Free Dark Ambition by Allan Topol

enough to get a partnership for Winthrop in a New York law firm. That was right where Brewster should have left him after being elected president—unless, of course, he wanted to name his friend to an ambassadorship in a nonsensitive country.
    "What a shame," Brewster continued. "He was a good man. He had so much to offer the country and the world. I'm going to miss his counsel."
    Jim Slater appeared in the doorway to the room. "I couldn't agree with you more," Slater said, "but we'll find out who did this horrible deed and bring him to justice. I promise you that, Philip."
    "Have you spoken to Murtaugh?" Brewster asked.
    "Several times. I'm on it myself, working with him and his best people at the FBI. We're going to catch the bastard fast and go for the death penalty."
    "Robert deserves that much."
    Slater nodded. "It's a real blow for all of us. How's Ann taking it?"
    "Like a trooper. The funeral's in New York tomorrow. Their kids are on their way there now. Ann's flying up early this evening. Fortunately, the press left her house when I did. She should be able to get some rest."
    Ignoring Cunningham, Slater continued talking as if he and Brewster were the only ones in the room. "Well, the reporters sure aren't leaving you alone. There are a shitload of them downstairs, and they want you to make a statement about the search for Robert's killer."
    "What'd you tell them?"
    "I didn't. I've got a tentative hold on network time tonight at eight o'clock, after the football games. My thought is that you would just make a short statement here in this room in front of the fireplace. No question-and-answers. I figure you can use Robert's death to blast the Republicans for holding up your crime bill in the Senate. You can gain some points politically by showing how we're on top of this investigation."
    "You think that's smart?" Cunningham said. "Using Robert's death for political purposes?"
    Slater glared at him. "That's not the point. People are worried about crime. If this could happen to the secretary of state, then they're not safe in their own homes. They've got to be reassured."
    "What do I tell them?" the President asked.
    Slater reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I've got two people working on a draft right now. Let me read you a paragraph I wrote for them to include."
    Brewster nodded, and Slater began reading. " 'I want to assure each and every American that no effort will be spared to find the perpetrators of this heinous crime and to bring them to justice. It is but one more example of why the Congress should promptly enact the administration's crime bill, S.83. Violent crime is a plague gripping America. A cancer in the heart of our great country. We must strike back, declaring war on crime in a way that will finally eradicate it from our midst. What yesterday's tragic events demonstrate is that unfortunately no American citizen is safe in his own home—regardless of where he lives and even if he's the secretary of state. We must stop talking and act to ensure the most basic of all protections to all of the American people.' "
    "That's not bad. When will you have the draft?"
    "In about an hour. We'll describe how extensive the FBI search is. We'll tell them that we already have a number of leads, and we may even have an arrest within twenty-four hours."
    Cunningham pulled back in surprise. "Is that true?"
    "Absolutely. I've got a kid on my staff, Ed Fulton, working with one of the top guys in the FBI, who's reporting directly to Murtaugh. Fulton just called and told me it was a simple robbery gone wrong. An inside job. Not terrorists and not hardened criminals."
    "Who was it?" Cunningham asked, pressing for more information.
    "The gardener at the Winthrops' house. They're moving fast to build an airtight case and make an arrest."
    "That would be good news," Brewster said.
    "Very good."
    Cunningham eyed Slater with hostility. "What's Ches say about the idea of the television