Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

Fantroy’s plane exploded, I never told you that I encountered a diver under the water. He held a knife to my throat, but he didn’t kill me. It was Taber. He was the one who launched the missile from the boat that blew up Fantroy’s plane. He knew Fantroy was a Bilderberger—”
    Danny held up his hands. “Stop.”
    “Danny, I know it’s hard to believe—”
    “There’s too much damn mystery surrounding you, Sydney.”
    “You don’t believe me?”
    Sydney had asked that question to not only him but to several people during their adventure together. Danny had always sidestepped it. But now he was about to answer it once and for all.
    “No, Sydney. I don’t.”
    While she looked as if he had just slapped her, Sydney allowed him to kiss her on the cheek. “Good-bye Sydney,” he whispered. “Take care of yourself.”
    He slipped away from her without looking into her face. He knew that if he did, her eyes held enough power to draw him back.
    Danny stepped around the pool, keeping his eyes locked on the gate in front of him. Whether or not he had shut off his hearing, he didn’t know. But as he walked through the gate and out of Sydney Dumas’s life, he didn’t hear a word.
    Danny wove along the pathway toward the White House Rose Garden. He finally looked back toward the pool. The trumpet vines blocked any attempt to see Sydney. What if she’s telling the truth? Danny couldn’t go back and ask her. But there was another way to find out.
    Seeing that he was steps away from the Oval Office and that his movements were no doubt being monitored, Danny tried as best he could to look nonchalant as he reached for the cell phone that Carver Sutton had given him, which he finally got back after the Secret Service was done examining it. He called Chip’s cell number.
    “Well finally,” Chip answered. “Where are you calling me from? Are you in the Lincoln bedroom with that gorgeous creature? Tell me you are.”
    Not knowing if he was being recorded as well, Danny whispered his reply. “Not quite. Listen, I need you to get me some more information.”
    “More information? You’re a hero, Danny boy. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy it.”
    “Chip.”
    Chip sighed. “A cop never sleeps, right? That goes for the retired ones, too, I guess. What do you need?”
    “I need everything you can get me on Sydney’s godfather, Colin Tanner.”

Chapter 96
    Danny answered the knock on his hotel room door. Simon Shilling stood in the hallway, holding an ID badge at the end of a lariat.
    “You clean up nice, Sergeant,” he said, giving Danny the once over.
    “It’s not hard to do in a custom-made suit.” Danny smoothed the lapels on the charcoal gray jacket and buttoned its top button. “And one made in record time. Please pass along my thanks to the president.”
    “The White House has a clothier on call. He’s actually been through four different administrations.”
    “So, I guess he’s used to last-minute tailoring emergencies.”
    “Presidents and their administrations come and go. But the staff, the ones who really run the White House, they’re permanent.” Danny nodded, thinking about Benjamin Speakes and his long service record. Simon handed Danny the lariat. “This is your security pass for the evening. You ready to go?”
    “Yes, sir.” They walked down to the elevator and got in. “So what’s the plan for the speech this evening?” Danny asked after the doors shut.
    Simon smiled. “The president wants to keep everyone in the dark about what he’s going to cover tonight. He and I are the only two who have been privy to the final draft. It’s driving the rest of the staff crazy, especially Blake Conway, the president’s press secretary.”
    “I guess that means I can’t get a sneak preview?”
    Simon chuckled. “Can’t do it. Not even for our hero. What I can tell you is that the president will acknowledge you during his opening comments, about three minutes in. My advice is to just stand, look appreciative, and let the applause soak in.” Simon rested a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Let it wash away the sins of the past, Sergeant. From now on, you’ve got a clean slate.”
    Goosebumps rolled across Danny’s skin. The elevator doors opened at the lobby level of the Willard Hotel. The lobby looked foreign to Danny. It was bustling with bodies in motion. Simon led Danny through the revolving door and into a waiting black Suburban. The driver whisked them through the D.C.