David Baldacci: Divine Justice

Stone stepped back and flipped the knife to Knox, who pulled out a walkie-talkie and said into it, "Okay, come on in."

Five men came rushing through the door seconds later and strode up to the still cowering but confused-looking Hayes.

One of the men said, "Macklin Hayes, you're under arrest for obstruction of justice, false imprisonment, war crimes, covering up a drug ring, conspiracy to commit same and for using government property to blow up a civilian car in a public place resulting in reckless endangerment." The man then gave him his Miranda warning.

Knox pulled out a DVD from his pocket and tossed it to Hayes. "You can share that with your lawyers."

Hayes looked down at it. "What the hell is it?"

"The place where you met with us at the prison and told us everything because you figured we'd never get out? It was an interrogation room, you dumbshit. Warden up there was real keen on surveillance. There was a hidden camera and it recorded every syllable you said." He looked at the men. "Take his ass away. I'm sick of looking at him."

As they pulled Hayes from the room in cuffs, he screamed, "That man is John Carr. He killed Carter Gray and Roger Simpson. Arrest him, arrest him right now."

One of the men said, "Shut up!" and then pushed Hayes out the door.

After they were gone, Knox and Stone left the house and walked down the dark, quiet, lamplit streets of Georgetown as a chill wind blew in off the nearby Potomac.

"You know," Knox said, "Hayes was the only one who was after you. I reported only to him. He was doing this on his own authority, it wasn't an Agency thing."

"He's a man who holds his grudges," agreed Stone.

"My point is, as far as you're concerned, it's over." He put out his hand and Stone shook it. Knox continued, "Now, I'm going to walk that way." He pointed to his right. "And I suggest you go the other way."

"I can't do that, Joe."

"Oliver, get out of this place and go start over somewhere. I'll even get you some money and a new ID. But you have to go. Now."

Stone sat down on a weathered stone step and gazed up at the man.

"I've been going for thirty years and I'm just tired."

"But the FBI is still investigating the murders. And with Hayes out of the way any impediment to them turning in your direction is gone. Sooner or later, they're going to knock on your door. Particularly with Hayes screaming his head off about you."

"I know that."

"And, what, you're going to just wait until they come get you?"

Stone stood. "No. I'm not going to wait. I'm going right to the top on this. But first I need to go get something."

"Get something? Where?"

"At a graveyard."

THE SECRET SERVICE examined the contents of the box that Stone had brought with him. It was the same one he'd hidden at Milton's burial plot before leaving Washington. Knox had driven him over to the graveyard where he'd gotten the box, called Alex Ford and made the arrangements to be where the three men were now.

The White House looked particularly impressive in the crisp morning sunlight. Alex knew the agents on duty today at the northeast gate entrance and he talked to them as Knox and Stone went through the metal detector and security process.

After that Alex led them up the driveway and into the White House. They passed the guards stationed at that entrance. As they walked toward the West Lobby, the security badges issued to the three men bounced against their chests. They arrived at the small West Lobby and were cleared. Stone and Alex sat while Knox nervously paced.

In a calming voice Alex said, "Down that hall is the Roosevelt Room. It's got a painting of FDR over the fireplace mentel and one of Teddy Roosevelt on the south wall. Straight ahead of that is the reception room, and to the immediate right of that is the Oval Office. The president doesn't actually work there. He's got another office nearby where he can get some real work done."

"Interesting," said Knox as he continued to pace the room, shooting glances here and there. All three men were dressed in suits. Alex and Knox had chipped in to buy Stone some appropriate clothes and he looked distinguished, if uncomfortable in his jacket and tie.

"You sure he's going to see us?" Knox asked Alex.

"We're on the schedule. So unless war is declared or a hurricane hits somewhere, we're going to see the man."

Knox let out a deep breath and slumped in a chair. "Jesus, Joseph, Mary."

As soon as he said the last name, a woman appeared and said, "The president will see you now, gentlemen."

In the Oval Office, President Brennan rose from behind the Resolute Desk and shook hands with all three, lingering over Alex, who'd taken a bullet while trying to prevent the president from being kidnapped in Brennan's hometown.

"Great to see you, Alex. You all recovered, I trust?"

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir."

"I can never express how grateful I am for what you did for me back then."

"Well, Mr. President, that's partly why we're here."

Brennan looked confused. "The schedule said you wanted me to meet some friends of yours?" He looked at Knox and Stone. "These gentlemen, I'm assuming?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, sir, if you could spare us a few minutes."

The president motioned them to sit down in chairs set in front of the fireplace.

Alex started speaking and didn't stop for over twenty minutes. Nor did Brennan, known for being an inveterate questioner, ever interrupt him. He just sat in his chair absorbing what Alex was telling him about the events in Pennsylvania and up to what had happened at Murder Mountain and then on to the confrontation at the Visitor Center underneath the U.S. Capitol where Milton Farb had been killed and Harry Finn's son rescued. Knox took up the tale from there, and though clearly nervous in the presence of the commander in chief, his voice was strong and his details meticulous as he took Brennan through his part of the story, including Stone being denied the Medal of Honor, their time in prison and ending with Macklin Hayes' arrest.

Brennan sat back. "My God, this is incredible. Truly incredible. I can't believe this about Carter Gray. He was one of my most trusted advisors." He glanced over at Stone. "And you are John Carr?"

Stone nodded. "I am."

"With this entity called the Triple Six?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's amazing to me that we engaged in that sort of thing."

"It wasn't amazing to me. I was just following orders. It was only later that my conscience got the better of me."

"But to kill your family. To come after you like that. I'm sorry, Alex, it just doesn't sound like the people I knew."

Stone held up the box. "Do you mind, Mr. President? I have something here that might convince you."

Brennan hesitated but then nodded.

Stone opened the box and took out the small recorder. He hit the play button and a voice came on loud and clear. It was Carter Gray. At Murder Mountain.

"I thought you had to give that recording back to Gray," said Alex as he hit the stop button. "And Finn said they had a device there that could tell if it had been duplicated, and it hadn't."

"Before I gave the phone with the recording on it to Gray I just held this recorder up to it and copied it. Sometimes people forget all about the low-tech ways."

He hit the play button and as they listened they came to the part that Stone had particularly wanted the president to hear. When it was over, Brennan stared at them, his face flushed.

"He was going to kill me. Carter Gray was going to kill me so he could start an all-out war with the Muslims!"

"Yes, sir," said Stone. "He was."

"And you were the one who saved me," he said to Stone. "That was your voice on there convincing him not to do it. After the woman was killed. Who was she?"