The First Family

by Michael Palmer

  Lee’s eyebrows rose, but he held back, said nothing about Taylor being first alternate. He was on shaky enough ground and things would get more complicated if Lee voiced suspicions about the TPI nootropics and Gleason’s possible involvement.

  “Obviously, Cam’s health issues come before chess,” the president said. “But I know he wants to compete, and I don’t want to give him unnecessary reasons to be concerned. So, please do check for that red spot, Dr. Blackwood, but as for Cam’s ongoing medical treatment, I’m going to defer now to Dr. Gleason, unless—unless I’m given a very compelling reason to do otherwise.

  “And as for Miss Banks’s unfortunate situation, she’s a private citizen and needs to be cared for within the system—unless, again, I have a compelling reason to do otherwise. I don’t mean this as a putdown, Dr. Blackwood, but I’ve learned, as president, there comes a time when decisions must be made. And I believe now is that time. Ellen, since this involves Cam, your opinion carries equal weight here.”

  Ellen hesitated. “Yes, of course. It all sounds logical to me.”

  Lee sensed the first lady was holding back, but he was not about to put her on the spot.

  Lee nodded solemnly. “Very well then,” he said. “I guess I better have a look in Cam’s eyes.”

  CHAPTER 31

  Moments later, Cam sat on the edge of the exam table with his parents nearby. He was understandably edgy.

  “Do you know a girl named Susie Banks from the TPI, a violin player, a good one at that?” Lee asked.

  Cam thought it over and gave a nod. “Yeah, I know her,” he said. “Not well. She’s older. But I’ve seen her around.”

  Lee explained what he’d seen in Susie’s eyes and how her medical situation could be connected to his. To answer that question he’d need to take a look in Cam’s eyes.

  “Is it going to hurt?”

  “No,” Lee said, “but I do have to dilate your eyes to get a better look at the retina.”

  “What if there is a spot?” Cam’s voice quavered a little.

  “One step at a time,” Lee said. But what would happen? He shuddered at the thought. Lee would be proven right, Gleason proven wrong, the president would have a compelling reason to act, and Susie Banks would be taken into the protective care of the same people who watched after the first family. What will happen if there’s a red spot?

  Everything.

  In his peripheral vision, Lee saw Ellen bite her lower lip. She was holding her husband’s hand, and Lee wondered if she might be holding her breath as well.

  Lee had brought the eye drops he needed from the hospital, even though chances were Dr. Gleason kept a stock at the clinic, stored in the same glass-fronted medicine cabinets where he kept those suspect TPI nootropics.

  Dr. Gleason, perhaps tired of his backseat role, stepped forward. He placed a hand on Cam’s shoulder.

  “It will be a few hours of blurry vision and sensitivity to light because your pupils will be dilated from the drops,” Gleason said.

  Cam signaled his consent with a slight nod, but then did something rather odd. He shot Dr. Gleason a strange look, as if he knew something sinister about the man. Dr. Gleason’s demeanor instantly turned frosty. What’s going on between him and Cam? Lee wondered. Was Gleason angry because he thought the dilation was unnecessary, or was he worried about what it might reveal?

  Lee cleared his throat and Gleason backed away.

  “Look up,” Lee said to Cam. He tugged at the skin below the right eyelid with a gloved hand, and placed the drops, phenylephrine hydrochloride, into Cam’s eye. Cam winced. There was always some stinging, but nothing that lingered. Lee did the same to Cam’s left eye.

  “No online chess for a bit,” said Lee.

  Cam looked around the room, blinking rapidly as if trying to clear his vision. Lee retrieved the ophthalmoscope, a metal tube with an attached Xenon lamp, from the wall holder, and brought the instrument up to Cam’s eye. Using an ophthalmoscope was one of the basics of clinical examination, so Lee was more than comfortable doing the procedure. First, he examined the optic nerve and great vessels, which all appeared normal.

  “Look into the light, Cam.”

  He did so, and this brought the macula into sharp focus. Lee searched for an amorphous cherry-red area. He repeated the procedure in the other eye, moving the light around, probing—searching—but it was clear. No questioning his findings.

  Lee moved the light away. He locked eyes with the president and first lady, his manner almost penitent.

  “Well?” President Hilliard studied Lee intently.

  Lee pursed his lips. Time to break the news.

  “His eyes are good,” Lee said. “All clear. No red spots.”

  A faint smile came to Dr. Gleason’s face. Ellen and President Hilliard were clearly relieved. Part of Lee was relieved as well, because no doctor wanted their patient to be even sicker.

  Unfortunately, the news also meant that Lee had just lost his best chance for protecting Susie Banks.

  * * *

  KAREN READ the mixed emotion on Lee’s face. She understood the exam had changed everything.

  “So, I’m okay?” Cam sounded relieved.

  Even though his vision was blurred, he turned to Lee expectantly; he’d placed trust there, formed a relationship. This was what Lee did best: connect with his patients, make them feel valued and heard, take the time to listen, to show he cared. It was for this reason Karen had reached out to Lee in the first place.

  “Buddy, I don’t know,” Lee said. “It’s going to be up to Dr. Gleason to guide your care from here on out. I’ll be available as consult anytime.”

  Cam leaned forward and whispered something in Lee’s ear as Karen called Lapham and Duffy into the exam room.

  “You need to bring Cam upstairs,” she said. “He’s had drops put in his eyes and can’t see well.”

  Duffy helped Cam off the exam table. “Shaman fix you all up?” he asked.

  “Shaman’s my code name,” Lee said, clarifying.

  “I’m Bishop,” said Cam.

  Lee chuckled and his smile showed off the dimples Karen had fallen for so many years ago.

  “Yeah, I know,” Lee said. “I’ll miss you, Bishop. If you’re ever looking for a game of chess, you know how to reach me.”

  Karen heard it in Lee’s voice—a little ache from knowing that most likely this would be the last time he and Cam ever spoke. In such a short time, Lee had grown fond of Bishop, which was no surprise. Cam was such a sweet, kindhearted boy. And yet, something was off between Cam and Dr. Gleason. Karen had noticed an odd exchange between them right before Lee’s exam.

  What did Cam whisper to Lee? Karen wondered.

  Lee said his good-byes to the president and Dr. Gleason, with handshakes all around. Gleason gloated like a conquering gladiator, missing only a bloodstained sword clutched in his hand.

  “Lee, you understand our need to put Cam under the care of a single person,” the president said. “It’s best for us all.”

  “Of course,” said Lee. “It’s been my pleasure to be of service, and as I said, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for Dr. Gleason, if you’re ever in need of a consult.”

  More handshaking, thanking, and that was it. It was done. Karen was asked to escort Lee out of the White House. Duffy and Lapham brought Cam back to his room. The president and first lady retreated to Gleason’s office, where conversations about Cam’s health would take place.

  As for the TPI? There was one car accident and one girl being targeted by some mysterious assailant for unknown reasons, but there were no clear connections to Cam, nothing for anyone to latch onto. Unless, of course, the analysis of the compounds in those nootropics revealed something of consequence; something to tie all these disparate threads together.

  Lee and Karen had just made it to the colonnade, walking together in silence, when the sound of footsteps from behind drew their attention. Ellen Hilliard came toward them, unaccompanied, in a hurry. E
ven though Cam had no red spot in his eyes, a worried look remained in hers.

  “I’m glad I caught you,” Ellen said to Lee, her breathing a bit labored. “You’ve done a lot for us, and I wanted to ask you something before you left.”

  “Anything, Mrs. Hilliard,” Lee said. He caught himself. “Ellen.”

  “You don’t think Cam not having those red spots in his eyes is conclusive proof of anything, do you?”

  Karen could have guessed Lee’s answer.

  “No, I don’t,” Lee said. “But unless you can change your husband’s mind, I don’t think I’m someone he and Dr. Gleason wish to consult anymore.”

  “I can’t change my husband’s mind about much of anything. He plays it safe, Lee. You should know this about him. Dr. Gleason is safe. He’s the known commodity, and well, your wild stories of murdered TPI students didn’t help your case. I’m not saying I believe in your murder conspiracy theory, but I’m not willing to disbelieve it either. No matter how it seems, I’ve come to trust you as much as I’ve come to like you. There are too many strange coincidences for this to be nothing.”

  “What would you like me to do, Ellen? Your son is a fabulous kid, but he’s not like my other patients. I can’t just have my office manager call and make an appointment.”

  “What I want is for you to keep that girl safe,” Ellen said. “If something happens to her, it could mean we lose a vital link to what’s happening to Cam. I know that sounds cold, and judge me as you will, but if you think she’s connected to what’s wrong with my son, we can’t let anything happen to her.”

  “If the president would help—”

  “You heard Geoffrey just now. In his mind this is a local issue. But the girl needs an advocate, and unfortunately her parents can’t do that job.”

  “What are you asking of me, Ellen?”

  “I’m asking you to protect her the way a father would.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Lee and Karen took an Uber back to the MDC. On the ride they discussed the nootropics.

  “It’s our last best shot of getting Hilliard back on our side,” Lee said.

  Karen fished the samples out of her purse. “Take them,” she said, handing him the plastic bag with a collection of yellow, white, and brown pills. “Getting them wasn’t exactly the best part of my day.”

  “I’ll find a place to get these analyzed,” Lee said, slipping the contents into the inside pockets of his blazer.

  “What did Cam whisper to you back in the office?” Karen asked, suddenly remembering the odd exchange in Gleason’s office.

  “He said, ‘Don’t leave me. Gleason’s a liar.’”

  * * *

  BACK AT the MDC, Karen and Lee headed to the sixth-floor ICU to check in on Susie. When they reached her cubicle, there was no sign of the security guard Lee had paid handsomely to keep watch.

  Can’t trust anybody but family to do the right thing, Karen thought.

  “I’ll call Josh,” Karen said to Lee. “We’ll get him to guard Susie for the night.”

  Susie could not voice her opinion either way. She was still ventilated and connected to a dialysis machine with two tubes, one taking blood from her body and the other putting it back in.

  Lee reviewed her charts.

  “Her vitals are stable. Heart rate and blood pressure both normal. Flow rates on her catheter are excellent, too, but her BUN and creatinine levels haven’t come down substantially. Maybe her doctors could wean her off ventilation in a few hours, but she’s not coming off dialysis anytime soon.”

  * * *

  THIRTY MINUTES later, Lee and Karen were seated in a waiting room on the ICU floor with faded fabric armchairs and a coffee table papered with dog-eared magazines. Josh would be arriving soon. Lee had spoken with several nurses, and according to them there had been no luck locating Susie’s next of kin. Ellen was right. The poor girl was truly alone.

  “I’d sure like to get my hands on any TPI nootropics Susie may have been taking,” Lee said.

  “Maybe she can help us once she comes off the ventilator, but Lee, we’ve got to think about how we’re going to keep her safe.”

  “You’re the law enforcement expert. What do you think?”

  “I think we should start by telling the police about the furnace, get them to investigate it for signs of tampering, but my guess is it’s going to be hard to prove.”

  “A repairman who can fix things can also break them,” Lee concurred. “Any chance of catching this guy?”

  “While you were trying to find Susie’s next of kin, I spoke with hospital security. Whoever attacked her knew how to avoid the cameras. I don’t think they’re going to be able to ID him.”

  “What about social services?” asked Lee. “Can they help with Susie?”

  “Even though she’s only nineteen, in the eyes of the law, Susie is an adult, so no. And the police can’t take her into protective custody either. That’s for federal trials.”

  “So the only thing we can do is deal with the next threat or incident when it occurs?” Lee sounded incredulous.

  “That’s about it,” Karen said with a sigh. “The police presence here is going to drop off substantially by morning. We have to assume responsibility for Susie’s safety starting now.”

  “And how should we do that?” Lee asked. “Should we look into hiring security?”

  Karen leaned forward in her chair. “If we believe the same person who attacked Susie also sabotaged the furnace at her home, then we are dealing with an individual who is smart and extremely crafty. We could have Susie moved to another hospital, but what if the killer returns? And what if he pays off one of our guards?”

  “Or what if he’s good enough to take those guards out?” Lee added.

  “As long as Susie remains in a hospital, ensuring her safety will be tough. There are too many gaps for the repairman or some other hired gun to get through.”

  “What if we can track down a relative?”

  “If we can track them down, so can the repairman,” Karen said. “Which means anybody housing Susie—”

  “Becomes a target,” Lee said, finishing the grim thought for her. “I still can’t believe Hilliard wouldn’t put Susie and Cam into some kind of super protective custody.” Anger rose in Lee’s throat. “No offense to the Secret Service, but why not fly them somewhere safe until the police catch whoever is behind this?”

  “What, like Camp David?” Karen said. “It’s not going to happen, Lee. We’ve got to move on from there.”

  “Camp David.” Lee’s voice trailed off. Karen looked at him curiously.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “I’m thinking what if Susie wasn’t in a hospital? If she’s not in the system, nobody can find her. I don’t care how good they are.”

  “But she’s sick, Lee,” Karen said. “Didn’t you tell me she’s going to need dialysis for a long time?”

  “Right. She’s sick. But her vitals are strong. Once her system is flushed, the only issue is her kidneys.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m not following,” said Karen.

  “There’s no doubt in my mind that Susie is in danger,” Lee said. “But bringing her to a relative, assuming we can even find one, puts them in danger. And keeping Susie in the city hospital leaves her vulnerable. But nobody can hurt her if they can’t find her.”

  “And how do we make a patient disappear?” Karen asked. “She still needs treatment.”

  “She needs a nurse and a dialysis machine,” Lee said.

  “And a remote place to set up that equipment,” Karen added, getting it now.

  “You said it yourself, the president has a camp,” Lee said. “And we do, too. It’s very private. Very remote. We’ll move Susie to one of the cabins. I’ll get a portable dialysis machine and all the supplies we’ll need to keep her healthy, easy enough. All I need to do is hire a nurse to care for her.”

  “I have some vacation time saved up.”

  Lee raised a qui
zzical eyebrow. “Meaning?”

  “Meaning, I’m sure the first lady wouldn’t mind my using those vacation days to spend a little quality time at the camp.”

  “Well, now,” he said, smiling, “if it’s a bodyguard we need, who better than the Secret Service?”

  * * *

  LEE SPENT most of the next morning on the phone getting everything organized. Josh had kept a vigilant watch over Susie, given up a night’s sleep to do so, and canceled the camp plans with his pals, all without complaint. He said he was happy just to be needed, which led to an epiphany of sorts for Lee. As long as he was not telling Josh what to do or how to live his life, it seemed he and his boy got along splendidly.

  Almost fifty-six years old, and he was still learning.

  To her credit, Ellen had put her pledge to help Susie into action by funding this entire operation. The funds allowed Lee to hire a nurse from his practice, Valerie Cowart, who had twenty years’ experience and was certified in hemodialysis.

  Valerie agreed to temporarily move to the camp in Virginia despite Lee’s warnings that this assignment was not without danger.

  “I have no children, no husband, only my work,” Valerie had said when accepting the offer. “If other medical professionals can travel to war zones to administer care, the least I can do is help out this poor young woman. Besides, it’s hard to say no to the first lady.”

  Everything they needed to prep the camp for Susie, including a portable blood analyzer that provided real-time, lab-quality results, Lee had procured either from his practice, or from ZASK, the largest medical supply outfit in the area. He had hired drivers from ZASK to transport the equipment to camp and assist Paul, who had gone on ahead, with the setup.

  Lee was at Susie’s bedside when doctors finally removed the ventilation tube, holding her hand as she came awake.

  Protect her the way a father would.…

  Naturally, she had plenty of questions, but Lee kept everything intentionally vague. It was a drug reaction that had sent her to the ICU, nothing more. Without revealing anything of the repairman, or the growing suspicion that her parents’ deaths were not accidental, Lee managed to confirm what he had suspected: there was no angry ex-boyfriend or crazed stalker terrorizing Susie’s life. Unless the police could identify her attacker, they were helpless to help, and Lee and Karen remained Susie’s best and only hope.