Chapter Sixteen
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
L indsey handed Sam several pages stapled together. “Elaine Myerson died from blunt force trauma to the head that cracked her skull. She died almost instantly at approximately three thirty yesterday afternoon. The tox screen has been submitted, and I’ll get you results when I have them.”
“Thank you. That’s just what we needed.”
“No problem.”
When Lindsey turned to leave, Sam called her back. “Give us a second, will you, Freddie?”
“Sure.”
Lindsey stepped into the office reluctantly, or so it seemed to Sam.
“Do you mind closing the door?”
She shut the door.
“What do I have to do to make this right with you?”
“You can’t. You gave me a fake ID, Sam. How the fuck do I ever trust you again?”
Her sharp words were like knives to Sam’s heart. “I told you why I did that.”
“I don’t care why. If you’d asked me to bet my life if you’d ever do something like that, I’d be laid out in my own morgue right now.”
“I’m very sorry, and I swear to you it’ll never happen again.”
Lindsey leaned back against the closed door, folded her arms and looked down at the floor.
“Linds.” Sam waited until her friend finally looked at her. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have promised to keep secrets from my closest friends and colleagues, even under the guise of national security. I’ll never do that again. You have my word.”
Sam hoped her word still meant something to Lindsey.
“I want you to know… I understand the position you were in, and I empathize with that. I mean, this whole thing is unbelievable. But…”
Sam got up and went around the desk, stopping a foot from one of her closest friends. “It’ll never happen again.”
“I accept your apology.”
“Thank you.”
A knock sounded at the door. “Sam! Come quick.”
What now?
Filled with apprehension, she walked into the pit with Lindsey.
“They’ve arrested the former CNO,” Gonzo said as he led the way to the conference room, where the rest of her team were gathered around the television.
Agent Truver stood at a podium as she announced the arrest of Nathan Goldstein, the former chief of Naval Operations, on attempted murder and treason charges. Acting Attorney General Conrad stood behind Truver, along with several high-ranking naval officers and other officials.
Gonzo let out a low whistle. “A freaking admiral.”
“Since the plot to overthrow the Cappuano administration came to light, we’ve been working diligently with the Justice Department and numerous other agencies and law enforcement personnel to piece together what took place. Through interviews with other former members of the Joint Chiefs, we’ve learned that former Admiral Goldstein was the mastermind behind the plan to enact, for all intents and purposes, a military coup to wrest control of the United States government away from President Cappuano and his administration.
“Goldstein believed the president lacked, and I’m quoting others who spoke on the record, ‘the experience, gravitas and skill to command the United States Armed Forces and to protect the country from hostile actors who would see those failings as an opportunity to attack, invade or otherwise threaten the sovereignty of the United States.’ Goldstein believed the potential for terrorism or other violence could not and should not be ignored.”
Sam ached at the thought of Nick hearing these things said about him and his presidency.
“The plan, as outlined by Goldstein and detailed by people in the know, was for the military advisers to notify the president that they were taking command of the government, the United States Armed Forces and all associated properties and holdings. The former Joint Chiefs had intended to give the president the opportunity to resign and peacefully vacate the White House.”
“ Holy shit ,” Cameron whispered.
“What if he hadn’t done what they wanted?” Freddie asked.
“If necessary,” Truver continued, “the former Joint Chiefs were prepared to declare martial law to remove the president from office.”
Since she no longer trusted her knees not to buckle, Sam took the first available seat at the table.
“The plan, which was intended to be held strictly between the principals and their top aides, leaked, the way these things do. Staff members, appalled by the plan, began to talk amongst themselves, and a decision was made at the staff level to inform Lieutenant Commander Juan Rodriguez, one of the president’s military attachés who’d become friendly with the president. Lieutenant Commander Rodriguez was not explicitly asked to inform the president, but it was understood that he would. And he did.
“Upon learning of the plot, the president acted quickly and decisively to foil it, confronting the now-former Joint Chiefs, and when they refused to acknowledge their involvement, he instructed now-former Attorney General Cox to take them into custody.
“After being charged with numerous federal crimes and dishonorably discharged from the military, Goldstein wasn’t satisfied. He wanted revenge against the man who’d tipped off the president. He arranged for the murder of Juan Rodriguez, whose body was found in a clothing donation bin on New York Avenue earlier this week. Since Mr. Goldstein has been in custody, he’s unaware that Lieutenant Commander Rodriguez has been murdered by the man he hired to do the job.”
“Goldstein doesn’t know that Juan isn’t dead,” Gonzo said, incredulous.
“They’re going to get him to flip on the guy he hired to do the deed, who didn’t actually do the deed—but he doesn’t know that—before they charge him with conspiracy to commit murder,” Sam said. “That’s why they need Juan to stay ‘dead’ awhile longer.”
“This whole thing is unbelievable,” Neveah said. “My grandfather was a Marine. He was always saying how military members take an oath in which they swear allegiance to the president, no matter who it is. The specific words are ‘I will obey the orders of the president of the United States.’”
“It’s hard to believe they’d risk huge pensions and their stellar reputations for something like this,” Freddie said.
“Why did they?” Sam asked. “When they had so much to lose, why would they do such a thing?”
“They let power go to their heads,” Cameron said. “They thought an inexperienced president would be easy to mess with. They found out otherwise. ”
“If Juan hadn’t heard about it and tipped him off, they might’ve gotten away with it.” Hearing Agent Truver’s recitation of the details, Sam was reminded of just how close they’d come to disaster. “Nick would’ve been caught off guard, unprepared to fight back when they came in with the military behind them, or so they would say.”
“We expect additional charges to be forthcoming against Mr. Goldstein,” Truver concluded. It was satisfying to hear her deny him the use of his former title. “The others involved in the plot have taken plea deals that require them to testify against Goldstein in exchange for lesser prison sentences. We’ll update you as future developments transpire.”
As she left the podium, reporters shouted questions that she and the others ignored.
Sam reached for the BlackBerry and typed a text to Nick. I saw the press conference. I’m so sorry they tried to do this to you, love. I know you’re busy, but are you okay? What can I do?
She ought to go home to him, but he was probably sealed away with his team, figuring out how to deal with the news that would resurrect the pontificating of pundits about the incident. It had gone on for weeks when the initial news of the plot had broken.
Sam hated that he’d have to deal with this nightmare all over again, along with talking heads questioning whether the Joint Chiefs might’ve been right to want to depose him.
“It’s complete bullshit, Sam,” Freddie said, tuning in to what she was thinking. “He’s going to show everyone how lucky they are to have him as their president. He already is.”
“All he did was step up when he was asked to,” she said.
“Like you always say, no good deed goes unpunished,” Gonzo said.
“It’s so true. He would’ve been so much better off remaining a senator and doing what he could in the Senate to make a difference.”
“I don’t agree with that,” Neveah said hesitantly, as if she wasn’t sure she should be so blunt. She’d joined Sam’s team recently and didn’t have the history with her and Nick that the others did.
“How come?” Sam asked her.
“I think he’s amazing—and not just because I work with his equally amazing wife.”
Sam gave her a playful scowl over the compliment, even though she was touched by the kind words.
“People my age can relate to him—to both of you. We feel like he understands our generation and the struggles we’ve faced. He doesn’t come from a big, fancy family that raised him with every advantage. He’s a regular guy who ended up in the Oval Office through hard work and dedication to his country. All my friends agree with me that he’s our president, and we’re with him for the long haul. What the Joint Chiefs did was appalling. So many people think so.” She seemed to catch herself when she realized she was going on a bit. “Anyway… That’s what I think, and I’m not alone.”
“Thank you, Neveah. That means a lot to me, and it will to him, too, when I pass it on to him.”
“We all feel that way, Sam,” Gonzo said. “And again, not because we know him or because you guys are our friends, but because he leads with his heart and genuinely wants to do what’s best for everyone—not just what’s best for him. He doesn’t give a shit about being reelected, which gives him the freedom to do the right thing over the politically expeditious thing. You watch. He’ll go down in history as one of our best presidents. I know it.”
“Agreed,” Cam said. “I’d rather have him in that office than ninety-nine percent of the political animals that populate this city. He cares about people. He wants to make things better. His efforts on gun control alone make him a star in my book. Our jobs were always dangerous, but with the whole world armed these days, it’s worse than it’s ever been before. Responsible gun control should be a no-brainer, and Nick gets that. ”
“I appreciate the support, you guys. And he will, too. I just wish more people knew him the way you all do. The way I do.”
“I thought he was thinking about doing a big interview,” Freddie said. “This might be a good time to do that.”
“Yeah, probably. I’ll ask him where that stands. In the meantime, let’s get back to work on the Myerson case.”
Freddie shut off the TV and took a seat across from Sam. “I keep going back to the way Elaine controlled her kids with an iron fist. I don’t know anything about being a mother to teens, but listening to Zoe describe her life under Elaine’s regime made me really uncomfortable.”
“Me, too,” Sam said. “There was something seriously unhealthy about it. That she wouldn’t even let Zoe have a job is so bizarre. My parents were kicking my ass out to go to work from the time I was old enough to babysit for the neighbors.”
“Same,” Gonzo said. “I had a paper route at ten, which is kind of bonkers when you think about it now. I’d never let Alex run around by himself at ten.”
“Different times,” Cameron said. “I worked in the funeral homes from the time I was thirteen and old enough to print memorial cards and programs and stuff.”
“I was twelve the first time I made babysitting money,” Neveah said. “I got hooked on having my own money after that. I worked as much as I could.”
“We need to take a closer look at the sister’s murder,” Sam said.
“I have the lowdown on that,” Cam said. “Sarah Corrigan, age seventeen, was kidnapped off a residential street in Manassas twenty-six years ago this June. She’d been at a friend’s home to study and was walking the six blocks home. Her backpack was found on the sidewalk, but despite a massive manhunt, no other sign of her was found until about six weeks later when her naked body was located in a ravine. The murderer was never caught, and the case remains open. I spoke with a Lieutenant Kirkland at the City of Manassas Police Department, and he told me the detective who originally caught the case is still working on it. He asked us to share our info on the Myerson case with them.
“Are we thinking there’s a connection?” Freddie asked.
“I don’t know,” Cam said. “Two sisters murdered twenty-six years apart would be a stretch to pin on the same person. Wouldn’t it?”
“I think so,” Sam said. “Are the parents still around?”
“The mother died ten years ago and the father six years ago.”
“Those poor people died without ever knowing who did that to their child,” Sam said.
“I can’t even imagine that,” Gonzo said.
“Any other siblings, Cam?”
“There’s an older brother, Charles, goes by Chuck, who still lives in Manassas.”
“I’d like to see him,” Sam said. “Let’s find out where he is today.”