"No, but there is one. His name's Fred."

"Is he in the house?"

"No, he lives in an old trailer on the property, just over that way," he said, pointing to the west.

"So who else is inside?"

"Tippi was, but she's not there now."

"Who's Tippi?"

"Mr. Sam's daughter. He brought her home from the nursing home not too long ago."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She got sick a long time ago. Hooked her up to machines to breathe and all. Was in the nursing home for years. Mr. Sam and me would go and read to her. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice. You read it?"

Michelle said, "Why'd he bring her home?"

"Don't know. He just did."

"But now she's not here?"

"She's not in her bedroom. I checked."

"Was that why you were crying? Because you thought something had happened to her?"

Gabriel looked up at Michelle. "Ma'am, Mr. Sam is a good man. He took me and my ma in when we didn't have nowhere else to go. He helps people, lots of people. He wouldn't do nothing to Miss Tippi. He's done everything for her."

"But you were still crying. There must be a reason why."

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because we want to help," she said.

"That's what you say, but I don't know if that's what you really mean."

"You're a smart young man," said Sean.

"Mr. Sam said don't trust nobody till they give you a good reason why you should."

"What you doing here?" snapped a voice.

They turned to see Ruth Ann standing there in her old bathrobe. They didn't focus on the robe, though. Their attention was occupied by the single-barrel shotgun she was pointing at them.

CHAPTER 76

THEY HAD SETTLED on a Boeing 757 that the secretary of state used to fly before she'd been upgraded to a wide-body 767-300. The plane had been kept at Andrews Air Force Base along with the rest of the presidential fleet. All government markings had been previously removed and it was now primarily used to shuttle agents, aides, and the press, as well as necessary equipment.

The secretary of state had a private office and bedroom on the plane and that configuration had not changed. It was in the office where the president and Mrs. Cox were sitting when they went wheels up from Andrews a few hours after Jane Cox had burst into the Oval Office and planted a golf ball in Thomas Jefferson's left eye socket. The rest of the plane housed a hastily assembled skeleton crew of Secret Service agents who were more bewildered than anything else by what was happening.

The president sat looking at his wife, who was hunched in her seat staring at the floor. When they reached their cruising altitude, the president undid his seat belt and looked around the quarters.

"Nice office. Not as big as mine on AF-One, but nice."

"I'm sorry, Dan. I'm sorry you didn't get to ride in your usual big toy." Her arms were folded across her chest and she was looking at him with alternating expressions of fear and hopelessness.

"It that what you think all this is? Toys?"

"I actually don't know what I think right now. No, actually I do. I think we've finally reached rock bottom."

He took off his shoes, rubbed his feet, and paced around the cabin.

"I don't even really remember it."

"I'm sure you don't. But I do."

"I've changed."

"Okay."

"I have, Jane. And you damn well know it."

"Okay, you've changed. That does not help the present situation."

He sighed and sat down next to her, massaging her shoulders. "I know it doesn't. I know this has been hell for you."

She slowly looked at him. "He took Willa because of this."

"So you told me. No, so you screamed at me."

"You said you couldn't compromise the office of the president in order to get her back."

"That's right, Jane. I can't. Even if this mess weren't my responsibility I couldn't."

"Our responsibility."

"Jane-"

She took his hand in hers. "Ours, she said softly."

"I don't know why you ever stayed with me, really."

"I love you. Sometimes I don't know why, but I do. I attached my star to yours, Dan. We shot to the sky together."

"And we may fall back to earth just as fast."

"We may."

"This election is mine to lose. Haven't had one of those in this country in a while." She said nothing. He glanced at her. "Do you think he'll keep his word? If we do what he asked?"

"I don't know. I don't know the man. All I know is that he sounded like someone who had it all figured out. Not just us, but what he wants."

"The Secret Service is very upset at all this."

Jane looked like she wanted to laugh. "I'm very upset too. And regardless of how this turns out, they'll still have a job. I can't say the same about you."

"About us," he reminded her.

"You know, a little self-control, that's all it would've taken."

"It was like a disease. You know it was. In all honesty I have to say I'm stunned actually that nothing has ever come up before now."

"Stunned? Really? When I was behind you all the time picking up the pieces? And you're stunned?"

"I didn't mean it that way."

"What other way could you possibly have meant it?"

"Now is not the time to be divided, Jane. We have to stand together on this. If we're going to survive."

"I guess we'll have all of our golden years in which to fight."

"If that's what you want," he said coldly.

"What I want is not to be on this plane going to where we're going."

"How did he sound on the phone?"

"Determined. Full of anger and hatred. Can you blame him?"

"You think he was being straight? I mean, it seems like such a small thing to do in return for, you know…"

"Would you rather he killed Willa?" she said darkly.

"That wasn't my point! Don't put words in my mouth."

A knock at the door interrupted this bickering.

It was Larry Foster, the protection detail chief. "Sir, the flight crew has our ETA into Huntsville in about one hour and thirty minutes. It's fortunate that they just opened a new runway that'll support an aircraft in this class."

"Fine, right."

"And then we are to go on to another location."

"You were given the coordinates."

"Yes sir. We have them."

"Well, is there a problem?"

"Sir, can I speak frankly?"

Cox glanced at his wife and then turned back to Foster. "Go ahead," he said tersely.

"This whole thing is a problem. We have no idea where we're going, or what we'll be confronted with. I'm understaffed on this and don't have even one-quarter of our regular support and equipment. My strong recommendation is that we turn around and head back to D.C."

"That's impossible."

"Sir, I'm very strongly recommending that we don't go through with this."

"I'm the president. I just wanted to go for an unscheduled trip. It's not that big of a deal."

Foster cleared his throat. His clenched hands evidenced the anger that he was feeling but trying hard not to show. "The other issue is we don't have a motorcade, sir. And the destination in question is about eighty miles southeast of the airport in Huntsville."

"We have to get there"-Cox checked his watch-"in exactly four hours and seven minutes."

"I had a C-130 fly ahead of us with two choppers on it. It'll take a little bit of time to get the choppers out and be ready to go."

"You have the timetable. And we cannot miss that deadline."

"Sir, if you could just fill me in on what's going on? I know the director has spoken with you and he supports my position, but-"

Cox pointed a finger at him. "The director serves at my pleasure. I can replace him tomorrow. And I will if I get any more flack from him. I want you to just do what you're told. I am the commander in chief. If you won't do it, then I'll get the damn Army to take over. They won't question my authority."