“As I’ve been told. My chief of staff says the White House is looking at you.”
“To put it mildly. And your subpoena is shining a bright spotlight right in my direction.”
“What have you done?”
She chuckled. “Not yet. No admissions until we have a deal.”
“And why would I trust you?”
She reached into her jacket pocket and removed the copy of Mary Todd’s original letter, along with the typed version. Rowan accepted both and read. Though he tried hard to contain himself she could see the excitement.
“Is that some of what you’re after?” she asked.
He shrugged, as though the answer was obvious. “You seem quite knowledgeable about my activities.”
“I’m in the intelligence business. It’s my job. But those requests of yours have screwed me up good.”
“In what way?”
“Let’s just say that I have an accounting problem. One I was about to quietly resolve, until you came along. Now the White House is asking questions I don’t want to answer.”
He appeared surprised. “I never took you for a thief.”
“Then let’s call me an underpaid public servant who wants to enjoy her retirement years. Once the current administration is gone, I’ll be gone, too. It’s the perfect time for me to fade away. I just needed a few more months, without any undue attention.”
“Sorry to interfere with your plans.”
“It might not be so bad, after all,” she said, keeping her voice matter-of-fact. “There’s something else I think you might want to see. Something I doubt you know exists.”
She found the copies of Madison’s original note and the typed rendition.
Rowan read them.
“You’re correct. I did not know this existed.”
She glanced at her watch. “And by morning I’ll have whatever it is Madison hid in his summer study.”
She could see he was impressed.
“Which you want to use to bargain with?”
She shrugged. “I have what you want and you have what I want.”
Her stomach turned. Voicing those words was disgusting enough, but the man sitting across from her made things worse. His public image was one of staunch conservatism. No nonsense. Straight shooter. Zero scandal. But he had no problem turning a blind eye to a corrupt public employee in order to get what he wanted. Even worse, he’d apparently bought into her story, which meant he had little to no opinion of her.
“You’re correct,” he said. “There are certain documents I would like to see. They are important … on a personal level. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to access them. This letter from Mrs. Lincoln was one that I believed existed. You see, she sent a similar letter to the head of my church. We have that in our archives. But this note from Mr. Madison is something entirely new.”
“I don’t know what you’re doing, nor do I care. I just want all this attention on me to go away. I want to serve out my time till Daniels is out, then I’m gone.” She added a bitter edge to her voice. “I came here to make a deal. If I can get you off my back, I can handle the White House. But I can’t fight them and Congress. I brought two offerings to show my good faith. By morning, I’ll have a third.”
“I, too, am in my final years in office. I will not be running again.”
That was news.
“Retiring back to Utah?”
“Back to Utah. But no retirement.”
She felt like an accused walking to the scaffold after tying the noose around her own neck. But she decided to embrace her new persona. It wasn’t often that one was given a free pass to break the law.
“Then your subpoena will be withdrawn?” she asked.
“Not exactly.”
Why had she known this wasn’t going to be that easy?
“While I appreciate your two immediate offers, and the one coming tomorrow, there is another item I require. And I’d like to see it tonight.”
THIRTY-NINE
SALZBURG
11:50 P.M.
MALONE LAY ON THE BED IN HIS HOTEL ROOM, LEGS CROSSED, hands laced together behind his head. Fatigue had hit him like a wave, but sleep was elusive. He chided himself for his fears and worries. Hated the nagging ache of doubt in his gut. He could not remember being in a stranger situation. But he hadn’t allowed a woman into his life for some time. The final five years of his marriage to Pam had been anything but intimate. They were more like strangers living together, both realizing that the relationship was over, neither one of them wanting to do anything about it. Finally Pam had forced the issue by moving out. Eventually he ended the estrangement by divorcing her, retiring from the government, quitting his job, and leaving Georgia for Denmark.