DC By the Book

Excerpt: Shortly before his death, Bob Fundwell received the key to the Smithsonian. Not an actual key, of course, but he was placed on the VIP-VIP list. He was a double VIP, member of a rarefied elite composed of only Trustees, Directors and other important personages. The museum had a complicated caste system, based upon rank, donations and, lastly – merit – and he had ascended from the ranks of mere mortals to the highest circle available to the living. In a town that worshiped privilege while professing equality, this was a heady accomplishment. He was allowed access anytime he wanted, to anywhere he wanted, within all nineteen of the Smithsonian’s museums. For an oceanographer and showman like Fundwell, this was getting behind the ultimate velvet rope. Unlike the guilty energy company CEOs who had donated vast sums of their personal wealth for this right, or the grasping Senators who represented millions of constituents, Fundwell had attained his rank solely through his scientific achievements. Or, at least, that’s what he told himself.