Free The Best Laid Plans by Sidney Sheldon Page B

some sleep, Jan. That meeting knocked me out."
    The story was on the front page of the State Journal the following morning:
    GOVERNOR'S SECRETARY FOUND UNCONSCIOUS IN PARK.
    At two o'clock this morning, police found the unconscious woman, Miriam Friedland, lying on the bench in the rain and immediately called for an ambulance. She was taken to Memorial Hospital, where her condition is said to be critical.
    As Oliver was reading the story, Peter came hurrying into his office, carrying a copy of the newspaper.
    "Have you seen this?"
    "Yes. It's it's terrible. The press has been calling all morning."
    "What do you suppose happened?" Tager asked.
    Oliver shook his head. "I don't know. I just talked to the hospital She's in a coma. They're trying to learn what caused it. The hospital is going to let me know as soon as they find out."
    Tager looked at Oliver. "I hope she's going to be all right."
    Leslie Chambers missed seeing the newspaper stories. She was in Brazil, buying a television station.
    Qfi The telephone call from the hospital came the following day. "Governor, we've just finished the laboratory tests. She's ingested a substance called methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as Ecstasy. She took it in liquid form, which is even more lethal."
    "What's her condition?"
    "I'm afraid it's critical. She's in a coma. She could wake up or " He hesitated. "It could go the other way."
    "Please keep me informed."
    "Of course. You must be very concerned, Governor."
    "I am."
    Oliver Russell was in a conference when a secretary buzzed. "Excuse me, Governor. There's a telephone call for you." "I told you no interruptions, Heather." "It's Senator Davis on line three." "Oh.
    Oliver turned to the men in the room. "We'll finish this later, gentlemen. If you'll excuse me ..." He watched them leave the room, and when the door closed behind them, he picked up the telephone "Todd?" "Oliver, what's this about a secretary of yours found drugged on a park bench?" "Yes," Oliver said. "It's a terrible thing, Todd I " "How terrible?" Senator Davis demanded.
    "What do you mean?" "You know damn well what I mean." "Todd, you don't think I I swear I don't know anything about what happened." "I hope not." The senator's voice was grim. "You know how fast gossip gets around in Washington, Oliver. It's the smallest town in America We don't want anything negative linked to you. We're getting ready to make our move. I'd be very, very upset if you did anything stupid.
    "I promise you, I'm clean." "Just make sure you keep it that way.
    "Of course I will. I " The line went dead. Oliver sat there thinking I'll have to be more careful. I can't let anything stop me now. He glanced at his watch, then reached for the remote control that turned on the television set. The news was on. On the screen was a picture of a besieged street, with snipers shooting at random from buildings The sound of mortar fire could be heard in the background. An attractive young female reporter, dressed in battle fatigues and holding a microphone, was saying, "The new treaty is supposed to take effect at midnight tonight, but regardless of whether it holds, it can never bring back the peaceful villages in this war-torn country or restore the lives of the innocents who have been swept up in the ruthless reign of terror." The scene shifted to a close-up of Dana Evans, a passionate, lovely young woman in a flak jacket and combat boots. "The people here are hungry and tired. They ask for only one thing peace. Will it come? Only time will tell. This is Dana Evans reporting from Sarajevo for WTE, Washington Tribune Enterprises.
    The scene dissolved into a commercial. Dana Evans was a foreign correspondent for the Washington Tribune Enterprises Broadcasting System. She reported the news every day, and Oliver tried not to miss her broadcasts. She was one of the best reporters on the air. She's a great-looking woman, Oliver thought, not for the first time. Why the hell would someone that young