David Baldacci - Absolute Power

ABSOLUTE POWER. Copyright 1996 by Columbus Rose, Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

For information address Warner Books,

Hachette Book Group,

1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

ISBN: 978-0-7595-2460-6

A hardcover edition of this book was published in 1996 by Warner Books.

First eBook Edition: June 2001

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.

FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT.... A fast-paced novel that keeps readers on edge, page after page.

Associated Press

SIZZLING ACTION... a well-paced, intricate book.... ABSOLUTE POWER sails on shrewd plotting.

USA Today

RELENTLESSLY ENTERTAINING.

Atlanta Journal & Constitution

THE VERY BEST KIND OF THRILLER: It never, evernot for a single pagelets up on the suspense.

James Patterson, author of Kiss the Girls

A PAGE-TURNING THRILLER.... Baldacci combines all the needed elements: power, money, sex, intrigue, thwarted love, a few heroes, and more than a few villains.

Library Journal

A SIZZLER OF A FIRST NOVEL.... A first-rate storyteller who grabs readers by the lapels and wont let go until theyve finished his enthralling yarn.

Publishers Weekly

BALDACCI BRINGS AN INSIDERS SAVVY TO HIS TALE.

New York Times Book Review

PLENTY OF DANGER AND SURPRISES.... Characters are complex and unpredictable enough to be interesting.

San Jose Mercury News

A SUSPENSE THRILLER THAT KEEPS YOU ENGAGED.

Denver Post

INTENSE, INVIGORATING, THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE. DAVID BALDACCI IS ONE OF THE BEST NEW WRITERS ON THE FICTION SCENE TODAY. THIS IS THE ONE ABSOLUTELY MUST-BE-READ NOVEL THIS YEAR.

Herald (GA)

A GRIPPING, HARD-TO-PUT-DOWN YARN.... BALDACCI IS A BORN STORYTELLER.

Richmond Times-Dispatch

A FIRST-NOVEL BLOCKBUSTER, ABSOLUTE POWER IS A FASCINATING SUSPENSE STORY, ENTERTAINMENT AT ITS BEST.

Stephen Coonts, author of Under Siege

ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP ONCE YOU TURN THE FIRST PAGE. ABSOLUTE POWER is a tightly woven, fast-paced story.

Larry Bond, author of Red Phoenix

A CANT-PUT-IT-DOWN KIND OF PAGE-TURNER. Its fast, provocative, and fascinating. Its part crime story, part love storyfull of passion, violence, and paradox.

Virginian-Pilot

THE ACTION IS NONSTOP.

Orlando Sentinel

POWERFUL... MESMERIZING AND ACTION-PACKED FROM PAGE ONE... ONE MIND TWISTER AFTER ANOTHER.

Tulsa World

A CHILLING SUSPENSE NOVEL.

Dallas Morning News

A FAST-PACED, ABSORBING NOVEL. FASCINATING PREMISE.

Steve Pieczenik, author of Pax Pacifica

TIMELY AND UNUSUAL.... THERES SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY IN THIS FIRST NOVEL. Baldaccis grasp of politics is apparent... his attention to detail is meticulous.

Bookscopes

A SOLID THRILLER.... BALDACCI WRITES WITH THE CONFIDENCE AND ASSURANCE OF A VETERAN NOVELIST.

Flint Journal

ABSOLUTE POWER IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST AND MOST SATISFYING WASHINGTON NOVEL IN YEARS. Taut and suspenseful, its a deadly accurate portrayal of official Washington and the ends to which a president and his claque may go to conceal their misdeeds and retain power.

Ronald Kessler, author of The Sins of the Father

A MUST-READ FOR THE ELECTION YEAR.

Glamour

AN INTRIGUING PLOT AND INTERESTING CHARACTERS.

Christian Science Monitor

TO MICHELLE, my dearest friend, my loving wife, my partner in crime, without you this dream would have remained a feeble glint in a weary eye

TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER, no parents could have done any more

TO MY BROTHER AND SISTER, for putting up with a lot from their younger sibling and still always being there for me

Absolute Power

Total Control

The Simple Truth

Jennifer Karas, for being a terrific friend and avid supporter and for getting the ball rolling way back when. Karen Spiegel, my biggest fan on the West Coast, may there be many huge movies and small statuettes in your future. Jim and Everne Spiegel, for all their support and encouragement.

Aaron Priest, the man who plucked me from obscurity, my friend and agent for life, and a helluva nice guy on top of it. And his assistant, Lisa Vance, who diligently answers every one of my questions, no matter how off-the-wall. And to the Priest Agencys editor-in residence, Frances Jalet-Miller, whose insights and thoughful comments made me dig deeper into my characters and made the book far better in the process.

My editor, Maureen Egen, for making my freshman publication experience so painless and rewarding. And to Larry Kirshbaum, who saw something in the pages very late at night and changed my life forever.

Steven Wilmsen, a fellow writer, who well knows how hard it is, and who fed me good advice and tons of encouragement all along the way. Thank you, my friend.

Steve and Mary Jennings, for technical advice, legwork, and being the best friends anyone could hope for. Richard Marvin and Joe Barry, for technical advice on security systems.

And to Art, Lynette, Ronni, Scott, and Randy for all their love and support.

Here, the words really do fail me.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

LORD ACTON

H E GRIPPED THE STEERING WHEEL LOOSELY AS THE CAR, ITS lights out, drifted slowly to a stop. A few last scraps of gravel kicked out of the tire treads and then silence enveloped him. He took a moment to adjust to the surroundings and then pulled out a pair of worn but still effective night-vision binoculars. The house slowly came into focus. He shifted easily, confidently in his seat. A duffel bag lay on the front seat beside him. The cars interior was faded but clean.

The car was also stolen. And from a very unlikely source.

A pair of miniature palm trees hung from the rearview mirror. He smiled grimly as he looked at them. Soon he might be going to the land of palms. Quiet, blue, see-through water, powdery salmon-colored sunsets and late mornings. He had to get out. It was time. For all the occasions he had said that to himself, this time he felt sure.

Sixty-six years old, Luther Whitney was eligible to collect Social Security, and was a card-carrying member of AARP. At that age most men had settled down into second careers as grandfathers, part-time raisers of their childrens children, when weary joints were eased down into familiar recliners and arteries finished closing up with the clutter of a lifetime.

Luther had had only one career his entire life. It involved breaking and entering into other peoples homes and places of business, usually in the nighttime, as now, and taking away as much of their property as he could feasibly carry.

Though clearly on the wrong side of the law, Luther had never fired a gun or hurled a knife in anger or fear, except for his part in a largely confusing war fought where South and North Korea were joined at the hip. And the only punches he had ever thrown were in bars, and those only in self-defense as the suds made men braver than they should have been.

Luther only had one criterion in choosing his targets: he took only from those who could well afford to lose it. He considered himself no different from the armies of people who routinely coddled the wealthy, constantly persuading them to buy things they did not need.