Security Breach. Margaret Daley

Had she helped her cousin somehow? He hoped not. He would hate to have to arrest her if he discovered she had.

      Security had been breached with the two break-ins —likely by someone who had been at the White House before, possibly a frequent visitor or staff member. This probably wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment theft, and he would have to let General Meyer know about this latest development just as soon as he spoke to Selena again.

      Max barked, interrupting Nicholas’s thoughts.

      “Come on, boy. Back to the party.” Nicholas shortened the leash as they headed to the White House to find Selena.

      A voice came over Nicholas’s earbud. “We’ve found Tara Wilkins.”

      With Selena’s keys in her possession? Or, had someone hurt Tara and taken the costume?

       TWO

      “Where is Wilkins? Is she all right?” Nicholas asked Security as he neared the White House.

      “She was found drugged in the ground-floor restroom of the West Wing. The last time she was seen was in the Situation Room where kids were playing video games. Someone must have caught her in the restroom, and then stuffed her into a stall. One of our Secret Service agents found her. She talked to Tara, but the woman doesn’t know who grabbed her. She’s with the doctor in an examination room.”

      “I’m on my way now.”

      “I let Agent Calvert know about Miss Wilkins. He’s already at the medical office with Miss Barrow. He’s going to talk with her.”

      “So am I,” Nicholas said to the man who manned the communication in the security office at the White House.

      “Since he’s working with you on the break-in at General Meyer’s office, I’d like him to be included on anything concerning Selena Barrow. There could be a connection between what happened in her office and General Meyer’s.”

      “I agree.” Nicholas ended the call and moved inside.

      He entered the Diplomatic Reception Room on the ground floor of the main-residence part of the White House. With Max beside him, he crossed the oval-shaped room of pale blue and bright yellow dominating the decor. Over the mantel hung a portrait of George Washington.

      The doctor’s office was located next to the Map Room off the central hall. When Nicholas went inside, Dan stood near the entrance into the examination area, with Selena sitting in a chair in the reception room.

      Nicholas immediately went to her and took the seat next to her. She looked tired and frazzled. He couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t even noon and a lot had occurred in a few hours. He took her hand. “Are you still okay? No slurred speech, double vision or stumbling.” He glanced toward his friend then Selena.

      “No. I’m fine. Just angry. Dan said I could talk to Tara when you two finish. She’s here because of me. I need to make sure she’ll be all right. I want to find out what happened to her. Who did this? In the White House?”

      “I understand. I want to find out the same things.” His gaze locked with hers. “And I will.”

      “I appreciate it.” Her eyes slid closed for a few seconds before connecting with his again.

      Rising, he gestured toward Selena and said to Max, “Sit. Stay.” When Selena glanced from his K-9 to him, he added, “I thought he could keep you company.”

      She petted Max. “Thanks.”

      Before he could head into the exam room, Dan pulled him aside to a private area. “Security is concerned about the link to the break-in at Margaret Meyer’s office, although I’m not sure what the connection would be.”

      “It could be the Michael Jeffries case. Erin Eagleton is Selena’s cousin. Maybe someone thinks she knows where Erin is. My unit has speculated she might know.”

      “Maybe Selena is someone you should get to know better.” Dan winked.

      “Yeah, sure, because Selena will take me to see the cousin she’s hiding. If she does know where Erin Eagleton is, do you think she’d let it slip? Selena is sharp. Anyone who can coordinate this event and retain her sanity has to be.”

      “Personally, I wish they’d drop the tradition. It would make my life as a Secret Service agent tasked with keeping the president safe much easier. I get nervous with so many strangers around here.”

      Nicholas slapped Dan on the back. “Your life is easy. You usually stand around watching people go by. Not too strenuous, if you ask me.”

      “I didn’t,” Dan grumbled as they walked back over to the exam room. He rapped on the door before they entered.

      The nurse left as Dan introduced Nicholas to Ms. Wilkins. “I know you can’t remember much, but he has a few questions concerning what happened to you.”

      “I could use your help, Ms. Wilkins. The person who drugged you and took the Miss Chick costume deliberately bumped into the White House tour director to steal her keys, so anything you can tell me will help me find the perpetrator. Please describe what happened and where you were.”

      The young woman scrunched her forehead and stared down at her hands. “Everything is hazy. I remember leaving the Situation Room and going to the restroom. I was the only one inside. I was surprised because so many people were attending the event, but while I was in the stall, I heard the door opening and someone coming in.” Closing her eyes, she lowered her head for a few seconds. “The last thing I recollect is leaving the stall, a sound behind me, then a prick at my neck. Nothing after that until I was found.”

      “Anything about the person who drugged you. A glimpse? A scent?”

      She massaged her temples then shook her head. “My mind is foggy. I...”

      “How tall are you?”

      “Five feet ten inches. Why?”

      “It gives me an idea how tall the fake Miss Chick is.” Nicholas removed his business card and handed it to her. “If you remember anything, even if you think it won’t help, call me and let me know.”

      “I will, but I didn’t see who it was.”

      Nicholas rose from the chair. “Thank you, Miss Wilkins. Miss Barrow is outside and wants to make sure you’re all right.”

      “I feel so bad. This was a big gig for me.”

      “She’s only concerned about your welfare.” Nicholas left with Dan, and in the reception room motioned to Selena that she could talk with Tara Wilkins.

      Selena passed him, giving him a small smile, but it didn’t wipe the weariness from her expression. While Selena disappeared into the exam room, he waited out in the empty reception area with Max. Nicholas stared at the closed door.

      “I told you Ms. Wilkins didn’t know anything,” Dan said, breaking the silence.

      “I saw Miss Chick approach Selena, and from a distance it appeared the costume fit her well, so the assailant is about the same height. Selena thinks it was a female.”

      “Is she sure?”

      “No, but that will be easy to find out. A male going into a woman’s restroom will probably stand out on the security tapes.”

      “That area of the hallway won’t be on tape. It’s a dead end, but the hallways leading to it are on camera. So any male seen turning the corner could be going to the men’s restroom. It’s taken me years to learn every area that’s covered and the ones not.” Dan grinned. “And then the powers that be change things around.”

      Nicholas paced the room. “Oh, joy. You and I get to watch hours of tape, and we might come up with nothing.”

      Dan shrugged. “You know how investigations go. Most