Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

table. A door at the end of a concrete walkway was in the center of the shot. A sign to the left of the walkway read, “Danger—high voltage.” A second sign to the right of the walkway read, “The bunker is a sealed facility. There is absolutely no smoking. Violators will be asked to leave .” Behind it, a cast of federal agents, some in plain clothes and others in hazmat suits, were standing around a jagged hole dug into the earth.
    Danny looked up from the photo. “It was buried?”
    The president nodded. “Just outside the bunker.”
    “But CEOS is fortified. It could take a hit from something as small as a dirty bomb.”
    “Yes, but the entire area, including the only entrance to CEOS, would remain contaminated for at least thirty years.”
    “I’m guessing CEOS is vital?” Danny asked.
    “It’s on a short list of facilities we have to ensure the continuation of government if something happens in D.C. But it’s at the top of that list. We’ve sent NEST teams to the other sites to make sure they’re still secure.”
    “How many people know about the list of sites, Mr. President?”
    “Again, it’s a short list. It’s classified information.”
    Instantly, the realization slammed into Danny. “It’s an inside job, Mr. President.”
    The president nodded. “That’s why you and I are the only ones sitting here in the Oval, Sergeant. If all these events are connected, then the information Ms. Dumas has concerning the lawsuit and Federal Reserve chairman Walsh only bolsters that conclusion. I can only trust someone outside my administration and outside the federal government to move forward with this investigation.” The president raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at Danny.
    “Me?” Danny asked.
    “Bingo. You’re going to help me find my traitor, Danny. You will tell no one else of your investigation, and you will report only to me.”
    “Sir, although I appreciate your confidence I’m not the best choice right now. I’m wanted for killing an FBI agent and a senator.”
    “Did you kill Booker?” the president asked flatly.
    “No. In fact, I’m sure that whoever shot him was aiming for me.”
    “I believe you.”
    “Just like that?”
    “Just like that, Sergeant.”
    “What about Agent Ripley?”
    The president said nothing. Instead, he shuffled through the rest of his papers. He plucked one out and laid it on the desk in front of Danny. It was a copy of an e-mail sent from a deputy FBI director to director of National Intelligence Howard Fielding. The subject line read, “Ripley Investigation.” Danny couldn’t read the e-mail fast enough.
    “Crayton Ripley was under investigation when I killed him?”
    “For months,” the president replied. “The FBI knew he and other agents were in bed with Rafael Espinoza.”
    Danny’s anger flared, damn the fact that he was in the Oval Office talking to the president of the United States. “The FBI knew Ripley was dirty and yet did nothing for months?”
    “You know how these things work, Sergeant. The FBI wanted Espinoza. Take out Agent Ripley, and you only take out a cog in the wheel while, in the process, making your own organization look bad. But take out Espinoza, and you practically wipe out the Juarez cartel, get tons of drugs off the street, and hopefully prevent hundreds, if not thousands, more murders. Most important, you make the headlines for all the right reasons.”
    “But the op blew up in everyone’s face.”
    The president nodded. “I know. What I don’t know is why you ran. You must have known that running only makes you look guilty, Sergeant.”
    “I didn’t know who to trust, Mr. President. I would rather have been considered guilty and alive than be innocent and dead.”
    A knowing look came over the president. He leaned forward. “Danny, I want you to know that I believe you. You now have the full weight of the president of the United States behind you. You will be exonerated of all the accusations against you. I only ask that you do me a favor in return. Help me figure out who’s behind planting these bombs. Help me figure out who wants to destroy the United States of America.”
    Goosebumps wicked throughout Danny’s skin. He would be exonerated of the crimes charged against him. He had the most powerful friend a person could have in his corner. His mind immediately went to work.
    “Sir, the first thing I have to do is take a look at L’Enfant Plaza.”
    “Why?”
    Danny recalled the story