Designated Survivor (24 page)

“At least you were respectful,” Grace said. He caught the team up on what had happened at the ETTF, that Graham was being detained.

“Knew he was a dick, but didn’t think he had that in him,” Avery said from the front of the van.

“We need more to lock it down, but so far we think he’s good for it,” Grace said.

“What about Abbasi?” Levi said. “He in the wind?”

“Not that we know of. There’s still a chance of a second attack,” Grace said.

Netty had taken the GW Parkway down to 395 and across the 14
^th
Street Bridge into the district. Traffic was still slow from the roadblocks near the Capitol and the Navy Yard so she exited and cut over to M Street then east towards the department of transportation building. Grace’s phone rang.

“What is it, Ben?”

“The pictures from your phone. I’ve been going through them trying to ID the faces,” Ben said.

“And?”

“I got to one that didn’t need to be ID’d,” Ben said. “Just texted it to you.

Grace took his phone from his ear and tapped to look at the photo that had just come in. He stared at the man’s face. A thin moustache lined the upper lip and wavy blonde hair rose from the top of the head. Glasses with large frames rested low on the nose. Still the face was easily recognized. He put the phone back to his ear.

“That who I think it is?”

“It is,” Ben said. “The caption on the photo said Bill Whitlock. Guess he started going by William sometime after that.”

“Wait, Whitlock?” Grace said.

“Exactly,” Ben said. “His father owns Whitlock Development and William was a VP there when they bought Cunningham Construction.”

“Is he still in the control center or did they take him home?” Grace said.

“I haven’t seen him in a while but I haven’t been looking for him either,” Ben said.

“Thanks, Ben,” Grace said. He hung up and dialed another number.

“Arrington,” the voice came through the phone.

“We need to get William back in,” Grace said. “He’s connected to Cunningham also.”

“Shit, Grace,” Arrington said. “Make up your damn mind. Is it Graham or is it William?”

“Why can’t it be both? Either way I think it’s best to have him secured just in case,” Grace said.

“Amanda Paulson and a couple of agents took him home right after you left,” Arrington said. “I’ll get Monroe to bring him back in.” The phone line went dead.

Grace stared out the window as the van pulled up to the parking area behind the building on 4
^th
Street SE. He tried to connect the dots to see where William fed into the plan.

“What does William get out of it, except for being the first “First Gentleman” of the country?” Grace said.

“You actually asking questions or just talking to yourself?” Netty said.

“A little of both,” Grace said. “If you have any ideas, chime in anytime. What sense does it make to go through so much in order to become President? It doesn’t mean you’ll get re-elected next time around.”

“It sure didn’t work out for Gerry Ford,” Netty said.

“Check you out on the history,” Grace said. “But it did work out for Johnson and there’s still some wackos who think he was involved in the JFK assassination. Still, I don’t know why any sane person would want the job in the first place.”

“I don’t think we’re dealing with anyone sane, here,” she said.

“True,” Grace said. His phone rang again and he answered.

“Just talked to Monroe and they can’t raise the agents watching William,” Arrington said.

“Give me the address,” Grace listened and began tapping it into the GPS then hung up. “Turn it around, we gotta get to McLean fast.”

CHAPTER 47

The tires squealed as Netty threw the van in reverse and punched the gas pedal. “GPS has it at 33 minutes. I’ll get us there in twenty,” she said. Traffic heading out of the city was lighter and she went back over to the GW Parkway and up towards McLean.

Grace turned in his seat to take inventory. “Everyone gear up. We’re flying blind on this one. I don’t have any information on the house. Holden and Avery, you take the sides and back. Netty and Levi are with me through the front door. Corbin, you’re sweeper.”

“What are we up against?” Holden said.

“Nothing, hopefully,” Grace said. “As far as I know William is at home with two FBI agents and the assistant director watching him. I’m getting Ben to send us whatever he can about the house.”

The team pulled on holsters and vests over their black suits and sat calmly in the back. There was a silence that happened before going into combat. Each member of the team focused their thoughts and raised their alertness to be ready for anything. The weight of having just come from the funeral of a friend who had died in a firefight was not lost on any of them. Netty was the least experienced but had still been through the door many times. She would be pulling on gear as she got out of the van when they arrived.

“Four minutes out,” Grace said.

The van was on Georgetown Pike approaching the intersection with Balls Hill Road. Cars were backed up ten deep in all four lanes where they had to make a right turn.

“Go around,” Grace said.

“Around?” Netty said.

“Around,” Grace said.

Netty cranked the wheel left as she laid on the horn with her elbow. The left two tires jumped up onto the narrow grassy median as she kept honking and watching for oncoming cars. A red minivan swerved as it came straight at them.

“Clear from the left,” Avery said. “Go for it.”

Netty hit the gas and the right tires came down off of the median into the oncoming lane and she sped out into the intersection and began to make the right turn as a taxi screeched to a stop from their left.

“Thought you said it was clear,” she said.

“Clear-ish,” Avery said.

She punched the gas and sped across the four lanes with multiple cars and trucks honking behind them.

“We may get company after that move,” she said.

“What, police?” Grace said. “We’re in Fairfax County. You’re pretty much expected to drive like that.”

The van leaned far to the right as Netty took the turn on the smaller two lane road that would wind them around through the multi-million dollar estates.

“Left here,” Grace watched the map moving on the dashboard. “Then it’s just down on the left.” His phone beeped. “Okay, three stories, over 12,000 square feet. There’s going to be a lot of places to hide. Be ready.”

The homes on the road were larger than the ones they’d passed and had more land around them. Netty pulled to a stop one house over from Richard Graham and William Whitlock’s residence. Trees formed perfect lines separating them from the neighbors. A black Ford Explorer was backed into the driveway.

“The agent’s SUV is empty,” Grace said.

The sliding door opened as men and guns came pouring out. Avery and Netty left the front as she pulled on the black bulletproof vest over her fitted black suit that showed more cleavage than one would usually show at a funeral. The teams broke into groups as they had been instructed. Grace took point while Levi flanked to his left and Netty took up the rear, scanning the windows. Grace and Netty had their pistols out and raised while Levi was still using the Sig Sauer assault rifle Chip had handed out in the tunnels under DC.

“Quiet in back,” Avery’s voice came through Grace’s earpiece. “This place is a monster. Looks like we’ll be coming in a level down than the front.”

“Copy that. We’re at the front. Breaching in five . .  four . . . ,” Grace said. He continued the countdown silently and as he hit “one” he went through the unlocked front door.

Grace went left into the open floor plan. A huge suspended staircase ascended up to the second level 20 feet above them. Somewhere below them he heard glass shatter as the other team breached on the lower level. He motioned with his hand for Netty and Levi to move left and he went right as they came around the stairs into the ballroom sized living room. The back wall was all glass looking out over a small yard down below and the Potomac River flowing past at the bottom of the hill.

He came into the kitchen and beyond that a formal dining room with a chandelier the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. As he turned to go into the dining room his earpiece came on.

“Man down,” Levi said. “Looks like one of the agents.”

Grace stopped and turned at a sound behind him. Holden came up the service stairs into the kitchen. They moved towards the living room and stopped behind a sofa and looked at the body on the floor across from him.

“Big pool of blood,” Grace said. “He’s been down a while.” He turned to go to the back stairs to the second floor. Holden followed as Netty and Levi met Avery coming up from the main stairs and continued on up to the open walkway suspended above them.

“Second agent down,” Netty’s voice came through. “Right through the heart.”

Grace turned off the stairs and could see her standing in the hall, the feet of the downed agent coming out from around the corner.

“Everyone stay still,” Grace said as he stopped and listened to the house, his Glock still up and ready. It was 30 seconds later he heard a quiet thump from down the hall. He ran towards Netty and jumped over the dead body of the FBI agent then circled left into the large master bedroom and stopped just inside the door.

“William, it’s Grace. I know you’re here.” He scanned the room through the sights on his pistol. “Time to come out and tell us what happened here.”

There was silence for a few moments then a muffled voice. “In here.”

Grace moved to the closet door and swung it open slowly. It was larger than the living room in his apartment. Custom mahogany shelves were lined with dark suits. In the center was a tall table lined with silk ties.

Amanda Paulson stood at the back of the closet, her arms raised in front of her with a small Glock aimed at the door Grace had opened.

“Amanda?” Grace said.

She lowered the weapon then let if fall to the floor. Grace stepped over to her and she collapsed into him.

“How do you do this?” she said.

He helped her out of the closet as Avery’s voice came into his ear. “Chief, we have another one down. Looks like it’s William.”

Grace stopped beside the king sized bed and let Amanda sit down. “Status?” he said.

“Dead,” Avery said.

Grace turned away from Amanda while he thought for a moment then turned back to her.

“I need you to tell me exactly what happened here,” he said.

She wiped her eyes with a tissue from a box on the nightstand, her mascara running down her ivory skin. “I’ll try,” she said.

Grace turned as Avery walked into the bedroom. “Would you get a glass of water?” he said. Avery walked back out.

“We arrived at the house and William said he’d make tea. He’d finally calmed down and seemed to understand that Richard was just helping out and couldn’t be disturbed,” she said. “He went into the kitchen to put the kettle on and I followed him. We heard the first gunshot and William dropped the kettle on the floor. I pulled my weapon and directed him to hide. When I came around the corner to the living room I saw Special Agent Jeffers on the floor.”

Avery walked in and handed her the glass of water. She took a sip and sat it down on the nightstand.

“I heard the next shot from behind me in the kitchen, I guess that’s when he killed William,” she said. “I ran up the stairs and heard someone running after me. I got to the end of the hall then turned and took aim and waited. As soon as Special Agent Barrow came around the corner I began pulling the trigger. Once he fell to the floor I ran in here and hid in the closet.”

“Did you try to call for help?” Grace said.

“My phone was downstairs,” Amanda said. “It wasn’t very long before you got here, maybe ten minutes. I was too scared to come out. I’m still shaking.”

“I understand,” Grace said. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Grace led her through the house and down the stairs to the front door. Three FBI cars were pulling up as they came out the front door.

“You have three down in there, two of them are agents,” Grace said. “We need a full work up on the scene.”

The arriving agents saw the assistant director and nodded as they began to set up the perimeter.

CHAPTER 48

Grace walked into the ETTF and found Arrington and Monroe. He told the men the story Amanda Paulson had given him.

“Good God,” Monroe said. “Looks like I picked the right assistant director. We’re not agents, but she acted like one out there today.”

“She’s a tough girl. That’s for sure,” Grace said. “But what we don’t know is why this went down. Seems to clear William and just puts more light on Graham.”

“But why would he kill his own boyfriend?” Arrington said.

“Maybe to make himself look innocent,” Grace said. “He knows the heat is on him.”

“Just that you can say that tells me how differently we think,” Monroe said.

“Maybe William was indeed involved and wanted to come clean,” Arrington said. “Graham got nervous and ordered the hit.”

“Definitely an option, but all we have now is William’s photo hanging on a wall at Cunningham Construction,” Grace said.

“Where did you get the photo?” Monroe said.

“It was on the wall at Cunningham’s offices,” Grace said.

“How’d you get in there?” Monroe said.

“Mattie the receptionist let me in,” Grace said. “Sweet lady.”

“So no warrant,” Monroe said.

“No. She said we could look around all we wanted,” Grace said. “Only thing we took out was a folder with the names of all the contractors who worked on the Capitol.”

“You really aren’t used to working within the confines of the law, are you,” Monroe said. “None of that is usable. Thankfully we can back up his connection to Cunningham through public records.”

“Want me to talk to Graham?” Grace said. “See his reaction when he find out William is dead.”

“No,” Monroe said. “You’re not to step foot inside that room,” he glanced at his watch. “The president should be here soon. After I check in with her I’m going in to talk to Graham again.”