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Back A Firing Offense
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Prologue
  6. I: PARIS (MAY–JULY 1994)
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. II: WASHINGTON (JANUARY–MARCH 1996)
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. III: WASHINGTON–BEIJING (MARCH–MAY 1996)
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. IV: WASHINGTON–BOSTON–MONTREAL (MAY–JULY 1996)
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. V: SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA (OCTOBER 1996)
  53. 43
  54. Acknowledgments
  55. Author’s Note
  56. Praise
  57. Also by David Ignatius

You’re understandably furious at the young reporter who visited Jim and “threatened to destroy him,” as you put it. But in asking those questions about Jim’s experience with depression, he was just doing his job. He may have come on a little strong, but he’s basically a good kid, one of the best at the paper. I have no doubt he regards me with the same suspicion as he does toward Jim, if that’s any consolation. Journalism is a murder-and-create business, and the murderous ones are also the creative ones.

What distressed me most in your letter was the possibility that Jim’s withdrawal from the campaign had triggered a new bout of depression, and your worry that he might try to injure himself somehow. I was so glad for your call last night with the news that Jim had checked himself back into the hospital. That was the right thing to do, and I will do everything I can to protect his privacy.

Mara sends her love. If there is anything we can do to help you now, please let us know. You and Jim are in our thoughts and prayers.

As ever,

Arthur

Another glimpse into the life of Arthur Bowman was a document titled BUDGET.DOC. It recorded his expected income and expenses for the year, and offered a bleak summary of his precarious financial situation. Reading it, I understood better the financial pressures that had driven him toward his alliance with Bézy and Peyron.

1996 ANTICIPATED EXPENSES:
Mortgage $34,000
Housekeeper $18,000
Harry—Amherst tuition, etc. $30,000
Sarah—National Cathedral School tuition $12,500
Martha’s Vineyard house—August rent $10,000
Winter vacation $7,000
Food, etc. $9,000
Mara’s clothes $10,000
AB clothes $3,000
Kids’ clothes & sports equipment $2,000
Sarah’s allowance $1,250
Mara’s therapist $7,500
Athenian Club dues $3,000
AB lunches and spending money $5,000
Mara—Hairdresser, manicure, etc. $8,000
Car payments $8,400
Insurance, etc. $3,000
Utilities $6,000
Money for Mara’s mother $10,000
St. John’s pledge & charities $4,500
Gardeners $4,000
Grand Total $196,500
1996 ANTICIPATED INCOME
Mirror salary $142,000
Special compensation bonus from Sellinger $30,000
Speeches, etc. $10,000
Pretax gross income $182,000
After-tax income approx. $110,000
NEEDED FROM 1996 BÉZY CONTRACT
If held offshore and untaxed $100,000
If declared $180,000

I came upon a final item. It was slugged AB.DOC. At first, I thought the AB stood for Arthur Bowman, and that it was set of personal notes. But it wasn’t that. AB.DOC was a love letter Bowman had written in February to a woman, recalling a trip they had taken earlier that month to the Caribbean. I had to read it twice before I realized who “AB” was.

Dearest Annie: