Brad Meltzer - The First Councel

“You know what the worst part is?” she asks without waiting for an answer. “Every single one of these nominees is the same. I don’t care if you want to be an ambassador, an undersecretary, or a member of the damn Cabinet-nine out of ten people are cheating on their spouses or floundering in therapy. And let me tell you something else: No one-I repeat- no one in this entire government is paying their taxes. ‘Oops, I forgot about the housekeeper. I swear, I didn’t know.’ You’re going to be heading the IRS for chrissakes!”

Raging, Pam spins around to finally face me. “Now what do you want?” she asks.

“Well, I-”

“Actually, now that I think about it, can it wait till later? I just want to finish this stuff.”

“Sure,” I say, looking down at her makeshift desk. Next to her stack of red file folders, I notice a manila one marked “FOIA-Caroline Penzler.” Recognizing the acronym for the Freedom of Information Act, I ask, “Who’s the FOIA request from?”

“That Post reporter-Inez whatever-her-name-is.”

“Cotigliano.”

“That’s the one,” Pam says.

The color fades from my face. I grab the file and rip out the multipage memo. “When did you get this?”

“I–I think it was yester-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I shout. Before she can answer, I see the heading on the internal memo:

TO: All Counsel Staff

FROM: Edgar V. Simon, Counsel to the President

With the press taking such a quick interest, I bet he’s doing this one personally. Flipping past Simon’s memo, I notice he’s even included Inez’s actual request for documents. She’s trying to get her hands on personnel files, judicial files, internal memos, ethics memos-every public document that’s somehow related to Caroline. Luckily, Counsel’s Office communications are generally protected from FOIA disclosure. Then I notice the last item on Inez’s list. My heart stops. There it is in black and white-the easiest thing to give to the press-WAVES records. From September 4th. The day I found Caroline dead.

“Michael, before you… ”

It’s too late. By requesting these records, Inez has already lit the fuse. We can stall as long as we want, but it’s just a matter of time until the entire world sees that I invited an accused murderer into the building. Which means it’s no longer a question of if the records are going to get out; it’s just a question of when .

Unable to speak, I slide my hand into my empty mailbox, wondering where my copy of the memo went. Then I look at Pam.

“I’m sorry,” Pam says. “I thought you knew.”

“Obviously, I didn’t.” I toss the memo on her desk and head for the door.

“Where’re you going?”

“Out,” I reply as I leave the office. “I just remembered something I have to do.”

“Cut her some slack,” Nora says on the other line. “She sounds avalanched with work.”

“I’m sure she is, but she should also know how important it is to me.”

“So now’s she’s supposed to read you all her mail? C’mon, Michael, when she got the memo, I’m sure she assumed you did too.”

It’s the exact same reaction Trey just gave me, but to be honest, I was hoping for a different opinion. “You don’t understand,” I add. “It’s not just that she didn’t tell me. It’s just… ever since she started glomming up the ladder, it’s like she’s a different person.”

“Smells like you’ve got a slight case of jealousy coming on.”

“I’m not jealous.” Standing at the pay phone across the street from the OEOB, I find myself scanning the crowds of pedestrians, trying to remember that photo I saw of Vaughn.

“Listen, sweet pea, you’re starting to sound pathetic. I mean, even if you are paranoid, calling me from a pay phone? C’mon. Take a breath, buy a lollipop-do something. It’s the same thing with the Post reporter. Mountains and molehills, baby.”

I’m not sure what’s more unnerving-the incident with Pam or the fact that Nora’s suddenly acting like there’s nothing to worry about. “You think?”

“Of course. Haven’t you ever heard how Bob Woodward researched The Brethren ? He was writing this book about the Supreme Court, but he couldn’t get any of the clerks to talk to him. So he writes this six-hundred-page manuscript based on hearsay and rumors. Then he takes the manuscript, makes a few copies, and circulates it around the Court. Within a week, every egomaniac in the building is calling him to point out the inaccuracies. Pow-instant book.”

“That’s not true. Who told you that?”

“Bob Woodward.”

I act cool. “So it’s true?”

“It’s true that I spoke to Woodward.”

“What about the other part? The part with the clerks?”

“He said it’s bullshit-one of Washington’s great myths. He had no problem getting sources. He’s Bob Woodward,” she says with a laugh. “This other reporter-the one who e-mailed you-she’s just fishing. The whole FOIA thing is just one big expedition. Oop, hold on a second-cleaning lady… ” She covers the phone and her voice gets muffled-but I can still make it out. “Estoy charlando con un amigo. Puedes esperar un segundito?”

“Disculpe, señora. Solo venía para recojer la ropa sucia.”

“No te preocupes. No es gran cosa. Gracias, Lola!” Turning her attention back to me, she asks, “I’m sorry, where were we?”

“You know Spanish?”

“I’m from Miami, Paco. You think I’m gonna take French?” Before I can answer, she adds, “Now let’s talk about something else. What’re you doing this weekend? Maybe we can get together.”

“I can’t. I promised my dad I’d visit.”

“That’s nice of you. Where’s he live? Michigan?”

“Not exactly,” I whisper.

She recognizes the change in my tone. “What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

“Then why’re you shutting down like that? C’mon, now-you can tell me. What’s really going on?”

“Nothing,” I insist, moving for a change of subject. After her call this morning, I’m tempted to, but… no… not yet. “I’m just worried about Simon.”

“What’d he do?”

I explain how he pulled me off the roving wiretap case. As always, Nora’s reaction is instantaneous.

“That dickhead-he can’t do that to you!”

“He already did.”

“Then make him change it. Get on the horn. Tell Uncle Larry.”

“Nora, I’m not going to-”

“Stop letting people push you around. Simon, the FBI, Vaughn-whatever they say, you accept it. When the food’s cold, send it back.”

“If you send it back, the cook spits in it.”

“That’s not true.”

“I bused tables at Sizzler for three years in high school. Believe me, I’d rather have the cold food.”

“Well, I wouldn’t. So if you’re not going to call Larry, then I will. In fact, you feast on your cold dinner-I’m going to call him right now.”

“Nora, don’t… ”

It’s too late. She’s gone.

I hang up the phone and notice a quiet clicking. It’s coming from behind me. Turning around, I notice a rumpled pudge of a man, with a thin beard that’s clearly trying to compensate for a receding hairline. Click, click, click. With a beat-up green camera bag dangling from his shoulder, he’s taking pictures of the OEOB. For a split second, though… right when I turned around… I could swear his camera was pointed at me.

Anxious to leave, I turn my back to him and step off the curb. But I can still hear that clicking. One right after the other. Taking one last look at the stranger, I focus on his equipment. Telephoto lens. Motor drive. Not your average D.C. tourist.