Capital Offense

by Kathleen Antrim

  “I have to warn you,” Carolyn paced in front of the desk. “I don’t know the contents of the E-mails you may find on my account. I just know that Warner, Richard, and Mark were undoubtedly using it. These messages may be gruesome.”

  “I can handle it,” Katherine said, while typing on the keyboard. She worked diligently for twenty-five minutes, then sat back while staring at the monitor.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I’m just waiting for the machine to catch up. I’m almost in.” She smiled. “Bingo.”

  Katherine hit the print icon. The machine whined to life.

  Carolyn pulled the first sheets of paper off the printer. She read the text. “The bastards.”

  Katherine moved to her side. “What is it?”

  She handed her the E-mail documents, each issuing instructions regarding various deceased individuals, and even one ordering Jack’s beating. There were separate messages that appeared to arrange for payment. “They’re all signed with a ‘C’ as if I initiated these orders. Is there any way we can prove that I didn’t?”

  Katherine hurried back to the computer and began to type again. “My specialty.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can track the originating computers as well as the message destinations. It all comes back to the IP addresses. Even the firewall programs can be circumvented. That’s why experienced hackers will try to bounce off other computers to hide their identity, but I spent years with the NSA tracking such culprits.”

  “The German spy?” Carolyn asked.

  “Exactly.” Katherine continued typing. “And our guys aren’t experienced hackers. Odds are they didn’t believe they could be tracked,” she said. “Cain might have known, but he doesn’t strike me as the type to be terribly protective of his clients.”

  “Cain is only protective of his money. Richard and Warner would have considered themselves above suspicion.”

  Half an hour later, Katherine printed a listing of her findings.

  Carolyn’s smile grew as she read the document. It tied Cain, Warner, Richard, Mark, and Edmund together using her E-mail address by identifying the addresses of the computers where the damning messages had originated.

  “Now, if Jack can use his files to correlate these messages with all the pertinent dates, we’re on our way to building a case.” Carolyn dialed out on her private cell phone. “Here are the numbers you need to match,” she said to him before listing the dates of the E-mails. Anyone eavesdropping on the call would have no idea the meaning of the numbers.

  “Who do you believe actually did the killing?” Katherine asked, when Caroline hung up the phone.

  “Winston Cain and his firm,” Carolyn said. “But I can’t prove that.”

  “But someone had to pay him. And if those bank transfers were done electronically they may be on one of these computers.”

  “You’re brilliant.” This was just like the old days, Carolyn thought when she and Katherine had worked together in the prosecutor’s office.

  An hour later, Katherine stood up to stretch.

  Carolyn looked up from the documents she’d been reading. Her heart stuttered. “Can’t get in?”

  “Relax.” Katherine sat back down. “I’m in Richard’s computer now. It’s just that my eyes are sore from scanning all of his data. Most of it doesn’t apply. I wonder how much trouble I could set into by accessing the vice president’s personal computer.” She glanced at Carolyn, who wasn’t smiling.

  “You don’t want to know. That’s why we’re on Warner’s computer, and I wanted you here with me when you did this. Anyone comes in, I’m the one online.”

  “But-”

  Carolyn held up her hand. “On this, I won’t negotiate.” She looked at her watch. “Besides we’re running out of time. It’s after five.”

  A few moments later, Carolyn heard the printer turn on. She glanced up from her work and found Katherine grinning from ear to ear.

  Carolyn jumped up from her chair. “What is it?”

  “Seems Richard has a penchant for bank accounts in the Caymans. But that’s not the worst part. It appears he invoiced your War On Drugs task force in the name of Winston Cain’s firm for two million dollars. He deleted the document, but I found it anyway. I also reconciled it to the task force’s ledger. It was processed. Since Warner rubber-stamped the budget for over five hundred million, it seems he had no problem getting paid. Guess where I found the funds?”

  “The Cayman account?”

  “You bet. It was withdrawn the day after the chemical release. I had to hack into the bank’s computer system to verify it.”

  Carolyn raised an eyebrow.

  Katherine smiled. “Don’t worry. I jogged around a bit using some old tricks. They won’t track us. Unfortunately, there’s no way for me to know who actually withdrew the money.”

  Carolyn stepped back and then folded into her chair. “This is incredible.”

  “It’s not a smoking gun,” Katherine said. “But it should be enough to finish Young.”

  “We’ll see,” Carolyn said. “It all rides on how we handle matters from here on out.” She picked up the phone and dialed.

  “I’m sorry to wake you, Mr, Speaker,” she began.

  EIGHTY-SIX

  Speaker of the House Jonathan Daniels stood before the joint session of Congress. His rotund presence commanded silence. “Before we take this historic vote, I have been asked to allow a very special speaker to take the floor. Due to the extraordinary circumstances we face today, I do not believe that any of you will object. Ladies and gentleman, without further ado please join me in welcoming First Lady Carolyn Alden Lane.”

  A roar of applause thundered through the Capitol as the entire audience rose to their feet.

  Carolyn entered the room from the back and moved down the main aisle to the podium. Members of Congress shook her hand and kissed her cheek, offering words of sympathy as she progressed.

  It felt like an eternity ago when she’d spent her days speaking in courtrooms, arguing before judges and juries, condemning the guilty, enforcing the laws. And although she had immense experience, with a reputation to back it up, no closing argument could have prepared her for this moment. She found herself again charged with the job of condemning the guilty, arguing for justice – only this time the forum had changed, and the stakes affected her future and that of the country.

  She stood before the lawmakers themselves, a group of men and women who were about to radically change the course of history, even though they didn’t know it. Yet.

  Carolyn adjusted the microphone to her height and looked out at the packed house.

  ***

  Richard Young sat alone in his office in the West Wing. Security demanded that leadership separate during joint sessions so as to preserve the chain of command in case of an attack. Even most of his staff was absent, as they worked furiously over at his Ceremonial Office in the Executive Office Building, preparing for his rise to the presidency.

  Volume cranked up on the television, feet resting on an ottoman, he sipped a cup of coffee while waiting for the congressional vote – the vote that would make him the next President of the United States. When the Speaker of the House introduced Carolyn he slid his feet off the ottoman and leaned forward in his chair.

  What the hell was going on? Why hadn’t Carolyn told him that she planned to address Congress?

  My God, he thought after a moment, she’s brilliant. To speak in front of Congress before this historic vote, while her husband lay near death, was nothing short of heroic. The pundits and the public would view this as an incredible act of courage. After this, her vice presidency would be a shoo-in. Her astute political strategy impressed the hell out of him. Adrenaline coursed through him as he waited excitedly for what he knew would be a remarkable speech.

  ***

  The applause seemed deafening. Carolyn took a deep breath. She’d given up her entire life to reign as First Lady, and now she was abo
ut to destroy it all.

  To some it would have been easy to accept Young’s bribe to be the first female vice president. And although she had compromised far too much to get where she stood today, nothing was worth selling her soul for, not even the second highest office in the land.

  Before her lay the opportunity to redeem herself, to reclaim the person she’d once been, and wanted to return to.

  Carolyn held up a hand to quiet the crowd. ‘Thank you. Thank you,“ she said. ”Please – I don’t deserve this. Please – sit down. Please. Thank you.“

  The room quieted.

  “In many ways our country is like a growing child.” she began. “Each of us loves this child dearly. And our electorate has charged each of you with parenting this child, and like all parents we do our best along the way, but even our best is not perfect.

  “The child, undoubtedly, makes mistakes, fails and falls. The parents make decisions for the child, and like the child, we make mistakes, fail from time to time, and also fall down on our job for we are only human. Painfully, I must say that this is one of those moments.”

  Carolyn cleared her throat. “Today, you are the guidance for this child, our country. Today, you will make a history-altering decision. Each of you accepted this responsibility when you took your oath of office. And the people of this great nation depend on you to act in the best interests of our country.”

  She took a deep breath. “It is a fact that my husband-” her voice broke. She paused for a moment to collect her composure. “My husband, Warner Hamilton Lane, will not recover from his injuries. This is a blow to our nation and the world. But it would be an even greater blow if I allowed you to vote, in accordance with the Constitution, on the chain of succession without all of the facts.”

  She gripped the podium as if to fortify her will to continue. Carolyn knew that Richard would be watching, so she gazed into the television camera and concentrated on directing her words to him. “Richard Young cannot be allowed to take the office of the president of the United States.”

  A hush fell over the congressional floor. Shock held everyone riveted.

  Carolyn lifted the key documents above her head. “I hold in my hand evidence that implicates Mr. Young in a tragic conspiracy of many years. A conspiracy of such magnitude that it took the life of Senator William Rudly, the men who died in the chemical release event days ago, and many others.”

  A collective gasp traveled through the room.

  Strobes exploded.

  A roar of noise rolled over her from the congressional chambers as the members grasped her meaning.

  Pandemonium reigned as reporters, completely out of order, shouted questions.

  Jonathan Daniels stepped to her side. He cracked the gavel on the podium, quickly restoring order. He nodded for Carolyn to continue.

  “As you all know,” she went on, “I spent many years as a prosecutor. Today, I bring these skills to you, our lawmakers. Obviously, this must be investigated. Congressional hearings must take place, possibly a Grand Jury convened, and maybe even a trial. But until this matter of national security is resolved, the party in question cannot lead our country.

  “It is with a leaden heart that I reveal this horrific news. But it is with the full measure of my confidence that I ask you to act in accordance with the demands of our Constitution. You must provide this country with the leadership she deserves. The leadership of the next man in the line of our constitutional succession, our Speaker of the House, Jonathan Daniels.”

  EIGHTY-SEVEN

  “YOU BITCH!” Young screamed. He jumped to his feet, at the same time flinging his coffee cup at the wall. The bone china shattered into a multitude of tiny pieces. How could she have done this to him? He grabbed the phone.

  The door to his office opened and his assistant stepped into the room. “You have visitors, sir.”

  “I’m busy right now,” Young said without looking up.

  “Put the phone down, Richard.”

  Young raised his gaze to the familiar voice.

  Attorney General Jeffery Briant stepped into the room followed by three gentlemen in dark suits.

  Richard recognized them as FBI agents.

  EIGHTY-EIGHT

  Katherine stood in front of Jack on the sidewalk of Pennsylvania Avenue. Together they had attended Carolyn’s speech. He’d covered the event for the Today news magazine. True to her word, Carolyn had cleared the roadblock for Jack’s journalism career. She’d even committed to giving him an exclusive interview regarding her role in the historic vote.

  “I guess this is it.” Katherine said.

  “It doesn’t have to be.” Jack responded.

  “I thought you were furious with me.”

  “How can I be? When, as you said, I got my way – you believed me.”

  Katherine shrugged. “I don’t know, Jack. We seem destined to keep repeating the mistakes of our past.”

  “I think that’s a copout,” he said. “We’re both mature adults. I don’t buy the idea that we can’t learn from our mistakes. Granted we have some work to do, especially regarding trust-”

  “Some work to do? I think it’ll take a team of therapists -years.”

  Jack paused.

  When he said nothing, Katherine turned to walk away.

  He grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. When she finally met his gaze, he said. “So, we’ll hire a team of therapists. I’ve got the time. How about you?”

  She laughed. “Years?”

  “If that’s what it takes. I can’t think of a better way to while away the hours.”

  “You really mean it, don’t you?”

  He answered her with a lone kiss.

  EIGHTY-NINE

  July 25, 2001 – Washington, DC,

  Standing on the steps leading from the White House terrace out to the Rose Garden. Carolyn glanced over at President Jonathan Daniels.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  A smile lit up her eyes. “Absolutely.”

  “Let’s go,” he said. “The press awaits.”

  The president walked out onto the lawn and up onto the dais.

  Carolyn followed.

  A soft summer breeze carried the sweet smell of freshly cut glass. Once on the stage, Carolyn stood slightly behind and to the left of the president.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “it is my honor to present to you a courageous and unselfish patriot, who time and again has put the interests of the nation ahead of her own needs. She is the first woman to hold the second highest office in the land – Vice President Carolyn Alden Lane.”

  Carolyn stepped up to the podium. Bright sunlight glinted off the television cameras before her.

  With thundering applause, the members of the press rose to their feet.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you.”

  After a few moments, the crowd quieted.

  “Today, as I stand before you, I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve this great nation. Our country faces a bright and shining future. A future led by a man of character, integrity, and honor. A man who looks to the future with vision and wisdom. A man I’m proud to stand beside as vice president. Our president – Jonathan Daniels.” Carolyn met the gaze of President Daniels as she joined the crowd in applause.

  The president smiled and nodded in response.

  “I want to thank you, Mr. President, for trusting me with this awesome responsibility. I will not let you down.” Carolyn stepped toward the president and shook his hand.

  She turned back to the members of the press. “Now, I’ll be happy to take your questions.” Carolyn pointed to a journalist.

  “Madame Vice President, now that your appointment has been continued, what will be your first course of business?”

  Carolyn beamed. “To institute the War on Drugs program and reform the social services system.” Finally, her goals would become reality.

  Acknowledgments

  Writing is years of taking baby steps toward the goal o
f publishing a quality piece of work. Along the way many have held my hand and assisted me in keeping my balance. Some have taught me to crawl, walk, and run with my writing. Others have dried my tears when I fell, or pushed me forward when I hesitated. To all of you I want to give a big hug and a heartfelt thank you.

  First and foremost, my husband, Jeffery, who sees the best in me even when I don’t. My children, Katie and Taylor, who often wish they had a “normal” mother who didn’t write, but support my efforts regardless.

  A special thank you to my Mom and Dad. I’m blessed to have you as parents.

  My family Chuck, Kay, Daniel, Sue, Donna-mom and Terry-dad, Chuckie and Mikey, and my extended family of friends, you know who you are, who keep me sane as possible – not an easy task. I love you all.

  No writer works alone. Many people have assisted me in my many months of research. Some of you have asked that your names be withheld for political reasons, but please accept my sincere thanks for all of your insight and information.

  Doctor Daniel Kostalnick (boy – that has a nice ring to it), you’ve been invaluable in your constant support and research on my many questions from psychiatric profiles to how to commit murder. Suzanne Kostalnick, my first editor, who suffered through all of those awful first drafts.

  I must also thank those who’ve taught me what it means to be a writer. Terry Brooks, an extraordinary writer who’s forgotten more about the craft than I will ever know, but who graciously shares his wealth of knowledge. You are an incredible teacher, thank you for taking the time.

  Elizabeth George, your unending drive for perfection, analytical mind and phenomenal writing talent are matched by your teaching skills. I count myself fortunate to have had such an amazing instructor. Thank you.

  John Saul and Mike Sack, your boot prints are firmly etched on my backside, and I’m grateful for it. Thank you for taking me under your wings, teaching me a multitude about writing, and becoming my mentors, and friends. I love you both.