He decided the smart play was the only play.

Rifle in hand, he plunged into the woods."ARE YOU COMPLETELY NUTS?" STEPHANIE SCREAMED AT D DAVIS from the ground. from the ground.

Her compatriot remained on the deck.

"He's gone," Davis said.

She carefully climbed the stairs, not trusting a word he said.

"I heard a window open, then close."

"That doesn't mean he's gone, it just means a window opened and closed."

Davis stepped through the destroyed gla.s.s doors.

"Edwin-"

He disappeared into the blackness and she rushed in behind him. He was headed for the bedroom. A light switched on and she came to the door. Davis was taking Herbert Rowland's pulse.

"Barely beating. And he apparently didn't hear a thing. He's in a coma."

She was still concerned about a man with a shotgun. Davis reached for the phone and she saw him punch three numbers.

911.

FORTY-NINE.

WAs.h.i.+NGTON, DC.

1:30 AM.

RAMSEY HEARD THE FRONT DOOR CHIME. H HE SMILED. HE'D BEEN sitting patiently, reading a thriller by David Morrell, one of his favorite writers. He closed the book and allowed his late-night visitor to sweat a little. Finally, he stood, walked into the foyer, and opened the door. sitting patiently, reading a thriller by David Morrell, one of his favorite writers. He closed the book and allowed his late-night visitor to sweat a little. Finally, he stood, walked into the foyer, and opened the door.

Senator Aatos Kane stood outside in the cold.

"You sorry no good-" Kane said.

He shrugged. "Actually, I thought my response was rather mild considering the rudeness I was shown by your aide."

Kane stormed inside.

Ramsey did not offer to take the senator's coat. Apparently, the map store operative had already done as instructed, sending a message through Kane's aide, the same insolent p.r.i.c.k who'd strong-armed him on the Capitol Mall, that she possessed information concerning the disappearance of an aide who'd worked for Kane three years ago. That woman had been an attractive redhead from Michigan who'd tragically fallen victim to a serial killer who had plagued the DC area. The ma.s.s murderer was eventually found, after committing suicide, the whole affair making headlines across the country.

"You sorry b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Kane screamed. "You said it was over."

"Let's sit down."

"I don't want to sit. I want to punch your lights out."

"Which will change nothing." He loved twisting the knife. "I'll still have the upper hand. So you have to ask yourself. Do you want to have a chance to be president? Or would you prefer certain disgrace?"

Kane's anger was accompanied by a clear uneasiness. The view from inside the trap looking out was quite different.

They continued to exchange hard glances, like two lions deciding on who should feast first. Finally, Kane nodded. Ramsey led the senator into the den, where they sat. The room was small, which forced an awkward intimacy. Kane seemed uncomfortable, as he should be.

"I came to you last night, and this morning, to ask for help," Ramsey said. "A sincere request made to, what I thought, was a friend." He paused. "I was offered nothing in return but arrogance. Your aide was rude and obnoxious. Of course, he was simply doing as you instructed. Hence, my response."

"You're a deceitful b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"And you're a cheating husband who managed to conceal his mistake with the convenient death of a serial killer. You even extracted, as I recall, public sympathy for your aide's tragic demise by displaying outrage at her fate. What would your const.i.tuents, your family, think if they knew she'd recently aborted a pregnancy-and you were the father?"

"There's no proof of that."

"Yet you sure were panicked at the time."

"You know that she could have ruined me, whether I was the father or not. Her allegations would have been all that mattered."

Ramsey sat ramrod-straight. Admiral Dyals had taught him how to clearly convey who was in charge.

"And your lover knew that," he said, "which is why she was able to manipulate you, which is again why you were so appreciative of my help."

The memory of his past predicament seemed to calm Kane's anger. "I had no idea what you planned. I would have never agreed to what you actually did."

"Really? It was the smart play. We killed her, framed another killer, then killed him. As I recall, the press applauded the outcome. The suicide saved a trial and execution and made for some terrific news stories." He paused. "And I don't recall a single objection voiced by you at the time."

He knew that the most dangerous threat any politician faced was an accusation from a supposed lover. So many had been brought down in such a simple manner. It didn't matter if the allegations were unproven or even patently false. All that mattered was they existed.

Kane sat back in the chair. "I had little choice once I realized what you'd done. What do you want, Ramsey?"

No Admiral, Admiral, nor even the courtesy of a first name. "I want to ensure that I become the next member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I thought I made that clear today." nor even the courtesy of a first name. "I want to ensure that I become the next member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I thought I made that clear today."

"Do you know how many others want that job?"

"Several, I'm sure. But, you see, Aatos, I created created that vacancy, so it should rightfully be mine." that vacancy, so it should rightfully be mine."

Kane stared at him with uncertainty, digesting the admission. "I should have known."

"I'm telling you this for three reasons. First, I know you're not going to tell anyone. Second, you need to understand who you are dealing with. And third, I know you want to be president. The experts say you have a reasonable shot. The party supports you, your poll numbers are excellent, the compet.i.tion is unimpressive. You have the contacts and the means to raise contributions. I'm told that, privately, you have an a.s.surance of thirty million dollars as seed money from a variety of donors."

"You've been busy," Kane said with an air of pained politeness.

"You're reasonably young, in good health, your wife supports you in every way. Your children adore you. All in all, you'd make quite the candidate."

"Except that I screwed a staffer three years ago, she got pregnant, aborted the baby, and then decided she loved me."

"Something like that. Unfortunately, for her, she fell victim to a ma.s.s murderer, one who, in the throes of insanity, took his own life. Thankfully, he left quite a bit of evidence behind that linked him to all of the crimes, hers included, so a potential disaster for you turned into a plus."

And Ramsey had wisely hedged his bets by obtaining the abortion records from the South Texas clinic and a copy of the videotaped mandatory counseling session Texas law required before any abortion could be performed. The staffer, though using false identification, had broken down and told the counselor, without naming names, of an affair with her employer. Not a lot of details, but enough to play well on Inside Edition, Extra, Inside Edition, Extra, or or The Maury Show The Maury Show-and utterly ruin Aatos Kane's chances for the White House.

The operative from the map store had done well, making clear to Kane's chief of staff that she was that counselor. She wanted to speak with the senator or she planned on calling Fox News, which never seemed to have anything good to say about Kane. Reputations. More fragile than fine crystal.

"You killed Sylvian?" Kane asked.

"What do you think?"

Kane was studying him with an undisguised contempt. But he was so anxious, so willing, so pathetic, that his resistance immediately eroded. "Okay, I think I can make the appointment happen. Daniels needs me."

Ramsey's face relaxed into a rea.s.suring smile. "I knew that to be the case. Now let's discuss the other thing."

No wit, humor, sympathy invaded his eyes.

"What other thing?"

"I will be your running mate."

Kane laughed. "You're insane."

"Actually, I'm not. The next presidential race is not going to be difficult to predict. Three candidates, maybe four, none in your league. There'll be some primary fights, but you have too many resources, and too much firepower, for anyone to go the distance. Now, you might try to heal the party divide by selecting the strongest loser, or one who does no harm, but neither choice would make sense. The former comes with bitterness and the latter is useless in a fight. You could try to find someone who brings a particular slice of the electorate your way, but that would a.s.sume voters favor the top of the ticket because of the bottom, which history shows to be nonsense. More realistically, you could select someone from a state where a running mate could deliver electoral votes. Again, that's nonsense. John Kerry chose John Edwards in 2004 but lost North Carolina. He even lost Edwards' home precinct."

Kane smirked.

"Your biggest weakness is inexperience in foreign affairs. Senators just don't get many chances there, unless they interject themselves in the process, which you've wisely not done over the years. I can bolster you there. That's my strong point. While you have no military service, I have forty years."

"And you're black."

He smiled. "You noticed? Can't slip anything past you."

Kane appraised him. "Vice President Langford Ramsey, one heartbeat away from-"

He held up a halting hand. "Let's not think about that. I simply want eight years as vice president."

Kane smiled. "Both terms?"

"Of course."

"You've done all this to secure a job?"

"What's wrong with that? Isn't that your goal? You, of all people, can understand what that means. I could never be elected elected president. I'm an admiral, with no political base. But I have a shot at the number two seat. All I have to do is impress one person. You." president. I'm an admiral, with no political base. But I have a shot at the number two seat. All I have to do is impress one person. You."

He let his words take hold.

"Surely, Aatos, you see the benefits of this arrangement. I can be a valuable ally. Or, if you choose not to honor our deal, I can become a formidable opponent."

He watched as Kane a.s.sessed the situation. He knew this man well. He was a heartless, amoral hypocrite who'd spent a lifetime in public office a.s.sembling a reputation that he now planned to use to vault himself to the presidency.

Nothing seemed to be in the way.

And nothing would be, provided.

"All right, Langford, I'll give you your place in history."

Finally, a first name. They may be getting somewhere.

"I can also offer something else," Ramsey said. "Call it a gesture of good faith to demonstrate that I'm not the devil you think me to be."

He spied mistrust in Kane's observant eyes.

"I'm told that your chief opponent, especially in the early primaries, will be the governor of South Carolina. You and he don't get along, so the fight could quickly become personal. He's a potential problem, particularly in the South. Let's face it, no one can win the White House without the South. Too many electoral votes to ignore."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I can eliminate his candidacy."

Kane held up his hands in a halting gesture. "I don't need anybody else to die."

"You think me that stupid? No, I have information that would end his chance before it even starts."

He noticed an amused flicker sweep over Kane's face. His listener was a fast learner, already enjoying the arrangement. No surprise. If nothing else, Kane was adaptable. "Him out of the way now would make fund-raising much easier."

"Then call it a gift from a new ally. He'll be gone," he paused, "as soon as I'm sworn in on the Joint Chiefs."

FIFTY.

RAMSEY WAS THRILLED. EVERYTHING HAD PLAYED OUT PRECISELY as he'd predicted. Aatos Kane might or might not be the next president but, if he managed the feat, Ramsey's legacy was a.s.sured. If Kane could not be elected, then at least he'd retire from the navy as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. as he'd predicted. Aatos Kane might or might not be the next president but, if he managed the feat, Ramsey's legacy was a.s.sured. If Kane could not be elected, then at least he'd retire from the navy as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Definitely a winwin.

He switched off the lights and headed upstairs. A few hours of sleep would be good, as tomorrow would be a critical day. Once Kane made contact with the White House the rumor mill would crank up. He had to be ready to fend off the press, neither denying nor confirming anything. This was a White House appointment and he must appear awed simply by the consideration. By the end of the day, spin doctors would leak news of his possible appointment to test reactions and, barring any great upheaval, by the following day rumor would become fact.

The phone in his robe's pocket rang. Odd at this hour.

He removed the unit and spotted no displayed identification.