Deception Point Page 55

A leviathan was rising from the water beside the iceberg, breaching the surface with an ominous hiss. Like some unreal sea monster, it came-sleek, black, and lethal, with water foaming around it. Tolland forced himself to blink his eyes. His dream cleared slightly. The beast was close, bumping up against the ice like a long shark butting a small boat. Massive, it towered before him, its skin shimmering and wet.As the hazy image went black, all that was left were the sounds. Metal on metal. Teeth gnashing at the ice. Coming closer. Dragging bodies away.RachelTolland felt himself being grabbed roughly.And then everything went blank.64Gabrielle Ashe was at a full jog when she entered the third-floor production room of ABC News. change surface so, she was moving slower than everyone else in the room. The intensity in production was at a fever pitch twenty-four hours a day, but at the moment the cubicle grid in front of her looked like the song exchange on speed. Wild-eyed editors s creamed to one another over the excel of their compartments, fax-waving reporters darted from cubicle to cubicle comparing notes, and frantic interns inhaled Snickers and Mountain Dew between errands.Gabrielle had adopt to ABC to see Yolanda Cole.Usually Yolanda could be found in productions high-rent district-the glass-walled undercover offices reserved for the decision makers who actually required some quiet to think. Tonight, however, Yolanda was step up on the floor, in the thick of it. When she saw Gabrielle, she let bug out her vulgar shriek of exuberance.Gabs Yolanda was wearing a batik body-wrap and tortoiseshell glasses. As always, some(prenominal) pounds of garish costume jewelry were draped off her like tinsel. Yolanda waddled over, waving. embraceYolanda Cole had been a content editor with ABC News in Washington for sixteen years. A freckle-faced Pole, Yolanda was a sea dog, balding cleaning lady whom everyone dear called Mother. Her matronly presence and good humor disguised a street-savvy inhuman treatment for getting the story. Gabrielle had met Yolanda at a Women in Politics mentoring seminar shed attended soon after her arrival in Washington. Theyd chatted active Gabrielles background, the challenges of being a woman in D.C., and finally about Elvis Presley-a passion they were surprised to view they shared. Yolanda had taken Gabrielle under her wing and helped her make connections. Gabrielle still stopped by every month or so to say hello.Gabrielle gave her a medium-large hug, Yolandas enthusiasm already lifting her spirits.Yolanda stepped back and looked Gabrielle over. You look like you aged a hundred years, girl What happened to you?Gabrielle lowered her voice. Im in trouble, Yolanda.Thats not the word on the street. Sounds like your man is on the rise.Is there some place we suffer talk in private?Bad timing, honey. The President is holding a shove conference in about half an hour, and we still havent a clue what its all ab out. Ive got to line up expert commentary, and Im flying blind.I know what the press conference is about.Yolanda lowered her glasses, looking skeptical. Gabrielle, our correspondent indoors the livid base is in the dark on this one. You say sextons suit has advance knowledge?No, Im saying I have advance knowledge. let up me five minutes. Ill attest you everything.Yolanda glanced down at the red White House envelope in Gabrielles hand. Thats a White House internal. Whered you get that?In a private clashing with Marjorie tench this afternoon.Yolanda stared a long moment. practise me.Inside the privacy of Yolandas glass-walled cubicle, Gabrielle confided in her trusted friend, confessing to a one-night affair with sexton and the fact that Tench had photographic evidence.Yolanda smiled broadly and shook her head laughing. ostensibly she had been in Washington journalism so long that nothing floor her. Oh, Gabs, I had a hunch you and sexton had probably hooked up. not surpri sing. Hes got a reputation, and youre a pretty girl. Too problematic about the photos. I wouldnt worry about it, though.Dont worry about it?Gabrielle explained that Tench had accused Sexton of taking illegal bribes from space companies and that Gabrielle had scarcely overheard a secret SFF meeting confirming that fact Again Yolandas expression conveyed little surprise or concern-until Gabrielle told her what she was thinking of doing about it.Yolanda now looked troubled. Gabrielle, if you want to hand over a legal document saying you slept with a U.S. senator and stood by while he lied about it, thats your business. But Im telling you, its a very bad move for you. You need to think long and hard about what it could take to be for you.Youre not listening. I dont have that kind of timeI am listening, and sweetheart, whether or not the clock is ticking, there are certain things you just do not do. You do not sell out a U.S. senator in a sex scandal. Its suicide. Im telling you, girl , if you take down a presidential candidate, you better get in your car and drive as far from D.C. as possible. Youll be a marked woman. A mass of people spend a lot of money to put candidates at the top. Theres big finances and antecedent at stake here-the kind of power people kill for.Gabrielle fell silent now.Personally, Yolanda said, I think Tench was leaning on you in hopes youd panic and do something dumb-like bail out and confess to the affair. Yolanda pointed to the red envelope in Gabrielles hands. Those shots of you and Sexton dont mean squat unless you or Sexton admit theyre accurate. The White House knows if they leak those photos, Sexton will just claim theyre phony and throw them back in the presidents face.I thought of that, but still the campaign finance graft issue is-Honey, think about it. If the White House hasnt gone habitual however with bribery allegations, they probably dont intend to. The President is pretty wicked about no negative campaigning. My gues s is he decided to tho an aerospace industry scandal and sent Tench after you with a four flush in hopes he might scare you out of hiding on the sex thing. Make you stab your candidate in the back.Gabrielle considered it. Yolanda was making sense, and yet something still felt odd. Gabrielle pointed through the glass at the bustling newsworthiness room. Yolanda, you guys are gearing up for a big presidential press conference. If the President is not going public about bribery or sex, whats it all about?Yolanda looked stunned. Hold on. You think this press conference is about you and Sexton?Or the bribery. Or both. Tench told me I had until eight this evening to sign a confession or else the President was going to announce-Yolandas joke shook the entire glass cubicle. Oh please Wait Youre killing meGabrielle was in no mood for joking. WhatGabs, listen, Yolanda managed, between laughs, trust me on this. Ive been dealing with the White House for sixteen years, and theres no way Zach Herney has called together the global media to tell them he suspects Senator Sexton is accepting shady campaign financing or sleeping with you. Thats the kind of information you leak. Presidents dont gain popularity by interrupting regularly schedule programming to bitch and moan about sex or say infractions of cloudy campaign finance laws.Cloudy? Gabrielle snapped. Flat out change your decision on a space bill for millions in ad money is hardly a cloudy issueAre you original thats what he is doing? Yolandas tone hardened now. Are you sure enough to downfall your skirt on national TV? Think about it. It takes a lot of alliances to get anything done these days, and campaign finance is complex stuff. perhaps Sextons meeting was perfectly legal.