“Stand by to go live. Your anchor is Heath,” a voice said in her ear. “You ready?”

“Ready!” Natalie chirped as a flash of excitement raced to her stomach.

Bibb had hired a helicopter and a paparazzi to troll the coastline searching for signs of FLOTUS. According to Hal, the helicopter pilot had located a VVIP yacht in international waters; the pilot was now hovering overhead with a cameraman ready to go live.

A new voice said in Natalie’s ear, “Coming to you in 30. In 15. In 10.”

Silence. Followed by a clash of symbols and thunderous music—the ATN breaking news intro. A tingle ran up her spine.

The next voice was Heath’s. “Welcome back to ATN and our fast-developing breaking news. All eyes are on the glamorous beaches of St. Tropez, a playground for the rich and famous. It’s known for its ten-thousand-dollar-a-night hotel rooms and all-night party scene. And now, perhaps, as the hideaway for the First Lady.” He turned to another camera. “We go now to our own Natalie Savage, who has been tracking Anita Crusoe to the sandy beaches of the French Riviera. Natalie, we have news?”

Natalie smiled, admiring the smooth way Heath handled her intro. Tracking the First Lady to the French Riviera. It was close to the wind but not flying right into it, she thought, wondering if that was actually a valid nautical metaphor.

“Hello, Heath,” she said cheerily. “It’s nearly 4 p.m. St. Tropez time, where the party kids are just starting to wake up from their disco naps. In an exciting development, a member of our team has located a mysterious luxury yacht. There is reason to believe the First Lady could be on board. Luques Frier, a local photographer, is joining us now from a helicopter above the Mediterranean Sea. Luques, tell us what you’re seeing.”

An image of an exceedingly long white yacht floating on teal blue water filled the screen. Its name, the Xury, was stenciled on the transom. The scratchy sounds of a Frenchman talking into a headset came into Natalie’s ear.

“Natalie, we believe this is the yacht of Leonardo DiCaprio.” It came out zuh YAAT of Le-O-NAR-doh Dee-CAP-rio. Luques went on to explain that when the yacht docked the night before, there were reports that the captain had requested extra security to escort his guests to a restaurant on the coast. Paparazzi had materialized, the yacht had pulled away without disgorging any of its elusive guests, and for these reasons, Luques believed the First Lady was on board.

“Interesting. So you believe the First Lady is on board because the guests required security? Do we have any other information validating that?” Natalie asked, troubled he’d jumped to such a conclusion.

“Hey! Go along with it!” a voice in her ear said. In her peripheral vision, she could see Matt putting his head in his hands.