Regarding Khalila’s execution of PJ Rolow, the matter was being swept under the rug. Much explaining would be necessary if the public learned that the CIA’s deputy director for operations had been slain by one of the agency’s own officers. The questions would likely lead to the revelation that Rolow had been killed by Osama bin Laden’s daughter. The president’s enemies would weaponize that information, painting the administration and CIA as incompetent bunglers, allowing al-Qaeda to infiltrate the agency. As far as the public was concerned, Rolow had died of a heart attack. His funeral had been closed-coffin, hiding the true cause of his death.

The next issue that had been resolved was the CIA’s employment of Osama bin Laden’s daughter. Only eight persons knew Khalila’s true identity: the three of them in the Oval Office, plus Bryant, McFarland, Harrison, and the two linguists who had translated the video clip of Khalila greeting her brother in Kuwait. Everyone aside from the president had signed nondisclosure agreements preventing the release of Khalila’s true identity.

“To follow up on Khalila,” the president said, “keep her file sealed, and take measures to ensure her identity isn’t revealed to anyone else aside from your new DDO, once he or she is selected. Regarding Khalila’s disposition, I leave that to you. As long as you trust her, keep her in the family. The last thing we need is for her to end up on the outside — or even worse, the other side — where she might reveal CIA secrets or that the agency was idiotic enough to employ Osama’s daughter. That’s a mess that neither we, nor our successors, will want to deal with.”

“I understand,” Christine replied. “For now, she’s continuing with the agency with the same measured trust Rolow exhibited. In my opinion, his instincts regarding her were correct. Khalila is an extremely valuable asset, as long as she can be trusted.”

“I concur,” the president replied.

The conversation then moved to the final, unresolved matter — what to do about Brenda Verbeck. The way ahead was obvious to Christine, but Hardison had opposed her recommendation. Technically, the matter was out of her swim lane — it was a domestic law enforcement issue — but the president had requested her input, given that she was the only one with firsthand knowledge of what Verbeck had done.

“I’ve come to a decision,” the president said. “The only direct link to the murders Verbeck ordered was Rolow, and Khalila eliminated that lead. Without Rolow and Mixell, whom Rolow hired, the FBI has been unable to obtain any evidence that Verbeck is connected to the Pentagon deaths aside from her verbal admission to you, Christine.

“If the matter goes to trial, there’s a high probability Verbeck will be acquitted. Additionally, I prefer to not drag my administration into a public scandal months before the election. Given the above, an acceptable solution has been devised. Verbeck has tendered her resignation as secretary of the Navy, citing personal reasons, and I’ve accepted.”

Christine’s hands clenched the end of her chair armrests. “You’ve got to be kidding. She orders the executions of two men and gets away with it?”

“I share your distaste for the solution,” the president replied. “But if we press charges against Verbeck, the only thing we will accomplish is damaging my reelection chances. I might add, your jobs are tied to mine. If I lose, both of you will be replaced by the new president.”

“I don’t give a damn about my job,” Christine replied, “if losing it is what it takes to put Verbeck behind bars.”

The president smiled. “That’s what I’ve always liked about you. A woman of conviction and moral clarity, regardless of the consequences. However, the odds of Verbeck’s conviction are too low to suffer the consequences of her indictment.”

Christine fumed as she considered the president’s decision. She knew he was right, though. If Verbeck went to trial, it’d be Christine’s word against Verbeck’s, and without corroborating evidence, a good defense team would likely get Verbeck acquitted. It was an age-old paradigm: the rich and powerful get away with murder.

The president wrapped things up, addressing Christine. “You’ve done great work since you took over as CIA director, handling several difficult issues, including the recent Mixell incident. I must say, however — trouble seems to follow you.”

Christine nodded. “It appears so.”

“By the way,” the president said, “great job on the Osama bin Laden issue, verifying he was indeed killed during the Abbottabad raid.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m glad we were able to put that issue to bed.”

EPILOGUE

“That was a close one.”

“Yeah, too close.”

The two men were sitting beside each other at a metal table in a ten-by-ten-foot room with a smooth concrete floor and no windows, surrounded by roughly hewn granite walls. It was cold in the complex, and it had an antiseptic new facility smell.