Die Trying by Lee Child

but speculation.”

Webster spread his hands. Spoke directly to the back of the guy’s

head.

“Sir, this is a big deal,” he said. “They’re arming themselves,

they’ve taken a hostage, they’re talking about secession from the

Union.”

The president nodded.

“Don’t you understand, that’s the problem?” he said. “If this were

about three weirdos in a hut in the woods with a bomb, we’d send you in

there right away. But it isn’t. This could lead to the biggest

constitutional crisis since 1860.”

“So you agree with me,” Webster said. “You’re taking them

seriously.”

The president shook his head. Sadly, like he was upset but not

surprised Webster didn’t get the point.

“No,” he said. “We’re not taking them seriously. That’s what makes

this whole thing so damn difficult. They’re a bunch of deluded idiots,

seeing plots everywhere, conspiracies, muttering about independence for

their scrubby little patch of worthless real estate. But the question

is: how should a mature democratic nation react to that? Should it

massacre them all, Harland? Is that how a mature nation reacts? Should

it unleash deadly force against a few deluded idiot citizens? We spent

a generation condemning the Soviets for doing that. Are we going to do

the same thing?”

They’re criminals, sir,” Webster said.

“Yes, they are,” the president agreed, patiently. They’re

counterfeiters, they own illegal weapons, they don’t pay federal taxes,

they foment racial hatred, maybe they even robbed an armored car. But

those are details, Harland. The broad picture is they’re disgruntled

citizens. And how do we respond to that? We encourage disgruntled

citizens in Eastern Europe to stand up and declare their nationhood,

right? So how do we deal with our own disgruntled citizens, Harland?

Declare war on them?”

Webster clamped his jaw. He felt adrift. Like the thick carpets and

the quiet paint and the unfamiliar scented air inside the Oval Office

were choking him.

They’re criminals,” he said again. It was all he could think of to

say.

The president nodded. Still a measure of sympathy.

“Yes, they are,” he agreed again. “But look at the broad picture,

Harland. Look at their main offense. Their main offense is they hate

their government. If we deal with them harshly for that, we could face

a crisis. Like we said, there are maybe sixty million Americans ready

to be tipped over the edge. This administration is very aware of that,

Harland. This administration is going to tread very carefully.”

“But what about Holly?” he asked. “You can’t just sacrifice her.”

There was a long silence. The president kept his chair turned away.

“I can’t react because of her, either,” he said quietly. “I can’t

allow myself to make this personal. Don’t you see that? A personal,

emotional, angry response would be wrong. It would be a bad mistake. I

have to wait and think. I’ve talked it over with the general. We’ve

talked for hours. Frankly, Harland, he’s pissed at me, and, again

frankly, I don’t blame him. He’s just about my oldest friend and he’s

pissed at me. So don’t talk to me about sacrifice, Harland. Because

sacrifice is what this office is all about. You put the greater good

in front of friendship, in front of all your own interests. You do it

all the time. It’s what being president means.”

There was another long silence.

“So what are you saying to me, Mr. President?” Webster asked.

Another long silence.

“I’m not saying anything to you,” the president said. “I’m saying

you’re in personal command of the situation. I’m saying come see Mr.

Dexter Monday morning, if there’s still a problem.”

Nobody waited in the car. Too restless for that. They got out into

the chill mountain air and milled aimlessly around. Johnson and his

aide strolled north with the driver and looked at the proposed location

for the command post. McGrath and Brogan and Milosevic kept themselves

apart as a threesome. McGrath smoked, lost in thought. Time to time,

he would duck back into the army Chevrolet and use the earphone. He

called the Montana State Police, the power company, the phone company,

the Forest Service.

Brogan and Milosevic strolled north. They found an armored vehicle.

Not a tank, some kind of a personnel carrier. There were the officer