“—I had to tell someone. Hoped that I could find someone, not the police or anyone like them, who could do something and, I guess, keep me …”

“Out of it?”

“Yeah.”

“But why me?”

She nodded. “This is going to sound major sicko. But I always wanted to meet you. You seem so …”

Is this a con? A sorority prank? Are her girlfriends waiting to see if she can bring Nick Addis back to her house?

“ … nice, and I thought … God, this sounds so dumb.”

“No, no,” Addis reassured. He figured he had to ride it out.

“I tried to talk to you the other night, but I got scared.”

The woman in the alley?

“But your hair?”

“Oh, a wig. Got a bunch, for when clients ask for something specific. It’s not like they expect it really to be real.”

The two walked along without talking. Addis studied her face. The chin was pointy. There were dark patches beneath her eyes. She appeared to be in genuine distress. They crossed a cobblestoned street. He realized he had not asked her name.

“Just halfway up,” she said. “A group house. But no one else will be around.” Addis braced himself for whatever surprise might be in store.

When they approached the house, Clarence Dunne was sitting on the stoop. He looked at Addis and then at the woman.

“Gillian Silva?” he asked.

17 - U.S. Treasury Department June 26

17

U.S. Treasury Department June 26

Earlier that morning, Dunne had been sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair in a hallway. Two armed guards stood nearby. He was waiting for a dubious honor—to be the first witness called before the Commission on the Assassination of President Robert Hanover. The commission was holding its opening session in an auditorium at the Treasury Department. With the inquiry short of hard facts, the commissioners had decided to begin with “contextual matters.” Today that meant security at the White House.

A uniformed guard escorted Dunne to the witness chair. All commission members were present, including Treasury Secretary Alter, CIA Director Wenner, former U.N. Ambassador Melissa Shea, Senator Palmer, and House Majority Leader Wynn Gravitt. Alter nodded slightly toward Dunne, as Dunne took a seat. The commissioners sat behind two cheap, metal, fold-up conference tables. Dunne was sworn in.

The questioning was conducted by the staff director, a former Capitol Hill investigator who had moved on to a K Street firm. He asked Dunne about his qualifications for the post of White House security chief. He had Dunne describe how previous assassination attempts had been thwarted. They covered the budget for White House security and the quality of the security staff at the White House.

“Were you familiar,” the lawyer asked, “with the memorandum written by Mr. Kelly during the presidential transition that conveyed Mr. Mumfries’s concerns about lax security at the White House?”

“No, I was not,” Dunne said.

“The memo was cc’ed to you.”

“I don’t recall seeing it.”