Removal (49 page)

‘There’s one more thing,’ Kelly said. ‘I know you’re loyal to Wade. But, from everything you’ve said, and everything we know, this isn’t about Wade any more. It’s about Hessler. I don’t think Wade has any more control than you do. Not any longer. Do you really want Hessler running the country?’

Linda looked up.

‘And it’s one thing to go to the mat for Wade,’ Kelly continued. ‘It’s another thing to give it to Hessler.’

Linda seemed ready to respond, but Gary stopped her.

‘Can we take a break?’ he asked.

‘Sure,’ Kelly replied.

‘It will give us a chance to talk over what you’ve said, and see if there’s any point in continuing this.’

‘OK. How long do you want?’

‘Let’s say fifteen minutes. Help yourselves to coffee.’

Abruptly, he and Linda left the room.

‘What do you think?’ Jeff asked. ‘Did we make an impression?’

‘Hard to say,’ Kelly replied, reaching for her mobile phone. ‘These Secret Service types are hard core. At least they want to think about it.’

She dialed a number and was immediately connected to Ellen Trevathan’s office.

‘What’s happening, Kelly?’ the President asked. The tension in her voice was palpable.

‘All I can say is, we’re in and we’re talking. We’re on a break. I can’t say anything more right now.’

‘I’ll be waiting,’ President Trevathan replied. ‘Is there anything I can do?’

‘Yes,’ Kelly replied. ‘If you haven’t done it already, would you please declare a state of emergency?’

W
HAT
A
BITTER
irony, Senator Joe O’Brien reflected, that after serving for more than thirty years in the Senate, he had finally realized a dream he thought would always elude him. He was speaking on the floor of the Senate, and he had the complete attention of a packed Chamber. There had been many occasions when he would have given a very great deal to have all his colleagues hanging on every word he said. But that hardly mattered now. What mattered was that he had their attention, and that it was crucially important that he keep it. Part of his hold over them, he knew, was anxiety, and part was sheer exhaustion. The air-conditioning had been off for hours, the Chamber was hot and stuffy, it felt as though they had been locked in for ever, and the extreme physical discomfort was affecting everyone. The senators took what little ease they could in their seats. Those who did not have seats in the Chamber, the aides, and journalists, slumped wherever they could, briefcases, television cameras, microphones abandoned at their sides. The journalists knew that they were witnessing a great story. What they did not know was whether they would survive to tell it. They were also unsure exactly what the story was. Ellen Trevathan had not lifted the news rationing imposed by Ted Lazenby, and the only word reaching the Senate via the few mobile phones and laptops still working was that there was a crisis, the precise nature of which was unclear. Only Senator O’Brien, relying on Frank Worley’s conversation with Kelly, had, or thought he had, a little hard information. The journalists were guessing. Once the siege was lifted, the race for the prize-winning scoop would begin. If they had the energy, and if they were still in one piece. The Chief Justice, regardless of the fact that the impeachment proceedings had ended, and that he no longer had any constitutional function to perform in the Senate, had resumed his seat in the Speaker’s chair. No one seemed to mind. The Senate was ready to accept direction and guidance from anyone prepared to give it. Unsure of what to do in the midst of so much chaos, Ed Monahan had kept his seat at counsel’s table.

‘So, I guess the bottom line,’ O’Brien concluded, ‘is that we are being asked to regard ourselves as prisoners in this building until whatever situation is developing out there resolves itself. It’s not an attractive proposition…’

‘Damn right,’ a male voice broke in.

‘But I’m not sure what else we can do. If anyone has any better ideas, I’d like to hear them. But I must warn you that anything we decide to do will have to be accomplished without the aid of the Marines. And there is a very nasty-looking mob out there. So, whatever we do, we need to give it some serious reflection.’

O’Brien stopped to invite reaction to what he had said. He caught Kate Green’s eye, and nodded to her almost imperceptibly.

‘I agree with Senator O’Brien,’ Kate said in a firm voice, standing in place without moving to the podium. ‘Whatever the situation is out there, it’s obviously very dangerous.’

‘That’s my impression also,’ Alan Boswell added.

O’Brien wondered how the discussion would proceed. The Senate had no presiding officer. It was now long past considerations of protocol and rules of procedure. There was no longer any question of precedence in taking the floor, or yielding time. Under any ordinary circumstances, with the usual restraints removed, the senators would have been climbing over each other to speak first. But no one seemed anxious to take the lead. After a prolonged silence, Tom Danvers, the senior senator from West Virginia, an elderly man with a shock of silver hair and a stately, dignified bearing, slowly approached the podium.

‘Senator O’Brien,’ he began, the effect of the heat and fatigue obvious in his voice, ‘I understand that the situation out there is dangerous. And the whole Senate is grateful to you and the other senators who have been trying to get what information you can, and trying to find a way of dealing with it. But I believe it would just be wrong to lie down and allow ourselves to be held hostage here. President Trevathan needs us to function as a Senate. And it goes against principle to allow one of the branches of the legislature to be held hostage by a bunch of terrorists, which is what those folks are. We just shouldn’t allow it. That’s what I have to say.’

Danvers paused, trying his best to look combative despite his own inner feelings of disquiet. Several senators shook their heads, and there was some murmuring.

‘Well, that’s all very well, Tom,’ one shouted out. ‘But what exactly are you suggesting we do? Send them a message that we’re not going to stand for it? What if they say ‘no’?’

Danvers drew himself up to his full height.

‘No. I’m suggesting that we exercise our right to walk out of here,’ he said with conviction. ‘Hell, there’s a hundred of us, plus our staff, and the ladies and gentlemen of the press. What are these terrorists going to do, shoot us all? Shoot the entire Senate?’

‘Hell, Tom, if there are some of my constituents out there, some of them just might,’ a senator called out, to general laughter.

Danvers did not join in the laughter.

‘With all those Marines out there? I don’t think so. I was a Marine myself in my younger days, and I don’t believe I would have let that happen if I were in their position. Look, we did our duty today. We voted on the impeachment. Now I want to go home and see my wife, have dinner. Let’s just get the hell out of here, Ladies and Gentlemen.’

Danvers’s words were greeted by a substantial round of applause. Several senators shouted their agreement.

‘What do you think, Joe?’ one asked.

Danvers moved away from the podium slightly to allow O’Brien to approach, but showed no sign of resuming his seat.

‘I’d like to agree with Senator Danvers,’ O’Brien replied, ‘but it’s just not possible. For one thing, I don’t believe the Marines have the capability to protect us. There are too many of us, especially if we all run out of here in a hundred different directions. It would very likely precipitate a fire-fight, which could result in a huge loss of life. I don’t believe that risk is justifiable.’

‘I’m willing to take that risk,’ Tom Danvers insisted. ‘It’s a matter of principle.’

Quite a number of senators applauded and cheered. O’Brien felt his stomach begin to churn again. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

‘And in any case,’ he continued, ‘I’m afraid leaving is not an option. Physically, I mean.’

He paused.

‘What do you mean?’ Danvers asked.

‘I mean the colonel made it pretty clear that the Marines will not allow us to leave, at least for now.’

‘What?’ Danvers asked, incredulously.

‘It’s not up to the colonel,’ a senator shouted before O’Brien could reply. ‘It’s a matter for us to decide. Is this guy seriously telling us we can’t leave the Capitol? Hell, I think that constitutes a contempt of the Senate, right there.’

O’Brien closed his eyes.

‘Well, maybe it does, Bill,’ he said. ‘But what exactly are you going to do about that? You want to send the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest him?’

To O’Brien’s relief, this produced some laughter.

‘Look,’ he continued, ‘I agree with Tom in principle. This shouldn’t be happening. But it is. I also think the Marines have our safety in mind here. Obviously, there’s some serious disorder going on outside. They’re the experts, and I don’t see any point in forcing the issue, when we may be able to leave without any problem in a little while.’

‘That depends what you mean by ‘a little while’,’ another senator observed. ‘Judging by what you just told us, the colonel didn’t hold out much hope that this would end any time soon.’

‘I think we have to accept that Ellen Trevathan and those working with her are doing all they can,’ O’Brien replied. ‘I don’t see any reason to doubt that. We need to be patient and hang in there; give them time to work it out.’

Danvers moved back to the podium, making O’Brien shift to one side.

‘So, if I’m understanding you correctly, Senator O’Brien,’ he said, ‘the Marines had no solution to propose to us except to wait it out?’

O’Brien looked uneasily at Kate Green. Before he could reply, Alan Boswell got to his feet.

‘Well, that’s not exactly true,’ he said.

O’Brien looked down in irritation. ‘Shit,’ he muttered to himself.

‘Do you want to tell them about it, Joe, or shall I?’ Boswell was asking.

O’Brien looked for help to Kate Green, but Kate merely shrugged her shoulders. They would both have preferred not to raise the issue but, with so much at stake, they had already agreed that the Senate was entitled to hear everything.

‘Be my guest, Alan,’ O’Brien replied.

He stepped back as Boswell made his way forward to a heavy, expectant silence.

Boswell gripped the podium tightly.

‘The colonel did have one suggestion,’ he said tentatively. ‘And I think I’m right in saying that those of us who were there agreed we should bring it to your attention, not recommend it, you understand, but at least give you the option of thinking about it. He suggested that, since most of the hooligans out there are apparently supporters of Steve Wade, they might be persuaded to go away if they were given the impression that we had reversed the impeachment vote.’

To O’Brien’s surprise, Boswell’s words were greeted with almost total silence. Kate Green raised her hand, then stood.

‘The colonel also said that couldn’t be guaranteed,’ she pointed out.

‘That’s correct,’ Boswell confirmed.

The silence continued.

‘You said, ‘if they were given the impression’,’ a senator asked eventually. ‘You mean, put out a statement to that effect, rather than actually do it?’

‘Yes,’ Boswell replied. ‘For one thing, I think there would be serious questions of legality surrounding any actual vote we took under the present circumstances. The Constitution says we can impeach the President, but it doesn’t say we can put the President back into office after he’s been impeached.’

He looked behind him at the Chief Justice.

‘At least, I believe I’m right in saying that?’

‘I wouldn’t want to comment on the record,’ Mayhew replied, ‘in light of the fact that if such a thing actually happened, it would certainly come before the Court eventually, but off the record, I would say you are probably right.’

‘So, the idea would be just to issue a statement,’ Boswell continued. ‘We would repudiate it the moment the siege is lifted. I don’t believe anyone would hold it against us in the circumstances. I’m sure our colleagues in the press would help us.’

O’Brien had now lost the floor. With some alarm, he realized that Boswell was going a little further than just providing information. Boswell actually thought there was some merit in the idea. Animated conversation broke out all around the Chamber. The senators huddled in small groups. Some aides, suddenly springing back to life, moved in to join them. The journalists also woke up, extracting pens, notepads, and tape players from their discarded briefcases. After some time, Boswell turned and approached the Chief Justice, who nodded his agreement, and hammered his gavel down several times with enough force to cause the hubbub to die down.

‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ Boswell said. ‘If I may have your attention. It seems we are not following strict procedure just now, which may be just as well. I would suggest that any senator who wishes to speak on this issue should be free to do so, and that we should then take a vote. If that meets with your approval…’

Joe O’Brien stepped quickly up to Boswell’s side, interrupting him.

‘Senator Boswell, I think you and I agree that we mentioned the possibility of making a statement because it was our duty to report back on everything that had taken place during our discussion with the Marines. But I don’t believe we for one moment thought it was the right thing to do…’

‘That doesn’t mean we can’t vote on it,’ a voice shouted from the back of the Chamber. ‘It sounds like a damn good idea to me.’

To O’Brien’s dismay, a chorus of voices shouted agreement.

‘There’s no guarantee of anything, even if we did issue a statement,’ O’Brien protested.

But his voice was now uncertain, and was almost lost in the renewed conversation. With his long experience of the Senate, Joe O’Brien was well able to recognize an emerging consensus when he saw one, and he was seeing one now. He looked hopelessly at Frank, who was sitting on the floor near the podium. He shrugged and shook his head.

‘You did your best, Senator.’

Ed Monahan had been listening to the argument from his seat at counsel’s table with a mixture of concern and disbelief. As he saw the consensus build, he did something he would never in his wildest dreams have imagined himself doing. He rose abruptly from his seat, strode to the podium, and half pushed Senator Alan Boswell to one side, at the same time raising his right hand in supplication to the Chief Justice. He saw Sam Mayhew look at him closely and then, to his surprise, nod almost imperceptibly and gavel for order. Order took some time in coming, especially when the senators saw who was standing at the podium.