Within moments of its grey door slamming shut the Ilyushin lurched forward, almost as if, like its master, it couldn’t wait to get away.
Lawrence was the first to turn his back on the departing aircraft as it lumbered towards the runway. He walked quickly over to his waiting helicopter, where he found Andy Lloyd, a phone already pressed against his ear. Once the rotor blades began to turn, Lloyd quickly concluded his call. As Marine One lifted off, he leaned across and briefed the President on the outcome of the emergency operation that had taken place early that morning at the Walter Reed Hospital. Lawrence nodded as his Chief of Staff outlined the course of action Agent Braithwaite was recommending. ‘I’ll ring Mrs Fitzgerald personally,’ he said.
The two men spent the rest of the short journey preparing for the meeting that was about to take place in the Oval Office. The President’s helicopter landed on the South Lawn, and neither of them spoke as they made their way towards the White House. Lawrence’s secretary was waiting anxiously by the door.
‘Good morning, Ruth,’ the President said for the third time that day. Both of them had been up for most of the night.
At midnight the Attorney-General had arrived unannounced and told Ruth Preston that he had been summoned to attend a meeting with the President. It wasn’t in his diary. At two a.m. the President, Mr Lloyd and the Attorney-General had left for the Walter Reed Hospital - but again, there was no mention of the visit in the diary, or of the name of the patient they would be seeing. They returned an hour later and spent another ninety minutes in the Oval Office, the President having left instructions that they were not to be disturbed. When Ruth arrived back at the White House at ten past eight that morning, the President was already on his way to Andrews air base to say farewell to Zerimski.
Although he was wearing a different suit, shirt and tie from when she had last seen him, Ruth wondered if her boss had gone to bed at all that night.
‘What’s next, Ruth?’ he asked, knowing only too well.
‘Your ten o’clock appointment has been waiting in the lobby for the past forty minutes.’
‘Have they? Then you’d better send them in.’
The President walked into the Oval Office, opened a drawer in his desk and removed two sheets of paper and a cassette tape. He placed the paper on the blotter in front of him and inserted the cassette in the recorder on his desk. Andy Lloyd came in from his office, carrying two files under his arm. He took his usual seat by the side of the President.
‘Have you got the affidavits?’ asked Lawrence.
‘Yes, sir,’ Lloyd replied.
There was a knock on the door. Ruth opened it and announced, ‘The Director and Deputy Director of the CIA.’
‘Good morning, Mr President,’ said Helen Dexter brightly, as she entered the Oval Office with her Deputy a pace behind. She too had a file under her arm.
Lawrence did not return her salutation.
‘You’ll be relieved to know,’ continued Dexter, as she took a seat in one of the two vacant chairs opposite the President, ‘that I was able to deal with that problem we feared might arise during the visit of the Russian President. In fact, we have every reason to believe that the person in question no longer represents a threat to this country.’
‘Could that possibly be the same person I had a chat with on the phone a few weeks ago?’ asked Lawrence, leaning back in his chair.
‘I’m not quite sure I understand you, Mr President,’ said Dexter.
‘Then allow me to enlighten you,’ said Lawrence. He leaned forward and pressed the ‘Play’ button of the tape recorder on his desk.
‘I felt I had to call and let you know just how important I consider this assignment to be. Because I have no doubt that you’re the right person to carry it out. So I hope you will agree to take on the responsibility.’
‘I appreciate your confidence in me, Mr President, and I’m grateful to you for taking the time to phone personally …’
Lawrence pressed the ‘Stop’ button.
‘No doubt you have a simple explanation as to how and why this conversation took place,’ he said.
‘I’m not sure I fully understand you, Mr President. The Agency is not privy to your personal telephone conversations.’
‘That may or may not be true,’ said the President. ‘But that particular conversation, as you well know, did not emanate from this office.’
‘Are you accusing the Agency of …’
‘I’m not accusing the Agency of anything. The accusation is levelled at you personally.’
‘Mr President, if this is your idea of a joke …’
‘Do I look as if I’m laughing?’ asked the President, before hitting the ‘Play’ button again.
‘I felt it was the least I could do in the circumstances.’