Max heard the beep signaling the incoming mail. Flashed across the screen in bright yellow letters were the initials BPDNY. She retrieved the email and quickly scanned the files. None of the male descriptions came even close to that of the corpse. She had hoped the missing person was from Buffalo, making her job easier. Now she would have to tackle Interpol’s FASTID system to widen her search, a search that would now have to include Canada. The Fast and Efficient International Disaster Victim Identification system was the only police database that identified missing persons on an international level.
She tapped furiously at the keyboard and expanded the search radius beyond the Buffalo area to encompass all counties surrounding Lake Erie and the Niagara River. Then narrowing down the search, she focused on persons reported missing within the specific time frame and typed “04/03/2017” and “04/30/2017” in the date range fields. Within seconds, one of twelve pages popped up on the screen. The entire list contained over one hundred names and photos. The chief was right, she thought; the spring cleaning season is upon us. Max knew that in New York State, in the prior year alone, over eight thousand adults had been reported missing. The unspeakable number of missing children was a staggering three-fold.
The screen displayed a photo and a name for each of the missing. For the moment, the photo served no purpose, except to give Max pause each time she saw the face of another child. Her heart wrenched as she thought, I can’t imagine how their families must feel. Skillfully, she tapered her search further by entering the data for the height, hair color, eye color, and sex in the appropriate fields. Then she hit the Enter key. The list was rapidly reduced to seventeen missing persons. She scanned face after face for several pages until one made her flinch. The photo looked eerily familiar, and so was the name printed alongside it.
Without wasting a second, she split the screen on her display. On the right side, she retrieved the case file for Simon Hall. Then after scrolling through several pages, she finally located the report that was made on the day of his infamous jump. It was the testimony from the desk clerk at the Super 8 Motel in Defiance, Ohio. He had testified that a man fitting Simon’s description had checked in the night before. He had registered as Leon Miller. The name Max was viewing on the left side of the screen was the same name. It could be a coincidence was her momentary thought until she clicked on the name and retrieved the Missing Person report. Above the name was printed “April 3, 2017, Port Dover, Ontario.” Below was a photo and description. Max studied the report.
DESCRIPTION
Date(s) of Birth Used: December 21, 1976 Hair: Black
Place of Birth: New York Eyes: Dark Brown
Height: 6’5” Sex: Male
Weight: 230 pounds Race: White
Remarks: Leon Miller was last seen wearing ripped jeans and a gray “Abercrombie” brand shirt. He usually wears his hair just below the ears, parted to the left. There is a scar on his left knee from prior surgery. There are no other distinguishable marks.
THE DETAILS
Leon Miller was last seen leaving his home during the early morning hours of April 3, 2017. He is a commercial fisherman from Port Dover, Ontario. His family reported that his boat was missing from the nearby marina. He has not been seen or heard from since that time.
“Astonishing!” Max exclaimed. “Aside from the slight age difference, Simon and Leon could have been twins from their facial features alone.”
Max reached for the phone.
“Hey, Doc, did you find any evidence of an old knee injury?”
“There was some boney scar tissue on the left femur a few inches above the patella, reminiscent of a football injury. It didn’t seem important to my findings based on the other evidence. Where are you going with this, Max?”
“Would a commercial fisherman be a likely candidate for pitted keratolysis?”
“That would be one of the pitfalls, sorry, occupational hazard. What’s the signif…”
Max cut him off. “The corpse’s name was Leon Miller.”
“Good work. What do you suspect happened?”
“Leon Miller was an alias of Simon’s. And they look like they could be twins. Simon must have switched clothing with him, so there’s definitely a connection between the two. The way I see it—Simon searched long and hard before he found the perfect candidate to help him escape.”
“You think Simon shot him in the same location as his own gunshot wound, except pointed it upward to kill this Miller guy instantly? Huh, interesting theory.”
“Exactly, an attempt to fake his own death. He must have sunk the boat, and with Miller inside. It’s taken this long for the body to resurface and dry out.”
“So Simon is still out there?”
Max didn’t want to contemplate the answer. “I’ll send you the specifics so you can contact the family. Call me after they claim the body.”
“Will do.”
Max sat back, all of a sudden feeling spent. It was late, her head was spinning, and she was more than ready to call it a night. But first, she had to let Stanton know what she had discovered.
“Hey, how are you doing?” she asked, trying to seem lively.
“I’m fine, but you sound tired.”
“I’ve been able to identify the body—It’s not Simon.”
He could tell from her voice that she was distraught, but her statement was resounding. Despite this fact, his trained mind needed verification. He had to ask, “Are you sure?”
Max filled Stanton in on the gruesome details of the autopsy and her discovery that the corpse belonged to a man named Leon Miller. “So Simon is still out there somewhere!” she bellowed.
“Hey Max, I thought there was no connection between the petty crimes and the possibility the corpse was Simon.”
“I still have to consider the possibility!” she shouted again, unable to control her frustration.
“This is only a case. It’s a bad idea to make it so personal. Why is it so upsetting to you anyway?”
“Simon’s making it personal!”
“Whoa! Take a deep breath.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that until we know Simon is dead, it will consume my thoughts like it has Noble’s. I’m being pulled into the same mindset—like it or not.”
“There’s something more going on with you, Max. Level with me.”
“Dammit! I’m angry that he dumped this case on me! Simon was Noble’s nemesis. He was never supposed to be mine!” she blurted out.
“Feel better?”
Max didn’t respond. Having just juggled her own reality and having answered her own gnawing question, she had nothing more to say on the subject.
Stanton wasn’t sure his timing was right, but he took a shot. “Honey, why don’t I come over?”
“Not tonight. This has been a bitch of a day,” she answered, making no attempt to hide her mood any longer.
“I’ll cook while you take a nice, long, hot bath and sip on a nice cool glass of Prosecco. There might even be a backrub available,” was his final plea.
Stanton’s right. I need to chillax. Besides how could I refuse such an offer? Maybe it’s just what I need. “Okay,” she relented, “Give me about an hour and then I’ll meet you at my place.”
“Hey, Max, I love you.”
“Love you too.”
40
THE FINAL SOLUTION
Ever since the president conferenced in the week before, one message had resonated loud and clear. It was delivered in the president’s last words before he signed off: I’ve placed the future of the nation in your hands. The only option is to succeed. Although the words were unsettling, they had an all-encompassing effect on the group. Now they faced the ultimate challenge.
All the members of La Fratellanza were stressed to the limit. They were desperate to return to their families and to resume their normal lives, but it was not in the cards for at least another month. In four days’ time, the president would arrive at the facility and the group would lay ou
t their plan in its entirety. With a few more days of fine-tuning, the president would then deliver his speech. For the remaining weeks, they would continue to operate behind the scenes, literally below ground.
With military precision, Seymour would continuously spin out his infomercials. Chase would conduct the weekly surveys and ensure the media received the polling results. Noble would post the latest results on the website and share them with all social media networks. Hank and Paolo would monitor all the activities of the appointed commissions and draft statements for the president’s weekly addresses. If Seymour’s predictions were correct, and they most always were, positive signs would appear within weeks. Eventually, the day would come when La Fratellanza would resurface, but by then their lives will have changed forever, especially as they would continue to monitor the results of their master plan—albeit from the sidelines.
Noble sat back and watched as the group members shuffled their papers and scanned the data on their tablets. He fully recognized the sacrifices they had made and admired their determination. They doggedly trudged on with an honest desire to save their country. Now it was time to pool the results of their collective contributions into a cohesive plan and implement the Renaissance 2017 Project.
“Let’s get started,” Noble sounded off, garnering everyone’s attention.
Chase stepped to the fore. “I’ve identified the key points from our discussions. Let’s review each step to make sure we’ve covered all our bases. Hold on a moment—Let me pull them up.” He swiped his tablet and the culmination of over two months’ work was summarized by six bullet points on the monitor.
RENAISSANCE 2017 PROJECT
•SPENDING MORATORIUM
•REPEAL UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE MANDATES and FINES
•SIMPLIFY INCOME TAX STRUCTURE
•REFORM ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS
•MODIFY RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICIES
•ESTABLISH PRIVATE COMMSSIONS
Chase began to recap. “Starting with the first bullet, Congress will immediately freeze appropriations for all new spending bills until July 1, 2018. Also appropriations for all Pay-As-You-Go Programs that are not fully funded will be suspended for the same time period.”
“Congress also needs to enforce the PAYGO guidelines,” Hank insisted, and then strengthened his point by asserting, “Certainly, they need to differentiate between policies and politics and stop being sycophants to the special-interest groups.”
Paolo, pleasantly surprised by Hank’s apparent bipartisan declaration, agreed. “Bravo, Hank. They can’t be allowed to punt anymore. Congress has to start running the ball.”
“You two just gave me a great idea!” Seymour exclaimed, as his mind conjured up another image for an infomercial.
“I’ve included the PAYGO component on the website, showcasing all the programs that operate under a deficit,” Noble informed.
Chase motioned back to the monitor, highlighting the second bullet point by running his finger across the sentence on his tablet. “According to my numbers, if the UHA mandates and fines are repealed, the loss in revenue can mostly be reclaimed by eliminating the fraud within Medicare and from the Earned Income Tax Credit claims. This also includes removing all ineligible applicants who signed up for the healthcare plan.”
“And now comes a potentially problematic situation,” Paolo noted, as he gestured to the next point.
Chase picked up and stated, “Personal income and corporate tax rates must be restored to Reagan Era percentages. By further reducing the number of advantageous corporate tax deductions, it will offset the proposed carbon tax and remove companies from the ranks of corporate welfare.”
Seymour chimed in. “We also determined that any reductions in personal income taxes resulting from rate changes will be retroactive to January 1, 2017. The impact will be felt immediately by the American public.”
“I have it noted,” Chase indicated and continued to the next point. “Without a doubt, the greatest drain on government spending is entitlements. The programs must be reformed, particularly with the anti-poverty subsidies. It will also help to identify the illegal immigrants who are on the roster, placing further burdens on the system. Actions to legitimize or deport illegal immigrants must take place, no longer leaving them in limbo at taxpayer expense.”
“Equally destructive to the economy and job growth is the next bullet.” Seymour noted. “All Environmental Protection Agency policies must be reviewed for cost effectiveness, benefits, and timing. The EPA has been placed in a choice position, allowing policies to be imposed without scrutiny.”
Noble agreed. “Thanks to the Baari administration, the clever use of the Clear Act provision gave a non-cabinet post carte blanche to impose regulations, allowing the EPA to become not only the enforcer but the judge.”
“Wearing my nonpartisan suit, at the very least, all timeframes placed on companies to conform to renewable energy standards must be extended,” Seymour inserted, and then threw it back to Noble. “Tada! The next and last issue is your brainchild.”
“Not mine alone. Privatization of government functions that belong in the private sector is nothing new, but having been kicked around over the years, the idea has never passed muster. There’s no denying that it’s proved to be a successful option for many state and local governments. And let’s not ignore the numerous countries that have privatized activities with great success. But first and foremost, a commission will be established to sort out the likely activities and the associated cost impact.”
“I’m in agreement,” Hank stepped in, somewhat surprising the others once again, revealing his new magnanimity. “Neutral commissions should be established for each of the areas we’ve targeted. I’ve been giving this some thought,” he announced. “I know this has been a formula for failure in the past, but by imposing rigid controls and strict timetables, it could prove successful. I’d suggest each commission be comprised of eight senators and eight congresspersons, divided equally between the two parties. Then each party would enlist four retired CEOs from a Fortune 500 company. It would provide a bipartisan commission with private-sector input.”
Noble sat still a moment and then, with an arched eyebrow, he stated, “That could work. I can add a tab to the website for each of the commissions and then publish their mission statements, timetables, et cetera. I’ll design it so the minutes from the meetings can easily be published online. Transparency must underlie all that we do.”
“I’d like to add one more member to each commission—a lobbyist,” Paolo suggested with a little added gusto, knowing he’d get some backlash.
“You can’t be serious,” Chase stated. “You’re inviting the fox into the henhouse.”
“Strange as it may seem, Paolo has a point,” Hank submitted. “Lobbyists are probably the most singularly expert on a specific subject. They tend to focus on a cause or two and grasp the specifics in minute detail.” Directing his question back to Paolo, he reiterated, “Many of whom are your clients. Would you be able to put together a list of names by the industry they represent? People you believe have the integrity to shed their biases, and the capacity to serve objectively on a committee with members of Congress?”
“We’re only suggesting six commissions be established. There’s a wide assortment of competent, scrupulous lobbyists to select from. It will require some fine-grain screening, but it can be done.”
“Chase?” Paolo asked, attempting to solicit his support.
“You don’t have to convince me. But you will have to convince the president and gain the confidence of the American public.”
“Now that it all appears amenable to everyone, I also have a suggestion, rather an exception,” Seymour added, and then he proposed, “She’s not exactly a CEO, but I think that Maryann Townsend would be an asset on the Universal Healthcare Commission. She’s worked on the Act from inception in her role as the First Lady, and will bring a unique perspective, now that she has spent time in the private sector. It will be he
r act of redemption.”
The others couldn’t hold back their smiles at the prospect.
Paolo particularly liked the idea. “I’ll add that to the president’s speech. It will allow him to toss out an olive branch, even if she throws it back at him.”
The time finally arrived for Noble to ask the trillion-dollar question. “Seymour, can you make a cogent argument to convince the American people that this is their way to salvation?”
Seymour didn’t react immediately, which was unusual for him, making it all the more a nail-biter. Then, with characteristic ease, he boasted, “Piece of cake. I told you from the start—In the end it will all be about the message.”
They knew from his tone of voice that his piece of cake could be more than any of them could chew. But surprisingly it didn’t have a negative impact, especially on Chase.
“We’re gonna make this happen!” he broadcasted loudly, as if he were a coach in the locker room.
“Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me as well,” Paolo acknowledged with an unexpected sigh of relief.
“The dynamic speech should be short and to the point, without a lot of fanfare,” Noble cautioned. “I know this president, and he doesn’t mince words.” Noble glanced at Hank and noted the naughty-boy look on his face, and asked, “Yes, Mr. Kramer?”
Maintaining his mischievous expression, Hank replied, “There’s nothing in the constitution that states the vice president and the speaker of the house must sit behind the president when he is at the podium speaking to the Congress.”
The others listened curiously trying to figure out what Hank had up his sleeve.
“During the president’s speech, they should sit in the chamber with the rest of the members of Congress. The president could emphasize that he’s speaking to all Americans, including everyone present before him. He might even want to add that on this occasion he doesn’t require a cheerleader behind him, nor does the opposition.”
The others chuckled while Paolo exclaimed, “Buon idea!” He was falling back on his Italian in a moment of elation.
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