While Justice Sleeps(65)
A beringed hand gripped a wine stem while the other fluttered to her breast. “I feel sick to my stomach about how they are treating poor Celeste. My son tells me she’s been blocked from visiting her own husband’s bedside.”
President Stokes favored her with a look of mild interest. “Your son? That would be Garrett?”
Astonished that he remembered, she preened. “Yes, Mr. President. Dr. Garrett Forster. He’s in cardiology, but word travels quickly in hospitals. Apparently, that girl has denied everyone access without her prior authorization. Celeste had to hear about it from the hospital’s lawyer. Can you imagine?”
“Well, that is an outrage,” offered First Lady Fontaine Stokes, a sturdy, equine woman who’d been with her husband since he’d run for student body president at Arizona State. She was well aware of how the matron Forster annoyed her husband, but she noted how his feigned interest sharpened at the mention of Celeste. Her cue to find out more. “What did the attorney tell her?”
“According to Garrett, the lawyer told her that visitation was out of his hands, and she’d have to take the issue to court.”
“What about Jared?” pressed Mrs. Stokes, keeping careful track of her husband’s microexpressions. “Does he have any say?”
“Not according to what I’ve heard.” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, pitched to carry well beyond their knot. “It’s all so sordid.”
Vance slipped between Mrs. Forster and President Stokes. “Mr. President, if I may interrupt?”
“If you’ll excuse me.” President Stokes followed Vance to a secure office, leaving Fontaine to handle the gathering. “Any news?”
“Security around Wynn at the hospital has been tightened, as we expected. The death of his nurse has everyone on edge. The FBI hasn’t been willing to charge Keene with anything.”
“You’re with Homeland Security. Make them arrest her.”
“That’s outside my purview, Mr. President. And taking such an action from your position would raise unwanted questions.”
“Has the girl indicated what she intends to do about the old man?” the president asked quietly. “Maybe she’s one of those grandparent-killing liberals who believe in the fucking dignity of death.”
“Unlikely, sir.” Vance clasped his hands behind his back. “She is quite loyal to him.”
“Loyalty has limits. Is she open to incentives?”
“She shares a two-bedroom apartment with a medical resident, has a negligible bank balance except for the sudden windfall, has not secured a permanent job post-clerkship, and seems to be her mother’s sole legal source of financial support.”
“Any leads on the source of the money?”
“Came from an account in the Grand Caymans, which our techs sourced to another account in Switzerland, with the origin account in Macao, registered to a shell corporation created in Ireland. We’re in negotiations with the Irish government to secure the incorporators. We’ve asked for the funds to be frozen. They should be out of her reach soon.”
“Be more creative, Vance. If the girl can’t be persuaded to act, we may need to fully discredit her. She’s already started the process for us with that stunt involving his son.” President Stokes poked Vance in the shoulder with an angry finger. “With Wynn gone before the end of the month, I’ll have an open seat on the Court.” The president took another sip of his wine. “Release the funds and watch how she spends the money. She’ll assume she’s won a small victory against us, and we can use her spending as a tracking device.”
“I will notify the FBI and Treasury of the decision.”
“Also, it seems to me that we have a nurse who probably wrote plenty of reports on the state of mind of Justice Wynn. A road map to lunacy. Seems like a waste to keep those records hidden away.”
“If we release those records, sir, Mrs. Lewis’s demise becomes public knowledge. Right now, notice has been given to the marshals at the hospital, but otherwise, it’s on a close hold.”
“The FBI knows, so it will be public soon anyway. They’ve got more leaks than a sieve. The crime scene looks like a robbery gone wrong, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then it would be helpful if someone checked the nurse’s home for any notes. I know a good conservative judge on the bench who will be friendly to a plea from a distraught widow who came into possession of them. Understand?”
“I’ll do what I can, sir.”
Downing the last of his drink, President Stokes instructed Vance: “Time to get back to the festivities. I want to be out of here by a quarter to eleven.” He thrust the glass at Vance. “Make up a national emergency and yank me, okay?”
“Certainly.” Together, they returned along the corridor to the State Dining Room. They entered in lockstep, Vance in position behind him so as not to crowd the leader of the free world.
President Stokes waded into the tangle of guests, satisfied with his plan. As he chatted with the prime minister of some recently overturned dictatorship, he felt a shadow fall. The president turned slightly to find Ken Neighbors at his elbow. Cursing internally, he made introductions. “Prime Minister Lamb, please meet the Senate majority leader, Ken Neighbors of Connecticut.”