Chapters 4-9 Summary

The President hears the details about the two deaths from Chief-of-Staff, Fletcher Coal, said by many to be the real boss. Coal declares this the "perfect crisis," unifying people and allowing the White House to restructure the court without blame. FBI Director F. Denton Voyles and CIA Director Robert Gminski arrive to meet with the President. Voyles insists that Rosenberg and Jensen are dead because they alone refused to cooperate. Gminski is shocked at the President's suggestion that the CIA could be involved.

Shaw awakens before dawn in Callahan's apartment on Dauphine St. in the French Quarter. She hears the news of the deaths on TV, and wakes Callahan, who shocked then perplexed at Jensen's death. Shaw sees that someone cannot afford a Democratic victory next year, with three octogenarians on the court. While morbid, the timing is perfect.

The directors...