Richmond would irrimediately recognize Russell’s intentions, there was
no question of that. He was arrogant but no fool. And then he would
destroy her. Just like that. And she would be defenseless. There would
be no good exposing him. She couldn’t prove a thing.
Her word against his. And she would be relegated to the political toxic
waste dump, condemned and then, worst of all, forgotten.
She had to find him. Somehow get a message to him, that he must work
through her. There was only one person who could help her do that. She
sat back down at her desk, collected herself and resumed working. This
was no time to panic. Right now she needed to be stronger than she had
ever been in her life. She could still make it, still control the
outcome if she just kept her nerves in check, used the first-rate mind
God had bestowed upon her. She could get out of this mess. She knew
where she had to start.
The mechanism that she had chosen to use would strike anyone who knew
Gloria Russell as particularly odd. But there was a side to the Chief of
Staff that would surprise those few who claimed to know her well. Her
professional career had always come f6remost to the detriment of every
other facet of her life, including the personal, and the sexual
relationships that were spawned from that area of one’s life.
But Gloria Russell considered herself a very desirable woman; indeed,
she possessed a feminine side that was in the sharpest contrast to her
official shroud. That the years were going by, and rapidly, only
increased the apprehension she had been starting to feel regarding this
imbalance in her life.
Not that she was necessarily planning anything, especially in light of
the potential catastrophe she was confronted with, but she believed she
knew the best way to accomplish this mission. And confirm her
desirability in the process. She could not escape her feelings, no more
than she could her shadow. So why try? Anyway, she also felt that
subtlety would be lost on her intended target.
Several hours later she -clicked off her desk lamp and called for her
car. Then she checked the Secret Service staffing for the day and picked
up her phone. Three minutes later Agent Collin stood before her, his
hands clasped in front of him in a pose standard to all the agents. She
motioned for him to wait a moment. She checked her makeup, performing a
perfect oval with her lips as she reapplied her lipstick. Out of the
corner of her eye she studied the tall, lean man standing next to her
desk. The mag4zine-cover looks would’ve been difficult for any woman to
consciously ignore. That his profession also dictated that he. lived on
the brink of danger and could, indeed, be dangerous himself, only added
favorably to the total package. Like the bad boys in high school girls
always seemed to be drawn to, if only to escape, momentarily, the
dullness of their own existence.
Tim Collin, she surmised with reasonable confidence, must have broken
many a female heart in his relatively short life.
Her calendar was clear tonight, a rarity. She pushed her chair back and
slipped into her heels. She didn’t see Agent Collin as his eyes shifted
to her legs and then quickly back to stare straight ahead. Had she seen,
she would have been pleased, not least of all for the obvious reason.
“The President will be giving a press conference next week at the
Middleton Courthouse, Tim.”
“Yes, ma’am, nine-thirty-five A.M. We’re working on the preliminaries
right now.” His eyes stared straight ahead.
“Do you find that a little unusual?”
Collin looked at her. “How so, ma’am?”
“It’s after working hours, you can call rae Gloria.”
Collin shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another.
She smiled at him, at his obvious awkwardness.
“You understand what the press conference is for, don’t you?”
“The President will be addressing the”–Collin swallowed
perceptibly—-@’the killing.of Mrs. Sullivan.”
“That’s right. A President conducting a press conference regarding the
homicide of a private citizen. Don’t you find that curious? I believe
it’s a first in presidential history, Tim.”