That was so shallow, she thought. It’s nobody’s fault, really, it’s just normal life, and yadda yadda yadda: that was more of an excuse than an explanation. She did not believe it for a second, but she felt no impulse to contradict him.
Gerry got off the bed and went to the door.
Pauline raised a practical issue. ‘Pippa will be awake soon,’ she said. ‘You have to be the one to tell her we’re breaking up. You have to explain it to her as best you can. I’m not going to do that for you.’
He stopped with his hand on the door handle. ‘All right.’ He was clearly unhappy about it, but he could hardly refuse. ‘Not now, though. Maybe tomorrow?’
Pauline hesitated, but on balance she was glad of the delay. Today of all days she did not want to deal with a traumatized teenager. ‘Then at some point we have to announce this publicly.’
‘No rush.’
‘We can discuss how and when. But please don’t let the news slip out. Be discreet.’
‘Of course. Amelia’s worried about it too. It’s going to affect her career, obviously.’
Amelia’s career, thought Pauline; I don’t give half a shit about Amelia’s career.
She kept that to herself.
Gerry went out.
Pauline took from her jewellery casket a gold necklace with a single emerald and drew it over her head. She checked herself in the mirror quickly. She looked presidential. Good enough.
She left the Residence and returned to the Situation Room. ‘What’s happening?’ she said.
Gus answered. ‘President No is putting more and more pressure on the ultras, but they’re holding out. The Chinese still seem to be thinking about how to react to the sinking of the Fujian – they haven’t done anything yet, but they will. You’ve had phone calls from the presidents and prime ministers of many nations including Australia, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore and India. An emergency session of the United Nations Security Council is about to begin.’
‘I’d better start returning calls,’ Pauline said. ‘Start with Japan.’
Jacqueline said: ‘I’ll get Prime Minister Ishikawa.’
But the first call Pauline got was from her mother, who said: ‘Hello, dear. I hope you’re okay.’
Pauline could hear a car engine. ‘Mom, where are you?’
‘We’re on I-90 just outside Gary, Indiana. Your father’s driving. Where are you?’
‘I’m in the White House, Mom. What are you doing in Gary?’
‘We’re heading for Windsor, Ontario. I just hope it doesn’t snow before we get there.’
Windsor was the closest Canadian city to Chicago, but it was still almost three hundred miles away. Pauline’s parents had decided America was no longer safe, she realized. She felt dismayed, though she could hardly blame them. They had lost faith in her ability to protect them. So had millions of other Americans.
But she still had a chance to save them.
She said: ‘Mom, please call me to let me know how you’re getting on. Don’t hesitate, okay?’
‘Okay, dear. I hope you can make everything all right.’
‘I’ll do my best. I love you, Mom.’
‘We love you too, honey.’
As she hung up, Bill Schneider said: ‘Missile warning from the infra-red satellite.’
‘Where?’
‘Wait . . . North Korea.’
Her heart sank.
Gus, sitting next to Pauline, said: ‘Look at the radar.’
Pauline saw the red arc. ‘Just one missile,’ she said.
Bill was wearing the headset that kept him in permanent contact with the Pentagon. He said: ‘It’s not aimed at Seoul – it’s too high.’
Pauline said: ‘Where, then?’
‘They’re triangulating – just a minute – Busan.’
It was South Korea’s second city, a huge port on the south coast with eight million inhabitants. Pauline buried her head in her hands.
Luis said: ‘This wouldn’t have happened if we’d nuked Yeongjeo-dong an hour ago.’
Pauline ran out of patience suddenly. ‘Luis, if all you can say is I told you so, why don’t you just shut the fuck up.’
Luis went pale with shock and anger, but he fell silent.
She said to no one in particular: ‘Let’s see a satellite photo of the target city.’
An aide said: ‘There’s scattered cloud but you can see a lot.’
The picture appeared on a screen and Pauline studied it. She saw a river delta, a broad railway line, and vast docks. She recalled her brief visit to Busan, when she was a congresswoman. The people had been warm and friendly. They had given her an item of traditional dress, a red-and-gold silk shawl, which she still wore.