Bibb was speaking before Natalie finished saying hello. “An aide from the First Lady’s office was overheard on his cell phone at a Starbucks. He said the First Lady is in St. Tropez. You’re on a 3 p.m. flight out of National Airport. Get there ASAP.”

Natalie’s heart soared. Breaking news—and a trip to the French Riviera. Score!

Karima took it well. She stood and kissed Natalie on both cheeks. Right before they parted, she whispered. “Sallee LLC. Don’t forget.”

THE EARLYBIRD™/ TUESDAY / 6:34 A.M.

THE E-NEWSLETTER TRUSTED BY WASHINGTON'S POLITICAL ELITE

Good morning, EarlyBirders™. Here are the morning’s need-to-know stories:

BREAKING NEWS: STAFFER OVERHEARD—FLOTUS FLEES TO FRENCH RIVIERA—WHITE HOUSE PANICKED—IS THIS A RUNAWAY WIFE?

Situational Awareness: An EarlyBird™ Timeline of FLOTUS Developments

*8 Days Ago: First Lady a No-Show at Summit Dinner

*4 Days Ago: Video Surfaces of FLOTUS with Mystery Man

*1 Day Ago: Late Word Leaks FLOTUS on Escapade in St. Tropez

*This Morning: No White House Comment, No First Lady Sightings
Networks will be live from St. Tropez’s white sand beaches all day.

¡ATENCIÓN! With 21-year-old Colombian party boy Rigo Lystra still in hiding, Venezuela’s president tells the Washington Post the situation is “ridículo.”

HOLLYWOOD LOVES SONIA: Lystra’s accuser, Venezuelan actress Sonia Barbaro, set to arrive in US this week. Her prize winning film Trafficked premieres in Los Angeles, Friday.

**EarlySponsor™: GlobalCom™ Is Proud to Support the Union of Latin American Nations. In Times of Crisis, ULAN Boosts Regional Cooperation for Peace and Stability.**

16

The Cameraman and the Sea

Natalie sat motionless in a desk chair in front of the muted TV in a room at the Miami Beach Hampton Inn, longing for at least twenty minutes of uninterrupted silence. She was tired of all the voices, including her own. The last time she’d been by herself was in a stall at the Miami airport bathroom seventeen hours earlier. Now she found herself fondly recalling the comparative quiet of flushing toilets and Dyson hand driers.

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of Nelly Jones’s voice, suddenly at full volume, asking, “How would a White House divorce work? We’ll tell you, tonight. 10 p.m. Eastern on TalkTalk Live.”

Opening her eyes, Natalie looked at Matt, seated next to her. He was gripping a remote control which was wrapped in a plastic bag.

Eyeing the baggie, she tried not to giggle.

“What?” Matt asked, spinning toward her. “Why are you smiling?”

“I’m glad to see you’re taking precautions with the remote control. Are you practicing safe TV set?”

“The hotel remote control is a biological petri dish. Touching it would expose me and everyone around me to near-certain contagion.” He said holding the plastic-covered device up for her to see. “The front desk was kind enough to provide this remote control sanitation option and I feel it is prudent to use it.”