He was once again staring out at the Rose Garden when the desk extension buzzed with a call. “Attorney General Conrad for you, sir.”
“Thank you.” He picked up the extension, telling himself he was doing the right thing by sending the case to Justice, but it sucked to know that someone he’d worked closely with and had begun to trust could be charged with a crime.
“General Conrad, I’m calling with some upsetting news that needs to be addressed by your team.”
“What can I help with, sir?”
“It’s come to my attention that soon-to-be former Vice President Henderson has been entertaining the Russian opposition leader at the Naval Observatory. He was traveling on a fake name with a Slovakian passport that wasn’t flagged by our systems. The relationship dates back to her time at Oxford and wasn’t disclosed or uncovered during the vetting cycle. She failed to report any of this, as required.”
The dead silence from the AG said it all.
“I expect to announce her resignation later this afternoon.”
“We’ll take it from here, sir.”
“Thank you.”
He put down the extension with a heavy feeling of dread seeping into his very soul. Gretchen was the mother of teenagers, and he hated to think of what this would do to them, but his obligation was to the country and the Constitution. Turning her over to Justice was the right thing to do, as much as it pained him.
Terry came back into the Oval Office. “How’d that go?”
“It was brief. I laid out the situation, and she said they’d take it from there.”
“You did the right thing.”
“Keep telling me that.”
Terry placed a sheet of paper on Nick’s desk. “Gretchen’s resignation letter.”
Nick picked it up and gave it a quick read.
Mr. President,
It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your vice president. However, due to family concerns and other pressing challenges, I will be stepping down effective immediately. I appreciate the opportunity to serve the American people in this role.
Sincerely,
Gretchen Henderson
Vice President of the United States
“Get her moved out of the Naval Observatory right away,” Nick said.
“It’ll be treated as a potential crime scene,” Terry reminded him.
“Right.” He expelled a deep breath. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Neither can I. We can’t seem to catch a break around here.”
“Not for one second, but I’ll be damned if I’ll take the blame for this one. Let’s get Trevor and Christina in here and bang out a statement I can make to get ahead of this thing.”
“We’re on it, Mr. President.”
Chapter Ten
Gonzo and Cameron arrived in the Embassy Row neighborhood where Patrol had taped off a crime scene and were holding back the spectators who were always so interested in someone else’s misfortune.
“What’ve we got?” Gonzo asked Patrol Officer Watts, who greeted them. He’d met him during a previous case and recalled thinking that Watts, with his buzzed blond hair and lingering acne, looked like a teenager. Newer officers were all so young these days. They made him feel like he was sixty rather than thirty-six.
