by Marvin Tyson
Chapter 40
CIA Agent Joel Garcia had made many contacts in the Far East during his assignments in that part of the world, and he began calling on them to see what they might know about the Chinese involvement in what he was now calling “the Jackson case.” A few days after he returned to Washington from Austin, Garcia started making calls from his office to the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Most of his contacts genuinely knew nothing about it, but he attracted the attention of someone high on the food chain of government back in Beijing. That became clear when a young attaché, Jiang Lee from the Chinese Embassy, called on him
“Good morning, Mr. Garcia,” said the young Mr. Jiang, who looked quite sharp in his metro-looking navy pinstripe suit with pants that fit close to his legs, a double-breasted jacket, and thin red tie. He wore brown loafers without socks.
“Good morning to you, Mr. Jiang,” Garcia said, standing up and extending his hand, which Jiang shook. “What can I do for you?”
“This may be a case of us doing for each other, Mr. Garcia. It seems we are both curious about the same things. I understand you have been traveling in the same circles as me, seeking the same information.”
Garcia tried to look surprised, but he had intentionally left a trail in hopes of finding out how deep the involvement of the Chinese government went. “Have a seat,” he said, and Jiang sat, crossing one leg over the other.
“I have only been trying to find out who has been hacking our Energy Department’s computers, and why.” Garcia peered at the attaché, a quizzical look on his face. “Are you saying your government has an interest in this, Mr. Jiang?”
“My government has as much to lose here as anyone, Mr. Garcia. Our only interest is in finding the perpetrators and bringing them to justice, I assure you.”
“We may be able to accomplish our goals better together than separately then, Mr. Jiang, don’t you agree?” Garcia swiveled in his chair, looking out the window but still keeping Jiang in his peripheral vision.
“I will contact my superiors and call you tomorrow if that meets your approval,” the young diplomat replied. “I think we can find a way to work this out together.”
Garcia understood that Jiang didn’t have the rank required to approve this kind of cooperation on his own, so he nodded as he stood and stuck out his hand to say goodbye. Jiang shook it, bowed slightly, and left.
The way Garcia saw it, this had been a very good meeting indeed. He now had a rock solid contact with connections to the highest levels of the Chinese government, and he had good evidence that these bad actors trying to cause bad blood between Texas and his own government were working outside of official Chinese government channels. They were civilian crooks, not government crooks.
Now he just needed to establish contact with the real intelligence people working this case, and they weren’t CIA, FBI or any other agency as far as he could tell. One might be a young Marine captain, or he might be some guy from the Middle East. Or it might be two different guys, or a half dozen. He didn’t know, but he felt sure their paths would soon cross.
* * *
The young captain was gathering information about the banking business of the former president and his cohorts, both Chinese and American. There was a clear trail from China to the Swiss bank accounts the captain was sure belonged to the former president, as well as to a Senator Mitchell. He needed to connect those leads to sources in China and prove a connection to information sources in the current administration. Although he knew one info source was the U.S. attorney general, he had nothing that would hold up in court. The DNA on the child might wreck the AG’s marriage, but it didn’t prove collusion with the former president or the Chinese gangsters he suspected of being the money men and brains behind this whole operation.
He needed to catch them together for concrete proof, and for that he would need help. A phone call to Austin would get that ball rolling. After the conversation, Marty, Joel Garcia and Marty’s team hatched a plan to lure all these bad actors into their little Punji Pit.
Over the next few weeks, it appeared things might be unraveling economically for the new Republic. A dropped hint here, an off-the-cuff remark there, and suspicions grew about a likely shortfall in revenue for Texas, or perhaps more spending than anyone had previously counted on.
This was exactly what Marty planned on. He planted most of those seeds of doubt himself in “private” conversations with people he knew were blabbermouths, and the rumor grew exponentially, especially as it made for good tabloid headlines. Evidence of a looming economic nightmare started appearing everywhere, little whispers divulging the “facts” as people were told them.
Texas officials were asked almost every day by the media how Texas was doing economically, and it became clear they suspected something was wrong. At a scheduled news conference, the dam broke on their suspicions about the economy going south.
“President Kert, a lot is being said about the economic bind Texas finds itself in. Can you fill us in with some honest facts?” asked a CBS reporter.
“Yes, I can,” Marty said. “We all knew, or should have known, that starting a new nation from the ground up would be expensive. We have to hold elections, ratify a constitution, add to our military, figure out transportation and trade; things like that require money. We have five times as much border to protect as we had only months ago when we had the help of the U.S. Border Patrol. And those are just a few things.”
He went on. “The additional expenditure of helping with the European bailout was something we weren’t fully prepared for, I’ll freely admit, but Texas will be fine.”
A Fox News woman quickly said, “President Barker, only minutes ago, said he was ‘concerned’ about the Texas economy. Does he have reason to be?”
“President Barker has already called me and I’ll return his call the minute this meeting is over to reassure him that we are stable and financially secure. I’m concerned, too, but not worried. There is a big difference. That’s all for today.”
President Barker was quick to come to the phone when Marty called.
“Hello, Marty. We have a serious problem, as I’m sure you know.”
“President Barker, it’s not as serious as it seems, if you’re talking about our economic standing.”
“Marty, we can’t let this get to the point that we’re dealing with a European situation right here in our own neighborhood. I think it would be best if we postpone separation by a few years, at least.”
“We can’t do that, sir,” Marty said. “We won’t do that because the people of Texas have been given a timetable for separation, and backing out of that commitment would put us in the same situation we left. We simply must have the trust of the people that we’ll keep promises, once they are made. I really need to speak to you in person, sir, and alone.”
“Marty, I want the relationship of trust between us to continue, as well as maintaining the level of trust we enjoy with our people. But we can’t take a chance on this getting out of control. Please understand that.”
“If we can meet, I’m sure you will be more comfortable, Mr. President,” Marty repeated.
“We may be able to do that tomorrow if you can meet me at your airport at ten o’clock a.m.,” President Barker told him. “I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon in Los Angeles and won’t have much time, but we can stop in Austin and you can come aboard Air Force One. That will also assure security and privacy.”
“I’ll see you at ten, Mr. President.”
Chapter 41
Marty spent the entire night on the phone with his trusted team of Texans and determined that he had no choice but to trust President Barker with all the information he had, including the affair of AG Smart, his son-in-law. He would ask the president to keep it to himself until they could spring their trap and catch the whole flock of miscreants in one fell swoop.
As he entered Air Force One, Marty was taken aback when he saw the attorney general seated with the president. Th
inking fast, he drew his cell phone from his pocket before the president or the AG saw him and walked in holding it to his ear while nodding his head.
“I’m sorry, Mr. President, an emergency has come up, and I’ll have to speak to you at another time. Please forgive me,” Marty said.
President Barker was clearly disturbed; he had diverted Air Force One to Austin to speak to Marty and now some mysterious “emergency” made that impossible?
“Call me when it becomes more convenient for you, President Kert,” Barker said in an agitated tone.
“I’ll explain more fully when we speak again, Mr. President, and I’m sure you’ll understand.”
Marty took his leave without further comment and walked down the ramp of Air Force One and into his waiting car. What a disaster! But he couldn’t very well tell the story without the details of the AG’s affair. And the AG would certainly get word to his cohorts and the whole plan would blow up. Not only would they not get the former president; they wouldn’t get anyone. Marty could only go back to the capitol and wait until he could talk to President Barker alone.
Unfortunately, President Barker was far more upset than Marty thought. As soon as the president returned to Washington, he mobilized National Guard units in Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico for what he called “emergency preparedness drills.”
Marty was being bombarded with insistent calls to place Texas troops on their side of the borders to counter the U.S. troops on the other side.
“Mr. President,” said the Senate leader of the Texas Armed Services Committee, “we have to show a response in kind to this provocation. Otherwise, Texas appears weak and unprepared to handle military threats.”
“I agree, Mr. President,” said the Appropriations Committee chair. “It will cost, to be sure, but we cannot afford to look weak to the rest of the world. This is our first real test, and we need to respond.”
Marty realized a show of military force would be seen by the entire world as a provocation from which there might be no recovery. He refused to take that bait, and was determined to tell President Barker everything he knew, then let the cards fall where they may. He took out his cellphone and dialed the number President Barker had set up for the two of them to communicate privately about things that had to be kept from the public, at least temporarily. He dialed and let the phone ring a long time before the president himself answered.
“What can I do for you, President Kert?”
Marty was saddened by that address because President Barker had called him by his first name for a long while, and the more formal tone didn’t bode well.
“Mr. President, I said I had some information that would let you see clearly what was happening, and would ease your mind about our economic outlook and the international happenings. That was what I intended to do aboard Air Force One in Austin, but I was unable to because the attorney general was by your side.”
“Attorney General Smart is one of my most trusted Cabinet members, President Kert! Why would his presence stop you from discussing economics?” President Barker sounded stressed.
“Sir, we have reason to believe he is working with President Jackson and rogue Chinese military operatives to destabilize the world’s oil markets and actually take over oil leases in Bakken and Texas,” Marty told him.
“Are you out of your mind, Kert? Attorney General Smart is not only the U.S. AG, but he’s my son-in-law! He would never be involved in such a thing. You better have some verifiable evidence, or keep your bullshit to yourself, Kert!”
“Sir, I understand your emotions,” Marty stated, feeling isolated, “but events of the last couple of days have left me no choice but to tell you this.”
“What events are you talking about, Kert?” President Barker still sounded angry.
“Mr. President, your mobilization of National Guard units surrounding us has not gone unnoticed by my people. I’m under intense political pressure to counter those mobilizations on the Texas side of the border, and we both know the danger of that. A single hothead junior officer, hell, even a non-com, could literally set off WW III. You have to pull those guys back, Mr. President.”
“That’s not going to happen,” the president snapped.
“Then I’m sorry it has come to this, sir, but you told me yourself that I was now the chief executive of a sovereign state, and I don’t think there is a chief executive on the planet that could do anything less than respond militarily when a foreign army is placed on his border without provocation.”
There was a long pause before President Barker said, “All right, Marty. We don’t want to put this in the hands of the military on either side. What evidence do you have of the charges you’ve made against my son-in-law?”
Marty laid out the facts as much as he could, including the DNA of the little girl in China that proved she was the daughter of Ralph Smart. There was also the fact that they had traced the mother’s phone calls to Jackson and several Chinese military officials, as well as the events in Sheila Littlefeather’s Washington apartment.
Marty heard a deep sigh from the other end of the line. “I’ll confront him with this, Marty, and see where it goes,” the president said.
“Please don’t, sir,” Marty pleaded. “That’s the reason I couldn’t say anything the other day on the plane. One phone call from him and we have nothing. The Chinese can simply make the little girl vanish and the mother will drop out of sight. I think they’ll wait for another avenue to open up and try again, maybe even with a different cast. We have a plan, but it may take a while to set it up, then we should be able to get all of them at once.”
“I’ll do my best, Marty, but the connection with my son-in-law makes me want to gut the little bastard like a deer!” Barker snapped.
Marty chuckled. “I understand. Thank you, sir.”
Within a matter of hours, all the news outlets were speaking in glowing terms about the success of the “just completed” military exercises on the U.S.-Texas border, but all the U.S. military units remained at their stations.
Chapter 42
Marty assembled his team of “spies,” as he laughingly referred to Pat, Sammy, De, J.P., Sam, and Raymond, to set the trap.
“I know we’re causing a lot of concern among the people, but we need to keep this ruse of potential economic ruin up until we lure all the players out into the open at the same time. Otherwise, we won’t accomplish anything other than causing a rift in Attorney General Smart’s marriage,” Marty told his team.
“Are we sure they haven’t already caught on to us, Marty?” asked Sam Waters.
“No, we can’t be sure of that,” Marty replied. “A lot will depend on President Barker’s personal interaction with AG Smart. If President Barker maintains the same demeanor he’s had in the past, and I think he will, it will go a long way in easing the AG’s mind. He won’t suspect his father-in-law knows anything unless the president loses his cool and yells at him, or maybe knocks him on his butt.”
He looked around the room, noting that each team member was taking notes. He hoped they were coming up with ideas to set the plan in motion. “Another thing we have to do is get word out that Eagle Ford oil leases are up for grabs. Of course, we have to do that without the public knowing it,” he said.
“I think the best way to do that is directly through AG Smart,” Pat interjected. “If you ask him to pass a message along to President Barker that those leases are going to be on the market, and add that it’s strictly confidential, I’ll bet his first phone call will be to the former president, not the current one.”
“Exactly,” Marty agreed, “and the trap will be baited and set.” He paused. “And I’ll have to ask all of you to share this information with NO ONE! This must remain strictly between the six of us. Even our spouses must be kept in the dark about this. There is a very good reason for that, but I can’t share that at the moment.”
While Marty was confident in these five, and they had proved their loyalty to him and to Texas on numer
ous occasions, he still wasn’t absolutely sure who his office mole was. But he had a good idea.
Sammy, De and Raymond were on their way to D.C. within an hour to get things rolling there. As soon as Marty heard they were in place, he set the plan in motion by placing a call directly to AG Smart. It only took a moment before he was connected.
“Hello, Ralph,” Marty said, “I wonder if you could help me out with something. I need to get a message to President Barker that we need to speak about oil leases in Eagle Ford and the Bakken Shale. We may have to try to find a new owner for these rights in Texas. Of course,” he lowered his voice conspiratorially, “this must be kept strictly confidential.”
“I will pass the news to President Barker, President Kert. Do you want me to have him call you, or do you want me to go ahead and set up a meeting, then call you with the time?” Smart asked.
“You go ahead and set it up, Ralph, and I’ll adjust my schedule to fit,” Marty replied.
“I’ll call you back as soon as I have something set up with President Barker,” Smart said.
“Thank you, Ralph,” Marty said, “I look forward to hearing from you.”
And now all we have to do is wait for a nibble and set the hook, he thought.
Chapter 43
Sammy and De were waiting outside Ralph Smart’s office when he left. They followed him to the Middle Fork Lounge, the same place Sheila Littlefeather had met Senator Mitchell back at the start of this whole mess. They gave him a minute to think he wasn’t followed and then went in to have a drink. The AG possessed the incriminating information, and Sammy and De would just lay low until he made his move. When the AG left, Sammy and De followed him.
Smart drove across town on Highway 29 to NW Kenyon Street, turning into the parking lot at Wangari Gardens, where he got out of his car and slipped into the back of a black SUV, which didn’t move. The guys waited, keeping a low profile.
After a few moments, the AG got out of the SUV and went back to his car.