Trail of Destruction

Chapter 47

Chapter 47

After moving a table and chairs into the suite's adjoining bedroom, Christine began her interviews with the staff members who were assembled in the candidate's suite. Brad was first on deck. Then she would talk to Ryan, Emily, and Terry. She would plan to track down the other relevant staff members who were intimately involved in the event planning. She wanted to know who had determined the set-up for Brad's speech and who had access to the information. Clearly, the unsub must have had prior knowledge in order to set up his shot.

After waiting for Brad to get comfortable, the agent asked him a number of questions about the venue for the speech. Many times he referred her to others on his staff, claiming he had little involvement in planning the details for any of his appearances.

"It's fairly common," Brad explained, "for me to be handed a schedule for my day's activities in the morning. Often, that's the first time I find out about a specific location. For example, today I knew I was giving a speech outdoors at the Kennedy Memorial, but that was about it. I trust my staff to handle the logistics so I can concentrate on keeping up on all the issues and getting my message out to the voters."

When Christine asked about Amy, Brad described her responsibilities while she served as his personal assistant. "She did a tremendous job for me, which was why we promoted her to work on the marketing task force. We decided she was too talented to be spending her days fetching my coffee."

"Who else was involved in her promotion?"

"Terry, my campaign manager. He runs the nuts and bolts of the campaign and handles personnel issues."

"So how was she doing with her new job?" Christine asked.

"From what I heard, she was doing great. But, of course, that's just from talking to others. I've really had very minimal contact with her over the last few months. It's ironic that we just happened to choose today's event as a way to thank several of my staff members. I was going to acknowledge the people on-stage at the close of my speech."

Brad grimaced. "It's a terrible burden to realize that had we not invited her to be recognized today, she would still be alive. It's such a waste - a promising young life cut short because of someone's political agenda. It just makes me more determined than ever to change the gun laws in this country. I will not be intimidated by these radicals."

As she continued her questioning, Christine got the impression that Brad was saddened by the young woman's death, but stoic. Everything a president was supposed to be - strong and resolute in the face of adversity. The longer she talked with him, the more certain she was that she would be voting for him come November. When she shook his hand at the conclusion of her interview, she felt a small thrill at knowing that she might very well be in the presence of the next president.

Next on her list was Ryan. After a few minutes spent speaking with him, she realized that he had even less knowledge than the candidate in terms of what went into setting up the event and publicizing it. She asked him a few questions about Amy for background, although as far as Christine was concerned, in this case the victim was really just incidental to the crime. Obviously she wasn't the target - just someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Unlike his brother, Ryan was visibly distraught by the woman's death. "She was really a terrific person. Smart, funny, a real joy to be around. No one deserves to die like that, especially not her. I hope you catch the guy who did it," Ryan said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Christine's next interview was with the candidate's daughter. The agent wasn't expecting much new information from her, but felt obliged to speak with each of the staff members who had accompanied Brad to Dallas. With an investigation this important, she wasn't going to leave any stone unturned. As she anticipated, Emily offered little information, but the agent was still surprised by the girl's reaction to the crime. Although she seemed shaken up by another near-miss assassination attempt on her father's life, she was strangely unaffected by Amy's death.

"I'm just really thankful it wasn't my dad. And if anyone deserved to die, it was..." Emily looked up in horror. "I didn't mean that. It's just that, well, I didn't really like Amy. I mean, I know you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead and all, but... well, she was a real bitch."

The agent tried not to show any reaction. After all, when people work closely together, there's bound to be some tension between some of them. God knew she certainly didn't like everyone in her office, but still, the girl's reaction struck Christine as odd.