Sharp Focus A First Daughter Mystery

Chapter One U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY PUBLIC AFFAIRS ACADEMY ANNOUNCES GRADUATION GUEST SPEAKER U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLO.-Elliot J. Cooper, President of the United States of America, is scheduled to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2003 at the 45th U.S. Air Force Academy graduation beginning at 11 A.M., May 28, in Falcon Stadium ... "Good God, Diana. What are you trying to do? Kill me?" I whispered to the woman who was strapping me into the seat. She tightened the harness. "Not at the moment, but I may change my mind if you don't sit back and let me get on with it," she said. My favorite Secret Service agent, Diana Gates, was in the process of restraining me in what looked to me like a death trap. It was the Secret Service's job to protect me and my family. But I was having some doubts about their intentions right now. "Are you absolutely sure this is safe?" I asked. "Nope," Diana said. "But the Air Force is-and they should know." She gave one last pull on a piece of canvas webbing and stepped back, ready to let the professionals take over. Several Air Force cadets stepped forward at her signal to check over every detail of the tiny aircraft I was sitting in, as well as the straps holding me in it. If I hadn't been so busy worrying about my future survival, I'd have appreciated the view a lot more. Bring Me Men-that's what it says in big silver letters on the ramp leading up to the Air Force Academy cadet area. When I'd seen the words, I'd had to hide a smile. The phrase sounded more like the secret plea of a high school girl than a military slogan. Now I was surrounded by an assortment of those very men-trust me, the Air Force's finest are easy on the eyes-and I was literally all tied up and too apprehensive to enjoy it. That was despite the fact that I knew that the men checking my straps were every bit as concerned about my future survival as I was. My dad was, after all, technically their boss. 0 My name is Eve, and I'm the First Daughter. My father is President Elliot James Cooper, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and Leader of the Free World. I just call him Dad. And because of Dad, I was about to take part in something that the Air Force considered a high treat. It's not that I mind flying. I like it-in large jets with even larger wings. With bathrooms. And engines-I like having engines. Lots of them. The more, the merrier. But I was now immovably attached to a flying machine that looked like a child's toy, not an aircraft. And it was completely engine-free. My confidence in the theory of drag and lift shrank accordingly. Diana moved closer once the fly guys gave her the high sign. "You ready?" Despite the fact that Diana had her game face on-that official Secret Service blank stare-I'd gotten to know her well enough to realize she was suppressing a small, unauthorized grin. But Diana's expression didn't keep my attention for long. No, right now I was far more interested in the yellow glider I was sitting in, attached to its tow plane by a rope. Not a steel cable, but a rope. A thin rope. Somehow, that didn't seem right to me. Diana's attention was elsewhere, scanning the tarmac, as she remained on the lookout for danger. In this crowd it was unlikely to materialize, but it was her job to watch. The glider I was sitting in was parked on the runway of the U.S. Air Force Academy, just north of Colorado Springs, right on the edge of the Academy's eighteen thousand acres of beautiful Colorado landscape, and we were waiting for clearance for takeoff. The local Air Force personnel wanted to make sure the time I spent with them was memorable. As I sat in that glider, my face frozen in what I hoped was a pleasant expression, trying not to hyperventilate, I knew they'd succeeded. I was just scared enough to have this moment indeliblyFord, Susan is the author of 'Sharp Focus A First Daughter Mystery', published 0000 under ISBN 9780312284992 and ISBN 0312284993.