Lady in Red Pt. 03 Ch. 05

"You're personally a man of above average wealth and you serve in the Senate. You'll be wealthier when you leave office than you were when you were first elected. Why does my similar situation concern you so much?"

"I placed my holdings in a blind trust! That's why!" replied Lancer with some glee as he felt certain that he had ensnared Kate.

"You seem to be asserting that having your very wealthy brother assume control of your extensive portfolio would exempt you from any negative publicity when decisions you make as Senator increase your personal wealth. You expect everyone to believe that you've forgotten what stocks you own, and that your brother would never inform you if he bought or sold any in your name.

"You supposedly had no idea that you owned five thousand shares of Caterpillar when you so strongly supported FEMA purchasing over ten million dollars' worth of equipment from them. I assume you'll be surprised to learn that your vote on the recent communications bill caused Verizon stock to jump almost ten percent, which caused your shares to increase in value by almost fifty thousand dollars," stated Kate.

"Exactly what are you accusing me of?" demanded the red faced Senator.

"Nothing at all, Senator. I'm sure you're innocent of any wrong doing. Any financial gain you received from your political decisions was simply coincidence. If I am allowed to serve as Attorney General, I will never make a decision based on how it will affect me, or any friends or relatives, financially. You've already pointed out that I can easily forego my salary, Senator. It would follow that I don't need to use my position to improve the bottom line of my company. That is not a priority for me.

"Lady in Red is a very profitable, viable, and well-managed company that requires no political assistance from anyone. We pay our full share of taxes. We have no hidden overseas accounts. We've published our financials that anyone can examine every year since Gwen was first elected to Congress. We will not place our company in a blind trust or engage in any sort of sham to make it appear that we don't know full well what is happening within our company," promised Kate adamantly. "It's the belief of the owners that the continued financial wellbeing of Lady in Red will benefit more people around the world than any decisions we make from any office or position we may attain here in Washington.

"Lady in Red helps millions of people in many different ways, and we won't allow that mission to be compromised by political hacks that place person and party ahead of the welfare of our people," stated Kate emphatically. "Do you think that we're wrong to feel that way, Senator Lancer?"

"Do you really want to know what I think?" shot back Lancer. "I think your company's owners are using the occasional good works to create a smokescreen to cover your greed and desire for money and power! This committee is not so naïve as to think Lady in Red is some sort of Utopian entity that exists only to assist those less fortunate. No one needs a hundred billion dollars in assets!"

"It's a rather common trait to project your own goals and ambitions onto others," replied Kate calmly. "My sister, the President of the United States, has asked me to serve her, and my country, as Attorney General. That's a tremendous honor. It demonstrates the faith she has in my abilities. You have approved wealthy nominees many times in the past. Failure to do so now could indicate to the electorate that your inconsistency in this particular decision is a matter of political expediency."

At that moment, an aide hurried to the side of the committee chairman. After a very brief conference the Chairman broke in. "I've just been informed that there's been an attack on the presidential motorcade in Berlin. There's been at least one explosion and shots have been fired. This hearing will adjourn until a future date and time to be determined!"

Kate didn't bother to reply to the stunning announcement. She simply stood and turned to Chip, who was already on his feet. He took her arm in his and led her from the room as rapidly as he could. Chaos ruled as politicians, observers, and reporters rushed to learn more. A large monitor in a library was carrying a cable news station feed. Viewers were gathered around watching in stunned disbelief.

The screen clearly showed a limousine with one front fender that was badly smashed against a street light, while the other front fender still sported a small American flag. The camera was obviously situated on a tall building, or possibly a helicopter. Thick black smoke billowed from an alley and rolled across the street, at times totally obliterating the view of the limousine. When the smoke would drift in the other direction, bodies could be seen strewn about the street and especially near two white vans parked less than a hundred feet from what was obviously President Hammer's limousine.

Police, with weapons drawn and protective shields raised were cautiously approaching the limo. Then the camera zoomed in on a figure standing in the center of the street, Kate gasped as the figure's face came into focus. It was Steve! He was covered in grime with splashes of blood on his neck and seeping from his shirt. He clutched a gun in his right hand as his eyes scanned the scene in front of him. He took a step toward Gwen's limousine before slowly collapsing to the pavement!

I thank Tex Beethoven for editing this chapter and making it a better read.