“But-”
Carolyn held up her hand. “On this, I won’t negotiate.” She looked at her watch. “Besides we’re running out of time. It’s after five.”
A few moments later, Carolyn heard the printer turn on. She glanced up from her work and found Katherine grinning from ear to ear.
Carolyn jumped up from her chair. “What is it?”
“Seems Richard has a penchant for bank accounts in the Caymans. But that’s not the worst part. It appears he invoiced your War On Drugs task force in the name of Winston Cain’s firm for two million dollars. He deleted the document, but I found it anyway. I also reconciled it to the task force’s ledger. It was processed. Since Warner rubber-stamped the budget for over five hundred million, it seems he had no problem getting paid. Guess where I found the funds?”
“The Cayman account?”
“You bet. It was withdrawn the day after the chemical release. I had to hack into the bank’s computer system to verify it.”
Carolyn raised an eyebrow.
Katherine smiled. “Don’t worry. I jogged around a bit using some old tricks. They won’t track us. Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to know who actually withdrew the money.”
Carolyn stepped back and then folded into her chair. “This is incredible.”
“It’s not a smoking gun,” Katherine said. “But it should be enough to finish Young.”
“We’ll see,” Carolyn said. “It all rides on how we handle matters from here on out.” She picked up the phone and dialed.
“I’m sorry to wake you, Mr, Speaker,” she began.
EIGHTY-SIX
Speaker of the House Jonathan Daniels stood before the joint session of Congress. His rotund presence commanded silence. “Before we take this historic vote, I have been asked to allow a very special speaker to take the floor. Due to the extraordinary circumstances we face today, I do not believe that any of you will object. Ladies and gentleman, without further ado please join me in welcoming First Lady Carolyn Alden Lane.”
A roar of applause thundered through the Capitol as the entire audience rose to their feet.
Carolyn entered the room from the back and moved down the main aisle to the podium. Members of Congress shook her hand and kissed her cheek, offering words of sympathy as she progressed.
It felt like an eternity ago when she’d spent her days speaking in courtrooms, arguing before judges and juries, condemning the guilty, enforcing the laws. And although she had immense experience, with a reputation to back it up, no closing argument could have prepared her for this moment. She found herself again charged with the job of condemning the guilty, arguing for justice – only this time the forum had changed, and the stakes affected her future and that of the country.
She stood before the lawmakers themselves, a group of men and women who were about to radically change the course of history, even though they didn’t know it. Yet.
Carolyn adjusted the microphone to her height and looked out at the packed house.
Richard Young sat alone in his office in the West Wing. Security demanded that leadership separate during joint sessions so as to preserve the chain of command in case of an attack. Even most of his staff was absent, as they worked furiously over at his Ceremonial Office in the Executive Office Building, preparing for his rise to the presidency.
Volume cranked up on the television, feet resting on an ottoman, he sipped a cup of coffee while waiting for the congressional vote – the vote that would make him the next President of the United States. When the Speaker of the House introduced Carolyn he slid his feet off the ottoman and leaned forward in his chair.
What the hell was going on? Why hadn’t Carolyn told him that she planned to address Congress?
My God, he thought after a moment, she’s brilliant. To speak in front of Congress before this historic vote, while her husband lay near death, was nothing short of heroic. The pundits and the public would view this as an incredible act of courage. After this, her vice presidency would be a shoo-in. Her astute political strategy impressed the hell out of him. Adrenaline coursed through him as he waited excitedly for what he knew would be a remarkable speech.
The applause seemed deafening. Carolyn took a deep breath. She’d given up her entire life to reign as First Lady, and now she was about to destroy it all.
To some it would have been easy to accept Young’s bribe to be the first female vice president. And although she had compromised far too much to get where she stood today, nothing was worth selling her soul for, not even the second highest office in the land.
Before her lay the opportunity to redeem herself, to reclaim the person she’d once been, and wanted to return to.
Carolyn held up a hand to quiet the crowd. ‘Thank you. Thank you,“ she said. ”Please – I don’t deserve this. Please – sit down. Please. Thank you.“
The room quieted.
“In many ways our country is like a growing child.” she began. “Each of us loves this child dearly. And our electorate has charged each of you with parenting this child, and like all parents we do our best along the way, but even our best is not perfect.
“The child, undoubtedly, makes mistakes, fails and falls. The parents make decisions for the child, and like the child, we make mistakes, fail from time to time, and also fall down on our job for we are only human. Painfully, I must say that this is one of those moments.”
Carolyn cleared her throat. “Today, you are the guidance for this child, our country. Today, you will make a history-altering decision. Each of you accepted this responsibility when you took your oath of office. And the people of this great nation depend on you to act in the best interests of our country.”
She took a deep breath. “It is a fact that my husband-” her voice broke. She paused for a moment to collect her composure. “My husband, Warner Hamilton Lane, will not recover from his injuries. This is a blow to our nation and the world. But it would be an even greater blow if I allowed you to vote, in accordance with the Constitution, on the chain of succession without all of the facts.”
She gripped the podium as if to fortify her will to continue. Carolyn knew that Richard would be watching, so she gazed into the television camera and concentrated on directing her words to him. “Richard Young cannot be allowed to take the office of the president of the United States.”
A hush fell over the congressional floor. Shock held everyone riveted.
Carolyn lifted the key documents above her head. “I hold in my hand evidence that implicates Mr. Young in a tragic conspiracy of many years. A conspiracy of such magnitude that it took the life of Senator William Rudly, the men who died in the chemical release event days ago, and many others.”
A collective gasp traveled through the room.
Strobes exploded.
A roar of noise rolled over her from the congressional chambers as the members grasped her meaning.
Pandemonium reigned as reporters, completely out of order, shouted questions.
Jonathan Daniels stepped to her side. He cracked the gavel on the podium, quickly restoring order. He nodded for Carolyn to continue.
“As you all know,” she went on, “I spent many years as a prosecutor. Today, I bring these skills to you, our lawmakers. Obviously, this must be investigated. Congressional hearings must take place, possibly a Grand Jury convened, and maybe even a trial. But until this matter of national security is resolved, the party in question cannot lead our country.
“It is with a leaden heart that I reveal this horrific news. But it is with the full measure of my confidence that I ask you to act in accordance with the demands of our Constitution. You must provide this country with the leadership she deserves. The leadership of the next man in the line of our constitutional succession, our Speaker of the House, Jonathan Daniels.”