David Baldacci - First Family

"I just want my daughter back," Tuck said quickly.

"Of course," said Jane. "That's what we all want."

"Good, I'm glad we have that settled." He gave Tuck an encouraging nod.

Tuck opened his mouth. "So… is Dan around?"

Sean rolled his eyes and sat back while Michelle just stared at Tuck like he was the biggest loser she'd personally ever seen.

"Working in his office. Then he's flying to the West Coast late tonight. I'm to join him there tomorrow, but my plans are up in the air right now, as you can imagine. I doubt that I'll go now."

She eyed Sean. "Have you got anything to tell me?"

"No, but I think your brother does. That's why we're here, in fact."

She glanced at Tuck. "What is it?"

Tuck swallowed the rest of his drink so quickly, he nearly choked. When he recovered he still didn't say anything.

An exasperated Michelle said, "Tuck saw Agent Betack meeting with Pam about a month before she was killed. Agent Betack denies that happened. We wanted you to have him come in here and settle the issue once and for all. We know he's at the White House. We followed him here, in fact."

Tuck's gaze was glued to his shoes as his sister first looked at Michelle and then over at Sean.

"That won't be necessary."

"Why not?" asked Sean.

"Because Agent Betack did meet with Pam."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I asked him to."

For a very awkward minute, the only sound was the crackle of the fire and the faraway chants of the protestors.

Surprisingly, it was Tuck Dutton who broke this silence.

"What the hell is going on, sis?"

She put down her tea. The look she gave each of them, coming to finally rest on Tuck, was one of the oddest Sean had ever seen. It was a combination of dominance and desperation. And he wasn't quite sure how she pulled it off, but she did.

"Don't be stupid, Tuck."

The tone, Sean thought, was just a tad ugly for a sibling who'd just buried his wife.

"How am I being stupid by asking that question?"

"Pam suspected you were having an affair. She came to me for advice. As usual, I tried to smooth things over for you."

"You knew I was having an affair?"

"After I asked Agent Betack to look into it, yes. He had you followed and reported back to me that you were indeed screwing around." She looked at Sean and Michelle. "Not the first time, of course. My brother seems to have an inability to keep it in his pants unless he's around his wife. It's not just my brother. I think it afflicts all married men. As soon as they take the vow one of their chromosomes informs them that it's time to cheat."

Tuck looked like a very large man had just punched him flush in the face. "I can't believe you would-" he began.

"Just shut up, Tuck. We're way past that now."

Okay, thought Sean, this is a side I've never seen of the woman and I don't like it.

"So Betack was talking to Pam about what he'd found?" asked Michelle.

"Not exactly, no."

"So, what exactly then?" asked Sean.

"I had Agent Betack inform Pam that Tuck was not cheating on her."

Even Tuck looked slightly disgusted by this information, although the lie had obviously covered up his infidelity. Perhaps he was thinking of his dead wife out there in the muddy ground all by herself.

"So you had him lie to her, in other words?" said Michelle.

"My husband's reelection is a foregone conclusion barring any unforeseen calamity, including personal."

"So if Tuck's affair came out you were afraid it would tank your husband's chances? That's why you had Betack lie to Pam?" said Sean, who did not try to conceal his rising anger.

"But you're not your brother's keeper and neither is the president," Michelle pointed out. "Tuck's a big boy. There might be a scandal, but it wouldn't involve the First Family."

"Sometimes it's hard to determine where the First Family starts and stops," shot back Jane. "And in any case, I was determined not to find out that the public's opinion of my husband would be adversely affected by such a revelation. If nothing else it would give traction to an opposition that so far has found none."

There was another reason, but the First Lady chose not to elaborate for reasons that were obvious to her.

"Well, I don't think Pam believed Betack," said Sean.

"Why?"

"Because the night she was killed, we were going over to see Pam at her request. She didn't know Tuck would be arriving home that night. She said she had a matter she wanted us to look into. I'll give you three guesses at what that might be."

"I could tell at the party at Camp David that she was still concerned about it," admitted Jane.

Tuck looked at Sean. "And when I suddenly showed up at the house that night, she did look sort of freaked out."

Sean nodded. "She might have even wanted to call me to cancel, but she only had my office number, not my cell. And we were already on our way when Tuck showed up."

"So now you know all," said Jane.

"No, not all."

They all turned to see Agent Aaron Betack standing there.

"What?" asked Sean.

Betack advanced into the room.

"I don't recall asking you to come here, Agent Betack," said a surprised Jane.

"You didn't, ma'am. I… I took it upon myself." The veteran agent looked very pale.

"I'm not sure I understand how you can do that," she said bluntly.

Betack gazed around uneasily at the others. "There was a letter delivered to one of the women who works in the kitchen here. Shirley Meyers."

Jane rose. "You will leave right now, Agent Betack. This instant."

Sean rose too. "What the hell is going on?"

"You will leave now!" snapped Jane.

"Aaron, what letter?" asked Michelle.

Before Betack could answer, Jane snatched up the phone. "One call, Betack. Either you leave now or your career is over."

"Maybe it already is," said Betack. "But what's a career compared to a little girl's life? Have you even thought about that?"

"How dare you speak to me that way!"

Tuck stood. "I dare. If it's got something to do with whether my daughter lives or dies, I sure as hell do dare."

Jane looked at him, and then at the others, one by one. Her confidence seemed to fall away under their gazes. She looked to Sean like a cornered animal desperately seeking a way out.

Sean said, "Jane, if you received a letter that has something to do with Willa, we need to know. The FBI needs to know."

"That is impossible."

Tuck grabbed her arm. "The hell it is."

Betack instinctively rushed forward to protect the First Lady. But Michelle had already snagged Tuck's arm and forcibly removed his grip. She pushed him down on the couch.

"Just chill, Tuck. You're not helping matters. She's still the First Lady."

"I don't give a shit what she is. She could be the president and I wouldn't give a damn. If she knows something that'll help get Willa back, I need to know what the hell it is."

Jane was looking steadily at Betack. "How do you know anything about this?"

"Nothing happens in this building without the Secret Service knowing, Mrs. Cox."

"Was the letter from the kidnappers?" asked Sean.

Jane finally looked away from Betack. "It might be. It's impossible for me to tell. For anyone to tell."

"Was it checked for prints?" asked Michelle.

"Since it wasn't sent here and passed through multiple hands before landing in mine, I think the answer to that is no," she said coldly.

"Where is it?" asked Sean.

"I destroyed it."

Sean looked uneasily at Betack. "Jane, this is a federal investigation. If you're found to have knowingly withheld and then destroyed evidence…"

"Now that could tank the election for your husband," added Michelle.

"But why would you withhold it?" Sean wanted to know.