Jake placed a quick call through to Colleen's office and told her that he had arranged the meeting with Lucy and she would need to make her way over there, suggesting that they could have a sandwich at the coffee house. She agreed to be there and mentioned that Kenny had said, "Hi and bye," to his Dad before leaving for Texas earlier that morning.
There wasn't much else to do for the rest of the day so Jake googled Valkyrie and re-read the history of Hitler's assassination attempt.
That evening, having injected his cocaine and spruced himself up, he left for the Rocky Mountain Coffee Shop. Mitch had promised to help with monitoring Colleen's safe passage again, after dropping Jake off near the coffee shop at 6:15 p.m.
At 6:25 Colleen walked in and seated herself next to Jake. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, something he had not done since their separation. She blushed slightly, appearing a little uncomfortable but he just smiled and told her how beautiful she looked.
"I have just come straight from work and there was no time to even do my hair or face," she complained.
Jake looked into her eyes and said, "It doesn't matter, Col. You always look great to me, any time of the day or night."
Again she blushed, but appeared to enjoy the compliment. At that moment Lucy Montrose walked through the door, looking around and trying to remember what Jake looked like. He recognized her immediately and stood up, beckoning her to join them at their table.
"Lucy, this is my wife, Colleen. Colleen, this Lucy Montrose."
Lucy shook hands with Colleen and then with Jake. "Again, I want to thank you for helping me that evening." "I said I would love to reciprocate and here I am. Have you ordered?" Lucy asked, looking first at Jake and then at Colleen.
Jake responded, "It's our invitation to you, Lucy, and we will pay. Would you like some coffee, something to eat?"
After the coffee was served, they settled down to discuss the reason for the meeting. Jake did most of the talking, explaining what Jeremy Gibson's mission was, and the finding of Underwood's badge; how Gibson had been pursued by someone and eventually fearing for his life, had left the evidence with a note on Jake's desk.
Jake told her about his decision to monitor a certain Senator's house and the discovery of documents that appeared to tie this Senator to the GICC and a flow of an enormous amount of money that could be pay-offs for falsifying environmental monitoring results. Lucy listened with a patient smile on her lips.
Jake continued to talk about the communication that implicated this same Senator in the disruption of the moon mining project and tying it into the Valkyrie plan. Another suspicious issue was the Senator's meeting with the Deputy Head of the CIA, both mentioning the name Valkyrie.
Colleen added bits and pieces about what she had read about Valkyrie on the internet and how it could tie up with a possible assassination attempt on the President of the United States and that there may be a correlation to July 20, only a few days away.
Jake picked up that thread and told Lucy about a man code-named Condor, who appeared to be the head of the organization, the expeditor of the Valkyrie plan.
Lucy continued drinking her coffee, listening to the story, asking no questions until Jake had finished.
Her first question was, "Who is the Senator?"
Jake stared at her, unable to gauge her feelings, but felt he would trust her anyway. "Arthur Jackson," he stated.
"Jackson?" Lucy said, stiffening up. "He is a slimy one and has vehemently opposed the signing of the Energy Accord from the beginning. It wouldn't surprise me that he was implicated in a plot of some sort."
Jake and Colleen were extremely relieved. It appeared that at last they had made some headway.
Lucy then said, "I had a feeling that somehow, I knew your face from before that night of our first meeting. Now I recognize you, Jake. You're that journalist who tried to depose Jackson regarding his use of public funds for personal pursuits."
Jake nodded. "That was just over four years ago. That whole trial was a fiasco from the start!"
Lucy added sympathetically, "I just want you to know that when I read about it in the papers, I suspected Arthur Jackson was hiding something."
Colleen chipped in, "Our problem is that we don't know who we can trust, or who else to speak to. We need to find someone who is high ranking and influential enough to help us. We thought that since you work at the White House, you may be able to point us in the right direction."
For a moment Lucy was quiet as she thought through certain options. Then she said, "You certainly seem to be onto something, and I believe that my direct boss, Cassie Williamson, will be the man to approach. He's the Chief of Staff and has the president's ear."
Jake was overjoyed to hear it. "That's excellent," he said, "However, I'm sure he will require more proof than we are able to give at the moment—there is proof, but I need to know if it will implicate me by the manner in which I obtained it."
"How do mean implicate you?" Lucy enquired.
"I came by some video illegally," answered Jake. "Tapes of Jackson's conversations with his contacts. Taping without permission is a contravention of the Privacy Act. However," Jake continued, "although they may not be admissible in a court of law, this video and the photos that I have of these other relevant documents could be used to convince the President that Jackson is up to something."
Lucy agreed, "You have a good point."
"So how will we approach the matter?" asked Jake.
Lucy stood up. "Leave it to me. I will have to pick a time to talk with my boss. He has been awfully busy over the past few days with meetings and such. I will see if I can arrange for you to meet him. Call me around 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, and I should hope to have something for you."
"Right on," said Jake, feeling more relaxed. 2:00 p.m. it is then!"
∞∞
Chapter Twenty-Three
A Chilling Observation
Saturday, July 18, 2026
12:00 noon
Jake was preparing a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. The kitchenette in the suite of Mitch's basement contained a single sink on which a plug-in electric, cook-top rested with an electric kettle. Underneath was a drawer housing some sparse cutlery. Also, below the sink on a shelf were a few pots, pans, and the usual kitchen cleaning materials. On a single shelf above the sink were two dinner plates, two cups, and three glasses. Everything in the kitchen area was very compact—a small refrigerator resided in one corner.
He had purchased a few groceries hoping to avoid eating out at restaurants or living on take-outs. The last two years had been spent cooking his own meals but here, in this tiny kitchen, he felt a little out of place, always forgetting where things had been put.
He lavished the buttered slices of bread with dollops of mayonnaise, before dropping on two pieces of ham and then topped it off with three thick slices of cheese.
The television was his constant companion when he was home except he seldom watched any of the programs. Jake used a dongle to stream the video coverage of Jackson's home onto the TV screen for better resolution. It was Arthur Jackson's business he was more interested in and, with sandwich in one hand, a bottle of beer in the other, he settled down to watch.
Jackson's office was empty so Jake rewound the video until the Senator appeared on the scene. Nothing of importance appeared to be happening, apart from Camilla entering the office, a cup of coffee in hand, with Jackson making no effort to acknowledge her.
Jake's cell phone suddenly started vibrating and buzzing, startling him out of detective mode. The beer and sandwich were quickly set down on the side table as he got up to search for the phone. It was still in the pocket of his leather jacket, hanging next to the entrance door of the suite. By the time he reached the jacket and retrieved the phone, it was about to go to voicemail.
"Jake speaking." The number and name on the call display was Evelyn Dodd.
Evelyn was still stressed out about her husband's infidelity, but there seemed to be
a different concern in her tone. "Mr. Dobrowski? I called your work number but the message said you were away for a month. I apologize if I have caught you at an inconvenient time, but I really needed to speak with you."
"No problem, Evelyn. How can I help you?"
"Kevin left yesterday evening after I confronted him and accused him of being with that woman. He didn't even try to deny it," answered Evelyn angrily. "I know that he went to O'Hara's Goat, the Irish pub not far from where we stay. I expected him to come back home later so that we could discuss our future but he didn't return at all."
Jake tried to sound concerned. "He didn't even call to say what he was doing?"
Evelyn took a deep breath and spoke falteringly, "No, but I got a call from Fred, the bartender at O'Hara's. He and Kevin have been friends for a long time. It appears that Kevin was removed from the bar by two men and taken away to God knows where. He left his phone on the bar counter and I fear that he's in some sort of trouble!"
Jake responded, "That does sound a little odd. Do you want me to try to find him?"
"Yes, please, Mr. Dobrowski. I don't care what it costs. Despite what he's done, I still love Kevin very much, and I'm sure we could work this out."
"I will see how I can fit that into my schedule but I'm pretty full up right now, and please call me Jake."
"Thanks, Jake." Evelyn sounded relieved. "I have Kevin's cell phone here if it's of any use to you for follow up."
Jake knew that he had business of greater urgency than finding Kevin Dodd. It would just have to wait until he could find the time.
"I really can't do anything right away, Evelyn. Do you know the phone's password? Try looking through the contact directory for some numbers of people he might have recently contacted. I have to go out now. I promise I will call you in a few hours."
"Yes, Kevin always uses the same password for his low security things. I'll see what I can do in the meantime."
Jake ended the call and went back to finish his lunch. He immediately thought of Jackson. This had to do with Kevin and Camilla. The Senator wanted to get even and there was no telling what he would do. Was Kevin's involvement more than just an illicit love affair? Or was Jackson simply bent on revenge?
Conflicting thoughts raged through Jake's mind as he finished off the sandwich and gulped down the remainder of his beer. He needed to find out more, but at least there was the possibility of a meeting with the White House Chief of Staff. The video needed to be backed up for safekeeping, a habit he had always fostered since his journalism days. Jake's back-up account on the cloud was password-protected so it should be safe, unless, of course, someone very influential could talk the cloud administrators into giving over the information—someone, like the head of the CIA!
He decided to make two backups on memory sticks. One would go to Colleen and the other would go to the White House. It would mean finding an extra stick as he only had one, but it was always better to err on the side of caution than lose valuable evidence.
Jake decided to go down to the local mall in the area and purchase another memory stick. He could easily be back before 2:00 p.m. to make a call to Lucy Montrose and confirm if there was a potential meeting with Cassie Williamson. He was about to move to the front door and lift his jacket off the coat-hook when a movement on the TV screen caught his attention.
With his interest in Jackson suddenly rekindled, Jake settled down on the sofa to watch. The following minutes were abstruse and perplexing as he witnessed Kevin Dodd being brought into Jackson's office, his nose and mouth pouring blood, eyes puffed and swollen. Dodd was supported between two men, one tall and broad-shouldered, the other a short, balding man. Both appeared to have blood on their shirts and hands.
Jake couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kevin Dodd had obviously been beaten by his captors. They looked mean and tough, the type of men whom Jackson would employ to do his dirty work.
Jackson started his interrogation by grabbing Kevin's chin firmly in his hand and staring into Kevin's swollen eyes.
"So, Mr. Dodd, you think it a smart thing to fool around with another man's wife?"
Kevin remained silent.
Jackson, remaining calm added, "Or, were you perhaps after a little more than sex? Extracting information and then meeting with an FBI agent for instance?"
Kevin looked surprised. Despite Jackson's grip on his chin, he turned his head to one side and spat out some blood, mixed with a broken tooth but offered nothing.
"Do you honestly think we don't know your background?" cried Jackson, his emotions now starting to stir. Kevin remained silent, closing his puffed eyelids.
"You and that FBI shithead, Rubin Klein, have been trying to get details about my business! Let me tell you something, Mr. Dodd—I don't take kindly to people meddling in my affairs. Sleeping with my wife is one thing, but meddling in my affairs takes it up another whole notch."
Jackson was now visibly angry. The two men stood and continued to hold Dodd up between them.
The Senator was not finished. "I've already had one FBI agent dealt with and now, as it appears, there's another one sticking his nose into my business. I will deal with him as I am going to deal with you!"
With that, Jackson let go of Dodd and walked around the desk to sit in his chair. He looked up at Kevin and spoke to Baines and Gladstone at the same time.
"Take him into the wine cellar and deal with him. There's a roll of thick industrial plastic you can roll the body in, then dump it somewhere far from here."
Kevin Dodd was immediately transported out of Jackson's office and Jake saw the terror in his eyes. After a minute he heard the sound of a muffled gunshot and Jackson looked up with a smile.
Jake was so shaken that he couldn't move or even utter any sound. For a long moment he continued to watch as Jackson picked up a sports magazine and began to read. A minute later Baines came in and said, "It's done, boss. We'll take the body and dump it."
Jackson glanced at Baines. "We need to bring in two more people: Jake Dobrowski and that FBI agent, Rubin Klein. Be careful of Klein, he's a trained agent."
Baines turned to leave. "No problem. Soon as Greg and I dump the body, we'll be onto them."
Jackson nodded and continued reading the magazine as the two men left the office to remove the body of Kevin Dodd.
At the mention of his name, Jake flinched and suddenly overcame his temporary paralysis. He shot off the sofa, grabbed his jacket and the keys to the van.
Jackson's goons would be after him as soon as they had disposed of Kevin Dodd's body. There was no time to waste. He needed to pick up the memory sticks and contact Lucy. He also needed to contact the FBI agent mentioned by Jackson and the first thing that came to mind was Kevin's phone. Rubin Klein's number would be in Kevin's contact list.
Jake decided not to use the van's auto-drive, preferring to manually drive the vehicle to the shopping mall, all the time conscious that Jackson's men might be out looking for him. After parking the van at the mall, he found the electronics shop and purchased a 16GB memory stick.
Before leaving the shop he called Evelyn Dodd, feeling bad but not daring to mention that her husband was dead. He asked if he could drop by to pick up Kevin's phone. Jake figured that Evelyn was going to find out the truth, but it would not be from his lips. It would be a matter for the local police. His most important mission now was to warn Klein and see that the video was viewed by Cassie Williamson.
Evelyn was surprised to hear from Jake after their recent discussion but was gratified that he had decided to take an immediate interest in Kevin. She was just on her way out with the kids but would place the phone in an envelope along with the password and put it in the potted plant at the front door. Jake thanked her and said he would retrieve it within the hour.
He felt a pang of guilt, knowing how the news of Kevin's death was going to devastate her. He could not stop shaking, his mind replaying the awful sound of the gunshot that ended Kevin's life. The last time he witnessed a shootin
g was in Iraq many years ago. It made him realize that time had re-sensitized him to that harsh reality of life.
After picking up Kevin's phone, Jake returned to Mitch's house and proceeded to edit out the unimportant gaps on the video, backing up the completed version to the memory stick. The photographs of the paperwork and the file containing his personal summary of all the evidence and what he thought the Valkyrie plan entailed came next.
At 2:00 p.m. he placed a call to Lucy Montrose. She picked up her phone almost immediately.
"Jake, thank you for calling. I spoke to my boss and he was very interested to hear what I told him about your suspicions. He said he is aware that Senator Jackson does not always play by the rules. Although he is extremely busy at this time, he is very keen to talk to you and see the contents of the video."
Jake was elated. "I have even more evidence of Jackson's involvement plus I've made a summary of the evidence and my thoughts on Valkyrie. It's imperative that Mr. Williamson sees the video, review the documents, and considers what this Valkyrie plan could mean. The President should be informed."
Lucy seemed a bit rushed, "Would you be able to leave what you are doing right now and come to the White House? He has a small window coming up in about one hour from now."
"I can leave in a few minutes. It will take me about an hour to get there. Where do I meet with you when I arrive?" Jake asked pensively.
"I will meet you at the East Wing security screening area. You know where the general tours gather? It's on East Executive Avenue. I will meet you there at 3:15 p.m., sharp. If you arrive a little early, just wait for me."
Jake ended the call feeling that something would now be achieved. He then decided to call Rubin Klein.
Not being sure which department Klein worked for, Jake picked up Kevin's phone, keyed in the password Evelyn had supplied and paged through the contact directory. Eventually he found the number, listed under 'R' for Rubin. Klein answered after two rings.
The Helium-3 Conspiracy Page 18