Read Online I Do Solemnly Swear by D.M. Annechino - Free Book Online

lit up, and frenzied reporters waved their arms frantically, all asking pointed questions.
    At eight twenty a.m., McDermott clicked off the Sony LED.
    Kate could barely suppress her seething anger. “Who approved that announcement, Charles?”
    “I did.”
    “And you’re comfortable with what he said?”
    “He tossed enough crumbs to keep the vultures at bay.”
    “The only point he conveyed with clarity was that President Rodgers didn’t die of heart failure. Shouldn’t he have been more specific?”
    “Too much honesty and the press would turn his words into a soap opera. I think Riley’s announcement was politically favorable.”
    “What are your thoughts, Olivia?” Kate asked. She noticed a strange gleam in Olivia’s eyes, like an understudy who’d just been offered the lead role in a Broadway play.
    “By now, everybody in the White House knows President Rodgers was poisoned. Why postpone telling the public something they’re going to find out anyway? If an overzealous reporter finds out before we make an official announcement, we’re going to have a cover-up scandal hanging over our heads.”
    “I agree with you, Olivia,” Kate said. “We’ve placed ourselves in a vulnerable position, Charles.”
    “Madam President, in another week, when we have more definitive information, we’ll give the press what they want.”
    “In another week, my face is going to be plastered on the covers of every seedy tabloid in the country. Tell Riley to schedule another press conference. I have no intention of concealing information the public has a right to know.”
    McDermott’s face filled with blood. “Whatever you say, Madam President.”
    ***
    The thought of telling Elizabeth Rodgers that her husband had indeed been assassinated filled Kate with dread. She sat adjacent to the former First Lady, trying to compose a speech with gentle diplomacy. She remembered what Elizabeth had whispered in her ear:
Be careful. Things are not as they seem.
Elizabeth had known something about David’s death, and Kate was convinced it was more than conjecture or intuition.
    Kate had never been preoccupied with death, not until she’d entered the Oval Office and the possibility of assassination became so real. And of course, there were the nightmares during restless moments of sleep. Vivid images—a mannequin-like man pointing a gun at her, a grotesque hand sprinkling cyanide on her food, a pillow covering her face—flashed through her dreams like frames of a horror film spliced into the wrong movie. Kate now bitterly understood that if someone wanted her dead, andpossessed enough ambition, there was virtually no place for her to hide.
    As far as Kate knew, David Rodgers had been poisoned in the security of his private quarters, surrounded by Secret Service agents. What could she possibly do to protect herself from a determined assassin? Confine herself to a cage? Live her life in a solitary environment with armed guards?
    As she studied Elizabeth’s tense face, it was obvious that the former First Lady was more than grief stricken; she was devastated. She suspected that Elizabeth knew she hadn’t been invited to the Oval Office for tea and crumpets.
    “What is it, my dear?” Elizabeth’s intuitive question caught Kate by surprise.
    “I have something to tell you about David.”
    “If it’s dirty laundry, I don’t care to know. Let him rest in peace. And let me embrace my sweet memories.”
    With little forethought—long before she had a chance to examine her words—Kate blurted, “I’m sorry, Elizabeth, but in all probability, David was assassinated.”
    Seemingly undaunted by the harsh announcement, Elizabeth looked as if Kate had just told her that a button was missing on her sweater.
    “Did you hear what I said?” Kate’s voice was a few decibels too loud.
    “Quite clearly.”
    Kate and Elizabeth stared at each other in silence.
    After studying her fingernails in great detail, Elizabeth leaned forward.