The press secretary’s office was tuned to CNN.  They always had a TV set tuned to it and generally two more to Fox and MSNBC.  Jane Lawrey was assigned to take down anything that might be important.  She had been doing this job for weeks and reported nothing.  At 12:32 PM she called her boss, Kathy Sanchez.  I think we have something important happening.  The byline was ‘Missing Secret Service Agent Found’.  The anchor had just announced they would be going to a hospital in northern Virginia.  A woman with a microphone appeared in front of a hospital room.  “We’re here at Memorial Hospital in front of room 534. We learned in the last hour that Gloria Alcot is in this room.  We have asked for an interview and she has graciously consented.  Let’s step inside.”

The woman on the bed had dark hair, her face was pale, there was a man standing next to the bed holding her hand.  The reporter began, “We asked for this interview because of the incident in the south and we appreciate your making yourself available.  Can you tell us what happened?”

The answer was a surprise to everyone.  “I was admitted here the afternoon before the first lady’s trip.  I was scheduled to be on the advance force but I became seriously ill just before we were to leave.  I was admitted here, had surgery that night and did not make the trip.”

“Why were you on the list of agents?”

“That list is made out well before the trip.  It is confidential to avoid security breaches.  When I was unavailable, someone else replaced me.  It is interesting to me that you were able to obtain a copy of that list.  I suspect that someone might be disciplined if the source of that leak were to be known.  I am sure the service knows how may copies of that list were made and who had access.  I understand they are marked so the source will be identifiable.”

“Can you tell me who replaced you?”

“I do not know that.  I was not there.  This information would only have been given to me if I needed it.  Let me reiterate, that list is confidential and is released only on a need to know basis.  Once I was replaced I did not need to know.”