“There always is,” said Hynes-Pierce, beneath the sound of the car.

As Addis walked down 37th Street, past the row houses, to Georgetown University, he wondered how Hynes-Pierce had learned of the calls to Louisiana. There were only two choices: this end and that end. Louisiana or the White House. Maybe Mickey Burton had asked around and word had traveled back to Hynes-Pierce. That would be damn quick, Addis thought. The other option was more disconcerting.

As he entered the campus, he passed a Secret Service agent standing at the corner. Addis said hello. The agent’s nod was barely discernible. Not a good time for these guys, Addis thought.

He considered the other option: a leak from within the White House. That ordinarily would not be a surprise. But he had told no one about the calls, and Hynes-Pierce was not the normal recipient of White House tips. Most were dished out rather strategically to the major national reporters, who were delighted to be accomplices in the turf fights of the President’s courtiers. Addis worried about his Louisiana project.

Black bunting hung at the front of Gaston Hall. Addis entered through the front, amid a stream of students. He shook hands with the few who insisted. He displayed his White House pass and went through a magnetometer. A uniformed officer then patted him down. Everyone had to be searched under the new security precautions.

Only days ago, Hanover had been scheduled to deliver a noontime speech here. He was going to unveil a billion-dollar plan to outfit public grade schools with computers. Smart Schools for Smart Kids—O’Connor had proposed the name. Originally, the money was to come from reductions in corporate welfare. But when word of the cuts had leaked, party and campaign fund-raisers requested that the President protect the subsidies enjoyed by companies that were being generous to the reelection effort. At the White House, Mike Finn, Brew McGreer, Dan Carey, and Addis huddled. We can deal with the details later, Carey had asserted. Announce the general plan. Do not propose specific cuts. Vagueness carried a benefit. The industries threatened would be sure to donate, as long as they believed they still had a chance to preserve their cherished tax preferences. Addis argued for specific cuts so the computer initiative would be regarded seriously. After the aides wrangled, McGreer drafted a memo for the President, suggesting that Hanover order a list of potential cuts for his future consideration. Hanover took the advice.

All that was now moot. Mumfries had placed the program on hold. Instead, he planned to use the occasion for a speech on how the country needed to move past the tragedy. Kelly had decided it would be mandatory for the entire White House senior staff to attend. Mumfries also invited Margaret Hanover.

Addis was directed to the bleachers on the stage. One of Kelly’s aides was running about with a seating chart; there were assigned spots for each staff member.