FORTY SEVEN.
Rapp had never really
taken the time to look around the Oval Office. He was usually
ushered in, sat where he was told, and then left as soon as his
audience with the President was over.
This time, having
declined to sit, he meandered around the room checking out the
various pieces of art and waiting for the President to
appear.
It was painful
knowing that Anna was downstairs in her office.
During the ride over
from Langley he had relayed his version of last night's events to
his boss. She informed him in the gentlest of ways that he had
neglected to do the single most important thing, which was to
simply say he was sorry.
Rapp told Kennedy he
felt torn. Yes, he was sorry that he'd hurt his wife's feelings,
but she didn't marry an advertising executive. His injury shouldn't
have been entirely unexpected. Kennedy stressed that, expected or
unexpected, it didn't change the fact that in her mind Anna could
have lost the man she had just promised to spend the rest of her
life with. Kennedy asked Rapp how he would feel if the shoe were on
the other foot and it was Anna who had been shot.
The thought of losing
Anna sent such a pain through him that he began to see her point
more clearly. When he was done with this meeting he would have to
find her and apologize. Maybe he could even milk the shiner for a
little sympathy. Despite his injury, he desperately wanted to be
alone with her.
Rapp was studying a
portrait of Thomas Jefferson when Valerie Jones entered the office.
For some reason she was all smiles, which as far as Rapp could
recollect was a first.
"Good morning,
Irene," she said.
Kennedy replied with
a simple, Hello' Val
Jones turned her
attention to Rapp.
"How are you,
Mitch?"
Rapp remained facing
the portrait of one of America's greatest Presidents. Instead of
turning around he looked over his shoulder at the chief of staff.
He and Jones had never gotten along. In fact, he could think of no
other woman who he currently detested more.
Regarding her
suspiciously he answered, "I've been better," then returned his
attention to the portrait of Jefferson.
"Oh
that's too bad.
How'd you get the black eye?"
Fortunately for Rapp
the President entered the room before he could answer.
"Sorry I'm late."
Hayes dropped a leather-bound folder on his desk and hurried over
to greet Rapp.
"Mitch, once again
you saved the day. Great job over there in the Philippines."
"Thank you, sir."
Rapp took his hand.
The President's
attention locked in on Rapp's shiner.
"Did things get a
little rough for you over there?"
"Not too bad." Rapp
shrugged it off.
"It looks like it
hurts."
Rapp shook his
head.
"No
not really. I've
had worse."
The President
nodded.
"Yes, I suppose you
have. Well, listen, have a seat." Hayes gestured to the couch
opposite Kennedy and Jones.
"There are a few
things we want to discuss with you."
"If it's all right
with you, sir, I'd prefer to stand."
Hayes stopped and
gave Rapp a questioning glance.
"It's my back, sir.
If I sit down, I might not be able to get up."
"Oh I see. By all
means
stand if it feels better." Hayes took his usual chair in
front of the fireplace.
"Well," said the
President, "at eleven o'clock the Secretary of State and the
Attorney General are going to hold a joint press conference
announcing the prosecution of Assistant Secretary of State Petry
and Ambassador Cox."
Rapp was shocked.
He'd figured the President would string him along for another few
weeks, and then let the issue die down.
"That's good news,
sir."
Hayes looked up at
Rapp, who was standing behind the couch on his right.
"I'm told Mr. McMahon
has Ambassador Cox in custody, and is on his way back?"
Rapp nodded.
"That's right. The
embassy staff was told the Ambassador had to rush home for a family
emergency."
Good. The National
Security Council is meeting next door as we speak. If you're still
up for it I've arranged for you to be present when Assistant
Secretary Petry is arrested."
"I wouldn't miss it
for the world."
Hayes nodded and then
turned to Kennedy.
"Now on to an issue
that isn't so good
What in the hell is going on in Israel?"
"I'm working on that,
sir." The director of the CIA retrieved a file from her briefcase
and pulled out a single sheet of paper. She handed it to the
President and said, "That is a list of the terrorists who were
killed in the attack."
Hayes put on his
reading glasses and scanned the names.
"Holy cow! Is this
for real?"
"As far as I can
tell, yes, but the CTC is working to verify the names through other
sources."
President Hayes stood
to reread the list for a second time.
"What's the death
count?"
"Again, the CTC is
trying to verify the number, but right now the Palestinians are
saying over one hundred people were killed."
"Is that possible?"
asked a skeptical Hayes.
Kennedy hesitated and
then said, "Yes."
"But I thought they
always exaggerated those numbers."
"They might not have
to this time."
Hayes kept studying
the list, even though he was thinking about something else.
"Of those hundred
people, how many were terrorists?"
"Right now we're
guessing anywhere from twenty to forty, but I stress that is only a
guess."
"And the whole bomb
factory story that the Israeli's have been putting out?"
Kennedy shook her
head.
"It doesn't hold up.
We have satellite imagery and radio intercepts of the attack. There
was an initial explosion that we haven't been able to pinpoint.
That blast destroyed the house where we think the meeting was
taking place, and then there were a series of explosions that
followed."
"Where did those come
from?" asked the President.
Kennedy hesitated for
a second, knowing the President would not like the answer.
"They appear to have
come from helicopter-launched missiles."
"Appear to have?"
Hayes wanted a more precise answer.
"The imagery people
are saying they were Hellfire missiles launched from
Apaches."
"Back up a minute,"
ordered the President.
"Freidman told you
that his people found out about this meeting and fired two missiles
into the target area that ignited a secondary explosion that
leveled the entire block. Correct?"
"That's what he told
me, sir."
"And now you're
telling me," said Hayes with a frown creasing his brow, "there was
an initial explosion that we have not been able to identify, that
was followed by a series of explosions that were caused by Hellfire
missiles."
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Sixteen of them,
sir."
"Sixteen?" asked an
incredulous President.
"I'm afraid
so."
"Why so many?"
"I have absolutely no
idea."
"Have you asked
him?"
Kennedy considered
the question.
"No I haven't, sir. I
wanted to discuss it with you first."
"Well, by all
means"-Hayes gestured to the bulky secure phone on his desk-"get
him on the phone."
"Sir," cautioned the
director of the CIA.
"I'd like to do a
little more digging before we confront him."
Hayes was not in a
patient mood.
"The Palestinian
Ambassador to the UN is going to address the assembly this
afternoon and demand that the UN make a full inquiry into this
mess. The Saudi Ambassador called me this morning to protest the
slaughter of hundreds of innocent civilians."
Hayes shook his fist
in anger.
"This thing is not
simply going to go away.
I can get our
Ambassador to delay a vote by the Security Council until the end of
the week, but we will not be able to put it off indefinitely. I
need real answers, and I need to know what in the hell the Israelis
are up to. I also need to know what our allies know. If we know
they're lying, there's a good chance a few other countries know it
too."
"I'll get started on
it right away, sir."
"And Freidman,"
snarled the President.
"I want him to either
start playing by the rules he agreed to, or we will terminate our
arrangement and he can kiss his ass goodbye."
Kennedy nodded and
told herself now was not the time to disagree with the President.
The entire relationship with Freidman was fraught with potential
disaster. The President could call up the Israeli prime minister
and demand that Freidman be removed from his position as director
general of Mossad, but even with the evidence they had, it might
not work. Ben Freidman had files on everybody. She had a sneaking
suspicion that if Freidman was ever really backed into a corner he
would use those files to take down anyone and everyone. There
wasn't a thing that he wouldn't rationalize if it was done to help
preserve either himself or his country.
In a confident voice,
Kennedy told her boss, "We'll find out what really happened over
there, sir."
"Good." Only slightly
satisfied, the President turned to Rapp.
"And, Mitch, I want
you to take a very personal interest in this thing.
You know a side of
Freidman that no one else at Langley does. I want to know why he's
lying to us, and I want to know what you think we should do about
it."
"Yes, sir." Rapp had
a few ideas, but they would take some looking into. In the meantime
he was betting on his initial suspicion. Ben Freidman had only one
master, his country, and no matter how closely they held his feet
to the fire, he would never betray Israel.