Politics of Blood (Gray Spear Society Book 8) (6 page)

Haley shook his head. "I don't have a meeting with anybody. I explicitly set this time aside for rest. You know how tired I get after flying."

"Sir," Paz said, "we took a red-eye to get here. Please, don't tell me it was all a mistake."

Haley frowned and turned to Seferis, who had entered the room. "George, do I have a meeting I didn't know about?"

Seferis opened a briefcase and sifted through the papers inside. He pulled out a sheet. "You do, sir. It was a last second change in today's itinerary."

"With who?" Haley's shoulders sagged with disappointment. "It had better be very important."

"There are just two words here. Miss Pickenpaugh."

The sound of glass breaking made Haley look around. Paz had dropped her coffee mug, shattering it. Her mouth was wide open, and her hands were shaking. Felt's face had turned deathly pale.

"What's going on?" Haley said. "Who is Miss Pickenpaugh?"

Paz stood up, quickly crossed the room, and closed the door of the suite. "I honestly don't know," she said softly. "She's just a voice on the phone who... fixes things."

"Clarence?" Haley looked at Director Felt.

He shook his head. "I've never met her, but we've had several dealings. I can't believe she's coming here." He licked his lips nervously. "Be very diplomatic with her, sir. Give her what she wants."

"Why?"

"She's exceptionally dangerous. You really don't want to mess with her."

"Dangerous to me? I'm the President."

"I stand by my statement, sir," Felt said.

Somebody knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Haley yelled in a tone of irritation.

Three Secret Service agents entered. At least, they were dressed like agents, but he could tell at once something was amiss. The two men were huge and muscular. The one on the left with gray hair was particularly intimidating, although Haley wouldn't want to meet either in a dark alley.

Their companion was a black woman with pure white hair. She was thin, but he wouldn't call her weak. She moved with a jerky quickness that unsettled Haley.

She and the man with gray hair wore dark sunglasses. The other male, who had straight, brown hair, did not. Thick eyebrows cast dark shadows across his eyes.

"Good morning," the woman said. "I'm Miss Pickenpaugh." The door closed behind her with a bang.

"Why do you look like Secret Service agents?" Seferis said.

"You're the Director of the Secret Service, right? It was the simplest way to get in. We have badges and credentials if you want to see them. I assure you they're authentic. Your own agency issued them last night."

He drew a gun and pointed it at her. "You're under arrest for impersonating federal agents."

"I came here to have an important conversation with the President," she said in a calm voice. "Please, don't cause trouble."

The gun didn't budge.

"I don't like it when weapons are pointed at me. Neither does my bodyguard." She nodded towards her companion with gray hair. "I strongly recommend you put it away."

Haley was very curious about this mysterious woman. She terrified the Director of the FBI and the Secretary of State. She had also walked past a small army of Secret Service agents to have a surprise meeting with him that she had arranged. These were significant feats.

Haley raised his hands. "Calm down, everybody. George, put the gun down. I want to hear what she has to say."

Seferis lowered the gun but didn't holster it.

Miss Pickenpaugh nodded. "I had Mr. Felt and Mrs. Paz come so they could vouch for me. They know my work."

"Oh?" Haley looked at Paz. "What is she talking about?"

"Go on," Miss Pickenpaugh said. "Tell him about Mexico."

"But...," Paz said in a timid voice.

"Tell him now."

Paz took a deep breath. "It happened four months ago. I have family in southern Mexico. Aunts, uncles, cousins. A drug lord kidnapped them and held them hostage. He was trying to gain influence over me."

"What?" Haley's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me? This is a matter of national security!"

"That part of Mexico is controlled by the cartels. The police won't go there. Even the Mexican Army stays away. I needed... a better option." Paz glanced at Miss Pickenpaugh. "Her people rescued my relatives and slaughtered the entire gang." Paz shuddered. "They were butchered like animals."

Miss Pickenpaugh nodded. "I participated in that battle. Their leader was an uncivilized brute named Barragán. I cut off his head with these."

She reached under the back of her jacket and pulled out a matched pair of machetes. Silver plating reflected the light like mirrors. The edges looked very sharp.

Haley took three quick steps back.

She examined the polished surfaces of her machetes. "Mrs. Paz needed help, so I helped her. One day, she'll return the favor."

Seferis started to raise his gun.

"Don't." Miss Pickenpaugh glanced at him. "I swear to God, you'll regret it."

Haley was frightened but still curious. He needed to understand what was happening here. He didn't like it when important secrets were kept from him. It was also a matter of stubborn pride. Fear and intimidation were emotions that he always kept hidden from the world. He never backed down from a fight.

"Just wait, George," he said. "Let's finish this conversation. Clarence, do you have a story to tell?"

Felt was shivering. "Yes, sir, but you're not going to like it."

"I guessed that much. Talk."

Felt glanced at Miss Pickenpaugh, and she nodded with approval. Haley could hardly believe the FBI Director was taking cues from her. Who did this man think he worked for?

"It's about Senator Herzog," Felt said.

Haley had a cold feeling in his stomach. The senator had had a brutal car accident. He had survived, but he was horribly disfigured and paralyzed. He was still a senator but only because his constituents hadn't voted for a replacement yet.

"The FBI discovered he was a child molester," Felt said in a quiet voice. "We identified hundreds of probable victims, mostly young girls. Some were just eight years-old. He didn't care if his victims became pregnant."

Haley stared in dismay.

Felt continued, "We knew we would never get a conviction. Herzog had connections all over Washington, and he was on the committees that controlled our budget. He even had a regular golf game with the Attorney General. The case was a political atomic bomb, too big for us to handle, so I asked Miss Pickenpaugh to help."

Miss Pickenpaugh nodded. "I wanted Herzog to suffer for his crimes. He'll last ten or twenty years in his current condition, trapped in his own body, every day full of soul-crushing pain. My kind of justice." She grinned.

Seeing that expression on her face magnified Haley's fear. It was like a death skull.

"What are you hiding behind your sunglasses?" Haley said, "Let me see your eyes."

She pulled off her sunglasses. Her pupils were much larger than normal and full of infinite darkness. They were holes leading to nowhere.

Paz whimpered.

"She just confessed to a major felony," Seferis said. "She crippled a United States senator! Please, sir, let me arrest her. This is getting ridiculous! She's a lunatic."

Miss Pickenpaugh leapt and spun. Her small foot struck his face like a whip, knocking him down. She kicked his gun away and held the edge of her machete against his throat.

Everybody in the room froze.

"Mr. Seferis," she said in a tight voice, "I'm struggling to be diplomatic. The problem is I'm not a nice person. Not in the least. Under normal circumstances, I would've gutted you the first time you pointed your gun at me. You're very fortunate my bodyguard didn't turn you into a Popsicle."

Haley had never seen anybody move like that, much less an old woman. She wasn't human. His weak heart fluttered.

Seferis' right hand was creeping towards his belt. Haley realized he was reaching for another gun.

"Go ahead," Miss Pickenpaugh said. "See what happens next."

The hand stopped.

"Let him up," Haley said, "please. There's no need for violence."

"Only if he promises to behave and keep his mouth shut."

"George, will you behave? I'd like to finish this conversation."

Seferis stared at the woman with the gleaming blade.

"Yes, sir," he said finally.

Miss Pickenpaugh stepped back. He stood up and straightened his suit clumsily. There was a bright red mark on his cheek.

"Why did you come here?" he said.

She smiled. "An intelligent question! I came because your President's life is in great danger."

"From you?"

"No. My assignment is to keep him alive."

He raised his chin. "That's the job of the Secret Service."

"Then it seems we're allies," she said. "Mr. Felt, Mrs. Paz, thank you for coming. I really appreciate it. Of course, you won't mention this conversation to anybody. You're dismissed."

The FBI Director and the Secretary of State rushed to leave the room. Haley felt even more vulnerable without them. The two men with Miss Pickenpaugh still hadn't moved.

"Why am I in danger?" he said nervously.

"We don't know yet," she said. "We just started our investigation."

"Then how do you know it's true?"

"We have a reliable source."

"Really," he said. "I have news for you. I'm in danger all the time. It's why I have so many men with guns around me. It's why I live behind armor plate and bulletproof glass. It's called being the President of the United States."

"This is different."

"Why?"

She walked over to him. Seeing those crazy eyes at close range reminded him of his mortality.

"Because I'm involved," she said in a low voice.

It was an insane situation. Haley was trapped in a room with a murderous lunatic with inhuman capabilities. Haley suspected her two friends were even more dangerous. They were huge men instead of an old woman. A small army of federal agents was just outside the door of the suite. A single cry for help would bring them in.

Yet Haley remained calm. If Miss Pickenpaugh had intended to harm him, she would've done it by now. She wasn't asking for anything either. Usually, when people talked to him, they wanted something. Overwhelming curiosity and pride kept him from calling out.

"Did you really cut off a man's head?"

She nodded. "Like this."

She leapt and spun with one machete stretched out. For a moment, she was a human helicopter floating in the air. She landed with the blade against the neck of the man with brown hair. The sharp edge was touching his skin but didn't draw blood.

He didn't even flinch. It was a show of faith and courage that left Haley gaping in amazement.

Miss Pickenpaugh slipped both machetes under her jacket. "I've decided I'm going to stay with you, Mr. President. It's the best way to keep you safe until we identify and eliminate the threat."

"Ma'am?" The man with brown hair stared at her. "Is that a good idea? You'll be very exposed and vulnerable."

"I have no choice." She shrugged. "I'll work on the inside while you work on the outside. Maybe we'll meet somewhere in the middle."

"For the record, I'm not comfortable with this plan."

"Wait a minute!" Haley said. "Do I get a say?"

"No." Miss Pickenpaugh shook her head.

"I can't have a strange woman with me. This is the Democratic National Convention, and I'm the star of the show. The nation will be watching."

"Don't worry." She winked. "I'll lurk in the shadows. I'll hardly be noticed."

"That's not good enough!"

Seferis was giving Haley a look that needed no words. The insanities were piling up.

"You'll die without my help," Miss Pickenpaugh said. "If you want to live, you have to trust me. Actually, I intend to save your life whether you cooperate or not."

He realized he had to make a decision. The rational choice was letting the Secret Service arrest these intruders. He just had to call for help, and fifty armed men would come crashing through the door. In fact, a security detail was supposed to be in the room already. Somehow, Miss Pickenpaugh had arranged to have them missing.

As he looked at her, the choice became less obvious. She was the most astonishing person he had ever met. He was an excellent judge of character, and her intentions seemed genuine. She could've killed him already if she had wanted to.

"You don't know anything about this threat?" he said.

"Only that it is legitimate," she said. "We'll get to the bottom of it soon, and then you can go back to your normal life. I have my most reliable man on the case." She glanced at her companion with brown hair.

Who is he?
Haley wondered.

"Ma'am," the man said, "I should get going. I have a lot to do. Do you still need me?"

"I'll be fine." She waved her hand towards the door. "You're dismissed."

He bowed slightly and left the suite.

She looked around. "This is nice. I won't mind staying here for a few days. I'll sleep in the other room, of course."

Haley followed her gaze. The suite had a large main room with a formal dining area and an entertainment section. Two bedrooms branched off on the sides. The kitchen was separate. The color scheme consisted of whites, yellows, and light browns.

"I didn't give you permission to stay," he said.

She snorted derisively.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

She didn't answer him.

She walked over to George Seferis and stood before him. The Director of the Secret Service stared back confidently. The red mark on his cheek was turning into a nice, little bruise.

"I can tell you and I will have a problem," she said. "I know what you're thinking. You intend to raise hell as soon as you leave the room."

"That's my job," he said.

"No, your job is to protect that man over there." She pointed at Haley. "You won't accomplish that objective if you get in my way. If you force my hand, I'll have to switch to plan B."

"Which is what?"

"Moving him to a secret location, one you won't know about."