The Double

by Susan Gregersen

  Kay picked up a muffin and snitched a bite when she got chances while they worked on her. As if it wasn’t chaotic enough, Agents Smith and Jones stood just out of reach of Gino and Andrea and briefed her about her first appearance. She had to ask them to repeat things several times. Then they disappeared, seemingly by dissolving and just not being there. Kay blinked.

  Gino and Andrea helped her to her feet and started pulling clothes off of her. She started to protest but before she knew it she was wearing a blue satin knee-length dress, stockings, and black pumps. The trademark scarf was casually draped around her neck and a pocketbook appeared in her hand.

  They spun her to face the mirror. “Look at yourself, so you know what you look like.” Kay did, and nothing was unexpected. Satisfied, they pulled her to the door and she found herself standing in the foyer of the suite.

  Agent Smith was speaking quietly into a small microphone attached to his collar. Agent Jones stood next to him, a grave look on his face. They nodded to her and opened the door. Two more agents waited in the hallway. Surrounded, as though standing in a box, Kay was escorted to the elevator.

  Kay fought the impulse to talk to the new agents; to joke with them and ask their names. They all had serious looks on their faces, and even in the dimness of the poorly-lit building, all four wore sunglasses. She wondered if they would see something in time, with such dark glasses on.

  Then she remembered that while wearing the pair they gave her, she could see amazingly well. Not only was everything more defined, but she was able to move her eyes around and watch things without worrying about anyone seeing where her eyes were looking.

  They exited the elevator and the car was there, waiting, as though it had never moved. For all Kay knew, it hadn’t. It’s a good thing Gino and Andrea aren’t along, Kay thought, as she and the four Secret Service guys climbed into the car.

  With a touch of mischeviousness she leaned forward and said, “Driver, what is your name?”

  The driver looked startled. His eyes met hers in the mirror. He cleared his throat and said, “James, Ma’am.” He threw the car in gear and it moved forward.

  “James… nice name,” Kay muttered as she sat back. Next to her, Agent Jones nudged her ever so slightly and she saw the slight smile of amusement he sent her way.

  They left the parking structure and nosed their way through the traffic. The cars were mostly modern, smaller ones, and none of the big American-made cars or pick-up trucks she was used to seeing in the farm country she lived in.

  They moved smoothly from street to street and pulled into a circular drive. Security staff was lined up shoulder to shoulder the whole length of the drive. A checkpoint had been set up and they stopped at it. Faces peered in from both sides and compared pictures in their hands with the faces in the car. Heavily accented voices questioned each of them. The agents answered with clipped single words.

  When asked, Kay answered, “Madeline Jackson, wife of Henry Jackson, president of the United States of America”. The guard on the driver’s side leaned in and held a small rectangular box to her face and asked her to repeat it. She knew it was a microphone and that it would send her words to a computer that would analyze the voice and speech pattern.

  She had rehearsed with Madeline so many times that she knew she could do it, but she was nervous. She closed her eyes and relaxed, then spoke into the little box. The guard pulled it back, pushed a few buttons, then waited, staring steadily into her eyes. She remained calm and looked back at him.

  A beep came from the little box. The guard looked at it, then stepped back and waved them through.

  “If you can pass that, you can pass anything. Congratulations!” Agent Smith praised her.

  Inside the building she was ushered into a small waiting room. There were a few other women in there, including the wife of the Vice President. She might have surprised the woman with how warmly she said hello, but it was such a relief to see a familiar face that she couldn’t help it. She greeted the other women as well.

  One of them, the wife of a military general, squeezed her arm gently and said, “It’s okay to be nervous. We all are!” She leaned in and said quietly, “I’m a double too. The ’bad guys’ suspect that, so we’ll be safe. They won’t try to hurt us, since we’re all ‘nobodies’.”

  “Mildred! Hush!” said another of the wives. Real or double, Kay couldn’t tell, but then they were all hand-picked because of that. She was shocked, though, because she’d been instructed to never mention doubles or admit she was anyone but Madeline.

  It was only a short wait and they were ushered through a door into a large room. It was a grand room, with fountains and flowers, and skylights that let in natural light. Tables were placed around the room with refreshements, and waitors circulated to make sure everyone had something.

  Men and women walked around, introducing themselves to new people and catching up on the news with old acquaintances. Security personnel stood unobtrusively in the shadows of the huge columns and planters scattered around the room.

  People began to drift into the huge auditorium. Henry Jackson, or his double, found Kay and escorted her to their seats, and soon they watched as the speaker of the world conference came out and took his seat. A hush fell over the room and the man leaned forward and began to speak, officially opening the conference.

  Chapter 5

  Boring!

  “It was mind-numbingly boring!” Kay exclaimed when Agent Smith asked what she thought of the opening speeches. “How much more of that do I have to sit through?”

  Both agents laughed. “Fortunately, the First Lady is mostly scheduled for social events!”

  “Thank goodness, I think,” she said. “I’m not so sure I’m all that good at those, being kind of socially inexperienced, but at least they’re not as boring.”

  “Tomorrow you have the women’s luncheon at Mountain Lodge in Les Crosets. We’ll go by helicopter, and the Vice President’s wife and her men will fly with us,” Agent Smith said.

  “Helicopter?” Kay asked, enchanted. She hadn’t imagined she’d get to ride in a helicopter! “Is it the real Veep-wife or a double?”

  The agents just smiled mysteriously at her, so finally she gave an exasperated shrug. “What do I have to do the rest of the day?”

  “Well, dinner tonight, but it’s informal. Just mingle, and sit with the president during the meal,” said Agent Smith.

  “It’s acceptable for the First Lady to leave shortly after the meal. Madeline often does,” supplied Agent Jones.

  “Can I go sleep off some of my Jet-lag until then?” Kay asked, stifling a yawn.

  “Of course. We’ll wake you when it’s time to get ready,” Agent Smith said. Kay left the room and collapsed on her bed.

  Dinner was uneventful. Kay had a hard time staying alert, even after her nap. She mostly smiled at people and stood on the edges of groups that were actively engaged in conversation so she could look sociable but not do much talking.

  By the time she finished the main courses of the meal she was nodding her head. She was seated next to the prime minister of England, and he smiled compassionately at her.

  “It takes me a day or two to catch up myself when I travel abroad,” he said kindly.

  “Yes,” Kay said, returning his smile. “I think I’ll excuse myself.” She turned to speak with the president, seated on her other side. He nodded and reached for her shoulder in the customary light hug that had been shown so many times by the media between Henry Jackson and Madeline. She responded as Madeline would, by tipping her forehead against his, then rose from her chair.

  Agents Smith and Jones un-melted from their positions against the wall. At the door the other two secret service men fell in step with them and they left the room.

  Once Kay was alone in her bedroom her weariness left. She sat in the dark room looking out the window. The city looked much like an American one, but there was a different feel to the air. Like a different beat, or smell, or somethin
g. The mountains were exciting to look at, but she hadn’t been to the mountains in the United States before and had nothing to compare them to, except pictures or movies she’d seen.

  She thought about her husband and children, wondering what story they were telling people about her absense. The rumor mill had already spit out fabrications about marital trouble between them. Nothing could be farther than the truth, and she felt bad they were all subjected to such malicious gossip.

  They had banked the money she had been paid, and spent very little. They worried that people might wonder about her mysteriously being gone and then suddenly having a lot of money to throw around. But it was nice to know the money was there, in the bank.

  Kay pulled her duffel bag onto her lap and unzipped the outer pocket. Behind the flap she slid out a picture she had hidden there. She gazed at the faces of her family until she fell asleep in the chair.

  Chapter 6

  Mountain Lodge

  The jingling of the phone woke her with a start. She looked around in confusion, then jumped up and went to grab the phone.

  “Are you awake? It’s time to get ready,” said Agent Jones’ voice in her ear. “Hope you got enough sleep, because this won’t be a nap-time event like the opening speeches!” he joked.

  Kay smiled. “Okay. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be out.” She used the bathroom and washed her face with cool water so she’d feel more alert. She left her room in her bathrobe since they would have her outfit in the make-up room.

  Agents Smith and Jones were in the hallway outside her door. They handed her a doughnut and a cup of coffee, then led the way to where Gino and Andrea were waiting.

  The make up artists began their transformation on Kay. She made a few light jokes and they smiled wanly, but Kay detected a seriousness in the air. Agent Smith was facing the far wall talking on his cell phone, and Agent Jones was looking out the window. She got the feeling it wasn’t idle viewing. He seemed to be looking for something.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked when Gino stepped back. Andrea was putting lids on bottles and pretended to be very busy.

  “Worried about them?” Gino asked, nodding at the agents. “They’re always tense at these foreign shin-digs. They have different protocol to follow, and more repercussions if something goes wrong.”

  “Goes wrong?” Kay asked with furrowed brow. “I feel like there’s something no one is telling me.”

  “Well, it’s probably nothing specific,” Andrea said lightly. “They just worry.”

  Agent Jones turned from the window and walked over to Kay. He stood in front of her and looked earnestly into her eyes. “Kay, I promise you, we’ll be watching everything and most of all, doing whatever it takes to keep you safe. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

  Snapping the phone shut Agent Smith turned back to face the room. “Are we ready? It’s time.”

  “Isn’t it kind of early? I thought the luncheon was at 1:00.” Kay said.

  “We want to get you to the chalet before the press are there to mob you. Some of them will be there, camped out waiting, so you won’t get out of a bit of media harassment,” said Agent Smith.

  “And it’s kind of hard to sneak in there with a helicopter,” joked Agent Jones.

  “Here’s your touch-up kit,” Gino said, handing her a small case which she slipped into her handbag. Impulsively Gino reached out and gave her a hug. Kay returned the hug, then turned to Andrea and hugged her.

  She followed the somber secret service men out of the room. They were immediately shadowed by the other two secret service men, who had waited outside the room during the dressing and make-up session.

  They rode the elevator to the basement level parking garage, and through the private corridor to their car. As they exited the building cameras flashed, though Kay knew they wouldn’t get any pictures of her through the darkly tinted windows.

  At the airport they drove through a separate gate into a compound with a high privacy fence. Another car like theirs was already there and Kay spotted the Veep’s wife’s double waiting with her secret service men. She walked over and stood with her.

  “Madeline, it’s lovely to see you! What a beautiful day, isn’t it?” she said, giving Kay a peck on the cheek and a light hug.

  ‘Wow, she’s nervous too!’ realized Kay. Out loud she returned the greetings and also commented on the lovely weather. There were three helicopters parked on the pads, rotors slowly turning as they waited. The women were loaded onto separate helicopters and the secret service men divided themselves among all three helicopters.

  Agent Jones dodged toward the helicopter Kay was in and plopped into a seat. Apparently he was going to make sure he was nearby to protect her. Agent Smith was pointing the rest of the men to which helicopter he wanted them on. He seemed to be the highest ranking one among them.

  At the last minute Agent Smith jumped aboard the helicopter Kay was on and sat next to the pilot. With a jolt of surprise Kay recognized James, the pilot of their jet.

  Kay felt herself leaning forward, then swinging in a sweeping motion as the helicopter lifted off the pad and flew over the fence. She squeezed her eyes closed and held onto the seat until curiosity got the best of her and she opened her eyes.

  It was very different from flying in an airplane. It wasn’t altogether unpleasant if you didn’t try to make it feel like an airplane. She watched the scenery pass below, enjoying the view at a slower speed and lower altitude than the jet.

  They followed a road than ran along a river. She spotted several official-looking cars as well as vans that belonged to news crews. Eventually they came to a gate where most of the news vans and other cars were turned back. Several had pulled off the road and were setting up cameras.

  They waited while one of the other helicopters landed at the resort and unloaded it’s passengers. They were second, and then the last one landed and unloaded. They walked together on a stone path lined with flowers. It was Fall and many of the flowers had lost their petals. Yellow and brown leaves speckled the walkway.

  “Where do the helicopters go while we’re here?” asked Kay. “Surely they don’t go all the way back to the city.”

  “No. There’s a field over there, north of the resort, where the helicopters wait. Only one remains here, for immediate use if the need arises,” Agent Smith said.

  “The others can be here in seconds,” Agent Jones reassured her. She couldn’t see his eyes through the mirrored sunglasses, but she’d gotten to know him well enough over the weeks to know that his eyes would be expressing a sincere desire to put her at ease.

  They stepped through the door and their eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight to the interior lighting. Skylights lined the ceiling of the hallway, and the forest-green carpet almost glowed in the light.

  Virginia, the VP’s wife, moved over to walk with Kay. She gave Kay a nervous smile, which Kay returned. Yup, a double, she told herself. ‘Well, we’re in this together and we’ll get through it.’

  She drew Virginia along with her as they circulated among the other women. She’d spent hours pouring over the bios and was comfortable talking with them. There was one woman she just could not place. She decided to tackle it head on.

  “Hello, I’m Madeline Jackson. How are you?” Kay asked warmly, holding her hand toward the woman in a friendly gesture.

  The woman looked at her with coolness and folded her arms. “I know who you are.” She turned and walked away, tossing her dark hair over her thin shoulders.

  Kay was stunned and wondered what the real Madeline would do now. She looked at Virginia and asked, “who is she?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t believe I’ve met her before and I don’t remember seeing her dossier in my folder,” answered Virginia’s double. “She sure either doesn’t like you or doesn’t like what you represent.”

  “What I represent? Oh, you mean me pretending to be Madeline and representing her?” Kay asked in a hushed voice so she wouldn
’t be overheard.

  “No!” hissed Virginia. “America. Some of these foreign dignitaries and their wives, and others in their party, hate America and they don’t even pretend socially to like us.”

  “So we just move on and talk to someone else,” Kay said, remembering Lorraine’s instructions during her training. “I think I’ll make eye contact first and watch for response before getting too close to anyone else.”

  “Now you’re getting the hang of it!” Virginia, or rather her double, said. Kay wondered how long she had been performing as the vice-president’s wife.

  They greeted a few more women and were received warmly by them. They all spoke English, even if it was with a heavy accent. Kay found them very charming, and she loved the colorful outfits some of them wore.