The Bin Laden Plot

Silence gripped the seventh-floor conference room after Christine explained the situation. Bryant, Rolow, and McFarland wore grim expressions as they processed the information — that Wilson had been ordered to sink Jimmy Carter, an Iranian torpedo had sunk Stethem, and that Secretary Verbeck was involved in an effort to destroy the data collected by the UUV.

The communications intercepted by the UUV seemed to be the critical issue, so Christine turned to McFarland. “What have you discovered so far?”

“Nothing has triggered any trip wires so far. But there’s a ton of data — in the terabytes — which is usually screened first by Pentagon personnel, with only the pertinent information forwarded to us. It’s going to take time to sift through it all. However, on a related topic, we’ve discovered some noteworthy events related to the SecNav and UUV program staff.

“The first is that Secretary Verbeck’s senior military aide died of a suspected heart attack a few days ago while hiking with his daughter. We checked the SecNav’s travel records and confirmed that her aide accompanied Verbeck on her trip to Bahrain, where they briefed Captain Wilson on his UUV mission.

“The second notable event is that the senior enlisted person overseeing the UUV data screen at the Pentagon was mugged and killed a few days before that.”

“Assuming the aide’s heart attack was induced,” Rolow said, “I think we can conclude that someone is deliberately attempting to delete the UUV data and is also covering their tracks, eliminating those who know what’s going on or could piece the information together.”

“That leads to a central question,” Christine said. “Is the SecNav part of the conspiracy, or somehow being manipulated?”

She said to Rolow, “Put together a task force to investigate Secretary Verbeck. Look into her friends and business partners, potential ties to Iran, or any other reason she might be motivated to destroy the UUV data.”

Rolow objected. “You’re talking about the CIA investigating one of the president’s cabinet members. Our authority to operate on domestic soil is limited, and investigating a political appointee this high up treads on dangerous ground.”

“I agree,” Christine replied. “I’ve already scheduled a meeting with the president to brief him on what we know and request permission to investigate Secretary Verbeck. In the meantime, put together a task force and lay out a plan.”

“Understood.”

Christine turned to McFarland. “Find the critical UUV data, and we should be able to identify the link between Iran and whoever is desperately trying to destroy the data.”

“We’re working on it,” McFarland said, “around the clock.”

33 WASHINGTON, D.C.

It was dark by the time Christine arrived at the White House, her SUV stopping beside the West Wing entrance. Most of the White House staff had left for the day, enabling a discreet meeting between the president and the CIA director.

Christine had contacted the president directly, requesting a snow-blind meeting. After working on the president’s staff for three years, she was well-versed in the protocols surrounding sensitive issues. A snow-blind meeting was one where attendance was limited, with only the participating individuals able to see the appointment on the president’s calendar. The president himself had entered tonight’s private meeting, meaning that only he — and the two Marines Christine was walking past — were aware of his late-night conversation with the CIA director.

After traversing the hallway to the Oval Office, not spotting anyone along the way, Christine knocked on the president’s door. He acknowledged and she entered, finding the president at his desk as expected. She took the center of three chairs facing him.

“What’s this about?” he asked, skipping the small talk he had engaged in during her previous visits.

Christine filled the president in on the UUV, Jimmy Carter, and Stethem issues, with the president voicing his concern over ONI’s preliminary assessment that Iran was responsible for sinking the destroyer. When Christine brought up the issue of Secretary Verbeck’s potential involvement in the matter, he listened intently.

When she finished, the president sat silently, evaluating the issue. While she awaited the president’s response, Christine used the opportunity to assess the situation as well, particularly with regard to the president’s relationship to Secretary Verbeck. He had nominated her for the position and she was also a close friend, dating back to his early days as a nascent politician, drawing on the support of rich and influential donors.

The president finally spoke. “You may proceed with an investigation into Secretary Verbeck. However, minimize the number of people at the agency who are involved in this, and when it comes to my administration, report directly, and only, to me.”