Less than an hour later, Gray was at the White House, sitting in the garden behind the house while Caroline read the article, her face white and lips tense. She didn’t deserve to be punished for Luke’s actions.
Gray scanned the White House grounds while she read. It was quiet back here, with a wall of hedges creating a private garden oasis behind the house. The only other person was a gardener slowly clipping lilies and carnations. It didn’t seem right to employ a man that old to work in the heat of the outdoors, but the staff at the White House tended to stay for decades.
Caroline closed the newspaper. Even before it landed on her lap, she was straightening her slim shoulders and lifting her chin.
“He misspelled the name of Luke’s prison,” she said calmly.
“Yes, but he got the rest of the details correct, and this is going to hurt. I need to know how badly you want to keep your job at the White House. That will influence my next move.”
“I want to stay.” Her answer was unequivocal, but it complicated things.
“You said the president already knows about the charges against Luke.”
“He does. I told him right after Luke’s arrest, and he refused to take my resignation because the first lady needs me.”
Thank heavens for Ida McKinley and her notoriously volatile moods. “But now the situation is public, so it will be harder for him to keep supporting you. You need to distance yourself from Luke.”
“What do you mean?”
“Issue a statement. Denounce his actions and say you want nothing to do with him.”
Fire flashed in Caroline’s eyes. She leaned forward and spoke in a lethal whisper. “I willneverdenounce my brother.”
“He’s guilty. He flat-out told me so.”
“And you believed him?”
How could he not? If there was the slightest chance to make a case for reasonable doubt, Gray would spend a fortune to get Luke free, but there wasn’t. Then again, Caroline knew Luke better than anyone on the planet. From infancy, the twins had shared an uncanny bond that few could penetrate.
“What do you know?” he asked quietly. “Do you have any additional information?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know anything beyond what you’ve told me, but Idoknow Luke, and I think there’s more to this story. I’m not ready to give up on him. I will never—”
“What are you doing out here?” The voice cut across the garden like a whip, and a man in a tailored suit strode toward them. “You’re forbidden to have unauthorized visitors in the private section of the residence.”
Caroline stood. “My brother is no threat to the White House.”
The man with a military bearing and flinty eyes swiveled his attention toward Gray. “From the ‘family of saboteurs and spies’? Then you’re especially unwelcome.”
Caroline put on a tight smile and an artificially bright voice. “Gray, I’d like to introduce you to Nathaniel Trask, the security agent who goes out of his way to make himself disagreeable.”
Her insult didn’t cause even a flicker of change in the agent’s expression as he looked coolly at Gray. “I’d prefer not to have you bodily removed, but I have already warned your sister about unauthorized visitors. Her family is especially undesirable. Where there’s one traitor, more are likely flourishing nearby.”
It looked like he wanted to say more, but the gardener was slowly walking toward them as he wiggled a red carnation into his jacket’s buttonhole.
“Lay off her, Mr. Trask,” the gardener said curtly as he passed them on his way into the house.
Agent Trask snapped to attention. “Yes, sir,” he said promptly. “Of course, sir.”
Gray’s mouth dropped open. He’d heard that President McKinley wore a freshly cut red carnation in his lapel each day. His gaze trailed to Caroline. “Was that the president?”
“That was the president,” she confirmed. “He cuts flowers for the first lady every morning.”
The security agent relaxed a fraction as he shot a surly glare at Caroline. “One might think that should beyourjob.”
“Try to stop him,” Caroline said. “I’d enjoy watching that. Just try, I dare you.” Her taunting look made Gray suspect she was enjoying the interaction.
“The president may think you are indispensable, but I don’t,” Agent Trask said. “Sooner or later you’re going to place a foot wrong, and when that happens, I’ll be there to haul you out the door.”
