Bonni surged forward, as did Nicole, the two women drawing the secretary’s attention.
“I have time for one question,” he said.
Nicole blurted her query, but Glass raised his hand, stopping her. “It’s good to see you again, Nicole. But let’s go with someone new this time.”
Before Nicole could respond, Glass shifted his gaze to the local TV reporter beside her.
Bonni was momentarily at a loss for words, seemingly afflicted by the stutter she had wished upon her competitor. Her mind raced as she felt today’s opportunity slipping away. But then the fog cleared and the questions came.
“What are the specific sanctions the president is prepared to invoke in the case of Russian aggression?”
As Glass took a few seconds to compose his response, Bonni glanced over her shoulder, confirming that the camera was recording and that Lipska had a clear shot.
She focused again on Glass as he began to answer, but he stopped mid-sentence. Bonni wasn’t sure which registered first — the small hole appearing in his forehead just above the bridge of his nose, or the reddish-gray puff materializing behind his head. It took a short moment to realize that a bullet had passed through his skull.
It was pandemonium outside Lincoln Hall after the secretary of defense collapsed onto the pavement. Bonni instinctively turned in the direction of the gunshot, spotting a man standing between two pillars on the third floor of the parking garage across the street, lowering a rifle as he surveyed the scene below. Lipska also turned, aiming his camera toward the garage. It might have been her imagination, but Bonni thought she saw the man across the street smile as he brought the rifle scope to his eye again.
Another shot rang out as a bullet struck Lipska’s camera, followed by another round into his head.
As Lipska and his camera tumbled to the ground, Bonni realized she might be the next target — she had seen the assassin and could identify him. As she turned to flee toward the nearest cover, a bullet entered her left temple, exiting the other side of her head.
2
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Darkness was falling across the District as CIA Director Christine O’Connor entered the West Wing of the White House, descending to the Situation Room in the basement. The last to arrive for this evening’s impromptu meeting aside from the president, Christine took one of two empty seats at the table, then took note of tonight’s attendance. Seated around the table were Secretary of State Marcy Perini, Secretary of Homeland Security Nova Conover, FBI Director Bill Guisewhite, National Security Advisor Thom Parham, and Kevin Hardison, the president’s chief of staff.
Christine had been invited because the perpetrator of this morning’s assassination had been identified: a man the CIA had tracked down twice but who had slipped away on both occasions. Now that Christine had arrived, Hardison contacted the president’s secretary, informing her that they were ready for the president, who arrived a moment later. All stood as he entered, returning to their seats after the president settled into his chair at the head of the table.
“What have you got?” he asked.
Hardison replied, “Director Guisewhite has the lead on the investigation and will brief you on what we know.”
After the president nodded, Guisewhite began.
“Good evening, Mr. President. As you’re aware, Secretary of Defense Glass was assassinated this morning after his speech at the National Defense University. Although the sniper sent a bullet through the lens of a local TV reporter’s camera, the images of the assassin had already been recorded in the camera’s digital memory. His picture was run through all available databases — there was initially no result, until regression analysis identified the perpetrator: a disguised Lonnie Mixell.”
The president’s eyes shifted momentarily to Christine O’Connor, whose organization had previously been tasked to track down the former U.S. Navy SEAL who had been incarcerated for killing several prisoners during a tour of duty in the Middle East. After his release from prison, Mixell had turned on the country that he believed had betrayed him, helping America’s enemies and even attempting to assassinate the president a year ago.
Additionally, he harbored a vendetta against the fellow SEAL who had reported his transgressions in the Middle East — Jake Harrison, his former best friend. Three months ago, Mixell had obtained revenge for his eight-year incarceration, slaying Harrison’s wife and wounding Harrison and his daughter.
Complicating the matter, Christine was from the same town as Mixell and Harrison, and the three had been close friends until Mixell’s imprisonment. Christine had sided with Harrison, which infuriated Mixell, and Christine had also been wounded in the confrontation between Mixell and Harrison.
Christine had left Mixell’s body in the barn, believing he was dead. But when law enforcement searched the barn, they found no body, just a bloody trail leading to a broken window. They had used dogs to track him through the Northwest wilderness, but they had lost his trail in a heavy rain.
The president turned back to Guisewhite. “You’re sure it was Mixell?”
“Yes, Mr. President. We have video from a local television station that was filmed during the assassination.”
“What kind of security was in place?” the president asked, irritation evident in his tone. “This man is number one on the FBI’s most wanted list and there’s an Interpol red notice on him. How did Mixell get onto an Army base to begin with and escape afterwards?”
“Mixell was disguised with a beard and colored eye contacts,” Guisewhite replied, “plus he had an official ID. The surveillance video at the entrance gate shows the guard scanning Mixell’s ID card, and his entry onto the base was approved. As far as Mixell’s escape, there was initial confusion after the assassination, and it took a few minutes to lock down the base. By that time, Mixell had already exited.”
“Do you have any leads on him?” the president asked.
“Not at this time,” Guisewhite replied, “but we’re monitoring all transportation hubs and the cameras at every Metro, train, and highway toll, and have law enforcement searching for the suspect’s vehicle.”
The president nodded curtly. “What about the other deaths? Two civilians and two DSS agents?”
“That’s correct. Bonni Shuff, a reporter for a local station, plus her cameraman, Ed Lipska, were the civilian casualties. Mixell was partially concealed from his vantage point in the parking garage across the street, but Bonni and Lipska had a clear view from their position on the sidewalk, in line with Mixell’s shot on Secretary Glass. It looks like Mixell took out anyone able to identify him. However, I don’t think he expected to be captured on video during the assassination.
“Regarding the DSS casualties, two agents were killed as they moved across the street from Lincoln Hall toward the parking garage, which discouraged pursuit. The other DSS agents took cover, and Mixell used their reluctance to cross the street to his advantage, buying enough time to escape.”
“Are there any other details I need to be aware of?” the president asked.
After Guisewhite replied no, the president turned to Hardison. “What’s the plan?”
“The deputy secretary of defense, Peter Seuffert, will be the acting SecDef until a replacement is nominated and approved. Regarding Mixell, the FBI will coordinate with the CIA again to track him down.”
The president shifted his gaze back to Christine. “You’ve tracked down and supposedly killed Mixell twice, and both times he’s slipped through your fingers. This time, make sure he’s dead,” he said tersely. “Put his head on a stick if you have to.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
A report from the Situation Room speakers interrupted their discussion. “Mr. President, the new Russian president is delivering his inauguration speech. Do you want us to broadcast it on the Situation Room display?”