Chapter Nine
Year 4—Reelection Campaign
I guess I’d forgotten how grueling campaigning can be. We’ve been on a war-footing since last March, my reelection coffers filling nicely. No GOP or Independent front-runner has distinguished themselves yet, which works to my advantage.
I need to buckle up and ride this bitch, because it’s going to get a lot hairier before November.
As January arrives and we ramp up for Iowa in a few short weeks, Kevin, Leo, and I are ensconced in my office on Air Force One early this bitterly cold Wednesday morning. We’re winging on our way from Andrews to Los Angeles. There, I’m giving the keynote speech to an international meeting of scientists devoted to working on lowering global greenhouse gas emissions.
Because I don’t speak untilnearly eight p.m. Pacific time, it means it’ll be a long damn day. I’m looking forward to escaping the icy grip Mother Nature’s had on the Eastern Seaboard for the last couple of weeks. There was an ice storm just north of the DC area last night, which fortunately didn’t impact our travel itinerary. I won’t be spending much time outside on this trip, but it’ll be nice seeing palm trees and sunnyskies for a little while.
With the hotel already cleared and prepped by Secret Service, logistically it makes sense for me to go straight upstairs after my speech and spend the night in the large four-bedroom suite that the Secret Service has readied for me, Kev, and Leo. We’ll already be using it as a staging area before my speech.
I didn’t want to overnight there, but I have to be in Seattleon Friday morning for another speech, as well as a campaign appearance early that afternoon in Spokane. Rather than flying me back and forth across the country, I’ll stay out there. We’ll leave LA late tomorrow after I’ve made a few local appearances and give some interviews, I’ll overnight Thursday in Seattle at the same hotel where the speech will be held Friday morning, stop in Spokane on ourway east Friday afternoon, and fly home to DC Friday evening after a quick stop in Iowa for a meet-and-greet with campaign donors.
I can’t argue with Kevin’s scheduling, even if he’d let me. It makes the most sense. It looks like we’re trying to be responsible stewards of the country’s tax dollars.
Plus, the whole “wasting money” thing. I mean, I know there will always be someone bitching aboutme traveling, no matter what the reason, but Kevin carefully manages the optics to keep our spending down in that area, and to make sure the info is released to the public where we do pay for stuff ourselves.
Hey, except for working trips to Camp David, I haven’t had a “vacation” in over two years. I’ve been too busy, have too much to do.
I can never admit Camp David actually works better forus, because I can ban the press during certain times and the three of us can curl up together in a private suite of rooms and pretend the outside world doesn’t exist.
Lauren stays behind for this trip, because there are a couple of key votes upcoming on the Hill, and we’re flying with a lighter-than-usual press contingent as a result. Lauren will most likely have to hold a press briefing or twoin our absence, and it’ll be easier for her to do it there. She’s coordinating closely with Kev. Chris isn’t joining us on this trip because he has several appearances scheduled this week in the DC area, which tie in with my reelection campaign.
Which is fine. I’ve spent my entire adult life traveling, most of that alone—well, without a sleeping companion—so it’s nice to at least have Kev sharingmy bed.
And without Lauren around, Kevin and I don’t have to be quite as careful as we normally are. Leo knows about us and is sworn to secrecy, actually helps us find time together and run interference for us.
There’s a knock on the office door, which surprises me. It’s rare we receive interruptions when we’ve asked for privacy.
When we are interrupted, it’s usually bad news, or at the veryleast urgent news.
Leo, Kev, and I all look up at each other at the same time Kev and Leo’s phones go off with a flurry of alerts.
When Kev glances at his, and his face transforms into Prophet’s blank mask as he stands and moves to answer the door, I know whatever it is isreallybad. I look to Leo, who now also wears a mask after having checked his phone.
“What?” I ask.
But he ignores me,looking to Kevin, who now has his head stuck out the partially cracked door, listening to one of the Secret Service agents who are traveling aboard Air Force One with us.
When he closes the door and turns after snapping the lock, Ineedto know.
“Just tell me. What is it, and how bad is it?”
Kev takes a deep breath and walks over to me, setting his phone down on the desk first before he takesmy hands and kisses them, pressing them to his chest as he looks me in the eyes.
“Charles and Tory ran off the road last night. Pennsylvania State Police found their car this morning upside down in a river at the bottom of an embankment.”
I…I can’t process this. “Charles and Tory? Are they—”
He shakes his head. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“I…”Chris.
Wehaveto get to back to Chris.
“He’sjust been told,” Kev adds, already anticipating my next statement. “The kids are safe. They were at home. Shawna was with them. Charles and Tory went to a retirement party for Tory’s boss last night and never made it home. Shawna reported them missing to police at three a.m., when she couldn’t reach them by phone. There was rain that turned to ice and delayed the search until dawn. They had to getan emergency court order to ping their phones to track them.”
