"Turns out I got to know him better." She said under her breath.
Kyle shrugged his shoulders and looked at the floor.
"Karen, any idea what’s eating them?" Jack said, looking for answers.
"Not a clue. They’ve been that way all day." Karen was inclined to stay out of people’s personal lives, and she expected them to treat her same. She learned long ago it just worked out better that way.
Sam walked over and playfully kicked the backpack that Kyle had dropped by his feet, trying to get a rise out of Kyle, but he just picked up the pack and moved it to the seats farther away.
Jack looked at Colleen for an explanation. She knew she’d have to think of something to change the subject or explain about the locker and the money and the gun, and Mark…
"Anyone else notice something different with Jack’s eyes?" she said with a big smile.
"Now that you mention it, they do look more sparkled," Karen offered.
"Colleen says they take at least ten years off my looks!"
"I did not!" Colleen protested. "I said… well, never mind what I said!"
Colleen started to blush.
"Well, if I did have work done, and I’m not saying I did, it would have to be something really special." Jack paused and winked at Karen. "But hey, I’ve only been gone a few days, right? Not near long enough for any swelling to go down..."
Jack looked at his watch. "We should be refueled by now… anyone want to join me and ride the wind out of this city?"
Cheers erupted from the group. Even Kyle got a smile on his face as he hurried to catch up as they boarded Jack’s waiting jet.
When the pilot announced they had reached cruising altitude, Colleen leaned over and asked Jack, "So, why are we going to DC?"
"Let’s just say I have unfinished business with the senator."
"Well, you never got a chance to tell me how it went in the first meeting…"
Jack looked at Colleen. This was the moment he had hoped for, the chance to tell her about his James Bond moment, but it didn’t feel right. Jack decided to save it for later, and said, "A bit confrontational I’d say. But I think he may be coming around."
"So you’re going back to reel him in somehow?"
"That, as well as follow up on some new intel I picked up while at my office. A hacker broke into my research at San Diego State. The IP was registered to 'W Downs' in Washington."
"Oh Jack, maybe we should let the police handle this?"
""Handle what? We have no evidence remember? No smoking gun that would interest them. All we have is a tale more fantastic than any I’ve ever written! I’m afraid we have to lure this guy into the open ourselves."
"But how?" Colleen asked.
"The senator. There’s some tie-in there that we can exploit, I just know it."
"And what makes you think he will be any more cooperative this time around?" Colleen pressed.
"Because this time I’ve been invited."
Colleen’s expression turned from looking skeptical to confused. "Senator Deason invited us?"
"That’s right. Well, me, at least. He called me yesterday and asked if I could meet with him tomorrow morning. He said he had something urgent to discuss with me. You’re invited too if you want."
"And just what do you think caused this remarkable change of heart?"
Jack glanced over at Karen before replying to Colleen’s question. "Let’s just say I’ve never been more persuasive in my life."
"More like evasive if you ask me! Do you really think the senator is mixed up with William Downs?"
"Well, I know he knows him. His assistant turned all kinds of purple when I bought up William’s name. And when I brought him up to the senator, he tried to cover his reaction. There’s something there all right."
"Ok," said Colleen leaning in for privacy. "But we don’t need to endanger Kyle and Karen in this. And surely Sam has had enough excitement for the year! It isn’t right. Besides, I need to spend some time with you alone. There’s something I need to tell you."
"Sounds mysterious… I need to fill you in on some things too." Jack said as he leaned in for a kiss. The double entendre completely lost on her.
As soon as Colleen, Karen and Sam were asleep, Jack took the opportunity to move back down the aisle to the seat across from Kyle.
"I couldn’t help noticing there’s something bothering you Kyle. Care to talk about it?"
"You mean Colleen didn’t tell you?"
"Tell me what? What’s going on Kyle?"
"Colleen thinks I’m making a mistake. Maybe I am, but it’s my decision you hear? Mine"
Jack listened as Kyle told him about the key, and the locker, and the money.
"You brought a gun and thousands of dollars in cash on board the aircraft?" Jack asked in an alarmed tone.
"Well, yeah. I did some checking online and saw the TSA exempts private aircraft from searches. I didn’t get stopped or anything."
"Son, for somebody who’s great at thinking on their feet, you’re dumber than a second coat of paint! The rules still apply for aircraft over 12,500 pounds… we just squeak under that at ten-six!"
Kyle let out a low whistle realizing how lucky he'd been.
Jack sighed, then got up and went to the cockpit; returning with a concerned look on his face.
"I had to change our destination to Leesburg." Terry thinks there’s too much security at Washington Executive to risk it. Anywhere but DC and we’d be fine, but the rules, even for GenAv, are tougher there, especially for the airports within the perimeter."
"I’m sorry Jack, it’s just another thing I’ve screwed up lately."
"No worries Kyle. I’m just glad I found out in time. It could’ve been disastrous to be caught with a gun and… well, never mind. Now tell me more about this discovery of yours. You say you just happened on those lockers?"
"Honest to God Jack! Colleen wants to make this bigger than it is, but honest, I just stumbled on the lockers, nothin’ more."
"Maybe, but I’m afraid having the gun in your possession makes you at the very least, an accessory after the fact."
"To what?" Kyle shot back.
"Murder, probably. Manslaughter maybe. Throw in institutional espionage too if IFT wants to push it."
"But I didn’t do anything wrong!" Kyle protested. "And this money… well, it wasn’t doing anybody any good stuffed in a locker!"
"Look, Kyle, you have a record. You know how it’ll look if you’re linked to this. You won’t stand a chance. You’ll be just another repeat offender sent back to prison without a second thought."
"But, nobody knows about the money!" Kyle argued.
"Colleen does. I do. As soon as you go around spending it, other people will too. Kyle, are you really telling me you won’t get caught? You’ve been in prison… how many times have you heard an inmate say they never thought they’d get caught?"
Kyle looked down, unable to mount any defense to Jack’s words.
"Kyle, I know it’s a lot of money, and I can see you are conflicted over this thing. Look, I’ll make a deal with you. You agree to turn it in and tell the police everything you know, and I’ll replace half of it out of my own pocket."
Kyle looked at Jack without moving, trying to think of a reply to his offer.
"You would do that?" Kyle said in a breaking voice.
"Sure Kyle, and I’ll even pay the gift tax on it. You’ve already proven yourself in my book. No need to let a staggering amount of money tarnish your hero image." Jack smiled and offered his hand.
"Deal?"
"Yes sir!" Kyle said as he shook Jack’s hand firmly.
"Say, there is something you can help me with in return Kyle."
Kyle looked at Jack with a cautious eye. He’d been in these situations before and in his experience, the return favor was always greater than the favor.
"I’d like you to camp out at the senator’s office for me… kind of be my eyes and ears, you know? Keep track of who comes and
goes, phone calls, that sort of thing."
"Sure, but how do I do that?"
"I’ll try and get you a cover, maybe an intern or something. If that doesn’t work, maybe you can schmooze his assistant, Megan. You’ll like her, very pretty."
_____________________
A company called Consulate Cars offered the only autonomous cab company with service out as far as Leesburg, but cars hired there had the advantage of greater range, allowing them to travel up to 80 miles from their base. Jack made the reservation from the plane and despite the late hour, decided to wait and find accommodations on the cab’s computer.
Kyle had told him how well it worked in Chicago and how the location would be more secure than if he used the Internet. Once in the car, Jack scanned a list of available properties on the cab’s screen, and decided on a condo on K Street. It seemed fitting since K Street was as famous for lobbyists, as Madison Avenue was for advertising, and in a manner of speaking he was in DC to lobby a senator.
Washington was as impressive at night as by day, and the many famous memorials took on an even more inspiring appearance as they drove past. Escaping the threats of Chicago and experiencing the sights of the nation’s capital had caused Jack to let down his guard, so he never thought to check the car’s security function, or to realize it was disabled. And in a city chock full of them, nobody noticed the black limo that had been behind them since they left the airport.
Chapter 34 Coming Clean in D.C.
The next morning Jack rose early, being careful to not wake Colleen. He silently went into the bathroom and stared in the mirror. The serum was working. He could feel it and now he could see it. He dressed and slipped downstairs, following the smell of fresh brewed coffee and the sounds of Karen starting breakfast.
"Are you sure you won’t need us to go with you today?" Karen asked.
"No, we’ll be fine. Washington is a wonderful city. You and Sam will love the trolley tour." Jack said keeping an eye on the time. "There’s just one thing I wanted to tell you Karen."
"What’s that?"
"You know that favor I asked you to do for me?"
"Yeah?"
"It’s working." Jack paused as he reached for her hand. "And thanks!"
Karen stopped, trying to discern the obviously special meaning of his words. Then, as she realized the importance of what he was saying, she noticed it too. Jack’s eyes were different. More 'sparkly' or something.
"You didn’t have to do that you know," she said. "It might not be safe. The trials are not near thorough enough," keeping her voice to a whisper while looking out for Colleen.
"I know, but I wanted to try it before the release, which, by the way, may be a lot sooner than I thought."
"What? How?" Karen asked, surprised by the revelation.
"I think the senator may go public with it soon."
"The senator? Why…"
"I can’t tell you without possibly incriminating you, but I just wanted to say whatever happens, thank you for helping me."
"Okay," Karen said. "Thanks I guess," not quite knowing what she was agreeing to.
Jack’s back was to the door as Colleen came into the kitchen, just as Karen was about to ask him another question.
"See you back here at 5?" Karen said in a loud voice, ending their conversation and alerting Jack to Colleen's presence with her small talk.
"Sure thing," Jack replied, "remember there’s a trolley stop at the Mayflower just a few blocks from here. Here’s some cash in case you need it."
"Gee, thanks Dad!" Karen said as she played along.
"Kyle will be right down" Colleen said putting her hand on Jack’s shoulder. "That was a wonderful gesture Jack. I’m so glad you made the offer, but how will he handle turning the money in?"
"I’m letting my lawyer be the go-between. He knows the department and can make some inquiries to defuse the situation before anyone starts pointing fingers or bringing charges. He should get back to me soon. We’ll figure out the specifics as soon as we make a deal."
"I’m glad." Colleen said. "I was so worried he’d make the wrong decision. And to think I once thought you were just the most awful man!" Colleen stroked Jack’s cheek and gave him a kiss.
In mid-kiss Colleen stopped and looked deeply into Jack’s eyes. "Okay, now I’m sure something’s different. There’s definitely something going on with your eyes! Are they getting… lighter?"
Jack held his hand in front of his face as if it were a mirror and pretended to examine his eyes by peering into it. "No," he said looking from side to side. "I don’t think so… they look the same from this side!"
Jack’s mysterious condition was still on Colleen’s mind as the trio headed for Max’s office.
"You never gave us specifics of how your first meeting went with the senator, Jack." Kyle asked as the limo inched along through heavy DC morning traffic.
Jack paused before launching into the explanation he’d prepared when this conversation presented itself. "That’s because it took a distant second to what you guys were going through with the whole Bamboozle thing, although it had its exciting moments…" Jack said trying his best to be coy.
"Oh," Colleen asked, picking up on his evasiveness. "How so?"
"I’m afraid if I tell you, that would make you accessories."
"Accessories?" Colleen stammered. "To what?"
"I can’t be sure until our meeting, let’s just see if the senator wants to press charges, shall we?"
"Press charges? Jack! What’s going on?" demanded Colleen.
"Nothing that involves you Colleen, at least not directly."
"It isn’t like you to be evasive with me, Jack! Now what’s going on with you?"
Jack sighed. Heavy traffic meant they had a longer drive than Jack had planned on before they got to the Senate offices, and he wasn’t prepared to hold off the inevitable barrage of questions for that long. He realized he’d played his hand too far from his vest. The Consulate Car had just turned into a confessional.
"Remember when we were talking about how best to administer the vaccine?"
"Yes," both Kyle and Colleen answered in unison.
"You know," Jack laughed a nervous laugh. "You really should be flattered by this," he said, hoping to buy enough time that he wouldn’t have to reveal his secret. He suddenly wondered why he ever though she would be impressed by his 'James Bond moment' at all.
"Spill it!" Colleen demanded with an insistent look on her face.
Jack tried again to stall. "You know, I really surprised myself with my ingenuity! Kyle, you aren’t the only genius around here, let me tell you!"
"Jack!" Colleen said grabbing his arm and digging her nails into the flesh. "What happened?"
"Let’s just say I made Max an offer I didn’t let him refuse."
"What does that even mean?" Colleen pressed, digging her nails deeper.
"It means, … I figured we would never get to William Downs without some information from inside his organization. Since there were obvious ties between him and Max, I decided to offer Max an opportunity to come clean."
"And…?" Colleen pushed further.
"And he was going to throw me out of his office!"
"Jack?" Colleen said sternly. She was getting agitated at how much effort it took to draw the story out of him. "What did you do?"
"I injected him with the vaccine."
Colleen shook her head in disbelief. "You what? How?"
"Well, that’s the really cool part!" Jack said, happy to focus on the how and away from the why of his plan. "I found a design online for a 'clandestine syringe' and printed it off on the Makerbot!"
Colleen covered her face with her hands.
"I had it refrigerated in my briefcase the whole time. When I realized he wasn’t going to do the right thing voluntarily…"
"Oh God," moaned Colleen.
"Go on!" Kyle said, eager to hear more details.
"Well, I saw he was ending the meeting, this was my only chan
ce. I slipped the syringe into my palm and stood to shake his hand."
"What possessed you to dose a senator?" Colleen asked now visibly shaken.
"Call it a hunch, but I felt compelled to try it. I didn’t think about side effects until later."
Colleen rubbed her face with her hands again and pulled at her hair; in obvious distress at how horribly Jack’s stunt could go wrong.
The Premise Page 38