David Baldacci: First Family

"Don't suck up," said Sean in a joking tone. "It's unseemly."

"No, really, I mean this makes Watergate and Monicagate look like teepeeing a yard after a high school football game."

"So you believe us?" asked Michelle.

"Believe you? Who could've made this stuff up?" He motioned to the photos and pages of notes spread over the table. "And it's not like it doesn't come without proof."

He lit another cigarette. "But what I don't get is, why kidnap Willa? I mean, she is the niece and all, but how could they be sure that the president would go along? It wasn't his kid after all. No one could really blame him if he'd ducked that one."

Sean pulled out another file he'd taken from Quarry's records. They had purposefully withheld this part of the story from the reporter until he'd asked that question.

"These are the results of DNA tests that Quarry had done. These on Pam and Willa Dutton's blood. And then this one on Diane Wright. Quarry penciled in the names under each test result."

"Diane Wright a.k.a. Diane Wohl," said Determann, who had proven a quick study, and had a strong command of the story and principal players already.

"Right."

"But why a DNA test?"

"It shows that Diane is Willa's mother and Pam isn't."

Determann took the papers and studied them. "Call me stupid, but I'm not following you, Sean."

Sean explained about what had happened in that back alley in Georgia nearly thirteen years ago, the first time he'd told anyone other than Michelle. Loyalty to Jane Cox had caused him to keep his silence. However, loyalty had its limits and he had reached his with the First Lady. He had told Sam Quarry back in that mine that he wanted to help the truth come out if he let Willa go. The man had kept his part of the bargain, and while Sean had initially decided to keep quiet, after he'd found out what the First Lady had done at Atlee he intended to honor his promise to the dead man.

Determann sat back and took off his glasses. "Then Senator Cox with Diane Wright on top? Nine months later out pops Willa? She's his kid? Jesus. And then what he did earlier to Tippi Quarry? What a prick!"

"That's exactly the part of his anatomy that he couldn't seem to control," pointed out Michelle.

Sean picked up a photo that showed the image of a sour-looking man in his late forties. "And Quarry found out that Jane Cox knew the butcher who performed the abortion on Tippi and ended up cutting into an artery. The police found her in the basement of an abandoned building, probably where the scum dumped her after he realized what he'd done. He'd lost his license to practice medicine because of drug and booze problems, but he was still open for business for his old friends."

"And no regular doc or hospital because Tippi might spill what had happened? Or people might start asking inconvenient questions?"

"Exactly."

Determann sat forward and studied the papers. "But no one checked the president's DNA?"

"If they did, it would be a match."

"Well, they have the man's DNA on file. Maybe this story will prompt one more test to be run." He started scribbling notes down but stopped when Sean put a hand over his. He looked up with a questioning expression.

"Marty, can I ask a favor?"

"After giving me the story of the century? Yeah, I think I can spare one."

"I don't want you to write about this part of the story. About Willa."

"Come again?"

Michelle spoke up. "Willa's lost her mother. The woman who actually gave birth to her is dead too. We just think it would be too much. It wouldn't be fair to put her through all that."

"And you have plenty enough without it," added Sean. "Including very compelling circumstantial evidence that the First Lady torched a house and killed an innocent woman to cover up her husband's misdeeds. But you're the reporter, so it's your call. We won't make you withhold it."

Determann looked uncomfortable. "You think Jane Cox intended Ruth Ann to die when she burned down the house?"

"I hope she didn't. But I guess no one other than her knows that. I do know that Willa has been through enough."

Determann nodded and reached out a hand to Sean. "Deal."

"Thanks, Marty."

Determann said, "It's a great story, Sean. And I can completely understand why you both would want the truth to come out."

"But?" Sean said warily.

"But it's going to rock this country to its soul, man."

"Sometimes you have to, Marty. Sometimes you just have to."

WILLA SAT ACROSS from Sean, Michelle, and Gabriel with her hands in her lap and her head turned downward. They were at a house that Tuck had rented about a mile from their old one, which was up for sale. None of them wanted to go back there to live. Tuck sat next to his daughter, one arm protectively around her.

"I'm sorry that your ma died," Gabriel said, not looking directly at Willa. He was dressed in a new white polo shirt and blue jeans and he held a new Atlanta Falcons ball cap that Sean had bought him to replace the one he'd lost in the fire. He had one hand in his pocket, his fingers curved around the only thing of his that had survived the fire: the Lady Liberty coin that Sam Quarry had placed on his nightstand before he'd departed Atlee for good.

"I'm really sorry about your mom too," Willa said. "And you were very brave in that mine. I don't think I'd be alive except for you."

Gabriel glanced sideways at Sean. "He pulled me out. I sure wouldn't have made it without Mr. Sean."

Willa looked around the interior of her temporary home before gazing back at Gabriel. "He had a daughter. Her name was Tippi."

"Yep. She was real sick. Mr. Sam let me read to her."

"Jane Austen, he told me."

"Did he talk to you a lot about her?" Sean asked Willa.

"Not a lot, but I could tell he thought about her a lot. You just sort of know." She glanced at her father. "I tried to get away once. I almost fell off the mountain. He saved me. Mr. Sam grabbed me right before I fell."

Tuck fidgeted a bit. "That's all in the past, Willa. You don't have to think about it anymore, sweetie. It's over."

She fiddled with her fingers. "I know, Dad. But part of me-" She leaned forward. "He lost his daughter, didn't he? He lost Tippi?"

Michelle and Sean exchanged a quick glance. "Yeah, he did," he said. "But I believe your dad's right. You probably shouldn't think about it too much."

Tuck eyed Gabriel. It was obvious that the man was not entirely comfortable with anyone associated with Sam Quarry being in his home and around Willa, even an innocent little boy. "So he's staying with you guys. How's that working?" His tone clearly implied that it would not work at all.

"It's working just great," said Michelle firmly. "We've enrolled him in school up here for the new year. He graded into algebra even though he's only going into seventh grade, and his foreign language skills are off the chart," she said proudly.

"Spanish and Native American," added Sean.

"Well that's great," Tuck said insincerely.

"It is great," Willa said, eying Gabriel. "You must be really smart."

Gabriel shrugged. "I'm okay. Got a lot to learn, and everything up here is…"

"Different?" said Willa. "I can help with stuff like that."

Tuck gave a hollow laugh. "Wait a minute, honey, you'll be plenty busy yourself. I'm sure Mr. King here can take care of the boy."

Michelle looked at Willa. "But thank you for asking, Willa. That was very sweet." Now she looked directly at her dad. "And who knows, you two might become really great friends."

Later, Tuck drew Sean and Michelle aside while Willa showed Gabriel her room. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you did. The things that Willa told me happened. God. It's a miracle she survived. That any of you did."