’m to be the bait?”
“Why not? You and I understand each other. Together, we can solve this.”
“Looks like we don’t have a choice.”
“That’s the thing I’m going to miss most about this job. People are once again going to have choices when it comes to me.”
She smiled. He was impossible.
“I actually wanted to bring you in earlier, but I’m glad I didn’t. Now that Rowan himself has focused on you, it’s perfect. He’ll never see it coming and, if he does, he wants this so bad he’ll take a chance.”
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
He pointed again at Madison’s note. “First, find whatever it is Madison left at Montpelier. I don’t want you to do it personally, though. Do you have an agent you can trust?”
“I do. He should be back here, in Washington, right now.”
She stared at him long enough that he understood.
“Can Luke handle this?” he asked.
“He’s good, Danny.”
“Okay, let him handle it. But God help him if he screws this up. I’m bettin’ the farm on that wild boy.”
“Seems like Luke’s not the only one in the firing line.”
“You’re a pro, Stephanie. You can handle this. I need you to handle this. I’m also going to want you to meet with Rowan and gain his trust.”
“And why in the world would he ever trust me?”
“Tell him you can’t respond to his subpoena. To do so would end your career. But you get why you were served. No one would ever respond to such a sweeping request without a fight or a compromise. Obviously, he wants something. So ask him what it is, then make a deal.”