Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

favorite son while he was a tenant here.
    Julius placed the briefcase on the table as if there was a crystal bomb inside it. He clicked open the left latch. His nervous fingers barely touched the right one before Peter Devon’s words made him stop.
    “Mr. President.”
    Jack could tell he was simultaneously listening to a voice in his earpiece. “Yeah, Pete?”
    “Sir, I’m being told that Howard Fielding is here to see you.”

Chapter 3
    The door that led into the Oval Office opened, and Director of National Intelligence Howard Fielding launched off the couch that flanked JFK’s rattan rocker into a fully upright and locked stance. The two men sitting on the other couch across the coffee table followed Fielding’s lead. Although it was the original coffee table from George Washington’s sitting room at Mount Vernon, it was somewhat less impressive than the one upstairs in the president’s bedroom.
    Jack recognized Hunter Atkinson from his picture on the back of his book jackets. He had no clue as to the other man’s identity. Even at nearly four in the morning, they were both dressed in what looked like their best suits and ties. Simon was also dressed in a suit. Jack felt a little underdressed, having thrown on a pair of dark slacks and a long sleeve polo shirt embroidered with the presidential seal in record time.
    Jack addressed them as he crossed the room. “Gentlemen.” No one shook hands. The shared concern in the room trumped any ritual of good manners for the moment.
    “Mr. President,” Fielding started, “approximately three hours ago, two armed suspects broke into Monticello. They shot and killed the two security guards on duty. They proceeded to the South Square Room, where they smashed a drawing table to pieces. This table had a secret compartment in it. We believe they took whatever was inside it.”
    Jack asked the most important question first. “Are the guards’ families being attended to?”
    “We have agents outside their homes as we speak, sir,” Fielding replied. “I wanted to inform you first.”
    “Let’s make the families as comfortable as possible, Howard.”
    “Of course, sir.” Fielding whipped out his BlackBerry from his jacket pocket and began pecking away.
    Jack looked at Simon. Simon nodded but not because he approved this show of sympathy from the White House. He knew why Jack’s instinct was to put families first.
    “So, what are we thinking was stolen?”
    Fielding had already made the BlackBerry disappear. “Mr. President, this is Bubba Durant and Hunter Atkinson.” Jack nodded at them as Fielding continued. “Bubba is the head of the American History department at GWU and Hunter is an author that—”
    “Specializes in the history of the American presidency,” Jack finished. “I’m a big fan.”
    Hunter beamed. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
    “Although I’m not yet certain why you’re here, thank you both for coming in the middle of the night.”
    “They’re here to help us figure out what exactly was stolen from Monticello, sir,” Fielding replied.
    Jack edged around to the rocker and motioned for all of them to sit. Simon took up his normal post at the far end of the couch from the president.
    “Forgive me,” Jack started, “I know this sounds heartless, but how does the murder of two Monticello guards involve the White House?”
    Simon cleared his throat. “Mr. President, it looks as if this event is tied to the robbery attempt at the LOC.”
    “There was a robbery at the Library of Congress?” Bubba blurted out. Silence crashed into the room as Bubba realized his faux pas. He sunk back into the couch cushions. His reaction only intensified Jack’s glares at Simon and Fielding.
    Reading Jack’s reaction to his spilling the news, Simon said, “These men are here to help us figure out the connection between these two events, Mr. President.” The president nodded and Simon continued. “I called Admiral Fielding shortly after I received news of the robbery attempt at the LOC. I told him if anything else should surface that could be tied to the robbery to please notify us immediately.”
    “And that’s what he’s doing here now?” Jack asked.
    “Yes, sir,” Simon replied. “He called me approximately ninety minutes ago with the report of the Monticello break-in. I wanted to verify everything before getting you involved.”
    “And Mr. Atkinson and Mr. Durant just happened to be here taking the tour in the middle of