by Jerry Bruce
“I’ll accept your explanation—for now; however, I demand that you tell me everything, no more games and beating around the bush. I sense that you know a lot more than you are telling me and I want you to know that you can trust me with anything as long as I know you are being upfront with me.”
“This is very hard. What would you say if I suggested that there may be an individual responsible for this substance’s presence in the water?”
“An individual? You mean someone is tainting the water on purpose?” Richard had Rolt over a barrel and needed to move in for the kill.
“I believe so. I know what your next question is going to be; let me say, I don’t know who this individual is.”
“Then what is your basis for saying that there is a specific person involved?” Come on, spit it out, Richard thought to himself.
“I can’t tell you any more, Richard. You are going to have to trust me on this.”
“Trust you? How can I do anything about this situation if I don’t have more specifics? You are dangling a carrot in front of me that I can never reach. James, you must tell me everything you know. What are you afraid of?”
“The individual that I believe is involved is very powerful and could prove to be a menace to anyone aware of his actions.”
“Then why did you mention this to me in the first place, James? If you are so afraid of this man, why did you tell me about him?” Richard was growing impatient with Rolt.
“Because somebody has to stop him before it’s too late. I can’t do it alone.”
Richard kept a “bingo” to himself but oh how he wanted to shout it out.
“Are you saying that you want us to join forces to put an end to this man’s activities?” Richard wanted it all.
“Yes, Richard. We must. This man is insane, I’m sure of it.”
“You have talked to this man, haven’t you James?”
“Yes, I have. Richard, I’m hoping that I can trust you to keep what I’m going to say between the two of us. Do you give me your word?”
“Of course you can trust me, James, and yes, I give you my word.”
“The man I know that is behind this refers to himself as ‘Controller’. He is a wicked, deranged madman.” Rolt hesitated, he knew that he needed to tell someone; he also knew that this could lead to his own demise. He decided that it didn’t matter any more what happened to him; he had to unload this burden and tell someone.
“Go on.”
“I have been conversant with this Controller for many years. Lately only fear has kept me from defiance.”
Rolt proceeded to tell Richard about his involvement with the Controller, a partnership that had lasted for about ten years. When he finished relating his tale, Richard was convinced that Rolt was a mere shell of his former self, lacking confidence, and questioning his every move. Richard sensed that it wouldn’t take much for Rolt to turn suicidal, or at the very least, step down from his position.
Richard learned few new things from Rolt; definitely nothing that he could use in his battle against the Controller. Deciding that Rolt was for all intents and purposes powerless to be of any aide, Richard chose not to tell him anything of his plans. In Rolt’s state of mind, he might accidentally let slip some of Richard’s plans alerting the Controller. Richard made Rolt promise to continue cooperating with the Controller, instead of taking action against him. If Rolt could be of no help, at least he could be of no hindrance. Rolt agreed to let Richard know if any further information came to his attention.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to be getting this off my chest, Richard.”
“I know, James, I know.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Richard’s strategy to determine how deeply involved the other leaders were with the Controller was proving fruitful inasmuch as he was able to see who he could count on for support. He was disappointed that he wasn’t able to obtain any information that would help him identify the Controller. It was obvious to him that the Controller went to great lengths to cover his tracks.
Richard had talked to Syrian President Yahman and Israeli Prime Minister Schmier to see if either could be counted upon, only to find out that Yahman wasn’t willing to admit to any knowledge of such a man. Richard sensed reluctance from Yahman that was probably based upon fear but couldn’t press the Syrian President without admitting his own involvement and putting himself in jeopardy. He would just have to consider Yahman as a hostile.
Schmier, on the other hand, was very willing to cooperate with Richard but didn’t possess any direct knowledge of the Controller. He wasn’t sure who in his government was the Controller’s pawn; for all he knew there could have been more than one. At any rate he couldn’t guarantee Richard any support other than to keep an eye open for any activity that might be of interest.
As Richard contemplated his next move, he looked out his office window and could see storm clouds moving in. Thinking that it wouldn’t be long before the rains came, he decided to leave the office early to avoid getting caught in the storm. He wasn’t in any mood to take care of business anyway, so why go through the motions. Maybe at home with a drink and some soft music he would be able to clear his head and concentrate on his plan of attack. He told his secretary to have his car brought around and to notify the security team that he was going home.
By the time his driver brought the car around and Richard was ready to leave, the sky had darkened and a light rain was falling. Richard told his driver, a young and obviously physically fit member of his guard, to take him home the quickest way possible. Richard didn’t want to get caught up in the traffic jams that the weather would usher in. By the time he reached home, the rain had become a heavy downpour, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
“Terrific, just what I need to go along with my depression.” Richard didn’t mean for it to come out loud and his driver responded.
“Did you say something sir?”
“Just thinking out loud, don’t pay any attention to me.”
Veronica was pleased when Richard called her from the car and told her he was on his way home. She started a fire and checked to see if she had the ingredients to prepare him one of his favorite meals—meatloaf, made to his mother’s recipe.
Veronica knew that their relationship was at a crossroad and she was dismayed that there was nothing she could do to improve the situation. She should have told Richard about the Controller the minute she was approached, but she didn’t and there was no way to turn back the clock. Her only hope was that Richard would get over the hurt and forgive her. Until that time arrived, she would stand by him and make life as comfortable as possible. She didn’t want to openly discuss her relationship with the Controller because she knew that there would be no way to soften the ill feelings on Richard’s part. She sensed that Richard was not in any frame of mind for such a conversation; perhaps sometime down the road he might be more receptive.
Fortunately Veronica had put her car in the garage instead of leaving it under the covered portico at the home’s entrance as she usually did; this left room for Richard’s driver to pull in out of the rain. Both the driver and Richard appreciated not having to disembark in such a downpour. Since the Controller told him of Veronica’s involvement, Richard spent most of his weekday nights in an apartment he kept in the city. Originally he only did this on those occasions when he was forced to work late hours, making the longer drive to their home impractical. But with the current situation, Richard chose to avoid a possible confrontation by distancing himself as much as possible. He knew that eventually he would have to talk things over with Veronica; he just wanted to delay it as long as he could.
“This is a pleasant surprise. I’m glad you didn’t wait until the weekend to come home.” Veronica put on a cheerful face in spite of what she was feeling inside. She still loved Richard, as much now as in the beginning, and she hoped he felt the same way, but she dreaded what would inevitably come to pass—a clearing of the air. She adopted the attitude that i
f she never spoke of the situation then maybe it would somehow magically disappear. As childish as she knew that to be, she could think of no other way to avoid the inevitable confrontation.
“I didn’t feel like staying in the city tonight and since I didn’t have anything pressing … .”
“I’m making your favorite dinner.”
“That’ll be nice, although I’m not too hungry just yet.”
“It will keep till later, just let me know when you feel like eating.”
“Okay. In the meantime, I think I’d like to spend some time in the study.” Richard proceeded down the hallway to his study and upon entering found that Veronica had started a fire. He was glad she did. He could warm out the dampness he felt from the storm. Richard noticed that she had also filled the ice bucket and replenished the supply of scotch in the decanter. He removed his suit coat and tie, unbuttoned his shirt’s top two buttons, made a drink, and sat down in front of the fireplace. He stared into the flickering flames, which shed the only light in the room, casting eerie shadows upon the walls and ceiling. It wasn’t until he went to sip his drink that he noticed the glass was empty. Glancing at his watch, he couldn’t believe that a couple of hours had elapsed. Remembering what Veronica said, he walked to the kitchen and told her that he was up for dinner whenever she felt like serving it.
* * *
They got through dinner and a bottle of wine with few words having been exchanged. The topic of conversation was the children and how they were doing. Richard had long ago stopped discussing any official matters at home and Veronica accepted it as a small part of the price she had to pay for her disloyalty.
Richard started to clear the table but Veronica stopped him.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s not much to clean up. Why don’t you change your clothes and get comfortable?”
“Good idea, I could use a hot shower.”
Richard went upstairs to shower and change while Veronica cleaned up the kitchen. As she rinsed and placed the dishes into the dishwasher, she made an important decision to confront Richard. She wanted off the knife-edge upon which she was so precariously perched.
When Richard came into the bedroom, Veronica was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him.
“Richard, we need to talk. I know that you are aware of my relationship with the Controller. I also know of your involvement with him. We should have had this conversation long ago, but I was told—in no uncertain terms—that I was to do as I was told, and nothing else, or the children would be harmed. While I wanted to tell you everything right from the beginning, I couldn’t be sure where you stood. I was told that you were on board with the Controller’s plans and that you appreciated that the overall benefits were more important than our family. When you didn’t say anything to me about him, I assumed that you were committed to his cause. I was so afraid, Richard. I didn’t know what to do or who to turn to.”
“Why are you telling me this now? If what you say is true, aren’t you still afraid of the repercussions?” Richard wasn’t convinced that Veronica’s display of emotion wasn’t staged.
“Yes, I am. However, I think that the Controller has what he wants and couldn’t gain anything by harming Randall or Jennifer. There is no way that I can disrupt his agenda at this point. Earlier, things were different; I could have posed a threat if I came forward.”
“So you think that coming clean now will make a difference in our relationship?”
“I’m not sure anymore what I think. I’m so confused I don’t know which end is up.”
“The time to discuss this was years ago, not now. For all I know, this is nothing more than an act, some devious plot to see where I stand with the Controller. How can I trust someone who lived a lie for all those years?”
“But you were living a lie also, weren’t you?”
“I had much more to deal with besides the children. I had an entire nation, hell for that matter, the entire world balancing on my actions. I wasn’t allowed the luxury of choice. Everything I did I was compelled to do.”
“Do you think I had a choice? What were my options?” Veronica could hardly get the words to come out as she was fighting to suppress the tears.
“You could have come to me and taken your chances. I wish I would have had that choice. You claim that all your actions were guided by the need to protect the children. Do you honestly believe that I would have let anything happen to them? You never gave me the opportunity to protect them from harm.”
“I’m sorry Richard.” Veronica was in tears and the anguish on her face could not have been faked. “I don’t know what else I can say or do. I know only that I love you and can’t stand to see us torn apart this way.”
“I don’t like it either, but all the time I thought I was protecting you, you were using your closeness to me to further the Controller’s cause. The day may come when I can forgive you, but I can’t see the day coming when I could forget what has happened. And, at least for now, I am not inclined to trust you. There is no way I can be absolutely positive that you aren’t still in collusion with the Controller and that this is some kind of plot with a hidden agenda. You have to understand that in my position I have to assume the worst.”
“Then I guess we can never have our old lives back.” Even though the tears stopped, Veronica couldn’t have sounded sadder.
“I’m afraid not.”
* * *
Richard decided to sleep in one of the guest rooms instead of the master bedroom, leaving Veronica to her sobbing. He was surprised that he felt no urge to hold her and comfort her, something he would have done in the past without so much as a second thought. Now though, he found the very thought repulsive. It dawned on him that his emotions and inner feelings had decided for him that there was no hope for them to have a future.
Try as he might, Richard couldn’t fall asleep.
CHAPTER NINE
Several months had passed since Richard had his confrontation with Veronica. He was torn between the heartfelt desire to see to her welfare and the need to maintain the strictest security. It wasn’t just him anymore, he had others who were placing themselves in the line of fire and he couldn’t take chances with their wellbeing. Unfortunately, Veronica couldn’t understand his position and was growing more distant with each passing day. This led to a vicious circle, the more distant she grew, the less Richard could trust her.
Richard reviewed the latest information that his team members had assembled and decided that there was nothing to be gained by further delay. The game was on. Richard scheduled calls to his overseas contacts followed by a meeting with Christine and Adam.
As he waited for his first overseas call to come through, Richard gazed out his office window at the people scurrying down below in the visitor’s plaza of the former United Nations building. They may have appeared no larger than ants from his vantage point, but they were far more significant in what they represented to Richard. These were the people that he had abandoned and left to suffer whatever indignities the Controller wished upon them. He prayed that he would have the strength and character to win the upcoming battle.
* * *
Adam and Christine were shown into Richard’s office just as he was hanging up the phone, having concluded his final call. Richard motioned to them to make themselves comfortable on the couch while he asked his secretary to have fresh coffee brought in.
“I think the time has come.” Richard’s comment was met with a solemn quiet. They knew this moment was coming all too soon, yet hearing the words that would start the ball rolling brought home the realization that they were embarking upon a quest unlike any other that man has untaken.
“I don’t think we will gain any more momentum than we already have. Nothing new has been unearthed in the last couple of months; we need to put our heads together and plan our attack.”
“I agree, the longer we wait the more momentum we will lose. We know as much about the identity of the Controller as we are probably ever
going to know.” Adam had been anxious to move several months ago.
“Okay then, let’s go over what we know and start outlining the steps we need to take. Christine, I commend you on how you’ve assembled everything; this synopsis is worth its weight in gold.” Richard held the inch-thick loose-leaf binder up as if to emphasize its importance. “It really condenses all the facts into a very usable format. Let’s start with it and see where it leads us. Item one interests me a great deal—‘handwriting analysis of sample documents reveals that the writer is more than likely to display instability under stress’. That is quite a statement and it confirms my own observations. I’ve found the Controller to be very edgy when any references to insanity or instability come up. Another thing I noted was his comparison of himself to Hitler. I didn’t say anything that could have evoked him to make such a connection. He brought it up of his own accord. I personally think that with his egotistical and analytical mind, he has convinced himself that he is not at all like Hitler. He justifies his actions as being for the greater good by showing positive results, whereas Hitler had only destruction to his credit. He knows that Hitler was unstable but doesn’t want to admit the he himself might be as well.”
Adam could sink his teeth into this, having always been interested in the human psyche and majoring in psychology gave him some insight. “I won’t subject you to any psycho-babble but you’re absolutely right, Richard. I think if we rattle this guy’s cage he will go off like a rocket. But before we do that we are going to have to make sure he won’t be able to wreak any havoc. We have to get him isolated from his resources, because once he knows what we are up to, all hell could break loose. This man could be teetering on the edge of a total loss of control. He couldn’t be counted on to maintain any semblance of order or stability. He could subject the entire planet to some insane method of destruction.”
“I concur. I haven’t mentioned this before because I have nothing factual to support my thinking, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the Controller has someone in his pocket who has access to nuclear weapons. It’s a frightening thought, I know, but I keep remembering what he said to me about his willingness to nuke Israel if the need arose during our embassy crisis. Let’s face it—enough nuclear weapons are unaccounted for around the world to completely destroy this planet. He may have control of some of those. So yes, Adam, I agree, we have to make sure we cut him off from any outside contact before he gets wind of what we are up to.”