Edge of Honor by Richard Herman Page B

was from Maura, the other from Brian. But it was Brian’s gift that caught their attention. It was a beautiful set of turquoise and silver earrings. She tried them on. “I love them.”
    “They go very well with your suit,” Maura said. “Very Southwest.”
    “Humph,” Sarah muttered. “Someone must have reminded him it was your birthday. I bet Mrs. McMasters picked them out for him.”
    “Be nice,” Maura said. She cast a critical eye over her daughter. “Have you been up long?”
    “Since five. Something came up.”
    Maura looked worried. She was not a sophisticated woman, but every instinct warned her that Maddy had to be protected from being swamped with minor problems or details. “Couldn’t someone else have handled it?”
    “Probably. But I was already awake so I got dressed.” A steward set a plate in front of her. “Thank you, Felipe,” she said. She set to work devouring the light breakfast.
    Maura laughed. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with your appetite.” She changed the subject. “Have you thoughtabout the Family Weekend at NMMI? It’s less than two weeks away.”
    Maddy dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and took a sip of coffee. “I’m not going to be able to make it. Why don’t you go?”
    “Brian will be disappointed,” Maura said.
    “I know.”
    “Can I go?” Sarah asked, suddenly very animated.
     
    At exactly eight o’clock, Turner’s chief of staff and personal assistant escorted her to the West Wing. “I’m sorry, Madame President,” Parrish said, “there was no need to wake you. He should have called me first. It could have waited.”
    Turner did not reply for a few moments. It was a problem common to every major organization. The night duty watch officer who worked for Parrish had overreacted, partly out of zeal, partly to shine in front of the boss. But in this case, the boss was the president of the United States. The message that had started it all was going to require her personal attention anyway and no real harm had been done as she was already awake. But did she need to send a wake-up call to her staff and do some fine-tuning? Then she thought about the message. That was another problem that needed fixing. She considered her options. “Dennis,” she said to her personal assistant, “we need privacy.” The young man walked on ahead to wait for them by the elevator.
    “Richard, there was no damage done this time. I was already awake. But you should have made the decision to disturb me or Maura. That’s the way I want it.”
    “My apologies, Madame President. The watch officer knows that.”
    “Then fire him. But do it right. Ask for his resignation first and offer him another job. But not in the White House. This is a minor thing, in-house only, and I don’t want any bad publicity out of this.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” He waited for her to start walking. But from her stance, there was more coming. He braced himself.
    “Have you had a chance to read the message?” she asked.
    He nodded in answer. “Talk about a screwup.”
    “That’s what I thought. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. Richard, I’ve got to rely on our people to do things right. Otherwise, we’re dead in the water and a sitting target. Am I making myself clear?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    Good , she thought. “When I go in there. I’m going to shake things up. I want people to get the message: No more screwups.”
    “Madame President, what may seem like a gentle shake to you will register on the Richter scale.”
    “Good. I want some shaking going on.”
    “How upset are you?”
    “Minor damage only. Four point five on the Richter scale.”
    Parrish got the message. Everything Madeline Turner did was tightly calculated, even when she was angry. He followed her the rest of the way to the Oval Office. The three members of her Policy Review committee and Mazie Hazelton waited for her. For a moment, Turner considered making Mazie a permanent member of the committee.