The alarmed look on Strom`s face was instantaneous, but she hadn`t been quick enough with her reaction as the Senator was already heading for the stage. The remark itself was worrying, the look in his eyes even more so, and she knew it meant trouble.
Scanning the hoard as he took up position at the lectern, Senator Carlucci tried to pick out a moderate reporter, one who might fire an opening question that would give him full control of the agenda. It was pointless. A sudden hush had descended as an authoritative voice dominated the multitude of questions being fired from all directions, the female reporter for Bloomberg News clearly the winner.
“Given your position, Senator, what steps are you personally willing to take in pursuit of answers to this appalling situation that resulted in the deaths of those three Marines? I`m referring to steps that will protect you from accusations of hiding behind an anonymous Congressional Committee that we all know will snow-job and bury this.”
Already he felt off balance, the aggression attached to the question a surprise. He pushed his shoulders back and tried to sound convincing. “The Congressional Committee will have full investigative powers and I can assure you that no collusion with the military or with political interests will take place. Whatever happened to these boys will be fully exposed.”
Carlucci could see the wave of hostility expressed in every face as a loud voice came from the back. “Usual political bullshit. Unacceptable! As you were asked, tell us what you`re personally going to do to clear up this affair. Tell us the truth, Senator. Have the guts not to hide behind the façade of yet another toothless committee.”
“Hold up there,” Carlucci said, “we have to let the committee do their thing, get to the facts. I know your cynicism is justified, but we run our country on the basis of rules and institutional expertise in order to deliver the proper outcome. That`s a process we must respect. ”
“Congress investigating the military, are you kidding?” shouted someone from the middle of the room.
Before he could answer, a condemnation was thrown at him from another female reporter. “Man up, Senator, these families are looking for justice, so tell us what the military did to those boys?”
“That`s a question full of assumptions, not helpful at this early stage,” he said.
“Then tell us why the government isn`t releasing the information they already hold? There`s national outrage, Senator, people are angry and becoming suspicious.”
“I understand the impatience and the anger. But those boys were U.S. Marines so we have to respect military protocol, a process that takes time if we are to understand the full circumstances.”
The same reporter came right back. “Then can you comment on the leaks emanating from government sources that this situation is more complicated than it looks. What does that mean Senator?”
“Means they`re just leaks, unsubstantiated.”
“People are already shouting cover-up,” said a fiery brunette in the third row.
Carlucci`s forehead creased, his agitation beginning to show. “There is no cover-up!”
A seasoned male journalist at the back, with a voice that commanded attention, brought a sudden quiet to the room. “The parents of those boys went on the record this morning to say that their suffering has been made worse because nobody is telling them anything. Can you promise them that you will personally guarantee to get to the truth of what really happened and why?”
As Carlucci struggled to answer he again heard the words cover-up being mumbled. And now he got it, the position he was in, the proverbial rock and a hard place. He could almost feel the vanishing votes, his slender majority turning tail on him, senatorial career trashed.
His hesitation brought another shout. “Action not words, take responsibility, own this thing, Senator.”
Cursing his lack of preparation, Carlucci turned and looked briefly at Elizabeth Strom waiting in the wings. She met his glance with a look of concern, her open hands indicating no suggestions. Turning back to face the continuing shouts from the now openly hostile reporters, he raised his chin, took a deep breath and surrendered to his opportunistic instinct. He didn`t have the luxury of a few moments to think, knew it was decision time, double down or fold.
With a forced smile he raised his voice and cast his words to the back of the room, the determined tone commanding everyone`s attention.
“I can tell you that there is already mounting evidence the Marines were affected by some change to their personalities, something that led to their undefended beating. As the autopsy found no trace of drugs or any other agent that could be deemed a contributing factor, pointing to their military activities is understandable. So I will declare to you, here and now, that I will undertake my own inquiry, separate from the committee. Their military base will be my target and every resource at my disposal will be used. My investigation will run in parallel to that of the committee but will not be part of it. I believe two investigations will provide a powerful combination of objective inquiry and the best way to get justice for those boys and their parents.”
A strange calm filled the room, suspicion still in the air though diminished; but soon the silence was punctured by a fresh-faced reporter pushing his way forward. “You are guaranteeing a personal inquiry, one of substance, Senator, financed by yourself. That what you`re saying?”
“Correct,” Carlucci said.
The response was instant. “Then how do you propose to achieve that, prove that the investigation findings are not tainted by political interference? You`ll be up against the military and we all know what that means.”
“Your lack of trust in a politician`s integrity is understandable, young man, so let me assure you, the devil will be in the detail. Who will be used and how the truth will be established I intend to share with you at my next Press conference. Everybody will be informed in good time. The method of my investigation will be rigorous, fully transparent and those used to conduct it guaranteed to be beyond political influence. That is my promise to you and the parents of those Marines.”
With questions now being fired from all directions, Carlucci could feel Elizabeth Strom`s eyes boring into him, and a hesitant glance in her direction told him all he needed to know. “That is all I have to say today,” he said hurriedly, “thank you for attending.”
The Senator was into his stride before he had finished the sentence, heading off stage towards Strom whose wide-eyed expression and tight lips indicated deep alarm. Carlucci`s surprise statement had allowed a face-saving end to a difficult session but she knew it was much more than that. It was something that could backfire, and badly.
Elizabeth Strom was regarded as one of the most astute operatives in politics, her twelve years of front-line experience earning her the right to tell it like it was, and now she did just that. Marching to a quiet corner at the end of the hallway, she opened up. “What the hell was that, Senator? Why did you sign up for such a thing, are you crazy?”
“Had no choice, Elizabeth, they were baying for blood, a commitment of substance had to be made. And this could work well for me.”
“Really? And how exactly do you figure that? How do you intend to deliver on such a promise? Any investigation you personally instigate will draw the same charges of complicity. You won`t have an ounce of credibility and when the whole thing goes belly-up the voters will make you pay.”
His reply carried little conviction. “Come on, Elizabeth, they`d do that even if I didn`t take charge. I had to show I`m on their side. The media were expecting the usual snow-job and I`ve turned that around.”
Taking a step forward and displaying an earnest look, Strom emphasised her words. “For the time being! And when their expectations are crushed they`ll bury you. You`ll be linked to the inevitable committee cover-up that we both know is coming and that will be game over, Senator.”
“Won`t let that happen, Eli
zabeth. I know how to play this and it could take me all the way.”
“All the way back to where you started,” Strom said, under her breath.
Carlucci had heard and frowned. “Okay, it was a reflex move and maybe I went too far. So how do I play this thing? How do I run an investigation the media will accept as legitimate? Find me a solution goddamn it, Elizabeth, that`s what you`re paid for!”
“Well thanks for that,” she replied testily, “and for assuming every problem can be fixed by me. This is a heart-felt issue with the voters and their anger is rising at the thought our military could be conducting weird experiments, using our troops as guinea pigs. Reasonable minds don`t buy it, but since when did the public ever apply reason when they`re all fired up. God knows what happens when they find out this military base is in Honduras.”
“I know, that`s going to make them even more suspicious. What the hell are we doing with a base down there anyway?”
“Exactly! Makes it all sound sinister as hell and will only make things worse when it leaks out. Trying to find answers for the grieving parents and allay the public`s fears is win, win. It`s the result that`s going to finish you. If the military is messing about with the creation of some modern day Frankenstein soldier then nobody`s going to find out about it, as we both know. Whatever the result, it`s going to be a cover-up and our strategy is now to make sure all eyes are not on you when it happens.”
“And we do that how?”
She tilted her head and looked at him as if she were a headmistress.“Keep the enemy close. We need to hire the media to do the investigating, but with the force of senatorial power behind them. You know the deal, Senator, live by the Press or die by it. So let`s have them inside the tent pisssing out, as somebody famous once said. ”
“How the hell`s that supposed to work? A national newspaper running my investigation would be a nightmare. No influence over the agenda, no control of the outcome, that`s no damned good!”
“Not a newspaper. You hire your own private team, one with media credibility and the public`s confidence, an experienced investigative journalist to head it up.”
Carlucci raised his eyebrows. “I know that look, Elizabeth. Who have you got in mind?”
“When you were a Congressman you worked with a reporter from the Seattle Chronicle and she turned out to be a savvy operator. She left the Chronicle after that and went out on her own. Why not see if she`ll come on board? A generous fee and the rights to a real big story should be a tantalising proposition.”
“I remember her. Quite an investigation that turned out to be and she was good. But I never got to meet her. She had a side-kick private investigator that I did get to meet. Krench his name was. A rogue operator, cunning as hell and knew how to get the job done. Don`t think he liked me.”
“You remember the reporter`s name?”
Carlucci paused. “Hahn, Jessica Hahn. Real smart girl, ambitious as hell and she sure got results. Krench and her got to places and people others couldn`t. Unconventional to say the least, not afraid to bend the rules.”
“Then that`s the team we need. And it will give you control.”
“Problem is, Hahn didn`t leave the Seattle Chronicle. She was fired.”
Strom looked at him with half-closed eyes. “Fired? What the hell for?”
“That`s another story, but trust me, this girl`s a player, knows how to win. So find her, Elizabeth, bring her to DC.”
“Okay, I`ll find her, then it`s all up to you, Senator. I hope you know what you`ve done here today.”
He smiled at her and said nothing. John Carlucci knew exactly what he`d done.
CHAPTER 2
She sometimes didn`t like the early hours of the morning, even in springtime, the perfect quiet making her feel uneasy as she stared out the window. In the distance she could see the light blanket of sea fog begin to lift and expose the calm waters of Puget Sound, only a mile from the small town that had become her refuge. Jessica Hahn was considering her predicament, as she had done every day since she arrived from Seattle, some thirty miles away. The rental cottage had been ideal in the beginning, it`s low-season costs way below that of the city, but if she didn`t get a new project soon then things would start to get rough. It was now close to three years since her last big-time assignment that had ended in the disgrace of being fired as chief investigative reporter for the Seattle Chronicle. It was an act that had brought her deep resentment and an anger that still lingered. The injustice of it was the worst part, fired not for being wrong but for being right. And now the limitations of freelance journalism were showing up in her finances, next month`s rent and utility charges a struggle, food on the table and gas for her beat up Chevy a stiff challenge.
So the email that had provoked a restless night, an invite from Senator John Carlucci, was not just concentrating her mind, it was unnerving her. She had known him from a previous investigation, but only from a distance, the pair never having met. What she knew of him then was mainly positive, but there had been occasions of doubt, and she knew full well that dealing with Capitol Hill was always a risky business. Given her predicament, any kind of assignment would be snatched at; she knew that. Yet there it was, in the pit of her stomach, that uneasy feeling, the one warning her that political assignments all too often turned out never to be as they seem.
Padding bare-foot across the bedroom`s wooden floor she bent her long legs and picked up a sweater lying by the chair as she contemplated what to wear for the meeting. She knew how to dress well, her mother making sure of that from an early age: quiet statements, quality fabrics and good taste. Not showy, never showy. So it would be a sober outfit, charcoal business suit, white blouse, and her favourite designer belt that had a little colour to it, giving just enough contrast to add interest.
Closing the bedroom`s oak door, its rusty hinges creaking their resistance, she headed downstairs and entered the tiny study. Scratching an itch on the side of her head she stopped at the desk, yawned and then tapped in an instruction to her computer. As she stared at yesterday`s email from the Senator, a surge of excitement hit her. But it was only a momentary sensation as that unnerving feeling in her stomach returned. With a shrug and a breaking smile she squared her shoulders and let out a sigh. “This has to be it, girl,” she told herself, “the one that get`s you back.”
Jessica Hahn was not one to be overwhelmed by occasion and certainly not by people, but her meeting with a United States Senator in the Capitol Building came close. She had waited almost twenty minutes, the prim, tight lipped secretary making no conversation, and now she was finally ready to be received as Senator Carlucci came to the doorway, smiled and beckoned her in.
The office was more modest than she had expected, minimum furnishings, no power-play pieces to impress honoured guests, other than the large American flag-pole in the corner. But contrasting with this quiet display was a wall full of photographs, a dead giveaway to Jessica, as all of them showed Carlucci posing with important people, his pride and ego in plain view.
She figured he was about sixty, sixty five tops, and a man with pride in his appearance: neat haircut, teeth veneers, fingernails that looked manicured. He had sat down unusually close to his large mahogany desk and with an open hand invited her to take a seat. It was now she noticed how warm the room was and it tempted her to remove her suit jacket, but as he was wearing his, she resisted the urge.
Glad to finally meet you, Miss Hahn,” he said.
“And you,” she replied. “I`m assuming this has to do with an investigation.”
“It has. And I like the way you get straight to the point, so I`ll do likewise.”
Before he could continue, Jessica posed a question. “First of all, why me, Senator?”
“You proved yourself during the Hydrax affair by not being afraid to upset important people, and this assignment will have plenty of that.”
She kept her expression neutral, voice low. “Well the day I don`t is the day I give this job up. Too much caution and you`ll get nowhere in this game. Nice girls don`t make it in the world of investigative reporting.”
“I can believe that, and I have a situation that will require special skills, some of which may need to be unconventional, which is why you`re my first choice. As you will have seen splashed over the media this past week, the question of what happened to those three Marines bludgeoned to death in a Texas parking lot has grown into a nationwide clamour for answers.”
“Yes, it was an extraordinary thing. Guys with that kind of fighting expertise turning into scared rabbits as one headline put it.”
“Well it`s become something much bigger than an extraordinary thing. The military is being blamed and accusations of Marines being used as guinea pigs for experimentation are being thrown in the government`s face. We`ve had to set up a Congressional committee to instigate a full inquiry.”
“That will mean a team of investigators with a boat-load of resources at their disposal. So why do you need me?”
“Because they`re there for show, lots of activity, lots of sub inquiries, the whole enchilada, but they won`t get anywhere.”
“Why?”
“Because they don`t want to. Whatever the military is up to it`s been with Congressional approval, so it would come right back on the people who set it in motion.”
She let out a sigh. “Jesus, the good old political horse and pony show, and a few million in taxpayer`s money down the drain, not that it`s any kind of surprise.”
“Welcome to Capitol Hill, Miss Hahn. Congress is what it is and I doubt that will ever change. But you`ll have already figured out that I have another agenda and probably concluded that it`s a self serving one. Well you would be right on the first count and even more right on the second. Believe me when I say that every senator has one overriding priority, one that comes way before righteousness or morality. It is self interest. No if`s, buts or maybes, self preservation rules, and I`m no exception.”
The Cygnus Agenda Page 2