by Mark Goodwin
Lopez inquired, “Does that mean the FDIC chair is going to further restrict withdrawals?”
“The Treasury secretary, the president, and I have all urged her to do so. I believe she’ll take our advice. If she doesn’t, the banks will soon have no cash to issue. I don’t think anyone could have anticipated the hoarding of cash in our modern age.”
“Quantitative easing was the term used for the measures used to keep the banking system and the country afloat during the 2009 crisis. Why don’t you think that could work this time?”
The Fed chairman shook his head profusely. “No. No. Quantitative easing consisted of adding to the money supply in order to provide liquidity for the economy. This is not a liquidity crisis. Confidence in the dollar is collapsing in our current predicament. Creating more money would only erode faith in the currency faster.”
Ms. Lopez asked the chairman, “What about the possibility of backing the US dollar with gold from the US Treasury? Is that an option to shore up trust in the dollar?”
Chairman Jones explained, “We haven’t been on a gold standard since FDR. We moved to a fractional gold standard under the Roosevelt Administration. Then, we did away with the gold standard altogether under Nixon. Gold simply isn’t something the world uses as money anymore.”
“Tell that to OPEC,” said the interviewer.
Chairman Jones smiled nervously. “The M2 money supply is well beyond 17 trillion. Total US gold reserves amount to roughly 4,500 tonnes or some 147 million ounces. We’d be talking about a gold price above $100,000 per ounce.”
“It sounds astronomical, but that’s something, isn’t it? It puts a floor on how far the dollar can fall, right?”
Jones sighed, as if tired by the questioning. “Yes, Ms. Lopez—theoretically.”
“Then what’s stopping us?”
“Much of the gold in our reserves has been reallocated.”
“For what?”
“It’s been utilized in market stability programs; various nations lend bullion for reserves to one another. Some of this has been done on a fractional basis. It’s complicated.”
“In other words, the gold isn’t there.”
The heavy lines on his face betrayed his distress. “It still exists. Some of it is in the custody of the Fed. And as I said, some has been loaned to allies…”
“But if I were to open the vaults at Fort Knox and count up all the gold, it would be short of the stated 4,500 tonnes.”
He pressed his lips together and looked at the host like a teenager who’d been caught red-handed sneaking out with the family car. “That’s probably accurate.”
Josh shook his head. “The Chairman of the Federal Reserve just admitted on television that the country is powerless to address the currency crisis. Tomorrow is going to be a bad day, a very, very bad day.”
***
The next morning, Josh was up early once more. He made coffee in the room, being careful not to wake Micah and Stephanie. He was dressed with his itinerary carefully planned for the day by 5:30. His first stop was Home Depot. He arrived in the parking lot slightly before the store opened at 6:00 AM. He used the time to search for a second-hand pickup truck which would serve as his vehicle for his undercover persona.
When the doors opened, Josh quickly made his way up and down the aisles. He purchased the remaining paint needed to complete the house, as well as the other odds and ends required for his new abode. He also picked up twenty plastic five-gallon buckets along with lids which he would use to store his stock of rice and beans, keeping the food safe from bugs and vermin. Next, he selected a sturdy chainsaw and also several gallons of bar-and-chain oil. Lastly, he gathered a selection of hand tools for gardening. The long handles of a shovel, hoe, pickaxe, and metal rake protruded out the end of the cart. Passing the rack of hatchets and axes, Josh noticed the log splitting tools. “I’ve never split wood before.” He examined the maul and various types of wedges. “I guess I’ll try a wedge and a maul. I’ll go with whichever is easier.”
Josh rushed to the checkout and completed his purchase using the new alias credit card. “All of this looks like the kind of stuff a crazy prepper might have. I’ll keep some of it at the new apartment when I find one.”
Once back at his car, he had to carefully plan in order to fit everything into the Charger. The buckets took up the back seat. Most everything else fit into the trunk with the paint going on the passenger’s side floorboard.
Josh tossed the bucket lids in last and closed the back door. He took out his keys and had to press up next to the car when an old pickup pulled up too close to him. Josh eyed the driver who seemed oblivious to what he’d done.
Just then, the passenger kicked the door open, slamming Josh backward into the Charger. He hit his head and everything went black.
Josh regained consciousness slowly. He felt someone’s hand in his pocket.
“Come on! He’s waking up!” called a female voice.
Josh rolled over to see a thin, dusty man getting into his Charger. He looked around for the pickup in time to see the tail lights leaving the parking lot. He tried to get up from the pavement but stumbled. The tires of the Charger spun. A surge of aggression sparked through Josh’s brain, propelling him up from the asphalt. Instinctively, he reached for his gun. “They took my pistol!” Next, he patted his front pocket. “They got my wallet.” Josh tried to run after the car, but instantly, his bad knee gave out. He stumbled, yet managed not to fall. He felt his back pocket. “My phone. Thank God they didn’t get that.” He swiped the screen which was cracked but still functioning.
Josh found the number he wanted and dialed.
“Homeland Security Motor Pool. How can I help you?”
“This is Agent Joshua Stone. My Charger has just been stolen. I need you to lock the doors and cut the engine. In that order. Also, they’re out of sight, and I’m on foot, so I need you to ping my location and guide me to the car.”
A pleasant female voice said, “The doors are locked and the ignition is off, Agent Stone. I have your location. Looks like you’re about five blocks out from the vehicle. Should I contact local law enforcement to assist?”
“No. I need to stay off the local’s radar if at all possible. I’m working undercover in the area.” Josh jogged slowly, limping with his left knee.
“Yes, sir. Continue straight on your current trajectory. You should see the vehicle soon.”
“I think I’ve got it. Can you engage the hazard lights so I know for sure?”
“You should see them now, Agent Stone.”
“That’s it.” He picked up the pace with his impeded gait. Each left step sent a piercing shot of pain up his leg, through his neck, landing right behind his eyes. Every time his left foot hit the ground he became more enraged at the crooks who’d tried to carjack him while he was attempting to safeguard his family.
“Standby,” he said to the operator. “I’ll let you know when I need you to unlock the doors.” Josh stuck his phone in his back pocket and approached the Charger.
The driver looked up at Josh coming nearer and frantically shook against the inside door handle. The female passenger was also in a frenzy, attempting in vain to open her side of the car as well. Josh walked closer, his nostrils flared, and his eyes filled with rage. The driver turned sideways and leaned back. He kicked against the glass with his feet. Josh walked up to the driver’s side window and tapped on the glass with his knuckles.
The driver’s eyes opened as wide as a garbage can lid. He pulled Josh’s pistol from behind his back. He aimed at Josh. Josh ducked and covered his face with his arm.
BANG!
Josh uncovered his eyes. The driver had dropped the pistol and was screaming with his hands over his eyes. The window had stopped the bullet and sent a puff of debris into the criminal’s eyes.
Josh retrieved his phone. “Unlock the driver’s side door now!” He tossed the phone on the ground and listened for the click of the lock. Josh grabbed the door handle
and jerked the car door open. With his free hand, he pulled the perpetrator from the seat, delivering a destabilizing blow to the thief’s head with his elbow. The thin, dingy man dropped to the ground, still reeling from the gunshot. “The glass is bulletproof, you idiot. That’s why you couldn’t kick it out.” Josh saw the Glock lying on the floorboard. He snatched it before the female passenger could make a move for the weapon.
The girl cried and shook the passenger’s door handle more vigorously, as if the only reason it hadn’t opened yet was that she simply hadn’t given the task a good enough effort. “Please, don’t hurt me!” She began bawling and babbling incoherently.
“I should blow your brains out! His, too. Come out of the car on this side. Slowly. Then get on the ground next to your boyfriend, facedown.”
The girl wailed but complied with Josh’s demands. Josh located his phone. “Motor pool, I’m in control of the vehicle. You can reset the security override. Thank you for your help.”
“It sounds like a firearm was discharged. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Can I do anything else to assist you?”
“No, I’m good. I appreciate your help.” He ended the call right away.
Josh retrieved his handcuffs and secured the girl's wrist to the man’s ankle, which would limit their ability to leave the scene before the Frankfort police could arrive. He patted down the male and located the wallet which he’d stolen from Josh. Next, he called the Louisville FBI SAC.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Harris, it’s Agent Stone. Listen, I’m sorry to be a trouble maker on my first day, but I’ve been involved in an incident.” Josh proceeded to explain the attack.
“Are you hurt?”
“A little banged up is all.” Josh felt the bloody gash in the back of his head. “Nothing major.” He took off his new hat and examined the bloodstain.
“Do you have handcuffs?”
“Yes, ma’am. Already on the perpetrators, configured so that they can’t go anywhere.”
“Good. Leave them for the locals. I’ll put in the call. Just text me their location. But you need to get out of there. It’s highly possible that local law enforcement is involved with Patriot Pride. This fringe militia group calling themselves Oath Keepers has infiltrated the military and law enforcement agencies across the country. Their sole purpose is to indoctrinate soldiers and police.
“We’ll get your window fixed later. I’ll send a tech out to replace it early next week. I’m going to let you go so you can handle this situation.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you for your help.”
Josh put his boot on the throat of the man who’d tried to shoot him. “If you two ever see me again, you better run the other way, ‘cause I’ll kill you.”
Josh got in his car, restarted the ignition, and sped away.
CHAPTER 10
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Josh filled a shopping bag with ice from the hotel’s ice machine on the way back to his room on Friday morning. Once inside, he was accosted by his wife and son. “What happened?” Stephanie exclaimed.
“Dad! Are you okay?” Micah examined the cut on Josh’s head.
“I got into a little scrape.” He gave an abbreviated version of the carjacking.
Stephanie had dampened a washcloth during the story and was now cleaning the wound on the back of his head. “Why would anyone try to rob a person coming out of Home Depot?”
“I don’t know,” Josh replied. “I suppose they were just looking for some unsuspecting victim in the pre-dawn hours. They can probably get something for car parts. Plus I’m sure they saw me come out with a big haul. I guess they hoped I’d have something they could sell. Heck, I saw gas selling for over $9.00 a gallon. They could get $200 from a full tank.”
Josh winced as Stephanie finished wiping the blood from his head. “I’m sure the price of heroin and meth are rising along with all other commodities.”
Micah nodded. “A hustler’s gotta hustle.”
Stephanie gave him a scolding look. “Micah!”
“We should get moving,” said Josh. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
The Stones checked out of the hotel, returned the moving van, then went to their new home to complete the various painting, cleaning, and repair projects which the old brick house still required.
Once Josh unloaded the supplies from the Charger, he set up his laptop and searched for a used truck. He located a black 2001 GMC Sierra with under 100,000 miles. He also found a furnished apartment in Versailles, Kentucky. The apartment was over top of a business on Main Street, the small town’s epicenter of activity. This provided a larger parking lot where he could park either the pickup, the Charger, or both. Additionally, the apartment shared the back entrance door with the business, so he could evade anyone surveilling him by wearing a disguise and using the heavily trafficked entrance.
The location was convenient. It was eight miles from Midway, and ten from Frankfort. While not a long drive home, it did provide him ample time to spot a tail in the event that someone attempted to follow him to his family’s residence.
The only downside being that the building was old and had no elevator. Any supplies he decided to keep there would have to be hauled up and down the stairs.
Not wanting to waste too much time on the search, Josh had Micah drive him out to the used car lot to look at the truck. It seemed to be in good repair, so he purchased the vehicle on the spot, using the new credit card. He followed Micah home, then called and made an appointment to see the apartment.
The landlord was an individual investor rather than a management company and handed over the keys in exchange for the check which Josh used to pay the first six months of rent upfront.
He’d secured a vehicle and an apartment by 4:00 PM. He considered trying to rush over to his new cover job to make the address change on his alias driver’s license, but he decided he’d done enough for one day.
***
After dinner, Josh trolled the Patriot Pride Facebook page with his cracked phone. A demonstration in downtown Lexington was planned for Saturday morning at 11:00. “Looks like I’m working tomorrow,” he said to Stephanie.
She cleared the table and looked over his shoulder. “Please tell me you’ll be safe. I never really got used to you being an investigator. Undercover is going to bring on a whole new level of anxiety. At least I had the juice bar to keep me occupied before. Now, I’ll have nothing to do but chew my fingernails.”
“You have plenty of things to keep you busy around the house.”
“That may be true, but I’ll always be watching the clock for you to come home—because I’ll be here, and you won’t.”
“I’ll be around. I promise.”
“You said we were going to go back to church, too,” Stephanie said.
“Yeah, sure. Look around at what’s available in the area and pick out some places you’d like to visit.”
“Church?” Micah protested. “I sleep on Sundays.”
“Well you’re taking classes online now, so you can get up on Sunday and sleep in the rest of the week. That sounds like a good trade-off, doesn’t it?” asked Josh.
“I suppose.” Micah’s eyelids drooped from a quick defeat.
“Maybe you can meet some other kids your age,” Stephanie added.
“It’s just, I don’t see you guys acting like religion is all that big of a deal. I mean, I realize
it’s a tradition and all, but it seems like a waste of time, don’t you think?” Micah replied.
“A waste of time? We go to get closer to God.” Stephanie looked concerned.
Micah smiled. “This isn’t another one of those Santa-Claus things, is it?”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
Micah chuckled. “Like, you know, when a kid is about eight or nine, he figures out his parents were just lying about Santa Claus. When I turn thirty am I going to be like, ha, ha, you guys really had me going with all that stuff about God being real.”
“No, Micah!” she exclaimed. “God is nothing like Santa Claus.”
“I don’t know, omniscient, omnipresent. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake. You have to admit, they’ve got some similarities. Anyway, how do you know there is a God?” he asked.
“Because I just do!” she said.
“Wait, when did you quit believing in God?” Josh asked.
“I didn’t,” Micah said. “I’m only suggesting that you can’t really prove it one way or the other.”
“Look at creation,” said Stephanie. “All of this couldn’t have happened by itself.”
“Officially, yeah, it did.” Micah helped his mother putting away the dishes. “Try putting down any of that creation nonsense on a test in school and see where it gets you.”
“The school system doesn’t know everything,” said Stephanie.
“Then why did you send me there to get an education?” Micah asked.
Stephanie looked at Josh. “Can I get a little help here?”
Josh strained for an answer that wouldn’t sound like he was against the wall. “Sometimes, Micah, you have to eat the grapes and spit out the seeds.”
“What the heck is that?” Micah stared at his father as if disappointed in the response.