by Bryan Murray
In the first sedan, there were two agents in the front and a devastated Maria in the back, staring blankly ahead. In the following SUV there were two other agents from her security detail with Phil sitting in the back.
Maria was totally impervious to the bad weather and her mind was running at full speed. How could she possibly explain what she had done to her family and particularly to her beloved Andrew, after she had almost got him killed in the process?
The reaction of David and the Carringtons of Westchester, who had never thought her good enough for their son, would be almost unbearable. She also realized that the reactions of the millions of women that she had championed in her career, would also be one of disappointment and disgust, that someone at her level would abuse the trust of her position to try and kill the President.
As the snow continued to fall even heavier, she was also smart enough to realize that she had only perhaps minutes in which to still give the President the chance to make things right, with the option of her being remembered for what she had done to date, as opposed to the option of facing the recriminations for what she had stupidly tried to do with Lorenzo and the time to decide which option to take was disappearing at the speed of light..
As if it were an omen to make up her mind, she was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when she heard the warning sounds and saw the flashing lights of a large snowplough barreling through the snow towards them, trying to keep the snow at bay for the impatient motorists.
Her mind was suddenly made up and as the snowplough was getting closer to pass them in the opposite direction, Maria erupted from the back seat and jerked the steering wheel in the hands of the unsuspecting Agent, sharply to the left, straight into the path of the oncoming heavy vehicle.
Even before the Agent could regain control, with the sudden loss of traction and with slush and ice on the road, the out-of-control sedan was literally ploughed into the air on impact in the swirling snow and as it was still twirling over and over, it suddenly exploded in a massive ball of flames, immediately indicating that all three people on board had been killed instantly.
The driver of the snowplough looked on in total disbelief, blood rushing from an impact gash on his head and in the SUV following Maria’s vehicle, the agent slammed on the brakes while Phil and the other agent looked on in shocked amazement.
“Sweet Mother of God!” Phil screamed. He was already on the phone back to his boss Deke Winston back at the White House.
Winston answered quickly. “Winston?”
Phil was struggling to get the words out. “This is Phil, Senior Agent, sir. The VP’s just been killed in an auto accident! The two Agents with her were also killed! Her car lost control on the icy road and hit a snowplough coming in the opposite direction!”
Winston was in deep shock. “Holy shit, whereabouts”
Phil looked around to get his bearings in the falling snow. “About 2 miles west of the White House on 695, sir. I need a complete sanitation crew, paramedics the whole nine yards!”
“Are you okay?” Winston asked
“Yes, sir, the three of us in the second vehicle survived!”
Winston was now in control. “Okay, Phil, cordon off the area, help is on the way, I’ll call in the paramedics and you need to keep the press out until I can let the President know. Holy shit, this is a goddamned nightmare. Keep me posted?” he rang off.
At the crash scene, emergency vehicles were already arriving and Phil could see from the still fiercely burning sedan that there were no survivors!
* * *
The phone rang in the Oval Office and the President answered, irritated at being disturbed. “Yes, what is it?” he snapped and then he listened for a few seconds, his face suddenly turned to stone. “Say that again?” he gasped as Mulroney looked up from his notes.
Winston repeated the message once more and the President replied, almost in a daze. “Thanks, Deke, sanitize the scene, no statements made of any kind until I get the full eye-witness report from Phil. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Mr. President.” Winston replied before he went off the line.
Mulroney was looking at the President inquisitively. “What happened for God’s sake, Stephen?” he asked.
The President was already deep in thought. “That was Winston, you’re not going to believe this, John, but Maria’s car just lost control and hit a snowplough coming in the opposite direction, killing her and the two secret service agents instantly in a ball of fire!”
Mulroney’s analytical mind was already working overtime. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Mr. President?” he asked.
“You think she deliberately made the car crash, John?”
Mulroney was totally unemotional, clinical. “I’d lay money on it, sir. She knew the game was up and she was callous enough to take two innocent family men with her if it meant preserving her memory in a positive instead of a negative way!”
“The callous bitch! So, what do we do now, John?” the President asked.
Mulroney gave a malevolent smile. “I think we just saved your Presidency, sir!”
The President had a new look of interest in his eyes. “I think you may be right!”
* * *
Back at the crash location, the local police had the entire crash scene cordoned off and emergency crews were still busy with the grizzly task of removing the charred bodies from the shattered SUV.
Media cameras were already on the fringe of the site and every TV channel in DC had jumped on the story as they were rushing their reporters to the scene with CNN taking the lead and shooting the hot news story quickly around a shocked world.
Already the news had been disseminated from the White House that a devastated President would be making a speech to a grieving nation later that morning. TV screens were lit up with images of the smiling Maria and extolling all the high points of her career, prior to that morning’s dreadful accident. Over in the DC suburbs, David was already on the line to his family in Connecticut, setting up their totally shocked response to the tragedy.
CHAPTER 43
Across the city, it was still relatively early morning and Jake and Sarah were having toast and coffee after another good night’s sleep and they were watching CNN when the new, breaking story of the death of the Vice-President came on the screen.
Jake was in deep shock as Sarah simply pointed at the TV speechless.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “What the hell’s been goin’ on?”
Sarah was once again analysing the chain of events. “What’s your take on this, Jake?”
Jake was collecting his thoughts. “What time did they say the accident happened?”
“Around 9.00am, I think they said.”
“So,” he began. “If she was travelling west on 695 that would mean she was going away from the White House with a full escort in her sedan and one behind with additional agents.”
“I see what you mean,” Sarah replied. “She was probably being taken home under house arrest, which means that the President had already confronted her with all the evidence!”
“Exactly,” Jake replied. “So maybe she chickened out and decided to take the easy way out!”
Sarah was surprised. “You mean death before disgrace?”
Jake nodded. “Yes and the bitch wouldn’t hesitate to take two unsuspecting agents with her! So, now what does the President do?” he mused.
“Heave a huge sigh of relief, I’d say,” Sarah replied. “Instead of damage control, he plays the grief card. Shock and heartbreak for a beloved companion instead of arresting her for treason! Much easier scenario to manage, don’t you agree?”
“I think you’ve hit it in one, my love!”
Even as he spoke, the CNN broadcast was already showing brief video clips of messages of condolence from Heads of State all around the world and the President hadn’t even had the chance to fully brief his speechwriters!
The words ‘State Funeral’ were also being bandied around in the media
and even in the snow, floral tributes to Maria were already appearing at the crash site, very reminiscent of the world backlash of sorrow following the death years previously of Princess Diana in Paris.
Jake looked at Sarah, a wry smile on his face. “You know, the President may just pull this off. Let’s face it, Sarah, the only people still alive who knew exactly what went on were just the President, John Mulroney, you and me!”
“You’re right, all they’ve got to do is come up with a plausible cover story of why she was leaving the White House at that time of day.”
She hadn’t realized that the President, in his own way of allowing Maria to make her peace with her family, had already inadvertently given the cover story to the surviving Senior Agent Phil, that they were merely being cautious in protecting the VP in case of a suspected terrorist threat. In other words, the previously beleaguered President was already home free.
In his later telecast to the world, there wasn’t a dry eye in a single household in the US and elsewhere around the globe, even though David and Andrew were still unavailable for comment.
CHAPTER 44
The news of Maria’s death had also reached the Cagliari villa in Sicily and Don Giuseppe was absorbing the news with a heavy heart. Of all the confidences that his older brother had shared with him, Lorenzo’s relationship over the years with Maria, had been one of them.
He could only assume that the death of Maria so soon after that of his brother, had to be in some way connected and he now realized that what his brother had hoped would bring additional millions into the family as a result of working with Maria, had failed badly and the future potential for family business from the USA had just taken a major hit.
He told his secretary that he needed to visit the USA incognito for the funeral of the Vice-President, when he would be able to mingle among the crowds unnoticed. She advised him later that his seat on the flight and his hotel were now reserved and he would be met at the airport.
There were still a number of loose ends in the USA and he needed to tidy a few of them up, not the least of which was a certain Jake Harrigan, a man that his brother had mentioned was on the trail of the boys they had kidnapped, hoping to rescue them.
The fact that the family were still burying their dead from the failed kidnapping, was proof that this damned American had done his job. Giuseppe called Hawaii to check with his Capo to see if they had found the American, but thanks to the misinformation that Maria had inadvertently given to Lorenzo before he died, that Jake was in the Islands, he and Sarah were safe for the time being from the attentions of the Mob.
CHAPTER 45
With the State Funeral for Maria hurriedly being planned between Christmas and New Year, both Maria’s parents and the Carringtons had spent a sad Christmas in mourning and it was as if the Christmas spirit had somehow been sucked right out of the State Capital.
Many dignitaries from around the world were hastily rearranging their holiday plans to ensure that they could get to the high profile funeral service in DC, in the same location that had previously been used for the funeral of JFK.
The world’s media were already descending on the Capital and setting up their TV coverage in the continuing snowy weather and in spite of the inclement weather forecast for the day of the funeral, huge crowds were expected along the funeral procession route,
Apparently, the President and his family, together with David and Andrew and their respective families and other Heads of State, were scheduled to walk behind the flag-shrouded caisson the six blocks or so to the Cathedral where the Pontifical Mass would be said for the Roman Catholic Vice- President. Security would obviously be unprecedented along the funeral route.
Both Jake and Sarah had been invited to the funeral service by the Carringtons, who including David and Andrew, had no clue as to what had transpired in the White House regarding Maria.
The fact that Jake and Sarah would also be there, fully armed of course, in addition to the massive secret service presence around the Presidential party, was also somewhat of an additional comfort to the President and his immediate family.
* * *
Prior to the funeral, Jake and Sarah had spent a most enjoyable holiday season in Connecticut visiting Sarah’s parents, where her father was still working as a senior bank official and her mother was already a lady of leisure.
There was something special about spending Hanukkah with Jewish friends as far as Jake was concerned and to be with Sarah and her family was a welcome change, particularly after previous years when he had been with the CIA and Christmas didn’t even slot into the calendar. If an assignment came up, it didn’t matter if the hit had to be made on Christmas Day, you had to be prepared.
He was also delighted to get through to the UK on Christmas Day to wish his maternal grandfather a Merry Christmas. The two men were very close and even though his grandfather Jake Sr. was retired, he had worked very closely with Jake on his last assignment in the UK. After exchanging Christmas morning pleasantries, Jake Sr. was already astute enough to sense that Jake was still actively operating in the US.
“I notice the funeral of the Vice-President is coming up, son?” Jake Sr. inquired casually.
Jake smiled. “Yes, Gramps, are you going to watch it on TV?”
“Could do,” the old man replied. “Anything to do with you?”
Jake was reading the old man’s mind. “That’s another story, gramps. One over a beer the next time we meet!”
Jake Sr. gave a little chuckle. “Thought it might be. Sounds like your bailiwick, son. Take care of yourself, love to Sarah.”
“You too, Gramps, love to Aunt Winnie and Stephen, bye.” he rang off.
Sarah looked at him. “That’s one smart old dude over there!”
Jake smiled. “You got that right. How the hell did he figure we were involved in all this stuff?”
“Like I said, he’s a smart cookie!”
* * *
In an elegant hotel in downtown Washington DC, fully booked up with visitors for the high profile funeral of the Vice-President, the guests in Suite 201, were quietly enjoying an intense session of lovemaking.
Giuseppe lay on his back to catch his breath and looked across at his sexy bed partner who was also catching her breath.
“So, will we be able to get close enough to see all the dignitaries at this funeral, Cara Mia?” he inquired as he topped up their glasses.
Gina covered her naked curves with the bed sheet before replying. “Of course, Don Giuseppe, we will be just outside the cathedral watching the guests arriving. There would be too much close-up media coverage inside that could be embarrassing for you.”
He smiled, idly stroking her naked breasts. “Good idea. Maybe we will see this American that Lorenzo mentioned, this Jake Harrigan. Do you think that you would recognize him?” he asked her.
“Maybe, Padron. If he has a dark, attractive woman with him it will make it easier for us to spot him.”
Giuseppe nodded. “Very well, in that case we will take a picture of the two of them for my soldiers!”
“Of course.” she replied before they started round two in earnest.
CHAPTER 46
One thing that both Jake and Sarah had already realized with the new scenario that was now in place to glorify Maria rather than crucify her, was the fact that they were both strangely vulnerable to a degree, in view of the fact that they were now amongst a very small list of people who knew exactly what went on in Italy and later on that almost fateful night in the White House.
After previously rubbing shoulders with the CIA in terms of worrying about retaliatory activity by the Agency, they had set up their own protection plans in case the Government were ever to consider them expendable and although they had no reason whatsoever to distrust President Parker or John Mulroney, they had also provided for their future safety in the event anything happened to either of them, wherein the entire story of what went on in Italy would be made public.
Later i
n the day, Jake spoke with John Mulroney on a secure line and assured him that both he and the President could rely on the total discretion of Sarah and himself and congratulated him on the revised damage control that had been planned and implemented since Maria had died.
He also added tactfully that things change, people come into and go out of office and that if ever the President and John Mulroney were no longer running the White House, their successors should realize that Jake and Sarah were strictly off limits for any clandestine reprisal activity, otherwise details of the Italian Job would automatically blow up in their faces.
Mulroney was not angry but impressed at Jake’s approach and equally aware that even he himself would be vulnerable to a degree after leaving office. He told Jake he fully understood where he was coming from and he thanked the two of them yet again for helping to maintain the status quo of the White House.
CHAPTER 47
It was a chilly but sunny winter’s day in DC as the State Funeral of Maria finally took place with all the pomp and circumstance that the US Government could provide.
With a massive military and police presence including armed guards on horseback, the funeral procession began its journey the six blocks or so to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, just as it had done years previously at the State Funeral of John F. Kennedy.
Over two hundred and fifty thousand people were lining the streets as the horse-drawn, flag-draped caisson was slowly pulled along the funeral route.
In the cold, late-December air, both the President and his family alongside David and Andrew and their respective families, all walked sedately behind the caisson, past the strangely-silent crowds on the way to the cathedral. Also, following the families, there was a long line of visiting Heads of State, all there to pay their final respects to the departed Vice-President.
Along the sidewalks, many of the mourners were holding banners with signs reading “We love you, Maria!” and ‘Rest in Peace, Maria!” being waved as the funeral cortege went past in front of the TV cameras of the world.
