Mindful of Janice Hoag`s power dressing when they had last met in Knoxville, Jessica had chosen an oatmeal colored linen trouser suit and white cotton top. Janice had dressed down, in ultra casual clothes, lightweight checked shirt, tight jeans and sneakers.
“Looks like we got the dress competition wrong,” said Jessica, laughing.
Janice hesitated, before acknowledging with a restrained nod and half smile. “I guess.”
It was a moment that allowed Jessica to notice the hillbilly girl`s penchant for jewellery. Two rings on one hand, one on the other, a bracelet and a pendant, all in heavy silver. Trying not to be judgemental, Jessica averted her eyes from the garish display and offered a broad smile. “Got to say, Janice we didn`t get off to a good start the last time we met, seemed to be on opposite sides on some things.”
“That would be down to me. Maybe it`s a hillbilly thing. Not quite mastered the art of diplomacy and I`m sure some would say, even good manners. Get a lot of comments behind my back, but I tell it like it is and if it offends then too bad.”
“Fair enough, Janice. Some say that my privileged upbringing made me a stuck-up bitch. So I`ll try not to be.”
It was a comment that seemed to relieve the slight air of tension and Janice Hoag replied with a little more softness in her tone.“Well, the folks I grew up with didn`t understand the difference between discussion and argument, their objective always about victory, regardless of the facts. Law school knocked that out of me, but I guess not all of it.”
“Okay, let`s agree on no bullshit today and we should get along just fine. So what have you got for me, Janice?”
“Jeb`s Panama account we know about, and we reckoned it was to do with that lab down there because of who paid the money in. So, given that all three guys suffered the same behavioural change, you would think they might all have Panama accounts, but they didn`t. Doesn`t mean they weren`t paid though, and after a bit of legal horse trading I found the same type of account in their names, with the same amount paid in. Only difference was that these two accounts were with a Cayman`s bank.”
“How did you get that kind of information?”
“Tracked down the parents of the other two Marines. Went to see them and they were pleased to help. Had no idea how their sons could have had that kind of money stashed away. Trouble is, it doesn`t help us unless we can find out who paid them, hopefully tie it to that Corporation.”
“It`s valuable evidence if we can link it to them, because otherwise it will be assumed to be drug money.”
It was a statement she immediately regretted as Janice came right back at her. ”Knock off that drug shit, Jessica. I told you before, no way was Jeb into drug running and I`m damned sure neither were the other two.”
“Sorry, didn`t mean to suggest they were. Only that others would.”
It was a weak cover-up and both knew it. Jessica was still wedded to the idea that drug money was involved, and knowing how fiery Janice could be she softened her tone. “We need more information on these Caymans accounts and that should be doable as they come under U.S. banking regulations, don`t they?”
“That`s what I figured, but hadn`t counted on our friend Senator Carlucci, that great seeker of justice.”
“What the hell`s he got to do with the accounts?”
“A lot, it turns out. And judging by your tone it looks like no surprise to you.”
“Let`s just say that me and Carlucci have an issue with trust and leave you to arrive at your own conclusion.”
“Already have. I don`t trust the sonofabitch either. I was just one step away from the source of these payments. Had a court order ready to be signed off thanks to the parents then it was challenged by the bank. That rang alarm bells, told me some political clout was at work and it had Carlucci`s fingerprints all over it. I`m sure of that because I`d told him what I was doing.”
“The rat, so how do you get at the information now?”
“Can`t, the old political two-step was at work, hand in hand with these banking bastards. The account`s administration was moved to an offshore affiliate, the paperwork then delegated to another entity, and if I ever get my hands on it, the details will turn out to have been lost in the transfer process, seen it all before.”
“So bang goes the money source, and it looks like I was right about Carlucci,” said Jessica.
“That`s the other reason I wanted to meet. He`s asked me to come and see him on Capitol Hill. Probably reckons a hill-girl will be mesmerised by it all and he can twist me round his little finger, get me on his side.”
“You taking him up on the offer?”
“Damned right I am. This hill-girl`s just as ambitious as any of these other suits and blouses that creep around that swamp they call Congress. Might as well check it out, see what he`s up to and what he`s got to offer.”
“Then can I rely on you to keep me in the loop, what the political side of this thing is really up to?”
“That`s the deal. We work this in tandem, and I`ll make sure Carlucci knows my law firm partners will use their connections to keep on top of things. He won`t like that. But I need your word that you`ll keep me informed, not leave me exposed to any nasty surprises. You promise?”
“Promise. I don`t intend to let any of the bastards involved in this conspiracy get away with it, not without a fight. My career rests on getting a story out of this. I`m not just ambitious, Janice, I`m desperate. Got a future that`s no future at all, so it looks like I`m going to have to get down and dirty from now on. That means in the gutter if I have to, but one way or the other I`m getting my story. So when you see Carlucci, tell him that from me.”
“Is there something I should know here? About you and Carlucci? Why that tone in your voice?”
On the journey to Roanoake, Jessica had engaged in lengthy contemplation as to whether she should tell Janice about the Laredo hit, finally deciding not to. Now, with Janice about to get closer to Carlucci she realised it would be a prudent move.
Offering up a minimal account of the Laredo slaughter and concluding with an emphasis on the huge set-back it meant to the investigation, she sat back and let Janice absorb the implications.
After a few moments and with a lingering expression of shock on her face, Janice responded. “I read about that, it was horrendous. And that was your operation?”
“Yeah, and fortunately it was Arnie who survived.”
“My God, such cold-blooded murder, what the hell have we got her? This is terrifying news.”
“It`s that alright, and why I`m telling you, because I hit Carlucci with an accusation that somewhere along the line he blew it, or maybe even had jumped ship.”
“Wow! How`d that go down?”
“About as well as could be expected. Badly! I lost it, and now we`ve lost him.”
“So maybe I should pull back, stay clear of him?”
“No. Pretend you don`t know about Laredo. Play him along and see if he tells you. And if he doesn`t, then at least with you still communicating with him we may just get some useful feedback.”
“Think you`re maybe underestimating the sonofabitch, he`s a politician for Christ`s sake, crafty as hell. But it`s worth a shot I guess.”
“Well, whoever we`re up against, and it`s powerful players alright, they`ll now think they`ve won. So let`s show them that the little guy can keep coming at them. It`s all we can do. You good with that, Janice?”
“Sure. They don`t frighten me. I`m a hill-girl, remember.”
Jessica felt like replying “how could I forget”, but her instinctive caution regarding trust in Janice was beginning to soften, and right now she needed all the help she could get. “Good, then nestle up to Carlucci, because from here on in it`s going to be one hell of a ride, and I`ve only one shot left at this.”
CHAPTER 27
Senator Carlucci
had been kept waiting, something he was unaccustomed to, and he didn`t like it. Never having met the woman, his first impression concluded that she wasn`t particularly attractive, at least not in the conventional sense. He thought her cheekbones were too prominent and nose a little too strong, a combination that gave her a slightly waspish appearance. He had been warned that her personality held no ambiguity, her colleagues all of the opinion that she was frosty, domineering and abrasive.
Without an offer to sit, Carlucci stood in the middle of her office and spoke with a tone that couldn`t hide his irritation. “Now that the Laredo nightmare is over you can relax, Hahn has nothing.”
“May I suggest you don`t use that tone with me, Senator,” the woman countered. “I call the shots and I will make that judgement. Something you would do well to remember.”
It was a stark signal to Carlucci of how real power worked in DC and the senator knew he had to take the reprimand. He had already underestimated her, a woman who had battled her way to the top, fighting off male dominated promotion committees along the way and taking no prisoners as she did so. The nation`s security was dependent on her cold-hearted decision making, and if ruthlessness was called for then she would apply it without hesitation.
“I suggest you sit, Senator.”
Pulling up a chair, Carlucci continued, now a hint of deference in his tone. “Like I said, Hahn has nothing, she`s finished, and with the witness dead so is the investigation.”
“And?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean there`s more to it than that. Hahn knows about the lab and maybe got something from the Carmen girl when she was in Honduras. Why else go to all that bother then start fishing about in Panama and taking the risks involved in getting the witness into this country?”
“That was my idea. I believed Carmen had something and her father was a Chief of Police down there, so he must have known his daughter was in danger. I figured that the danger had to be connected with her work at the lab, which turned out to be right.”
“But Hahn knows about the payment to Jeb Hoag, maybe even knows about the other payments from that account, sensitive ones that were also sent via Panama. And Senator, we know you have identified the corporation behind the research lab, namely our God-fearing friends in the business of organised religion. That Evangelical power house we never underestimate and neither should you, not with forty million votes behind it.”
“There`s no way in hell Hahn can do anything with what she`s got. I`m telling you she`s done.”
“You`d better be right, because it was you who started this. And what if she has more than you think, gets to the Evangelicals and plans a full exposure?”
“Trust me, not going to happen, she`ll never get to the Corporation.”
The woman straightened in her chair, removed her glasses then fixed her eyes on Carlucci. “There are other considerations, ones you are not aware of.”
“Such as?”
“A strictly confidential matter and you know what that means.”
Carlucci tilted his head to the side. “Do I?”
As a senator with seniority you will be one of the few who know about AMC.”
He drew a deep breath. “That`s who these people are?”
“I didn`t say that. I just said you must know of their existence.”
“Sure I do”, he said, guardedly. “Ah, now I get it. They want to know what`s been discovered in that lab. And it means they want it for military purposes.”
“That`s why your self-perceived genius idea of going after the military set off alarm bells.”
“So you people knew from the start, have monitored this all the way.”
“We`re not amateurs, Senator, far from it. We operate way above the level of Congress, have powers even they don`t know of.”
“Oh we know alright, but just don`t go near it. That Deep-State stuff scares the hell out of us.”
“And so it should, Senator.”
“Masquerading as upholders of democratic principle, no doubt they would claim.”
“I`m going to pretend I didn`t hear that, Senator and I suggest that`s a remark that never passes your lips again.”
Carlucci didn`t nod this time. “So I take it that AMC was behind the Laredo hit?”
“Careful, Senator, don`t go there, it`s not in your interest, and it`s certainly not in mine. I answer to people as well, you know.”
Carlucci knew to be cautious but the woman`s strident voice was getting to him. “Surely you`re not going to deny that your next move will be to go down there and take over that damned lab? That an okay observation to have?”
The woman`s face tightened, lines appearing on her brow. “I have a duty to the nation, been appointed to this position to protect it and that I shall do. What needs to be done will be done.”
“So these three Marines are just collateral damage, don`t count, don`t matter? And not Shawcross either.”
“I`m the mother of two children, Senator, so don`t you cast that aspersion on me! Final decisions are taken above my head, you know that.”
“I apologise, I meant the office you represent.”
Carlucci`s dislike for the woman was intensifying, her aloofness and superior attitude antagonising. But she could cause him trouble and that meant playing it smart. “So what now?”
“Nothing, you do nothing. I need only one thing from you, Senator, your word that no one else knows about this, no member of Congress, nobody!”
“Only Hahn`s right-hand man, private investigator type, name`s Krench.”
“Yes, we know about him.”
“And there`s Jeb Hoag`s sister, an attorney, but she`s short on details. Knows about the Panama bank payments but not the corporation behind it.”
The woman reclined in her chair and allowed herself a thin smile. “Yes, we know about the Hoag woman too, and that`s not all it seems.”
“What does that mean? Hoag`s only got an emotional attachment to this. To get answers for her brother`s death.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Well we`ll see about that, Senator. It`s something that will be dealt with later.”
Carlucci could feel his level of suspicion rise but held back from further confrontation. He knew his frustration was fuelling the anger in him and knew that controlling it was crucial. Being on thin ice in an arena of powerful people, especially the one in front of him, was about as dangerous a predicament as you could get. He said nothing.
“Now what else do you have to report, Senator?”
Now he was on more solid ground. “Well, with your all-pervading surveillance systems and satellite intelligence you people must already know who else has a piece of this thing.”
The statement had an effect Carlucci wasn`t expecting as the woman removed her glasses once more and glared at him. “What!”
Carlucci leaned forward. “My God, you didn`t know? The Israeli`s! You really didn`t know!”
“The hell are you talking about? What have the Israeli`s got to do with this?”
“They financed the lab for Christ`s sake, put hundreds of millions into it. They`re working with the Evangelicals. And you people didn`t know about it?”
“We knew the Christian right had amalgamated into the United Ministries in order to finance the purchase of our country`s two biggest stem-cell research companies, but they did so to close down such research. And they did.”
“Is that right? That`s what you believe? Then why did they move all the equipment out of the country, stash it in Honduras and retain many of the top biologists? I`ll tell you why, or at least what it looks like. What they discovered in taking over the stem-cell research companies was something they could not ignore. But with most of their funds used up they took it to the Israelis who then financed
the lab and all the costs of running it. Wouldn`t be surprised if you didn`t find a bunch of Israeli scientists down there. Carmen`s diary made reference to something called the Cygnus agenda. That could be the key to this whole thing.”
The woman looked shaken. “As good as our covert services are, Senator, we can`t know everything.”
Now Carlucci felt in a stronger position. “Come on, an astronaut can`t get himself across space without bumping into an intelligence satellite. Surveillance stuff`s all over the place. You really didn`t know?”
“Not all our agencies hook up with each other. With such vast amounts of mega-data it can be difficult to tell what`s relevant and what`s not.”
“What you mean is, that with your billions in resources and all that sophisticated spying equipment, you`re left unable to see the wood for the trees. The simplest methods, the tried and tested ones are being ignored in preference of expensive space toys that give you the tiniest detail, yet more often than not miss the big picture. The money trail, it always works. Simple but effective, that`s how we got our break.”
“Well, perhaps as such an accomplished politician you can put a bill before the Senate and send us over a bunch of accountants. Let`s see how we get on with that, Senator.”
With a subtle shake of his head Carlucci leaned back in the chair. “Look, we both know the U.S. gives huge amounts of taxpayer`s money to Israel, a good chunk of it nowhere near as transparent as it should be. And what we have here could be something really sinister, with Israeli deceit playing a big part.”
“Then that would be a matter for the State Department, not me, and I strongly suggest, not you either.”
“You kidding? Knowledge of a clandestine hook-up between the Evangelicals and the Israelis, in a place like Honduras and you just swat it away? Ignore the killings that go with it. What am I missing here?”
The Cygnus Agenda Page 20