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President Hayes entered the Oval Office with a spring in his step. Jones and Kennedy followed a few steps behind. Stealey felt a little better upon noticing that the president was in a pair of khaki pants and a white button-down shirt. That brief reprieve vanished a second later as a diminutive man in a starched white jacket whisked into the room from the opposite direction. He was holding a dark blue suit, pressed shirt, tie, and a pair of shiny dress shoes.
The president ignored his two guests and said, "Carl, you're the best."
With a beaming smile the president's Navy steward, who had stood his post for twenty-two years, said, "It's nice to have you back at the White House, sir."
Hayes had no doubt that Carl knew more about what had transpired over the last twelve hours than all but his top advisors. "Thank you, Carl. Would you please hang that stuff in my bathroom and bring us some coffee?"
"Absolutely, sir."
Hayes turned to face Stokes and Stealey, who were standing by the fireplace. He glanced at Stealey, and she noticed the brief questioning look as he tried to place her. The look was very subtle. He tried to mask it with a smile, and then his eyes moved quickly to Stokes. Stealey guessed miserably that given her appearance, it was likely that the president thought her a member of the attorney general's security detail and not one of his top lawyers.
The president clapped his hands together and said, "Martin, you and your people did a phenomenal job this
morning."
"Thank you, Mr. President. It was a great team effort."
"It sure was."
"Mr. President," called out Kennedy as she walked behind the president's desk, "would you mind if I used your phone to contact General Flood?"
"Of course not."
There was a knock on the door and this time a woman entered carrying a garment bag. "Excuse me, Mr. President." The young woman immediately turned her attention to the president's chief of staff who was in the corner talking on her cell phone. "Val, I've got your stuff."
Jones covered the phone. "Put it in my office."
Stealey made a mental note to pack that "go bag" the first chance she got. Never again would she be caught so utterly unprepared.
"Mr. President," said Stokes, "I'd like to introduce you to my deputy assistant attorney general in charge of counterterrorism, Peggy Stealey."
Hayes smiled as he walked across the office, his right hand extended. "I think we've met before, haven't we?"
"More or less yes, sir."
"Peggy," said Stokes, "was a big part of what went down this morning. She was the one bringing everything together on the domestic front."
"Well then you have my gratitude and my thanks." The president clasped her hand with both of his.
Her boss had just exaggerated quite a bit, but Stealey wasn't about to argue with him. If they wanted to give her credit, who was she to argue? "Thank you, sir."
Kennedy hung up with General Flood and joined the group. "Hello, Peggy."
"Good morning, Doctor Kennedy." Stealey was surprised that Kennedy had remembered her name. They had met only twice before, and both times in a large group.
"General Flood says SEAL Team Six found a sizable amount of molded C-4 plastique explosives. Based on the initial estimate they are guessing that the explosive charge was designed to be placed around the bomb's physics package we found in Charleston."
"An implosion device."
"Exactly."
"What about the other two ships?" asked the president.
"The search is underway, but nothing so far."
"We're not thinking a second bomb at this point, are we?" asked Hayes.
"It's too early to rule that out completely, but based on the pattern we're seeing my guess is we're going to find other key components used to assemble a full-up nuclear weapon."
