Before she could go any further, Sweeney held up his hand and calmly said, “If any that were true, neither one of us would be here. Mrs. Duncan, you are about to meet the man who loved your daughter, the man she loved. However brief that love was, I believe it has kept him alive. You should be happy to get closer to the truth.” Sweeney sounded like a wise, mature sage or medicine man, something not lost on Reba.
With arched eyebrows, she said, “You need to think about becoming a shrink, Joe. You could make a lot of money.”
Sweeney smiled. The two of them were then surprised when the door opened. They looked expectantly at who entered the room only to be disappointed to see that it was the restaurant chef. “Good evening, Mrs. Duncan. Good evening to you as well, young man. I am the chef at this fine restaurant. They call me Chef Pablo. Welcome!”
Both Reba and Sweeney said hello.
Chef Pablo then closed the door behind him and said in a whisper, “Mrs. Duncan, I saw your name on the reservation list and wanted to be sure to express my condolences to you for your loss. To you and your husband.”
Reba bowed her head slightly. “Did you know my daughter?”
Here, Pablo turned to look around the room, even though the door was closed and just the three of them were there. “To be honest, Mrs. Duncan, that is why I wanted to talk with you. I have been the chef here a long time. Jackson Lowery is a long time customer of ours and I consider him to be a friend.”
Hearing this prompted Reba to ask, “Did you see him with my daughter?”
“Yes, yes, I did. He and your daughter were here one week ago tonight. It was their first date. I have known Jackson a long time, but I had never seen him like this. He was clearly enamored with your daughter.” Pablo then proceeded to tell Reba and Sweeney about the entire evening.
Hearing Pablo speak about their dinner reminded Sweeney of the way Finnegan talked about the chemistry between Amy Duncan and Jackson Lowery. Sweeney found himself wishing he could have seen them together. He looked over at Reba Duncan, who, by now, had tears in her eyes. Pablo handed her a handkerchief from one of the place settings.
“Why haven't you come forward?” she asked.
“Mrs. Duncan, I have been reading all that is going on. It is not good and there is something more happening, like the government is involved. I am from Mexico. I know corrupt governments. I did not want to put myself at risk going to talk to the government. My plan was to talk with Jackson or his attorney when he was back. I do not trust what I am seeing.”
Struck by the chef’s honesty and similar sense of wrong doing, Reba buried her head in the handkerchief and wept silently. Sweeney patted her left shoulder, while Pablo rested his hand the right one. At that moment, the door inched opened slightly and the hostess poked her head in saying, “Excuse me. There is a lady here who is with your party.”
Reba looked at Sweeney, who looked at Pablo. All three looked confused. The hostess stood to the side to allow Jenny Roberts to walk into the room. Jenny waited until the hostess had left and closed the door then smiled and said, “I am here to introduce you to Jackson Lowery.”
Pablo guided Jenny to a seat, motioning to Reba and Sweeney to sit as well. He then said, “We may end up filling this room tonight after all.”
They all began to talk and get to know each other. Pablo brought out some of his best wine. After about ten minutes, Jenny pulled out her phone to call Ronnie. When he answered, she said, “Time for everyone to meet.” Then she hung up. Less than five minutes later, the hostess once again opened the door, poked her head in and said, “Here are two more of your guests.”
Ronnie entered the room first, followed by Jackson. Pablo ran to his friend and bear hugged him. Jackson hugged him back, but his eyes were riveted on Reba Duncan. She looks a lot like Amy, he was thinking. Their mannerisms were nearly identical. Reba wiped her eyes and walked slowly to Jackson. The entire room fell silent.
She then opened her arms and said, “Thank you for all you did for my Amy. Thank you for allowing her to feel love.” Jackson fell into her arms matching her teary eyes with his own.
He pulled back, looked directly at Reba with tears still in his eyes and said, “I am glad you understood my message.”
Reba placed her hands on her hips and said, “I am glad you understood mine!” Everyone laughed. Then they sat down, ate and got acquainted. Pablo left them alone to eat and talk.
When Jackson got around to telling Reba exactly what Amy heard from Mills and Merchant, Reba went ballistic. “Those heartless pigs were sitting in my dining room and eating my food, while at the same time sending vile men to kill you and my daughter! Oh, I think I am going to be sick.” She almost was. It took her a few minutes to recover from the knowledge that she had longed to receive from Jackson.
By earlier agreement, Jackson, Ronnie, and Jenny agreed that they would not go into detail about the school district poison theory. While each was convinced that the plot was real, they needed more evidence. It would not be fair to send Senator Duncan on a wild goose chase. They had to corner Bill Merchant. They told Reba that they would be tracking him down as the next step in getting to the truth.
While Reba was glad to hear that Jackson, Ronnie, and Jenny were going to go after Merchant, she was not satisfied. She wanted to ferret out all of the people who were part of the conspiracy. She promised to tell her husband everything, but would caution him about who he could trust. She also zeroed in on the thing that had been puzzling to Jackson from the very beginning. If Rex Duncan was not a part of the conspiracy and did not believe in white supremacy, why was his ascendency to the White House so critically important to the group? Reba was going to work on this question with her husband.
But she also was steadfast and determined to do one more thing, which was to clear Jackson's name. She kept saying to him, “You don't deserve this. You are a decent man, who tried to do the right thing. It is time for you to stop having to run like a common criminal.” Just in hearing her talk about his freedom made Jackson wince. Over the last few days, he had gotten so used to looking over his shoulder, it was now a way of life for him. It is so strange, he thought, how quickly one adapts to one's environment, no matter how radically different it is from the old one.
The evening ended with a detailed conversation about Sweeney. They all offered condolences for the loss of his friend. Jackson also indicated that he clearly remembered the smiling Uber driver watching and waving to he and Amy while they kissed.
But the more intriguing discussion about Sweeney centered on his computer skills and his relationship with the U.S. government. When he first related the essence of his story, Ronnie and Jenny exchanged glances. Both knew full well about the division Sweeney had been dealing with. But the glances between them also confirmed that Sweeney was an invaluable asset that they could deploy now to stop whatever these conspirators had in mind.
Ronnie whispered something to Jackson, who looked at Ronnie, then nodded yes.
Jackson then spoke, “Sweeney, we could use your expertise to stop these bastards, whoever they are. We feel like you are safe where you are for tonight. But tomorrow, if you are willing, we can pick you up in the morning so you can work with us to nail these guys.”
“Fuck yeah,” Sweeney blurted out. “I am all the way in.” Then remembering that Reba was there, he blushed and quickly dropped his head. “I am sorry, Mrs. Duncan. I did not mean to curse like that.”
She smiled and said, “The fuck you didn't, Joe. Now got get some rest, so you can help them get these assholes.”
Ronnie leaned over to Jackson and whispered, “I think I am beginning to understand why you liked Amy so much, especially if she was half the woman her mother is.” He patted Jackson on the arm and they all got up to leave.
There was still much work to be done.
__________
Just before Jackson Lowery met Reba Duncan, Roger Tyler reconvened his group with for an updated strategy call. Tyl
er had spoken with General Brock a couple of times during the day but now, with the Carrs on the call, the group had to make some final decisions.
“Jim, Susan, I want you to know that the General and I have spoken earlier and more and more we think that we should move forward with an abbreviated plan. Is that possible as soon as next week?”
As usual, Susan responded. “We just hung up with our scientists and we can be up and running by Tuesday or Wednesday. We looked at the numbers involved. Now, mind you, it is just a handful of cities, but we think the poison can reach over a million children in these targeted areas.”
Ever the field marshal, General Brock had questions. “Thanks, Susan. But what will be the collateral damage? How many of our people will get taken out?”
Susan turned that question over to her husband. “Honey?” she asked.
“General, Susan is right. We estimate that we can access about 1.2 to 1.3 million children. We estimate, all told, that about thirteen to seventeen per cent will be pure white kids.”
The general blew a loud whistle. “That could be up to 200,000 of our own people. Can't we get that number down some?”
Jim did not back down. “Not on such short notice, General. If we had another year or so, we could access ten times as many children and get the collateral number down to around five per cent. To move into action by next week increases the risk and grows the collateral damage at the same time. Sorry.”
Thinking out loud, the General said, “Ten million killed. We would definitely reclaim our country after something like that.”
Susan steered him back to the matter at hand. “For sure, General. But that is not where we are. Now, Jim and I know we will take a hit from this if we move forward, so we are ready to go underground for a few months or even a few years. We say this knowing that once you are positioned, General, that you will be ideally suited to recruit even more to the cause. Within a few short years, you will have a team in place to get your ten million. We are sure of it, sir.”
Tyler spoke, “I am too, Susan. I never thought I would say it, but this could be a blessing in disguise. I like the idea of wreaking some immediate havoc and then following up from there.”
Jim Carr finished for him. “And all the while, our guy is secretly preparing for a bigger bang.”
“Exactly,” Tyler said.
“Sounds like we are all getting on the same page,” the General said. “One logistical question: is Monday possible? I know that it is just a couple days away, but I just don't like the idea that this Jackson fella is out there and that he may be able to connect with Reba Duncan.”
Jim said, “Yes, Monday is possible. It will be somewhat difficult, but possible.”
Tyler intervened. “But General, depending on how we play things with Merchant, we do not have as much to worry about regarding Lowery and Reba Duncan. Our tech folks are working on emails and other documentary evidence that will link Mills and Merchant to the poison we release next week. Though we cannot be sure that Jim and Susan will be inoculated as suspects, we can make it look like Mills and Merchant were the sole leaders and organizers. That would satisfy both Reba Duncan and the black college professor.”
“But you mentioned the key to all of that, Roger, which is how we handle Merchant.”
“Correct. How we handle him is key. Suicide is the only way. He is not viewed as a strong man, by any means. Let's go through it. The tech group will have the emails and evidence ready today. We have to have the suicide take place sometime over this weekend and keep his location under surveillance so it isn't disturbed. Near his body will be a suicide note confessing his role in the poisonings.
“Next, Jim and Susan will distribute the poison, hopefully by Monday, no later than Tuesday. The country will be devastated. Then, within twenty-four hours and maybe even because of something Reba Duncan puts out, people will start looking at Mills and Merchant. The emails and other evidence will be found. Then we will make sure that Merchant's body and note are found. Rex Duncan will lead the healing process, become president, and voila - we are set for bigger and better things in the future.”
Tyler allowed the group time to let all of that soak in.
“Where will we have Merchant stored, provided we do it this weekend? I am sure he is probably looking to go to his own bunker. Should we stop him?” the General asked.
“I think we should have the contractor set up the suicide today while Merchant is in his home. His team can make sure that no one goes into the house until next week,” Tyler said.
“And that, gentlemen, is a plan that will work,” Susan Carr said.
“It most certainly is, Susan,” the General said. “Let us know ASAP if things can be a go by Monday. It is time to go into crisis mode.”
“Will do, General,” Jim said.
__________
Bill Merchant was more than ready to be in Australia. His hideaway was in the Australian outback, far away from civilization, but had all the comforts one could ever imagine. Merchant’s property could only be described as regal, and it was peppered with Aboriginal house servants and gardeners. One thing he really loved about Australia was that the dark skinned people knew and accepted their place. He also liked the fact that the dark, fine haired Aboriginal boys would share his bed without any worry of sneaking around or hiding from the police. Yes, Merchant could not wait to be back in Australia.
Of course, Livermore’s techies knew about Merchant‘s Australian hideaway - and his penchant for Aboriginal boys. In fact, through their contacts, they had a story about one of those abused boys ready to go out over social media over the weekend. The story contained pictures of Merchant walking with the boy while in the outback. Significantly, the story also has quotes from Merchant emotionally denying the sexual abuse allegations, even though the so-called reporter never talked to Merchant. The seeds for Merchant’s death were being put in place.
As all of these schemes were being finalized, across the street from Merchant’s house, Livermore and R.J. got the call they had been waiting for. Strother told them about the change of plans, but he also emphasized to them how it all must be done. To that end, they were not to make a move until they received a handwritten suicide note prepared by the techies that looked almost identical to Merchant's penmanship. Strother told them that Mason should be there any minute with the note. He confirmed the instructions and then hung up.
Ten minutes later, Mason pulled up and gave them the note, which was inside a clear, plastic envelope. “Be sure to put it in the right spot,” Mason said as he was leaving.
Livermore and R.J. then walked to Merchant's house. Livermore went to the front door, while R.J. went to the back door. When both were in place, Livermore tapped lightly on the front door. As Merchant walked to the door, he recognized the face on the other side of the glass diamond shaped window on the front door. In an immediate panic, Merchant turned around, planning on going out the back door. That door had already been picked open by R.J. who stood by the doorway, blocking Merchant's path with a smile on his face.
Merchant turned back to Livermore. “I can pay you both whatever you want,” he said. “Anything!”
Livermore shook his head. “We all know that it is too late for that, Bill. It will be a lot easier if you relax and just let things happen. For once in your life, man up, Bill.” He snickered as he pulled out the letter and the other materials he would need.
Merchant started to whimper, “This is not fair, this is not fair,” he kept repeating.
R.J. agreed with him. “No, it is not fair, Bill. Especially for you.”
FRIDAY
ONE
Rex Duncan was in a momentary state of shock when his wife told him the whole story. As he focused on how things had unfolded, like his wife, his shock turned to anger when he thought about eating dinner in his home with his daughter's murderers at the very time they were having her killed. He clenched his fists, saying, “I am going to kill Merchant wi
th my own hands.”
For a minute, Reba thought he meant it.
Just as quickly, however, the senator and likely next president of the United States became presidential. Looking at his wife and placing her hands in his, he said, “Honey, thank you for continuing to push this. Our family owes you a debt for honoring Amy's memory.”
Reba lowered her head, accepting the praise.
Rex continued. “But even more than that, our country owes you a deep sense of gratitude. There is obviously a sick, vile cancer growing in the most influential sectors of our business and government leadership. I am going to dedicate the rest of my career, hell, the rest of my life to ridding this country of that cancer.”
Rex then let go of his wife's hands and walked to their bedroom window. He always seemed to think better looking out windows. Down below on his street, he could see the two secret service agents. He knew that there were two more in back of the house. He took a deep breath and turned once again to face his wife.
“Reba, I am going to make a couple of calls. Once I get what I want from those calls, I want you to call professor Lowery. I will let you know what to tell him. My suspicion is that between he and his friends, they know a bit more than what they told you at dinner. That's okay. Under the circumstances, I would have held back too. When you deliver my message to him, he will hopefully be more forthcoming. After talking with professor Lowery, you and I are going to make a fresh cup of coffee, sit in our living room and figure out why these sick people would benefit by having me in the White House. If we have to brainstorm all night, we will do it. These bastards need to be stopped.”
He then picked up the phone and began making his calls. Reba, feeling a rush and closeness to her husband that she had not felt in years, was about to go to the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee.
The Plan (The Jackson Lowery Trilogy Book 1) Page 19