Khamel (spoiler)

Someone was following Darby to make sure she was okay, it was never confirmed who it was, but the characters speculate that it was someone from the secret service, if memory serves me correctly.

The Bride: You and I have unfinished business.
Bill: Baby, you ain't kidding.

In the book they say it was a CIA agent, the cop "Rupert" that asked Darby some questions at the scene of the explosion. He is thought to be one of the killers but turns out to be a "good?" guy. I haven't seen the film but that's what it says in the book.

It's explained in the film near the end by the Director of the FBI. He said the CIA hired a private contractor named "Rupert" to watch Julia Roberts and protect her. He's in the cast list.

If you were paying close attention throughout, she had a shadow. They drew out the tension by making it look like he might be there to assasinate here, along with Stumpy and Khamel. Then, in an abrupt reversal, he saves her life. (he's the 'cop' who puts her in the car after the explosion) The reason he doesn't actually help her is because he's a CIA black operative...they're not supposed to do any covert operations on American soil. The CIA took the report seriously, Voyles tells us later.

Why is this important? Because it ties up the loose threads of how an inexperienced person was able to evade powerful forces for so long. She had a guardian angel looking after her--which explains her odds-defying escapes.

The CIA did it. A guy named Rupert was following her thru-out.
Did you notice how touchy the CIA director was toward the President's questions in the beginning of the movie? (That first meeting between Prez, Coal, Fbi director and CIA director)

The CIA figured if there was any way to keep President from being re-elected then they wanted Darby to stay safe. The President and CIA had a a tense relationship(implied) And in case the Pelican Brief was for real they wanted her testimony I guess. Altho the CIA could never reveal how they helped her.
So, you could say the CIA actually brought the Prez down by protecting Darby.

Nina