Sweet Revenge
Chapter 14
Rated R
Previously: Charlie found Jed and Abbey sitting next to Emma's body.
Summary: The aftermath
Disclaimer: We realize that in real life, the President is always surrounded by Secret Service Agents, no matter what, but we're branching out here and using the absence of the agents as a plot device.
Charlie found the First Couple. But what he saw frightened him to his core. Jed Bartlet sat down on the ground, cradling a bloody Emma Bradford in his arms. Sitting down next to him, gazing at the grisly site in front of her was Abbey. He didn't need words to confirm it. He already knew it -- Emma was dead. Jed and Abbey sat motionless, staring at the dead, limp body on the ground.
"Where's your agent?" Jed finally asked her.
"I slipped out the sliding door in the back."
"Abbey!"
"I'm so sorry, Jed," Abbey said with tears running down her cheeks.
Jed took her hand and lifted her up as he stood. He took a few steps towards her and swept her into his arms. Pulling his upper body away slightly, he looked into her eyes and gently wiped the tears away with his thumbs. He pulled her back into an embrace, resting his chin on top of her head and whispering "it's okay. It'll all be okay."
After several minutes of comforting Abbey, Jed knew they had a major problem to deal with. He walked over to Emma's body and picked up the gun, the silencer still attached. He kept his gloves on and used a napkin in his pocket to wipe down the weapon. During the process, he sat down next to the body, feeling sorry for the young woman. No matter what her transgressions, he couldn't justify being happy over another human being's death. He began sobbing as Abbey walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned down to bury her face against his back. Jed turned slightly, reaching over Abbey's head to drape his arm around her shoulders and hold her tight against his chest.
Charlie quickly snuck back to the house before being spotted. He wasn't cold, but what he just witnessed caused him to shiver uncontrollably.
Once he regained his composure, Jed continued wiping the gun. He didn't want his or Abbey's fingerprints anywhere on it. Abbey watched him silently. She was still in shock. After he was finished, he placed the gun in the exact position in which he found it, he looked over at Abbey, and slowly approached her.
"We have to call the police and we have to do it before the secret service spots us."
"I know," she said.
"They're going to get nervous if they don't see me soon."
"I know."
"It's okay. We say we were together all night and we just found her body. We ran inside and called them immediately. That's what we tell them."
"What if they don't believe us?"
"They will. They will, Sweetheart."
Jed and Abbey walked back inside the house. Jed called the police and alerted his agents, while Abbey woke up Liz, Doug, Gus, and Ellie. Charlie, who was already up, didn't tell the others what he had seen.
"Where's Annie?" Jed asked his daughter.
"I decided to let her go to Boston, to her friend's house," Elizabeth replied, holding Gus on her lap and snuggling him tightly against her body.
Jed nodded. He may not have been happy about Annie's trip to Boston originally, but right now he was thrilled that he could at least spare his granddaughter the trauma of the events that were about to unfold. There wasn't just one dead body, there were three. Two secret service agents were found shot to death at their post.
The other agents secured the house and the crime scene. When investigators arrived, everyone was questioned separately. Jed told them the story -- his and Abbey's version. He told them the cold New Hampshire air always invigorated them. After a night of singing Christmas carols, he took his wife for a walk on the grounds. That's when they found her. Of course, Charlie and the family knew the truth. They knew Jed and Abbey had a bitter argument and that's why he took off without her. But they weren't about to turn on either one of them, so despite their doubts, they went along with the ruse.
Emma was already dead, Jed insisted repeatedly. And after he checked her pulse, he and Abbey ran to the phone to call for help. Abbey had her own doubts about lying to everyone. If she had been thinking rationally, she probably would have insisted they call a lawyer first, but she didn't. Fortunately, she and Jed only answered initial questions before Jed decided to call Leo and then his attorney. Meanwhile, still reeling from what he witnessed earlier, Charlie, shadowed by an agent, walked out onto the front porch to get some fresh air.
It was a frigid night. Christmas Eve in New Hampshire usually meant cold weather, but this was extreme, even by New England standards. The temperature dropped into the single digits, but that was nothing compared to the cool air the wind brought with it, coupled with the falling snow that blanketed the town. One might consider it a picturesque White Christmas, if only it hadn't been marred by such tragic events. But then again, maybe it was the perfect setting for such a gruesome tale. If it had been summer, no doubt writers would call it a dark, stormy night. Snow as a substitute for rain may not seem as ominous, but it sure can be as dangerous.
For 20 minutes that night, Charlie listened to the scanner traffic he could hear from inside the police cruiser. The highway patrol needed help diverting traffic since they had shut down the interstate from Manchester to the Massachusetts border, thanks to the numerous accidents caused by slick roads.
With every two-toned signal that came over the scanner, Charlie's mind wandered. Tomorrow morning, millions of kids all over the country would wake up to open presents left by "Santa." Tomorrow morning, families would take great joy in surrounding themselves with smiling children and reuniting with relatives on this magical day. But he kept remembering that tomorrow morning, the Bartlets wouldn't be celebrating the traditional Christmas holiday. Instead, they would be separated and questioned as authorities try to piece together the events that led to a young woman's brutal demise on the President's door step.
Back in the house, the police continued taking the President's report, but there was one question, they kept coming back to.
"Where were your agents, Mr. President?"
By the time Ron Butterfield arrived at the farm, the agents knew there would be hell to pay.
"You never leave him unguarded! What about that is hard to understand?" Ron shouted.
"He was walking around on the grounds. We had the perimeter completely secure and he ordered us to stay back," Agent Ted Johnson replied.
"He ordered you?"
"Yes, Ron, I did. I wanted to be alone and with the perimeter guarded the way it was, I felt it was safe," Jed replied.
"If it was safe, I wouldn't be dealing with three dead bodies right now" he said, receiving only empty glares in return.
By the end of the night, three other agents had been fired, Ron forced the President to get back on the plane and head to Washington, where he would be questioned. Tom Martin, an old family friend and attorney, arrived at the farm to help Abbey, who stayed behind to pack. She, Ellie, Charlie, Liz, and Liz's family would be leaving for the White House that night as well, after they were questioned individually. Tom sat in on the grueling sessions with police, stepping in when he thought the questions were out of line.
Meanwhile, Liz called Annie on her cell phone and told her to rush back to the farm. Knowing her daughter would be terrified once she saw all the flashing lights, she explained to her that the family wasn't hurt, but that they needed her right away.
When everyone was ready, they got on the plane and joined Jed back in Washington, knowing the next several days would be filled with more police interviews and press questions. Abbey just hoped she and her husband could keep up the act. It was wrong to lie about how they found the body. She knew that. They were covering up a murder and they would be forever punished by God. But none of that mattered to her right now. She had to do this, for herself, and for Jed.
TBC
Chapter 14
Rated R
Previously: Charlie found Jed and Abbey sitting next to Emma's body.
Summary: The aftermath
Disclaimer: We realize that in real life, the President is always surrounded by Secret Service Agents, no matter what, but we're branching out here and using the absence of the agents as a plot device.
Charlie found the First Couple. But what he saw frightened him to his core. Jed Bartlet sat down on the ground, cradling a bloody Emma Bradford in his arms. Sitting down next to him, gazing at the grisly site in front of her was Abbey. He didn't need words to confirm it. He already knew it -- Emma was dead. Jed and Abbey sat motionless, staring at the dead, limp body on the ground.
"Where's your agent?" Jed finally asked her.
"I slipped out the sliding door in the back."
"Abbey!"
"I'm so sorry, Jed," Abbey said with tears running down her cheeks.
Jed took her hand and lifted her up as he stood. He took a few steps towards her and swept her into his arms. Pulling his upper body away slightly, he looked into her eyes and gently wiped the tears away with his thumbs. He pulled her back into an embrace, resting his chin on top of her head and whispering "it's okay. It'll all be okay."
After several minutes of comforting Abbey, Jed knew they had a major problem to deal with. He walked over to Emma's body and picked up the gun, the silencer still attached. He kept his gloves on and used a napkin in his pocket to wipe down the weapon. During the process, he sat down next to the body, feeling sorry for the young woman. No matter what her transgressions, he couldn't justify being happy over another human being's death. He began sobbing as Abbey walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned down to bury her face against his back. Jed turned slightly, reaching over Abbey's head to drape his arm around her shoulders and hold her tight against his chest.
Charlie quickly snuck back to the house before being spotted. He wasn't cold, but what he just witnessed caused him to shiver uncontrollably.
Once he regained his composure, Jed continued wiping the gun. He didn't want his or Abbey's fingerprints anywhere on it. Abbey watched him silently. She was still in shock. After he was finished, he placed the gun in the exact position in which he found it, he looked over at Abbey, and slowly approached her.
"We have to call the police and we have to do it before the secret service spots us."
"I know," she said.
"They're going to get nervous if they don't see me soon."
"I know."
"It's okay. We say we were together all night and we just found her body. We ran inside and called them immediately. That's what we tell them."
"What if they don't believe us?"
"They will. They will, Sweetheart."
Jed and Abbey walked back inside the house. Jed called the police and alerted his agents, while Abbey woke up Liz, Doug, Gus, and Ellie. Charlie, who was already up, didn't tell the others what he had seen.
"Where's Annie?" Jed asked his daughter.
"I decided to let her go to Boston, to her friend's house," Elizabeth replied, holding Gus on her lap and snuggling him tightly against her body.
Jed nodded. He may not have been happy about Annie's trip to Boston originally, but right now he was thrilled that he could at least spare his granddaughter the trauma of the events that were about to unfold. There wasn't just one dead body, there were three. Two secret service agents were found shot to death at their post.
The other agents secured the house and the crime scene. When investigators arrived, everyone was questioned separately. Jed told them the story -- his and Abbey's version. He told them the cold New Hampshire air always invigorated them. After a night of singing Christmas carols, he took his wife for a walk on the grounds. That's when they found her. Of course, Charlie and the family knew the truth. They knew Jed and Abbey had a bitter argument and that's why he took off without her. But they weren't about to turn on either one of them, so despite their doubts, they went along with the ruse.
Emma was already dead, Jed insisted repeatedly. And after he checked her pulse, he and Abbey ran to the phone to call for help. Abbey had her own doubts about lying to everyone. If she had been thinking rationally, she probably would have insisted they call a lawyer first, but she didn't. Fortunately, she and Jed only answered initial questions before Jed decided to call Leo and then his attorney. Meanwhile, still reeling from what he witnessed earlier, Charlie, shadowed by an agent, walked out onto the front porch to get some fresh air.
It was a frigid night. Christmas Eve in New Hampshire usually meant cold weather, but this was extreme, even by New England standards. The temperature dropped into the single digits, but that was nothing compared to the cool air the wind brought with it, coupled with the falling snow that blanketed the town. One might consider it a picturesque White Christmas, if only it hadn't been marred by such tragic events. But then again, maybe it was the perfect setting for such a gruesome tale. If it had been summer, no doubt writers would call it a dark, stormy night. Snow as a substitute for rain may not seem as ominous, but it sure can be as dangerous.
For 20 minutes that night, Charlie listened to the scanner traffic he could hear from inside the police cruiser. The highway patrol needed help diverting traffic since they had shut down the interstate from Manchester to the Massachusetts border, thanks to the numerous accidents caused by slick roads.
With every two-toned signal that came over the scanner, Charlie's mind wandered. Tomorrow morning, millions of kids all over the country would wake up to open presents left by "Santa." Tomorrow morning, families would take great joy in surrounding themselves with smiling children and reuniting with relatives on this magical day. But he kept remembering that tomorrow morning, the Bartlets wouldn't be celebrating the traditional Christmas holiday. Instead, they would be separated and questioned as authorities try to piece together the events that led to a young woman's brutal demise on the President's door step.
Back in the house, the police continued taking the President's report, but there was one question, they kept coming back to.
"Where were your agents, Mr. President?"
By the time Ron Butterfield arrived at the farm, the agents knew there would be hell to pay.
"You never leave him unguarded! What about that is hard to understand?" Ron shouted.
"He was walking around on the grounds. We had the perimeter completely secure and he ordered us to stay back," Agent Ted Johnson replied.
"He ordered you?"
"Yes, Ron, I did. I wanted to be alone and with the perimeter guarded the way it was, I felt it was safe," Jed replied.
"If it was safe, I wouldn't be dealing with three dead bodies right now" he said, receiving only empty glares in return.
By the end of the night, three other agents had been fired, Ron forced the President to get back on the plane and head to Washington, where he would be questioned. Tom Martin, an old family friend and attorney, arrived at the farm to help Abbey, who stayed behind to pack. She, Ellie, Charlie, Liz, and Liz's family would be leaving for the White House that night as well, after they were questioned individually. Tom sat in on the grueling sessions with police, stepping in when he thought the questions were out of line.
Meanwhile, Liz called Annie on her cell phone and told her to rush back to the farm. Knowing her daughter would be terrified once she saw all the flashing lights, she explained to her that the family wasn't hurt, but that they needed her right away.
When everyone was ready, they got on the plane and joined Jed back in Washington, knowing the next several days would be filled with more police interviews and press questions. Abbey just hoped she and her husband could keep up the act. It was wrong to lie about how they found the body. She knew that. They were covering up a murder and they would be forever punished by God. But none of that mattered to her right now. She had to do this, for herself, and for Jed.
TBC