Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

The mobile—”
    “Excuse me one second, Clarence,” Jack interrupted.
    “Yes, sir?”
    “What do these helicopters use to detect for nuclear material?”
    “Radiological sensing equipment, sir.”
    “These are NEST choppers?”
    “Sir?”
    “Are the Pave Hawks the property of NEST, or did you borrow them?”
    “We borrowed them, sir. From the air force.”
    “From Andrews?”
    “Yes, sir. As soon as the NEST incident team found the second suitcase bomb under the Lincoln Memorial, NEST airplanes were scrambled from Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. They flew to Andrews Air Force Base, where they were stripped of their radiological sensing equipment. That equipment was then placed on the Pave Hawks.”
    “Thanks for clearing that up, Clarence. Sorry for the interruption. Please continue.”
    Clarence gulped down a mouthful of nerves. It took him a moment to find where he left off. “We also performed ground searches. Our mobile ground units consist of eight vans specially outfitted with radiation detection equipment. Those vans are our property, sir.”
    Jack nodded. “Got it.”
    “They started crisscrossing the District at ten o’clock last night, and they traced every street by dawn. All reports came back negative.”
    Clarence waited a few moments to field any questions Jack might have before he continued. “Our incident team completed their second inspection of the National Mall at 5:35 this morning. It was all clear.”
    “Except for the bomb found outside the Washington Monument and the one found in the Lincoln sub-basement?” Jack asked.
    “Correct, sir,” Clarence replied.
    “Does the incident team use the same kind of equipment that’s used on the choppers and in the vans?”
    “Yes, sir. It’s all gamma ray and neutron detection equipment, sir.”
    “Is it fair to say that the equipment used out in the open is a smaller version, handheld, something of that nature?”
    “Yes, sir. But—”
    Sam Ashworth piped in. “Mr. President, the equipment is—”
    Jack cut him off. “Thank you, Sam. But I like getting the facts straight from the horse’s mouth. In my experience, it’s the best insurance against using tainted information that could make me look like a horse’s ass.”
    “Yes, Mr. President,” Ashworth replied.
    Jack turned back to Clarence. “We concocted stories about natural gas leaks, Clarence. A gas leak is the reason why people were evacuated from the Washington Monument yesterday. A second gas leak is the reason why people were evacuated from the Lincoln Memorial. I am tired of lying to the American people, Clarence. I am about to address them with the truth, and I need specific details that will corroborate my explanation. As they say, the devil’s in the details.”
    Four silent seconds staggered to their death before Clarence continued.
    “Sir, the equipment is disguised in backpacks and briefcases. Our people are trained to search urban areas without compromising the security of their mission or arousing suspicion.”
    “Good,” Jack replied. “The device was delivered through a utility access door. Is that still your assessment, Clarence?”
    “It’s a fact, Mr. President.”
    Jack smiled. “A good man is one who deals in absolutes.” He turned to Sam Ashworth. “You agree with Clarence, Sam?”
    “Yes, sir,” Ashworth responded and then added, “100 percent.”
    “Okay,” Jack started and then rose to his feet. The other men followed the president’s lead. “Clarence, Sam, George, thank you for your time. We’ll need you to stay on-call in case the White House needs updates.”
    The three men responded simultaneously. “Yes, Mr. President,” and then headed for the door.
    Jack sat back down in the JFK rocker. The remaining two men, Simon Shilling and Howard Fielding, also took their seats. Jack eyed Simon, adhering to Simon’s thirty-second rule before speaking. Simon nodded when time was up.
    Jack eyed Fielding. “Howard, how close did they get to the Capitol tunnels?”
    The admiral shifted to the edge of his seat and unfurled the map of the Capitol escape tunnels still clenched in his hand. “The bomb was placed thirty feet from the opening, sir.”
    Jack huffed. “Jesus. How? How does something like this …” He stopped, shaking his head.
    “Sir, we’ve had teams sweeping the tunnel system all night. There’s no evidence of recent usage.”
    “What about evidence from the Lincoln basement? Is there anything in there