Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar.
Continued scene from Book of Secrets from Riley's point of view
The way I wish it would have happened
"Ben, if it were you trying to convince me, you would have less evidence, and I would already believe you," I said earnestly.
Ben still doesn't say anything. He's thinking.
Then, he turns to me. "It's not that I don't believe you," he says.
I'm relieved but still a little wary. What is he thinking about then if he does believe me?
"But it is a conspiracy theory, and I just want to make sure that the Book does exist before I try to hunt it down," he continues.
I'm confused. He says that he trusts me and then that he doesn't? He doesn't trust me after all.
Ben starts talking again. "Riley, if the Book exists, how would we see it?"
"We don't," I reply. "It's called the President's Book of Secrets for a reason." I pause. "You would know that if you read my book." I stare at him pointedly.
"Riley," he says again patiently. "How would we see the President's Book?"
"Ben, I just told you. We don't. Not unless one of us becomes President. Which seems kind of unlikely." I am a bit exasperated now.
"I don't think that one of us is going to become President anytime soon either," he replies.
Okay.
"But I think we would still need to see it if that is indeed the symbol for it and it does exist. And we would need to see it soon." He's looking at everyone now. "We would have to get it from the President. We would have to talk to him."
"Ben, even if you were married to the President, you wouldn't get to talk to him," I say.
"Not when he's with his handlers. But if I can get him alone…"
"How do you expect to get the President alone?" I ask incredulously.
"I don't know," he replies. "Kidnap him maybe?" He shrugs.
Abigail gasps.
"That's why I want to be absolutely sure that the Book exists," he says.
He turns to me again. "What you're saying makes sense, Riley. It makes a lot of sense. And if it wasn't something like this, something where if the Book does exist I might end up in prison trying to get it, I would have been with you from the moment you gave me proof."
The release of the missing eighteen minutes of Watergate to the public in '66. I knew that would get him.
"But it isn't that simple. Now I just need to figure out who could verify its existence other than the President that we could get to," he says.
"Sadusky might know," Abigail says suddenly.
Ben nods. "He's high enough up on the FBI food chain. He might even be able to get it for us if it does exist. Now I just have to go meet with him."
Now, everyone's talking about Sadusky, but I could care less.
Ben believes me.
I'm on cloud nine even though suddenly, I'm kind of hoping that I'm wrong about the Book too.
I know I'm right, and I'm with Ben no matter what happens, but I don't really want to have to kidnap the President and end up in prison either.
Kidnapping the President. Prison.
I really hope I'm wrong.