Her reply was instant. “You`re missing my superiority, that`s what you`re missing. Got that Senator?”
He didn`t answer, a returned stare his only reaction as he felt his temper rise once more.
“So, Senator, let me address your position in this affair. From now on this investigation of yours will become a Federal matter under the control of my department. And all evidence you hold, in documentation or in your head, will be given to me personally. Is that clear?”
“Oh that`s clear alright, I just lie back and wait for the Press to tear me apart when this thing blows.”
It was a knee-jerk remark and one he instantly regretted as the woman tore into him. “You`d better pray that never happens, Senator, because you will blow with it. May I remind you that this situation has arisen because of your self-serving grandstanding, playing the hero guy who would get answers that were way above your ability to achieve.”
“I didn`t mean it in that way,” he said hurriedly.
“In a seriously dangerous way you mean!”
“I do have a career to protect, that`s all I`m saying.”
“Well, if you`re careful, Senator I may let you survive. But that depends which side you choose to be on.”
It was a moment when the atmosphere changed, from bad to worse; when the stakes became clear to Carlucci. Adding fuel to the fire, the woman now issued a remark intended to cement her position of authority. “I assume from your raging silence and accusing eyes that you`re contemplating a challenge. But I strongly suggest you resist such temptation.”
It was a move too far, as Carlucci launched himself from the chair, placing both hands on the desk. He knew it was impulsive, knew it was a mistake, but said it anyway. “They had that girl killed, my guy Shawcross too, and now you threaten me, a United States Senator. Who else? Who else is in your sights?”
The woman could have cut the legs from under him right there. She had the power and at this moment she had the inclination. “Horrible decisions are what this country has appointed me to take and that is what I shall do. And your opinion is a bit rich, coming from the swamp you inhabit, so be careful who you insult, Senator. Anyone deemed to be a threat in this situation will be dealt with as necessary and that includes you. This is not minor league stuff.”
Carlucci knew he should back down but didn`t, his voice close to thunderous. “Jessica Hahn`s a good person who stuck her neck out for me and now she thinks I`m a real bad guy. That`s okay. But it wouldn`t be okay if anything should happen to her. Can I be assured that you agree?”
“I can`t control everyone, Senator. Hahn created her own situation in Honduras and that`s nothing to do with me. Now sit down!”
Carlucci`s fierce expression didn`t change as he remained standing. “The hell does that mean? That you can`t control everyone?”
“What I said, that I can only control my side of things.”
“What`s going on here?” he demanded. “You`re not telling me something and I want to know what it is.”
“I`ll tell you this, Senator. I strongly recommend you back off, not involve yourself in something you have no influence over, something I have no influence over.”
Now Carlucci didn`t give a damn. “There`s a threat to Hahn, isn`t there. Well I`m not going to let that happen, no way.”
“I didn`t say there was a threat to Hahn. We`re finished with her, she`s defeated. As you said, her story is dead.”
“Then why the insinuation?”
“Because it`s not an unreasonable observation given the trouble she kicked up in Honduras. You know what these people are capable of.”
“Then you do know something! I`ve surrendered my conscience for this cause but I won`t surrender my soul, so tell me if Hahn`s in danger!”
“Spare me your display of outraged concern, Senator. It cuts no ice with me.”
Reddening in the face Carlucci raised his voice. “A self-serving sonofabitch I might be but I`m not without some moral integrity.”
Now there was undisguised anger in her voice. “Look, I know nothing of any threat to Hahn. Our intel picked up some noise about drug cartel revenge after Greenmire rescued her and Krench. Our Ambassador had a feeling that a response was being organised but everything has gone quiet since, so it was only a threat. Leave this alone Senator, there`s nothing to be done.”
Though her determined tone was convincing, he had met enough accomplished women to know it didn`t always reflect the truth. And what he now sensed was a distinct air of threat in the room, and conceivably directed at him. Displaying a barely hidden look of contempt, he abruptly turned and stormed from her office without further comment. He had expected an immediate order to return, which he had already committed to refuse, but none was forthcoming, leaving him free to slam the door as he left.
With a growing sense of foreboding he hit the sidewalk, carelessly bumping into a briefcase carrying man who returned an angry glare. Carlucci didn`t apologise, hurrying towards his car and his driver who was now opening the door and stepping out. Carlucci said nothing as the driver ushered him to the back seat, mind concentrating solely on the potential consequences of such a combative meeting with someone renowned for ruthlessly getting her way.
The world he operated in demanded that he always bow to greater power, a severe price to be paid if it was ignored. But what he was now becoming more afraid of were unforeseen events, the ones that all too often caused chaos. Things were spiralling out of control, and shaken by today`s developments he knew an alternative strategy was desperately needed. He was now stuck in a dangerous position with no one to trust, something he knew to be a consequence of his own double dealing. Yet a decision had to be made, and fast, but his only options were ones he didn`t want to choose, so bad were the potential outcomes. At this stage of his life he knew courage was a commodity that commanded a hefty price, and by the time Capitol Hill came into view his decision had come with resolute conviction.
CHAPTER 28
It was 32 miles from Seattle International to Harry Dryden`s home, a journey through stretches of forest and along the McKenzie River, an area Jessica knew well. But her mind was not on the scenery as she drove. She was still shocked by the killings in Laredo and by the change in Arnie as he lay on that hospital bed. But there had been more, beyond his decision to quit, and she knew it was the way he had looked at her, and for that she blamed herself. She recognised her compulsion for the precious story, with a total disregard for consequences, and worst of all, a failure to see the danger to Arnie. But regardless, she was determined to press on.
Now she was on her own, with one last throw of the dice that she knew could lead to even more hurt and involved a tactic that included outright betrayal. Starting today, for success, she knew all means would have to be used, no matter the cost, no matter the moral surrender.
Nestled beside a rock-face and surrounded by tall pines, the wooden chalet had been built on stilts, giving a fine view of the distant Cascades. A widower since last year, Harry Dryden had let the place deteriorate and there were signs of neglect all around the property, with shingles missing from the roof and paint peeling from the window frames. Sections of the post and rail fencing were down, the remainder heading that way, the driveway more weeds than anything.
Hearing Jessica`s car approach, Harry opened the door and stood on the stoop, his body hunched over, rubbing his hands as he felt the cool summer breeze. Features drawn he looked gaunt, with eyes that were deeply set yet clearly alert. “Great to see my favorite reporter again,” he said, ushering Jessica up the steps to the house. At the top she turned and surveyed the property. “Don`t you get lonesome up here all by yourself, Harry.”
“Not a bit,” he said, gesturing with an outstretched arm towards the Cascades. “Nature`s good company, never irritates me, never lets me down.”
Looking at him she leaned forward and peck
ed him on the cheek. “Always the maverick.”
Since his forced retirement as editor of The Seattle Chronicle three years ago, Jessica could see he had changed considerably. He looked shabby, his thinning hair unkempt, a pair of thick rimmed glasses giving him the look of a mad professor. But behind the tired eyes, Jessica could see the same burning intensity of old, a mind still agile, and one she needed to tap for guidance on her next move.
“Well, always good to see you, Harry and I wish this was a social visit, but the truth is I need not just your help but your permission.”
He looked at her and smiled. “Doubt there`s much I would deny you, Jessica. We were quite a team and I was very fond of you, still am. So give it to me straight, what do you need?”
Sitting on a couch opposite Harry she began with an outline of her dilemma then sat back and awaited the response.
“Glad to hear Arnie`s okay. Hell of a thing being shot and nearly killed. You guys were a great team when I hired you for the Chronicle investigation. This is an extraordinary tale, one that tells me you have something big here but also something dangerous, and that`s not just based on what`s happened so far. You`re involved in a world of duplicity and deceit, up against powerful people who will crush you if threatened. These sons of bitches never stop, and I hate them as much as ever.”
“I know, but I`m confident that now they`ve eliminated the only witness and with Senator Carlucci bowing out they think any threat to them is gone. I`m not going for total exposure any more, answers to the whole miserable affair. I`m down and out, Harry, because as you know my journalistic career ended after being fired from the Chronicle along with you, and I`ve struggled just to scrape by. My future`s bleak, so this story is my last shot.”
“Then whatever it takes, Jessica, because there`s nothing left in my life to lose, and it sure looks like you need all the help you can get.”
“It`s a big ask, Harry, one I`m ashamed of. My whole strategy rests on something I don`t have control over, and if it goes wrong then people close to me could get hurt. That includes you.”
“Let me worry about the consequences. At my age there are few that could cause me any great harm.”
“But these consequences have a price Harry, a heavy one.”
“Then this must be about taking the rap for illegally infiltrating the Federal Aviation Authority during the Hydrax investigation, am I right?”
“Yes you are. It`s the price that has to be paid to get my story and get to the bottom of this conspiracy.”
“Who are you selling out to? I`m guessing it must be that sonofabitch Preston Fields.”
“It is. He`s the only one that can get me access to whoever`s running the Corporation that owns the lab in Honduras.”
“So Fields wants me, because I ordered the Federal Aviation infiltration that crashed his political career. So what does he get if I roll over?”
“The Governor`s mansion, the power he`s always craved.”
“Well, if I was going to turn you down it would be on that basis alone. But your future is more important to me than that self-serving bastard, so do what you have to, Jessica, and with my blessing.”
“Thank you, Harry. You know how much this means to me.”
“You got canned from the Chronicle because I took a chance on the Hydrax affair so no need to thank me. I`m just making amends. Win out on this, get your story and hopefully some kind of justice for the parents of those Marines. Now who is it that`s behind this off-shore Corporation?”
“Turns out to be the Christian Right, the Evangelicals all united into a single ministry.”
“What? How the hell does that make sense? They`re good people, wouldn`t be involved in anything like this.”
“I know, it`s a real head scratcher. They`re a powerful entity with over forty million members and that kind of influence frightens the hell out of politicians. These ministries are run like the most efficient multinationals. They get huge cash contributions from their followers and even bigger profits from their commercial businesses and media outlets. It`s a combination that wields tremendous political power.”
“So what the hell are they doing with a science lab in Honduras?”
“That`s the thing, and why I think it might not be them who`s running the conspiracy. Can`t see those type of people being involved in the deliberate killing of a Federal witness and our guy, Jackson Shawcross. In the beginning it looked like the drug cartels were in with our military base down there, but the Laredo betrayal indicates otherwise. Reckon Carlucci pulled out because he was playing both ends against the middle, or was just plain scared of who he found himself up against.”
“If the Evangelicals are a front, then what the hell have you got here, Jessica? It looks like a conspiracy that also involves our government, because the Laredo killing must have had political backing. But you`ve got no story now that the witness is dead.”
“That`s why I have only one chance left, I have to get to the Evangelicals.”
“Something`s just not right here, Jess, maybe we`re not seeing the wood for the trees, letting assumption get in the way. I know several ministries got together and went on the war-path a few years back, bought up a bunch of labs that were experimenting with stem-cells, something that winds them up like nothing else. But they closed these labs down.”
“But maybe the Evangelical thing isn`t a front, maybe they`re running the whole show.”
“That could make sense, because these people are committed, even ruthless in their endeavour to further the causes they believe in. Sounds crazy, but carrying on the stem-cell research may be furthering a whole new agenda and that`s why the lab is outside the United States, away from regulation and government oversight.”
“It would be insane. Imagine if that was true and it leaked out, there would be uproar, a threat to the whole Evangelical value system.”
“But that`s based on a truck-load of speculation and could be far from the truth. Got to be careful here, Jessica. And would it mean no military connection, but the government`s involvement indicates otherwise.”
“I don`t have to remind you of one of the first things you taught me about putting a story together. You said stick to the facts, but allow yourself the freedom to apply interpretation. And that`s what I`m after. I want to harness the outrage at what happened to these Marines, find out if sinister experiments are involved.”
“I`ve no problem with that, but take into account who you might really be dealing with, as the Laredo murders prove.”
“Well I`ve got the 5th Amendment behind me but no Senator Carlucci anymore, so I`m having to get down and dirty from now on. That brings me back to the big ask Harry, the sacrifice I need you to make.”
“Go for it, Jessica, because I`d trade my not-so-great life to expose this thing. Spent my whole career doing what`s right and it would be a fitting finale for me. Give me to Fields, he doesn`t scare me and I can assure you that I`ve plenty of ammunition to defend myself. A person like me doesn`t get to my position in life without making powerful connections and building up a list of important people who owe you. And if that doesn`t work, then I`ll remind them that I know where the political bodies are buried. Don`t fear for me, I`ll be fine, and Fields will never get the Governor`s mansion with me in the way.”
Sitting in silence, Jessica could now feel a wave of emotion as she looked at Harry. Regardless of his defiant stance she knew he could go down for this, even once he had pulled in old political favours. Now the remaining challenge to her conscience was Arnie`s situation. His exposure once Preston Fields got to him would carry a hefty price, and right now she wanted to share that burden but knew Harry would call it a step too far. He was way ahead of her on that one.
“You realise what else you`re doing here?” he said. “With Arnie I mean.”
It wasn`t a question, and Jessica offered a gentle
nod, her eyes reflecting an answer she couldn`t bring herself to give. “I`ve yet to figure that one out, Harry.”
When she left the house, with Harry standing on the stoop, he called out to her as she opened the car door. “One last thing Jessica, there`s something that bothers me. Carlucci knew the finger would point at him for the betrayal at Laredo. It must have been him or Senator Thorne, maybe both. So why didn`t he cover himself, create some alternative scenario or just accuse Thorne. Be the smart thing to do.”
She shrugged. “I looked him straight in the eye Harry. I know he was involved.”
On the two hour drive back to her rental home, north-west of Seattle, Jessica went over and over the only strategy she had, the conclusion always the same; no solution to the moral dilemma or her intended act of betrayal. She knew that securing her future meant a choice that appalled her, and Harry`s backing had brought only light relief, the vision in her mind of Arnie in handcuffs a mental torture she could hardly bare.
Pulling up on the driveway she killed the engine and sat for a moment, trying to release the tension in her neck and shoulders. She had been in tough predicaments before but this was different. Others were going to be hurt because of her actions and it brought a rush of thoughts that were becoming tortuous. But through it all she knew her next move required total conviction, no turning back, no matter what.
Having showered, she checked the refrigerator and sighed before heading out to the grocery store three miles away. On the return trip the tiredness began to kick in, the car crossing the central line on several occasions as her eyes strained to stay open. Checking her rear-view mirror she noticed the same car on her tail for most of the way. It was a dark sedan, a town car, not the type you often saw in a rural area. Watching it turn off a half mile or so before the cottage, Jessica relaxed, her mind now returning to the question of Arnie and the dilemma she faced, one that challenged everything she stood for.
CHAPTER 29
The Cygnus Agenda Page 21