The President's Daughter: A Thriller

In the Oval Office, President Pamela Barnes concludes a photo opportunity. Her husband and Chief of Staff, Richard Barnes, dismisses the press for an urgent briefing. He informs her that of Mel’s kidnapping in New Hampshire and her boyfriend’s murder. Richard reminds the president that Mel lost her Secret Service protection when she turned 16.

President Barnes reflects on the different public personas she must maintain and on the controversy over Richard’s appointment. She orders a security briefing and decides to meet with the Keatings, who are en route to Washington, DC. Richard frames the crisis as a political opportunity, advising her to show strong leadership by publicly refusing any potential ransom demand.

Keating arrives at a suite in the Saunders Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, accompanied by Secret Service Agent David Stahl. The suite is being converted into a command center by agents and technicians. Keating’s former chief of staff, Madeline Perry, arrives and takes charge, ushering Keating and Stahl into a bathroom for a private discussion.

Agent Stahl updates them: The FBI is at the crime scene, a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) alert has been issued for a black Cadillac Escalade, and northern border crossings are being sealed.