The First Councel

The two copters land almost simultaneously, but one’s closer to the plane. That’s Marine One. When the doors open, the first person out is the Chief of Staff. Behind him comes a top advisor, a few deputies, and finally, Lamb. The man’s amazing. Always has the ear. Nora comes next, followed by her younger brother, Christopher, a gawky-looking kid who’s still in boarding school. Holding hands, the two siblings pause a moment, waiting for their parents. First, Mrs. Hartson. Then the President. Of course, while everyone’s staring at POTUS, I can’t take my eyes off his daugh-

A strong hand settles on my shoulder. “Who you looking at?” Simon asks.

I spin around at the sound of his voice. “Just the President,” I shoot back.

“Incredible sight, don’t you think?”

“I’ve seen better,” I jab.

He shoots me a look that I know’ll leave a bruise. “Remember where you are, Michael. It’d be a real shame if you had to go home.”

I’m tempted to fight, but I’m not going to win this one. Time to be smart. If Simon wanted me out, I’d be long gone. He just wants silence. That’s what’s going to keep this out of the papers; that’s what’s going to keep me at my job; that’s what’s going to continue to keep Nora safe. And like she said in the bowling alley, that’s the only way we’re going to get to the bottom of this.

“We understand each other?” Simon asks.

I nod. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Good,” he says with a smile. He motions to the back of the plane and sends me on my way.

I return to my seat feeling like I’ve been kicked in the stomach.

“See your girlfriend?” Pam asks as I’m about to sit down. Once again hiding behind the newspaper, her voice is quivering.

“What’s wrong?”

She doesn’t answer.

I reach over and tug on the paper. “Pam, tell me what’s… ” Her eyes are welled up with tears. As the paper hits the table between us, I get my first look at what she’s reading. Page B6 of the Metro Section. Obituaries. At the top is a picture of Caroline. The headline reads: “White House Lawyer Caroline G. Penzler Dies.”

Before I can react, the plane starts to move. A sudden lurch forward sends Pam’s purse to the floor, and just as it hits, her White House pen slides onto the carpet. After a short announcement, we head down the runway, ready for takeoff. Some people return to their seats; others don’t care. The cocktail party continues. The whole cabin’s trembling from the final thrust of takeoff. Still, no one’s wearing a seatbelt. It’s a subtle gesture, but it does imply power. And even en route to a funeral, that’s what the White House is all about.

***

The landing at Duluth International Airport is much smoother than the takeoff. As the runway comes into view, the television monitors in the cabin flicker with life. The TVs are built right into the wall-one over the head of the person on my right, another over the head of the person on Pam’s left.

On the monitors, I see a mammoth blue and white plane coming in for a landing. The local news is covering our arrival, and since we’re within airspace, the TVs pick up the local stations.

Amazing, I say to myself.

Trusting TV over reality, we keep our eyes on the monitors-and in a moment that turns our lives into the world’s greatest interactive movie, when the wheels touch down on TV, we feel them touch down below us.

After the bigshots disembark, the rest of us make our way to the door. It’s not a long walk, but you can already feel the mood swing. No one’s talking. No one’s touring. The joyride on the world’s best private plane is over.

Eventually, the line starts to move and I offer Pam my hand. “C’mon, time to go.”

She reaches out and accepts my invitation, locking each of her fingers between my own. I give her a warm, reassuring grip. The kind of grip you reserve for your best friends.

“How’re you feeling?” I ask.

She squeezes even tighter and says one word. “Better.”

Slowly making our way to the front of the plane, we eventually see what’s causing our delayed departure. The President’s standing inside the main doorway, personally offering his sympathies to each of us.

That human connection… his need to help… it’s exactly why I came to work for Hartson in the first place. If he were shaking hands at the bottom of the jetway, it’d be a purely political move-a staged moment for the cameras and for reelection. In here, the press can’t see him. It’s every staffer’s dream: a moment that exists only between you and him.

As we get closer, I see the First Lady standing to the left of her husband. She knew Caroline before any of us-a fact that I can see in the strain of her pursed lips.

It takes me three more steps before I see the familiar silhouette. Over Hartson’s shoulder, I catch my favorite member of the First Family standing in the hallway and taking in the events.