“And get Murchison on the line. He’s in Security.” He pointed at the phone. “Now. Please.”
Alex shut the door while Eleanor was just starting to move. Back in his office, he paced, index and middle fingers on his temples. Up until today, he had felt like he’d been playing with half the board hidden from his sight. But now things were beginning to fit. Still, it was a bit too soon to do anything. He needed to have everything lined up before he moved. And Murchison could help him do that.
* * *
When Ethan entered his office exactly one week later, Alex smiled and stood. “Thanks for coming.”
“No problem.” Ethan frowned. “You look…happy.”
“I am.” When Ethan made a move to sit, Alex waved his hand. “No, no, stop. You’re going to stand right there by the wall. If you want, you can lean against it. Cross your arms. Right, just like that.”
The frown deepened, but Ethan did as he was told.
“Perfect.” Alex turned to the intercom. “Eleanor, could you get Danielle to come in?”
A few minutes later, the door opened and Danielle entered the office. “Um…I heard from your assistant… I mean, Eleanor said you wanted to see me?”
“Please come in,” Alex said with a smile. “Have a seat.” He offered her the chair Ethan had wanted.
“Thank you.” She practically tiptoed inside and seated herself as though there were paper on the chair and she was trying not to wrinkle it. But then, she seemed timid all the time. Her eyes darted between Alex and Ethan. Both men were standing, wearing black suits. Alex thought maybe it was too theatrical, but the effect on her would be worth it. “So…what can I do for you?” she said, her fingertips on her knees.
Alex rested a hip on the edge of his desk. He wanted to be close to her as he talked, without the bulk of the desk between them. “I’m thinking about taking Ethan out to a nice steak house for a special project well done. Do you know any decent restaurants in this area? Normally, I would ask Eleanor, but she’s not fr
om around here.”
She looked perplexed. “Oh. Well, uh…The Palm’s nice. You know, the one by the Ritz? Or, um…Morton’s is also close by…near Tysons, and they always have wonderful steaks.”
Alex nodded. “Morton’s, huh? What do you think about the one in Reston?”
“Uh…it’s very good. You’ll never be disappointed at Morton’s. There’s one in Arlington too, if that’s, you know, more convenient.”
“But Reston is the one you know best, isn’t it?”
Danielle looked between the two men. “I’m not… Why would you say that?”
“I hope Rodale paid for the meal. That Cheval Blanc alone—1998 vintage, wasn’t it?—was close to three hundred bucks. Unless, of course, you treated him out of the money the Rodales have given you.”
She licked her lower lip. Alex made sure his face betrayed nothing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “I don’t… I haven’t been to Reston since last Christmas.”
Alex shook his head. “Your best bet at this point is to cooperate fully with us.” He picked up a few photos from his desk and handed them to her. “Looks remarkably like you, don’t you agree? They were taken this Thursday.”
Her fingers began shaking as she looked at the pictures. “I don’t…I don’t…. He said you wouldn’t find out.”
“Uh-huh. Because Natalie would take the fall.”
“How could you?” Ethan’s sudden question surprised Alex. “She’s been a fair boss to you, trying to bring you up as she moved up the chain of command.” Ethan hadn’t moved from where he was, and he hadn’t raised his voice, but Danielle flinched when she saw the expression on his face.
“It’s not like that. I didn’t want to do it, not the NSA job.” Her gaze dropped. One fat tear started rolling down the curve of her cheek. “But he said she would be okay. Her father’s a U.S. senator. I mean, her whole family’s ambassadors, senators, governors… She’d land on her feet.”
“So you framed her,” Alex said.
Danielle’s head snapped up. “No!”
“You let her take the fall.”
“Nobody was supposed to be hurt! But if it had to be someone, Natalie’s the one who can afford it.” She wrung her hands. “I don’t… I’m in love with Charlie.”