“I thought you were supposed to go fishing.”
“I don’t think Genesis can be bound by schedules. How about yours? Did you make any friends yet?”
She snorted. “Not yet.”
“Everyone here will be telling you their darkest secrets in no time,” Markus said. “I have faith.”
“They do seem to be pretty busy unburdening themselves to Jasmine.”
Because they didn’t want Geeves surprising them, they took the call on Markus’s bed, aka, the couch. He moved his pillow out of the way, dialed, and set the phone between them. Gabby tapped her foot at a crazy pace until Markus set his hand on her knee.
Valentina answered, “Special Supervisory Agent Monroe.”
“This is Agents Greene and Parks.”
“Are you in a secure location?”
“Yes.” Markus had swept once more for bugs before calling.
“Strap in, Agents. I just got off the phone with the president moments ago, and he is at a level ten over this operation.”
Gabby and Markus exchanged a worried look.
“He skipped the proper channels. Called me directly on my office line. That’s how serious this is.”
“What’s happened?” asked Markus.
“This morning, an incriminating picture of the president was leaked to the media. It’s a photo of him and Amanda Duvall.”
“The journalist?” Gabby asked. “She was on the political beat, right?”
Markus pulled up the photo in question on his laptop. In it, she and President Simon were relaxing in the White House’s Oval Office. She had her head tilted back in laughter, perfect white teeth on display. Now, here was someone who wore her retainer.
The president appeared to be telling a joke. The intimacy between the two was palpable. It was the kind of picture where the internet would unanimously conclude that they were into each other based on the angle of their knees and the sincerity of the smiles.
“There are a couple of issues with this photo. The most obvious being that Amanda was murdered last week and the president would like to distance himself from any fallout or speculation.”
Made sense. “Can’t he just put out a statement saying that he’s met Amanda and mourns the loss of a bright mind in journalism or something?” Gabby suggested.
“I’m sure he will, but there is already a lot of chatter about the photo.”
“Yeah,” Markus said, “but it’s just one photo.”
“Is the president funny?” Gabby asked. “He doesn’t seem like it.” Amanda appeared to be laughing way too hard at that joke.
“I’m sure he’s very fun,” Valentina said. “He claims Amanda interviewed him for a piece on White House inner workings that never came out.”
Hmm. That seemed a little thin.
Markus leaned toward the phone. “Why does this concern us? Did the leak come from Inner-G?”
“We haven’t fully traced the photo’s source yet, but no one is comfortable with Sheridan hanging out at Inner-G right now.”
“She doesn’t want to leave,” Gabby said. “Also, when we interviewed her yesterday, she said that she’d informed President Simon that she was going to miss their appointment.”
“That can’t be right,” Valentina said.
“I’m just repeating what she told us. It kind of feels like we’re chasing down a woman on vacation.”
