Free Kodiak Sky (Red Cell Trilogy Book 3) by Stephen W. Frey Page A

distracted Leigh-Ann. They seemed to be coming on fast. “What the heck?” she murmured, pointing.
    The black van skidded to a stop on the slick asphalt, and two men wearing ski masks burst from the back. They grabbed Leigh-Ann, hurled her into the van, followed her inside, and slammed the sliding door shut as the driver punched the accelerator.
    Betty and Paige screamed as the black van squealed off. But it disappeared into the night before anyone could help.

CHAPTER 10

    “I T’S BAD news.” Baxter tapped the faded piece of paper in his lap as he and President Dorn sat alone in the Oval Office. It was the same piece of paper he’d shown to Henry Espinosa an hour ago—Executive Order 1973 1-E. “Justice Espinosa says the Order is legitimate and enforceable. He seemed very sure of himself.”
    “Why did he seem so sure of himself, Stewart?” Dorn asked.
    Baxter regretted conveying that detail. “He’s a Supreme Court justice, Mr. President. He knows about Red Cell Seven. It’s one of the first things he learns about after he’s sworn in.”
    “I know that. And you know I know that. Be more efficient, Stewart. I don’t have time for this. Sometimes you irritate me so damn much, old man. Sometimes I think you’re going senile.”
    Espinosa’s “whipping boy” comment echoed in Baxter’s ears as his blood boiled. “Sir, I—”
    “It seems like there was something more, something specific about how Justice Espinosa responded to you.”
    Dorn was excellent at gleaning huge truths from subtle signals. But relaying anything more of his meeting with Espinosa would only make him look bad. And Baxter made it a rule never to accept accountability for his missteps.
    “Why do I think you’re holding out on me, Stewart?”
    “I don’t know, sir.”
    Espinosa’s lack of explanation for why he was holding the Order up to the light still bothered Baxter. As far as he could tell, other than the writing and the signature on the paper lying in his lap, it was clean of any other markings. He’d studied it several times in the limousine on the way back to the White House but hadn’t found anything.
    “Espinosa says you would be impeached if you tried shutting down Red Cell Seven,” Baxter said. “If an RC7 representative presented the Order to the Supreme Court in a private session, you would be guilty of treason, and you could not hide behind executive privilege in that case. He was very specific on that point. President Nixon was careful and thorough in the way he structured the cell’s existence and its protection.”
    “How exactly would that private session go?” President Dorn asked. “You’ve read all those confidential procedural manuscripts we keep at Camp David.”
    “After the charge was presented, the procedure would start with a one-on-one meeting between only the chief justice and the Red Cell Seven representative, who I assume would have an original of the Order in his possession at the meeting as well as a list of all legitimately initiated RC7 agents. Then, as long as the chief justice was in agreement, the meeting would move to a full session of the court, though still private from the public. The agent would be found innocent immediately. It would take no more than thirty seconds.” Baxter nodded at the president, who suddenly seemed distracted. “And remember, sir, the chief justice presides over a president’s impeachment, so it wouldn’t take him long to have you found guilty. That’s why Nixon set it up as he did. Love or hate the man, it was an ingenious way to structure Red Cell Seven’s protection. Not only would the president be denied, but he or she would also be immediately vulnerable. It’s double jeopardy.”
    “A one-on-one meeting with the chief justice,” the president repeated.
    The glint in Dorn’s eyes was obvious. “Yes, sir,” Baxter confirmed. He hated saying “sir” to Dorn, but appearances had to be sustained.
    “In other words,” Dorn spoke up,