by Vince Flynn
The agent pointed to a phone on a table by the door. Stansfield walked over to the phone and grabbed it. “Hello.” Kennedy sat in the back of O’Rourke’s truck and spoke rapidly into her phone. “Thomas, this is Irene. Where are you?”
“I’m in the Situation Room.”
“I have something that you are going to want to hear immediately.”
“What?”
“I can’t say, just trust me. Leave there immediately, and get back to Langley as quick as you can!”
Stansfield looked over his shoulder at the President, who was yelling at Nance and
Garret. “Irene, I’m in the middle of something really important.”
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“Thomas, I have a taped confession from Arthur, and you’re not going to believe what’s on it.” Stansfield hesitated for a second and replied, “I’ll get there as quickly as I
can.” After hanging up, Stansfield walked back to the table and looked at the President.
“I’m sorry, sir, but something very important has come up. I’m going to have to head back to Langley.” Stevens shook his head. “What could be more important than this?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll call you as soon as I find out. We’ll have to continue this later.”
Adjacent to Director Stansfield’s office was a soundproof conference room. Kennedy, McMahon, and Michael sat at the conference table and waited for Director Roach and
Director Stansfield to arrive. Michael kept wondering when the questions would start. He knew that eventually McMahon would ask why the assassins chose him to be their courier. Michael would play dumb and profess his hatred and open contempt for
Washington politics. The tape was his trump card.
As long as the FBI and the CIA thought that hundreds of copies could be mailed to the media at any moment, they would watch where they dug.
Even if they did find something, where could they go with the information? The door flew open and Stansfield and Roach entered, agitated and out of breath. Stansfield yanked off his overcoat and said to Kennedy, “Irene, this had better be for real. You just pulled me out of a huge meeting.”
“Don’t worry, it won’t be a waste of your time.” Kennedy pointed at Michael.
“Thomas, this is Congressman Michael O’Rourke. He came to us with some information that you’re not going to believe.” Kennedy looked back at O’Rourke and said, “Congressman, this is Director Stansfield and Director Roach.” Michael rose and shook both of their hands. McMahon pointed at Michael. “When the Congressman awoke this morning, he found a package on his front step. It was from the assassins. Inside was a taped confession of Arthur Higgins.” McMahon held up the tape and shook it.
“It contains some disturbing information. Along with the tape is a list of conditions the assassins want met.” Stansfield gestured for Roach to take a seat and said, “Let’s hear it.” McMahon inserted the tape and pressed play. Some static began hissing from the small tape player, and then Michael’s computer-altered voice asked, “What is your name?”
“What?” asked Arthur’s drugged voice. “What is your name?”
“Arthur… Arthur Higgins.” Stansfield’s eyes closed. “When were you born?”
“February thirteenth, 1919.”
“Who were your parents?”
“Arthur and Mary Higgins.”
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“Who do you work for?”
“I don’t work for anyone. Why don’t you take those masks off and we’ll talk …. I’m a very wealthy man.”
“Who did you used to work for, Mr. Higgins?”
“The CIA.”
“What did you do for the CIA?”
“A lot of things …. Why don’t we talk about releasing me before you find out something that you don’t want to know.”
“When you were at the CIA, which directorate did you work in?”
“Operations.”
“Specifically, what part of the Operations Directorate?”
“Black Ops … I did a lot of stuff.”
“What did you do for the Black Ops?”
“I ran it.”
“Why did you leave the CIA?”
“I quit.”
“Did you quit or were you forced out?”
“I was forced out.”
“why were you forced out?”
“They were afraid of me.”
“Who was afraid of you?”
“Everyone.”
“Specifically, who was afraid of you?”
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“Stansfield and Olson.” Stansfield didn’t bother looking up. He kept his eyes closed and listened. “Mr. Higgins, were you the author of a covert operation back in the early sixties that resulted in the assassinations of several French politicians?” Stansfield felt a sharp pain shoot through his forehead. “Yes,” responded Arthur’s thick voice. “Who were you working for at the time?”
“The CIA.” Irene Kennedy looked to her boss. She had never heard of the covert operation, but it was long before her time. “How many French politicians did you kill?”
“Two.”
“Who were they?”
“Claude Lapoint and Jean Bastreuo.” Stansfield gripped his forehead and squeezed hard, wondering how the interrogators had managed to find out about one of the most classified operations in the history of the Agency. The generic computer voice continued, “Why were they killed?”
“Because they were ungrateful bastards.”
“Could you be more specific?”
“They were the leaders of a movement within the French parliament that wanted all
U.S. nuclear weapons removed from French soil.”
“Did anyone in the French government know that the CIA had killed two of their elected officials?”
“No.”
“How did you kill them without getting caught?”
“We made it look like French revolutionaries did it.”
“While you were with the CIA, did you conduct other operations similar to this?”
“Yes.”
“Since you left the CIA, have you conducted any operations similar to the one that you ran in France?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever conducted an operation like this in the United States?”
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Stansfield’s eyes opened with the realization of where the confession was headed.
“Yes.”
“Did you use the recent string of assassinations as a cover to kill Senator Olson and
Congressman Turnquist?”
“Yes.” Roach shook his head and said, “Oh my God.”
“Why did you kill Senator Olson and Congressman Turnquist?”
“I had Olson killed for my own personal reasons and Turnquist … we killed him to confuse the FBI and the CIA.”
“Why did you kill Senator Olson?”
“I hated him. He was a weak man who had no business interfering in the operations of the Agency.”
“Why did you hate him?”
“He blocked my nomination for director of the CIA. I should have been the next director, but instead Stansfield, that weak imbecile, got it, and it was all Olson’s doing.”
“Who else was involved in your plot to kill Senator Olson and
Congressman Turnquist?”
“Mike Nance and Stu Garret.” Roach shook his head and said, “Unbelievable.”
“Why did they want Olson killed?”
“Olson was going to announce that the new coalition was a sham. That their proposed budget cuts were fake.”
“Garret and Nance wanted to have him killed for that?” “It was my idea, and Nance brought Garret in on it because we knew how desperate he was to get control of the situation. Besides, we knew if we killed some Federal agents, it would undermine the public support for the terrorists.”
“What were you getting out of the deal?”
“Garret said he would get the President to force Stansfield out and replace him with me.
>
With Olson gone no one would block my nomination.”
“Did the President know about your plans?”
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“I don’t know.” After several tense moments of static, the tape ended.
Roach and Stansfield shared a long, shocked look. Michael watched them from the other end of the table. O’Rourke knew that Stansfield was taking the new information the hardest. It was his agency that would suffer the most if the tape became public. Roach leaned over and whispered in Stansfield’s ear, “Is there any truth to the story about the
CIA assassinating two members of the French parliament?” Not wanting to give a verbal response, Stansfield nodded his head yes.
Roach took a deep breath and said, “We’ve got some major problems.”
“There’s more.” McMahon held up a white piece of paper covered in plastic. “This is addressed to the two of you.” McMahon looked at Roach and Stansfield and started to read aloud: “‘After hearing the tape, it should be painfully obvious to you why we left Mr.
Higgins’s body at Stu Garret’s house. If we were the crazed terrorists that the President and his people have portrayed us to be, we would release this tape to every media organization in the world. The damage to America would be devastating. We would become the pariahs of the international community, the office of the presidency would be ruined, the American people’s faith in the system would be destroyed, and the CIA would be shut down within twenty-four hours. “‘We do not want to see America torn apart over the selfish and evil actions of a select few, but the actions of Mike Nance and Stu Garret cannot go unpunished. In exchange for not releasing Mr. Higgins’s confession, we demand the following: Mike Nance will announce his resignation by noon tomorrow and retreat permanently from public life. Thirty days from now, Stu Garret will also announce his resignation and cease any involvement in the American political process, at any level.
Within six months, both Nance and Garret will be expected to convert half of their net worth and donate it anonymously to the families of the eight Federal law enforcement officers they killed. None of this is negotiable. If at any point Nance and Garret attempt to renege on this arrangement, we will hunt them down and kill them. “‘We are unsure as to what involvement President Stevens had in this plot and, for now, are willing to allow him to stay in office if he meets the following conditions: He will act as a bridge between the two parties and cease all partisan politics.
He will put together a balanced budget for the next fiscal year, and he will meet all of our previous demands regarding a national crime bill and a national sales tax to retire the national debt. If these demands are met, we will allow Stevens to run for reelection. If the
President wavers at any point, we will release the tape to the media. “‘The second part of our demands involves the FBI. Director Roach, we do not expect you to condone what we have done, but you must at least recognize the differences between what we did and what Mr. Higgins,Mr. Nance, and Mr. Garret did. We murdered four corrupt politicians in an attempt to restore some integrity and common sense to a political system that has none. Mr. Higgins, Mr. Nance, and Mr. Garret murdered two of the only honest politicians in Washington and eight Federal law enforcement officers, all for their own perverted self-interests. “‘If you agree not to prosecute Mr. Nance and Mr. Garret, you must also agree to never bring forth any indictments regarding the assassinations of
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Senator Fitzgerald, Congressman Koslowski, Senator Downs, and Speaker Basset. We understand the compromising situation this puts you in, but considering the piece of information in our possession, we think it a reasonable trade-off.
“‘For your own safety and the integrity of the FBI, we would also suggest that the
President, Mr. Nance, and Mr. Garret be kept in the dark about your knowledge of our deal. It would be best for all if Director Stansfield handled the negotiations with the
White House. We will await the announcement of Mike Nance’s resignation. If it is not made public by noon tomorrow, we will be left with no other option than to release the tape.”” McMahon set the letter down. Director Stansfield closed his eyes and gently shook his head. Everyone waited for him to speak. He rose and said, “Please excuse
Director Roach and me for a moment.” Stansfield walked to the side door that led to his office and Roach followed. Stansfield closed the heavy, soundproof door and walked over to the large picture window. “Well, that’s one hell of a confession.” Roach looked at
Stansfield’s back and asked, “Do you believe it?” Stansfield nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.” His answer was followed by more silence. Roach placed a hand under his chin. “I’m not sure it would be admissible in a court of law.”
Stansfield shook his head and waved his hand as if batting the idea out of the air.
“Let’s not even entertain that line of logic. If they release that tape, we are in serious trouble, and I mean the entire country. Arthur’s body has been identified by the media, and they have footage of him lying propped up against Garret’s fence. Those two French politicians were in fact killed back in the early sixties, and the CIA was behind it.”
Stansfield pointed toward the conference room.
“Brian, everything those assassins said is true. That tape will tear America apart.”
“What do we do then?”
“We have to take the deal, and we have to work fast.” Roach sighed.
“Can we trust these assassins?” Stansfield turned around with hatred on his face.
“Apparently we can trust them a hell of lot more than the national security adviser and the President’s chief of staff.”
“What in the hell were they thinking?”
“I have no idea.”
“Do you think the President knew what they were up to?”
“My gut tells me no, but I haven’t had enough time to thoroughly analyze the situation.” Stansfield looked at his watch. “Brian, we have to move on this. A lot has to happen between now and noon tomorrow. My decision is a foregone conclusion. We have to do everything in our power to make sure that tape never goes public.”
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Roach paused. “I don’t want that tape to go public either, but I sure as hell don’t like the idea of Nance and Garret just walking away.”
“Brian, I have a feeling that within the next year these assassins will take care of Mr.
Garret and Mr. Nance, and … if they don’t ..
. I will have them taken care of. That is between you and me, friend to friend, not director to director.” Roach looked into Stansfield’s eyes and reminded himself that his friend played by a different set of rules.
“We really don’t have much of a choice, do we?”
“No … so you agree to meet their demands?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure I can guarantee that no indictments will be brought forth. What if Skip finds out who these assassins are?”
“I’ll gladly deal with that problem if it ever happens, but something tells me we’ll never know who was behind this. They were right about another thing. You have to be left out of the loop. If this blows up in our face, the FBI must have complete deniability.
The American people are going to have to turn to something for hope, and if the FBI is implicated in the cover-up, it will really look bad.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Roach considered his options for a minute and then said, “Let’s go talk to the others.” Michael, sitting next to McMahon, was trying to stay in character. Acting mad was not hard, but acting naive was. He kept reminding himself what he should and shouldn’t know. Fortunately, everyone was so shocked by Higgins’s confession that they’d been too preoccupied to ask him questions.
Roach took a seat and Stansfield remained standing. The director of the CIA crossed his arms and said, “It goes without saying that this is a very difficult situation. For reasons that we are all aware of, Brian and I have decided to try and meet the demands of the assassins.
If you have any opinions, now is the time to voice them.” Stansfield looked to Irene
Kennedy first. Kennedy glanced up at her boss and shook her head no.
Kennedy knew full well that they were boxed in. The only reasonable action was to take the deal. McMahon was next. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I understand that our options are limited, but I think Garret and Nance are getting off way too easy. I
think they should be strung up by their balls and left for the vultures.”
“I can relate to your desire for retribution,” said Stansfield. “As I was just telling
Brian, I would be surprised if these assassins let either of them live for more than a year.”
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“What about my investigation?” asked McMahon. “If you catch them, we will cross that bridge when we get to it. Do you have it in you to let them go if it comes to that?”
asked Stansfield. McMahon glanced over at Roach while he thought about the question.
From the very beginning he’d had a gnawing respect for the unknown group. “If they turn out to be the type of people I think they are, and they really do have patriotic motives…”
McMahon paused. “I’ll look the other way.”
“Congressman?” asked Stansfield. Michael leaned back and said, “I’m not crazy about the cover-up, but given the situation, I don’t see any other alternative.” Stansfield nodded.
“We are all in agreement then.
Before we proceed, I need to know if anyone else knows about this tape.
Congressman?” Stansfield looked to Michael for an answer. With a calm face
Michael replied, “I haven’t told anyone.”
“Skip?”
“No. As soon as Congressman O’Rourke played the tape for us, we came straight here.”
“Irene?”
“Good.” Stansfield looked at his watch. “I am going to go to the White House alone to handle the negotiations.” Michael cleared his throat and got Stansfield’s attention. “Sir, I
would like to come along.”