You know how sometimes you anticipate something so much-your
expectations
are so high-that there's no way the actual event can live up to it?
Well, that's not what's
happening here. The decimation of Donna Moss is even more fun than I
thought it would
be. I haven't felt this good since.....well since before the little
witch walked into the
campaign offices in New Hampshire. She's in jail now, facing enough
charges to keep
her there for the rest of her life. I hope it's horrible there. I
hope every ugly story I ever
heard about prison is true because I want her to suffer.
And you want to know the best part? Josh was there when she got
arrested. He
was there and there was nothing he could do to stop it. I am so happy
I could sing!! I
must admit that there was one unusual thing though. Not only was Josh
there but so were
CJ, Sam, Toby and some blonde lawyer chick. That confuses me a
little. I know that Josh
wouldn't have asked for their help, so they must have had something
else going on.
Probably one of their ridiculous little birthday celebrations. Oh
well, it doesn't matter.
Phase II is right on schedule. She's in jail, now I just have to make
sure she stays there. I
just wish I didn't have to go to work today, revenge is much more
fun. But a girl has to
pay the bills. And this new job is better than politics, plus it has
certainly come
in handy lately.
11:15 PM
Josh's Apartment
Josh's apartment became a flurry of activity almost as soon
as the police took
Donna away. CJ called Leo to give him a heads up. She was certain
that Donna's arrest
would hit the papers fairly quickly since all arrests are a matter of
public record. She was
determined not to let this story get ahead of her. This time it
mattered, it wasn't just spin.
Toby stood in the kitchen talking in hushed tones on his cell
phone. He was
calling in every favor he possibly could in an effort to find out who
was behind this.
Sam and Ainsley were huddled together, trying to decide who
the best attorney to
call would be. They needed someone good but also someone who could
drop everything
and start working on this case right away. They needed to find
someone who would make
this case their top priority. Someone needed to get to the police
station soon before the
police tried to question Donna.
After Josh recovered from the initial shock of the look in
Donna's eyes as she was
being led away, he began making a mental list of things that needed
done immediately.
He needed to find Donna a lawyer, free up as many assets as possible
so that he could
arrange for her bail, get someone to pack up her old apartment and
bring all the boxes to
his place. His mental list making was interrupted by Ainsley tapping
him on the shoulder.
"I quit." She said. "Effective immediately."
The entire room went quiet.
"Excuse me?" Josh said, not certain he had heard her correctly.
"Look, I know that you aren't my supervisor, and I realize that I
should technically be
giving my resignation to Mr. Tribbey, but he's not here right now and
you are, so you'll
have to do. I quit. So please pass the word along and make sure you
note that my
resignation was effective as of 11:29 PM."
"Ainsley, what are you talking about? This really isn't the time."
Sam said moving
towards her.
"This is exactly the time Sam. You said it yourself. We need to find
an attorney who is up
to speed on this case. Someone who can hit the ground running. And
maybe most
importantly, someone who believes without a doubt that Donna is
innocent. And that
someone, is me. I can't work in the White House and be Donna's
attorney, it wouldn't be
allowed. So as of two and a half minutes ago, I am no longer employed
by the federal
government. Here is my ID badge. Please make sure it gets returned to
the proper
authorities."
"Are you serious? I mean---are you sure?" Josh stammered.
"Positive" Ainsley said stuffing a few papers in her brief case and
heading for the door.
"Now I'm off to the police station."
"I'll come with you." Josh said.
"No, Josh. You can't go." Ainsley said firmly leaving very little
room for negotiation.
"Of course I'm going. I have to see Donna. I want to make sure she's
ok."
"I know that, Josh" Ainsley explained slowly slipping into lawyer
mode. "But that just
isn't going to be possible right now. It's going to take a couple of
hours for them to
process her into the system. Then they aren't going to let anyone see
her but her attorney.
So there is really no use in you going." Her voice softened when she
saw Josh's sad eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she's ok. I'll make sure they do
everything by the book.
"But..I'm a lawyer...I could..."
"Forget it, Josh" CJ chimed in. "Your presense at the police station
would only add to the
media frenzy. It's already gonna be enough of a zoo as it is. Let
Ainsley handle it."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Josh asked, the desperation slipping
back into his
voice.
"I'll tell you exactly what you are supposed to do." Ainsley
said "Find out who is behind
this. Use every contact you have, call in every favor you were ever
owed. Get me some
concrete evidence that I can show to a judge." With that said, she
turned to Sam. "I rode
over here with you but I really need a car right now. Can I take
yours?"
"No problem" Sam said pulling the keys out of his pocket. "I'll walk
you down."
When they reached his car, Sam opened the door for her and waited for
her to get in and
adjust the seat. Then he handed her the keys.
"We've got to fix this." He said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"We will, Sam. I promise."
Their eyes locked for a minute and Sam was surprised by the jolt of
electricity that shot
through him. Without thinking, he leaned over and kissed her
cheek. "Thanks for
everything, Ains."
Then he closed the door and she drove away. He stood watching the car
disappear into the night and wondered how it had all come to this.
As he was entering the building again, he ran into Leo.
"Fill me in." Leo growled as they headed for the elevator.
By the time they reached Josh's floor, Sam had filled Leo in on
everything that had
happened since the staff meeting. He told Leo about Donna's arrest
and that Ainsley had
resigned to work as her attorney. The door to Josh's apartment was
open and they entered
to find Toby and Josh furiously weeding through all the paperwork.
They acknowledged
Leo's arrival but didn't stop what they were doing.
"What about the press?" Leo asked turning to CJ "Where do we stand
with them?"
Well, I'm sure they're on the story." She said rubbing her forehead
trying to forestall the
headache that was about to explode behind her eyes. "I'd like to wait
till the morning
briefing in the hopes I'll have a little more information by then. I
want to stay ahead of
this story though, we can't let it spin out of control. I'm going to
head back to my office
and call a few people and try to get a feeling for how the press is
going to handle this. I'll
let you know what I find out?"
"Keep us informed." Leo said joining the other men in looking through
reams and reams
of paper. "I'll see you in my office before the press briefing. I
want to discuss exactly
what our response to the press is going to be."
"Ok. I'll see you then. Good luck guys."
2:20 AM
DC Police Station
Ainsley had been sitting in the squad room alone for over two hours
waiting for a chance
to see Donna. The officers kept insisting that there was a backlog of
prisoners that needed
processed but Ainsley got a feeling it was something else. They were
trying to intimidate
her. Trying to scare the bejeebers out of the little southern belle.
She smiled to herself. If
they only knew. She had spent the last year working in a den of
democrats. A few police
officers didn't scare her at all.
It was almost three by the time she was finally allowed to
see Donna. The female
officer who had been at Josh's apartment earlier led her to an
interrogation room. Ainsley
slipped in the door and saw Donna sitting, back straight, with tears
in her eyes and a
piece of paper towel in her hands. She was desperately trying to rub
away the black ink
stains left from the fingerprinting. She was rubbing so intently that
she didn't seem to
notice Ainsley's arrival until she spoke.
"Donna? Are you ok?"
Donna raised her head to look at Ainsley but she didn't stop rubbing
at the ink.
"Ainsley? What are you doing here? They said my lawyer was here to
see me."
"That's me."
"But..but..you can't be my lawyer. You work at the White House...
they'll never let
you..."
"You're right, they wouldn't. That's why I quit my job."
"No no no..I won't let you do that."
"It's done now Donna. So lets get down to business." Ainsley said
sternly, effectively
ending any further discussion of the topic. "Has anyone tried to ask
you any questions
about the case?"
Donna's eyes went to the floor as soon as the question was out of
Ainsley's mouth
"What happened?? Tell me everything."
In the car on the way here, the detective said...well he said..."
"What did he say, Donna?"
"He said that it would really be better if I just confessed. He said
that if I didn't, they
would have to conduct a thorough investigation and that other people
close to me might
get hurt."
"He was just trying to scare you, Donna. You didn't say anything to
him did you?"
"No"
"Good"
"Ainsley?"
"What?"
"I can't let this hurt anyone else. Especially not Josh. I won't let
him get caught up in
this. I'll say I'm guilty before I'll let that happen."
"It wont come to that, Donna. I promise."
"Can you do me a favor? I'm not asking you as my lawyer, I'm asking
you as my friend."
"Sure."
"Will you keep an eye on Josh? Make sure that he eats and don't let
him sleep in his
office, ok?"
"Sure. But, believe me, it's not a job I intend on having for too
long. As soon as we get
you out on bail, he's all yours again."
"How long do you think that will be?"
"I need you to be prepared Donna. I'll try at the arraignment but it
probably wont happen.
We are going to have to wait till all the charges are in. A week
maybe-two at the most."
"OK" Donna said trying in vain to blink back the tears.
"They're going to take you over to the jail tonight. I've already
informed them that they
aren't to try to question you without me present but I will reiterate
that to them before I
leave. I'll meet you back here at 9:00 AM. Don't say anything till I
get here. Here's my
cell phone number, call me if you need anything at all ok?"
"OK"
"Anything else I can do for you tonight?"
"Yeah-tell Josh I'll get his shirt back to him as soon as they give
me something else to
wear. It's his favorite. I know he's gonna want it back."
Ainsley's brow creased. She worried that Donna was developing a mild
case of shock.
Josh's shirt should be the last thing on her mind right now.
"The only way Josh wants that shirt back is with you in it."
"You think so?"
"I know so. Now you hold tight and I'll see you in the morning."
It was 3:45 by the time Ainsley arrived back at Josh's apartment. She
had no doubt that
he would still be awake., that they would all still be awake,
searching for the proverbial
needle in the haystack. Josh pounced as soon as he opened the door.
"Did you see Donna? Is she ok?"
"She's doing as well as can be expected Josh."
"When can I go and see her?"
"Not for awhile. I'm meeting her back at the station at 9:00 AM for
questioning. I'll find
out the details of the arraignment then. It wont be till after that."
"I want to see her ASAP Ainsley."
"I know that, Josh. But the best way to do that is to figure out who
is behind this so we
can get her released. Have you found anything out yet?"
"Not yet. We're trying to track down anybody that the bank, the
lanlord and the
credit card companies might have in common. We are looking for the
common thread."
"Good luck."she said tossing Sam his car keys. "I just wanted to
check in. I'm headed
back to my place to do some prep work before I have to be back at the
police station. If
you find anything-and I mean ANYTHING-please call me immediately."
"OK. We're headed in to work for a staff meeting in a couple of hours
but we'll keep in
touch."
Josh stepped out into the hall with Ainsley.
"Ainsley?"
"Yes?"
"When you see Donna...will you tell her...tell her I love her ok?"
"Sure thing"
"Thanks."
Wee hours of the morning
DC Jail
If there was one thing Donna should have learned over the last few
days it was to never
think things couldn't get any worse. Just a few short hours ago, she
would have said that
getting patted down and arrested in front of her friends was the
worst thing that had ever
happened. Then she would have amended it to say that the humiliation
of fingerprints
and mug shots was the worst. But none of that even compared to what
was happening
now. The thought of a full body cavity search had never entered
Donnas mind until the
female officers told her to remove all of her clothing. This was
beyond humiliation. This
was violation. This was too much for her brain to process.
She didn't even remember getting dressed in a denim prison
jumpsuit. She didn't
remember the officers leading her to a cell. All she could remember
was the feeling of the
officers hands and the noise. The roaring in her ears couldn't drown
out all the noise of a
prison at night. She lay down on the bare mattress and closed her
eyes. 'Please God' she
thought 'Don't let it get any worse than this.'
8:15 AM
White House Press Room
After making a brief statement about the matters of the day, CJ
opened the floor up for
questions.
"Does the White House have any comment about the arrest of Donna
Moss?" half a
dozen reporters shouted at once.
"We are making no comment about the specifics of the case at this
time but we would
like to remind you that Ms Moss is innocent until proven guilty. We
stand behind her
100% and we believe that this will be proven to have been a giant
mistake."
"Any truth to the rumor that the investigation may widen to include
other members of the
staff?"
"We have no reason to believe that."
"Will Josh Lyman be making a statement considering that Ms Moss is
his assistant?"
asked Matt Wagner.
CJ felt her teeth start to grind. She hated Matt Wagner. He was an
ultra right wing
columnist out of Texas. He never missed a chance to take a shot at
the administration. He
was also one of those journalists who never let truth get in the way
of a good story.
"Mr Lyman has no comment at this time except to say that he supports
Ms Moss and is
confident that she will be exonerated."
"Considering their long standing personal relationship, can we assume
that Mr. Lyman
might also be a target of investigators?" Wagner shouted as a follow
up.
Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't slept in 24 hours, or maybe it
was the fact that one
of her best friends was behind bars for a crime she didn't commit or
that another friend
was tearing himself up with feelings of helplessness. Whatever it
was, something inside
of CJ snapped.
"No Matt" she said with barely contained fury "We cannot assume Mr.
Lyman will be a
target of investigators. As I mentioned before, we have no reason to
believe that any
other staffer will be involved. But on a strictly personal level
Matt, and I reiterate I am
not speaking for the White House but rather for myself, you had
better be careful about
what you choose to write. I would lay off the tawdry references to
secret lives and
"longstanding personal relationships". Because when Donna is
exonerated, and I assure
that she will be, I will not only make you eat those words, I will
use a slingshot to shove
them so far down your throat that you will be picking smarmy innuendo
out of your colon
for the next year. Understand?"
And with that, she dismounted the podium and exited the room while
the reporters all sat
in stunned silence.
11:00 AM
West Wing
Josh, Sam had Toby had all rearranged their schedules and farmed out
as much work as
possible. There were however still meetings to be attended and
government business that
needed done. They got through their work as quickly as possible and
were comparing
notes over burgers from the mess in Toby's office.
"Have you heard anything from Ainsley yet?" Toby asked
"Nothing"
All of the sudden, Sam's head shot up and he said "I think I have
something."
"What is it?" Josh and Toby said in unison.
"A computer security firm that the bank, the landlord and at least
one of the credit card
companies have in common. Simmons and West. It's a company right here
in DC. They
apparently help keep computer systems secure."
"Does that ring any bells Josh?" Toby asked
"Not off the top of my head"
"Do you know if Donna has ever dealt with them for any reason?"
"I wouldn't know why she would have"
"Well lets call and find out a little more about them" Toby said
reaching in to his top
drawer and pulling out a cell phone. "This one is unlisted" he
explained pointing to the
phone as he dialed "In case they have caller ID, there is no use in
letting them know who
they are talking to. It might tend to seal their lips."
When the receptionist answered, Toby explained that he was doing some
research on
computer safety and that he was looking for some information on the
kinds of services
that her company offered.
"Are you looking to hire us?" the receptionist asked in a confused
voice.
"No" Toby said with more patience than he was actually feeling. "I'm
just looking for
some information about your company and the kind of services you
provide."
"Hold on, sir. I'll put you through to the Public Relations
Department."
Toby didn't relish the idea of working his way through a whole string
of idiots just to try
to get the information he wanted. However, he didn't want to arouse
any suspicion. He
was trying to figure out the quickest way to get the information he
wanted when the voice
on the other end of the phone froze him in his tracks.
"Public Relations. Mandy Hampton speaking. Can I help you?"
Toby disconnected without saying a word and looked at Josh and Sam in
disbelief.
"What is it?" they both asked at the same time.
"Did either of you know that Mandy was back in town?"
And suddenly it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
11:15 AM
Simmons and West
PR office
Mandy slammed down the phone when the party on the other end hung up
without
speaking. 'Idiot' she thought.
She went on with her work without giving it another thought. She was
completely
unaware that at that very moment, on the other side of town, the
boomerang of revenge
had turned and was heading back in her direction.
expectations
are so high-that there's no way the actual event can live up to it?
Well, that's not what's
happening here. The decimation of Donna Moss is even more fun than I
thought it would
be. I haven't felt this good since.....well since before the little
witch walked into the
campaign offices in New Hampshire. She's in jail now, facing enough
charges to keep
her there for the rest of her life. I hope it's horrible there. I
hope every ugly story I ever
heard about prison is true because I want her to suffer.
And you want to know the best part? Josh was there when she got
arrested. He
was there and there was nothing he could do to stop it. I am so happy
I could sing!! I
must admit that there was one unusual thing though. Not only was Josh
there but so were
CJ, Sam, Toby and some blonde lawyer chick. That confuses me a
little. I know that Josh
wouldn't have asked for their help, so they must have had something
else going on.
Probably one of their ridiculous little birthday celebrations. Oh
well, it doesn't matter.
Phase II is right on schedule. She's in jail, now I just have to make
sure she stays there. I
just wish I didn't have to go to work today, revenge is much more
fun. But a girl has to
pay the bills. And this new job is better than politics, plus it has
certainly come
in handy lately.
11:15 PM
Josh's Apartment
Josh's apartment became a flurry of activity almost as soon
as the police took
Donna away. CJ called Leo to give him a heads up. She was certain
that Donna's arrest
would hit the papers fairly quickly since all arrests are a matter of
public record. She was
determined not to let this story get ahead of her. This time it
mattered, it wasn't just spin.
Toby stood in the kitchen talking in hushed tones on his cell
phone. He was
calling in every favor he possibly could in an effort to find out who
was behind this.
Sam and Ainsley were huddled together, trying to decide who
the best attorney to
call would be. They needed someone good but also someone who could
drop everything
and start working on this case right away. They needed to find
someone who would make
this case their top priority. Someone needed to get to the police
station soon before the
police tried to question Donna.
After Josh recovered from the initial shock of the look in
Donna's eyes as she was
being led away, he began making a mental list of things that needed
done immediately.
He needed to find Donna a lawyer, free up as many assets as possible
so that he could
arrange for her bail, get someone to pack up her old apartment and
bring all the boxes to
his place. His mental list making was interrupted by Ainsley tapping
him on the shoulder.
"I quit." She said. "Effective immediately."
The entire room went quiet.
"Excuse me?" Josh said, not certain he had heard her correctly.
"Look, I know that you aren't my supervisor, and I realize that I
should technically be
giving my resignation to Mr. Tribbey, but he's not here right now and
you are, so you'll
have to do. I quit. So please pass the word along and make sure you
note that my
resignation was effective as of 11:29 PM."
"Ainsley, what are you talking about? This really isn't the time."
Sam said moving
towards her.
"This is exactly the time Sam. You said it yourself. We need to find
an attorney who is up
to speed on this case. Someone who can hit the ground running. And
maybe most
importantly, someone who believes without a doubt that Donna is
innocent. And that
someone, is me. I can't work in the White House and be Donna's
attorney, it wouldn't be
allowed. So as of two and a half minutes ago, I am no longer employed
by the federal
government. Here is my ID badge. Please make sure it gets returned to
the proper
authorities."
"Are you serious? I mean---are you sure?" Josh stammered.
"Positive" Ainsley said stuffing a few papers in her brief case and
heading for the door.
"Now I'm off to the police station."
"I'll come with you." Josh said.
"No, Josh. You can't go." Ainsley said firmly leaving very little
room for negotiation.
"Of course I'm going. I have to see Donna. I want to make sure she's
ok."
"I know that, Josh" Ainsley explained slowly slipping into lawyer
mode. "But that just
isn't going to be possible right now. It's going to take a couple of
hours for them to
process her into the system. Then they aren't going to let anyone see
her but her attorney.
So there is really no use in you going." Her voice softened when she
saw Josh's sad eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she's ok. I'll make sure they do
everything by the book.
"But..I'm a lawyer...I could..."
"Forget it, Josh" CJ chimed in. "Your presense at the police station
would only add to the
media frenzy. It's already gonna be enough of a zoo as it is. Let
Ainsley handle it."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Josh asked, the desperation slipping
back into his
voice.
"I'll tell you exactly what you are supposed to do." Ainsley
said "Find out who is behind
this. Use every contact you have, call in every favor you were ever
owed. Get me some
concrete evidence that I can show to a judge." With that said, she
turned to Sam. "I rode
over here with you but I really need a car right now. Can I take
yours?"
"No problem" Sam said pulling the keys out of his pocket. "I'll walk
you down."
When they reached his car, Sam opened the door for her and waited for
her to get in and
adjust the seat. Then he handed her the keys.
"We've got to fix this." He said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"We will, Sam. I promise."
Their eyes locked for a minute and Sam was surprised by the jolt of
electricity that shot
through him. Without thinking, he leaned over and kissed her
cheek. "Thanks for
everything, Ains."
Then he closed the door and she drove away. He stood watching the car
disappear into the night and wondered how it had all come to this.
As he was entering the building again, he ran into Leo.
"Fill me in." Leo growled as they headed for the elevator.
By the time they reached Josh's floor, Sam had filled Leo in on
everything that had
happened since the staff meeting. He told Leo about Donna's arrest
and that Ainsley had
resigned to work as her attorney. The door to Josh's apartment was
open and they entered
to find Toby and Josh furiously weeding through all the paperwork.
They acknowledged
Leo's arrival but didn't stop what they were doing.
"What about the press?" Leo asked turning to CJ "Where do we stand
with them?"
Well, I'm sure they're on the story." She said rubbing her forehead
trying to forestall the
headache that was about to explode behind her eyes. "I'd like to wait
till the morning
briefing in the hopes I'll have a little more information by then. I
want to stay ahead of
this story though, we can't let it spin out of control. I'm going to
head back to my office
and call a few people and try to get a feeling for how the press is
going to handle this. I'll
let you know what I find out?"
"Keep us informed." Leo said joining the other men in looking through
reams and reams
of paper. "I'll see you in my office before the press briefing. I
want to discuss exactly
what our response to the press is going to be."
"Ok. I'll see you then. Good luck guys."
2:20 AM
DC Police Station
Ainsley had been sitting in the squad room alone for over two hours
waiting for a chance
to see Donna. The officers kept insisting that there was a backlog of
prisoners that needed
processed but Ainsley got a feeling it was something else. They were
trying to intimidate
her. Trying to scare the bejeebers out of the little southern belle.
She smiled to herself. If
they only knew. She had spent the last year working in a den of
democrats. A few police
officers didn't scare her at all.
It was almost three by the time she was finally allowed to
see Donna. The female
officer who had been at Josh's apartment earlier led her to an
interrogation room. Ainsley
slipped in the door and saw Donna sitting, back straight, with tears
in her eyes and a
piece of paper towel in her hands. She was desperately trying to rub
away the black ink
stains left from the fingerprinting. She was rubbing so intently that
she didn't seem to
notice Ainsley's arrival until she spoke.
"Donna? Are you ok?"
Donna raised her head to look at Ainsley but she didn't stop rubbing
at the ink.
"Ainsley? What are you doing here? They said my lawyer was here to
see me."
"That's me."
"But..but..you can't be my lawyer. You work at the White House...
they'll never let
you..."
"You're right, they wouldn't. That's why I quit my job."
"No no no..I won't let you do that."
"It's done now Donna. So lets get down to business." Ainsley said
sternly, effectively
ending any further discussion of the topic. "Has anyone tried to ask
you any questions
about the case?"
Donna's eyes went to the floor as soon as the question was out of
Ainsley's mouth
"What happened?? Tell me everything."
In the car on the way here, the detective said...well he said..."
"What did he say, Donna?"
"He said that it would really be better if I just confessed. He said
that if I didn't, they
would have to conduct a thorough investigation and that other people
close to me might
get hurt."
"He was just trying to scare you, Donna. You didn't say anything to
him did you?"
"No"
"Good"
"Ainsley?"
"What?"
"I can't let this hurt anyone else. Especially not Josh. I won't let
him get caught up in
this. I'll say I'm guilty before I'll let that happen."
"It wont come to that, Donna. I promise."
"Can you do me a favor? I'm not asking you as my lawyer, I'm asking
you as my friend."
"Sure."
"Will you keep an eye on Josh? Make sure that he eats and don't let
him sleep in his
office, ok?"
"Sure. But, believe me, it's not a job I intend on having for too
long. As soon as we get
you out on bail, he's all yours again."
"How long do you think that will be?"
"I need you to be prepared Donna. I'll try at the arraignment but it
probably wont happen.
We are going to have to wait till all the charges are in. A week
maybe-two at the most."
"OK" Donna said trying in vain to blink back the tears.
"They're going to take you over to the jail tonight. I've already
informed them that they
aren't to try to question you without me present but I will reiterate
that to them before I
leave. I'll meet you back here at 9:00 AM. Don't say anything till I
get here. Here's my
cell phone number, call me if you need anything at all ok?"
"OK"
"Anything else I can do for you tonight?"
"Yeah-tell Josh I'll get his shirt back to him as soon as they give
me something else to
wear. It's his favorite. I know he's gonna want it back."
Ainsley's brow creased. She worried that Donna was developing a mild
case of shock.
Josh's shirt should be the last thing on her mind right now.
"The only way Josh wants that shirt back is with you in it."
"You think so?"
"I know so. Now you hold tight and I'll see you in the morning."
It was 3:45 by the time Ainsley arrived back at Josh's apartment. She
had no doubt that
he would still be awake., that they would all still be awake,
searching for the proverbial
needle in the haystack. Josh pounced as soon as he opened the door.
"Did you see Donna? Is she ok?"
"She's doing as well as can be expected Josh."
"When can I go and see her?"
"Not for awhile. I'm meeting her back at the station at 9:00 AM for
questioning. I'll find
out the details of the arraignment then. It wont be till after that."
"I want to see her ASAP Ainsley."
"I know that, Josh. But the best way to do that is to figure out who
is behind this so we
can get her released. Have you found anything out yet?"
"Not yet. We're trying to track down anybody that the bank, the
lanlord and the
credit card companies might have in common. We are looking for the
common thread."
"Good luck."she said tossing Sam his car keys. "I just wanted to
check in. I'm headed
back to my place to do some prep work before I have to be back at the
police station. If
you find anything-and I mean ANYTHING-please call me immediately."
"OK. We're headed in to work for a staff meeting in a couple of hours
but we'll keep in
touch."
Josh stepped out into the hall with Ainsley.
"Ainsley?"
"Yes?"
"When you see Donna...will you tell her...tell her I love her ok?"
"Sure thing"
"Thanks."
Wee hours of the morning
DC Jail
If there was one thing Donna should have learned over the last few
days it was to never
think things couldn't get any worse. Just a few short hours ago, she
would have said that
getting patted down and arrested in front of her friends was the
worst thing that had ever
happened. Then she would have amended it to say that the humiliation
of fingerprints
and mug shots was the worst. But none of that even compared to what
was happening
now. The thought of a full body cavity search had never entered
Donnas mind until the
female officers told her to remove all of her clothing. This was
beyond humiliation. This
was violation. This was too much for her brain to process.
She didn't even remember getting dressed in a denim prison
jumpsuit. She didn't
remember the officers leading her to a cell. All she could remember
was the feeling of the
officers hands and the noise. The roaring in her ears couldn't drown
out all the noise of a
prison at night. She lay down on the bare mattress and closed her
eyes. 'Please God' she
thought 'Don't let it get any worse than this.'
8:15 AM
White House Press Room
After making a brief statement about the matters of the day, CJ
opened the floor up for
questions.
"Does the White House have any comment about the arrest of Donna
Moss?" half a
dozen reporters shouted at once.
"We are making no comment about the specifics of the case at this
time but we would
like to remind you that Ms Moss is innocent until proven guilty. We
stand behind her
100% and we believe that this will be proven to have been a giant
mistake."
"Any truth to the rumor that the investigation may widen to include
other members of the
staff?"
"We have no reason to believe that."
"Will Josh Lyman be making a statement considering that Ms Moss is
his assistant?"
asked Matt Wagner.
CJ felt her teeth start to grind. She hated Matt Wagner. He was an
ultra right wing
columnist out of Texas. He never missed a chance to take a shot at
the administration. He
was also one of those journalists who never let truth get in the way
of a good story.
"Mr Lyman has no comment at this time except to say that he supports
Ms Moss and is
confident that she will be exonerated."
"Considering their long standing personal relationship, can we assume
that Mr. Lyman
might also be a target of investigators?" Wagner shouted as a follow
up.
Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't slept in 24 hours, or maybe it
was the fact that one
of her best friends was behind bars for a crime she didn't commit or
that another friend
was tearing himself up with feelings of helplessness. Whatever it
was, something inside
of CJ snapped.
"No Matt" she said with barely contained fury "We cannot assume Mr.
Lyman will be a
target of investigators. As I mentioned before, we have no reason to
believe that any
other staffer will be involved. But on a strictly personal level
Matt, and I reiterate I am
not speaking for the White House but rather for myself, you had
better be careful about
what you choose to write. I would lay off the tawdry references to
secret lives and
"longstanding personal relationships". Because when Donna is
exonerated, and I assure
that she will be, I will not only make you eat those words, I will
use a slingshot to shove
them so far down your throat that you will be picking smarmy innuendo
out of your colon
for the next year. Understand?"
And with that, she dismounted the podium and exited the room while
the reporters all sat
in stunned silence.
11:00 AM
West Wing
Josh, Sam had Toby had all rearranged their schedules and farmed out
as much work as
possible. There were however still meetings to be attended and
government business that
needed done. They got through their work as quickly as possible and
were comparing
notes over burgers from the mess in Toby's office.
"Have you heard anything from Ainsley yet?" Toby asked
"Nothing"
All of the sudden, Sam's head shot up and he said "I think I have
something."
"What is it?" Josh and Toby said in unison.
"A computer security firm that the bank, the landlord and at least
one of the credit card
companies have in common. Simmons and West. It's a company right here
in DC. They
apparently help keep computer systems secure."
"Does that ring any bells Josh?" Toby asked
"Not off the top of my head"
"Do you know if Donna has ever dealt with them for any reason?"
"I wouldn't know why she would have"
"Well lets call and find out a little more about them" Toby said
reaching in to his top
drawer and pulling out a cell phone. "This one is unlisted" he
explained pointing to the
phone as he dialed "In case they have caller ID, there is no use in
letting them know who
they are talking to. It might tend to seal their lips."
When the receptionist answered, Toby explained that he was doing some
research on
computer safety and that he was looking for some information on the
kinds of services
that her company offered.
"Are you looking to hire us?" the receptionist asked in a confused
voice.
"No" Toby said with more patience than he was actually feeling. "I'm
just looking for
some information about your company and the kind of services you
provide."
"Hold on, sir. I'll put you through to the Public Relations
Department."
Toby didn't relish the idea of working his way through a whole string
of idiots just to try
to get the information he wanted. However, he didn't want to arouse
any suspicion. He
was trying to figure out the quickest way to get the information he
wanted when the voice
on the other end of the phone froze him in his tracks.
"Public Relations. Mandy Hampton speaking. Can I help you?"
Toby disconnected without saying a word and looked at Josh and Sam in
disbelief.
"What is it?" they both asked at the same time.
"Did either of you know that Mandy was back in town?"
And suddenly it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
11:15 AM
Simmons and West
PR office
Mandy slammed down the phone when the party on the other end hung up
without
speaking. 'Idiot' she thought.
She went on with her work without giving it another thought. She was
completely
unaware that at that very moment, on the other side of town, the
boomerang of revenge
had turned and was heading back in her direction.