by Jerry Bruce
“I may have. That was him—the Controller.” Richard’s voice was that of a man who has been soundly beaten beyond any hope.
Christine and Adam were speechless. By the time they regained their composure, Richard had placed a call to Thornton. He had activated the speaker phone so Christine and Adam could listen.
“Director, I have just been contacted by the Controller.”
“What? That’s not possible; we have him under close observation, there is no way he could have placed a call.”
“When was the last time that you talked to your team?”
“They are due to contact me within the hour.”
“I suggest you try to contact them. I have reason to believe that something horrible has happened.”
“I’ll get back to you, Mr. President, as soon as I have some news.”
Richard hung up the phone and sat, dazed, just staring out the window.
“What did the Controller say?” Adam hung his head in disbelief.
Richard filled them in on the one-sided conversation.
“What do we do now?” Christine was thinking the worst, namely that Richard was going to be targeted by the Controller and probably killed. “You know what this means for you.”
“I don’t want to do anything until I hear from Thornton. I don’t know why, but I have the feeling that the Controller isn’t going to just kill me outright. I think he is going to toy with me the way a cat toys with a mouse. He can’t just eliminate me; he has to make an example of me to his other co-conspirators. You two should be safe for the time being. There is no way he could know of your involvement. I just wish I knew how he escaped, and for that matter, how anyone knew where he was.”
“The most important thing to be concerned with now is your safety, sir. You know, Mr. President, there is nothing stopping you from dropping out of sight. You could just pack up some clothes and disappear. You could go to a small tropical island where nobody cares who you are or were. Change your name and vanish.” Adam was serious. “You have enough money to live like a king on one of those small tropical paradises. Why wait around for this madman to do his bidding. You don’t owe anyone anything; you’ve put in your time and becoming a martyr isn’t going to change anything.”
“Adam is right, Richard. You have to do something to protect yourself.”
“Don’t you think that I have an obligation to see this through to the end? I helped put the world into this situation. I can’t just walk away.”
“You may not have a choice, Richard.” Christine had to convince him that it was best for him to leave. “Think about it. If you were to lay low for a short time, while Adam and I continue on with our plans, you could come back and help with the rebuilding process. That would be the best way for you to make amends.”
“Christine is right, Mr. President. You have been compromised. In fact, if you stay here you could be taken captive and forced to reveal our involvement. You would put us in jeopardy as well.”
With that last comment Richard looked up at Adam with a pained expression on his face. “That’s the last thing I want to have happen. Besides you two, I could also reveal LeClerc and Vashenko as being in on it. That would put them in danger.” Richard stood up and walked to the window. As he looked down on the score of pedestrians, he shook his head in agreement. “I don’t have any options but to disappear. But I’m not going to leave the country. If I’m going to hide out someplace where I can’t keep track of both of you. I’m not going to leave you alone to fight this battle—I can’t.”
Christine was torn between wanting Richard safe and having him near. “Maybe there is a way we can protect you, we just have to find it.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. President, we’ll figure something out.”
“I hope so, Adam, because I’m not running away from this.”
They were startled by the intercom. “Mr. President, Director Thornton is on the line.”
Richard put Thornton on the speaker.
“What have you got director?”
“I’m sorry to say your suspicions were confirmed. There was news of a large blast in that area. I had an Air Force reconnaissance plane fly over the area to check it out. Mr. President, there is a crater where the house used to be. There isn’t any way any living thing could have survived such a blast.”
“Could this have been the self-destruct mechanism?”
“No, sir; we didn’t have anywhere close to that amount of destructive power on site. This was probably an air attack. Unfortunately, we never considered the possibility of an assault from the air.”
“I don’t understand something; are you saying that everyone in the house was killed?”
“Yes, it looks that way, sir. No one could have survived such a blast.”
“Then, if that is true, how could I get a call from Wilkins?”
“I don’t know. We only have preliminary reports at present. I have dispatched a team to the area to see if they can find any evidence as to what actually happened. I suppose it’s possible that someone somehow managed to extricate Wilkins and then destroyed the house. That’s highly unlikely though. They would’ve had to know all the details of our security measures.”
“Thank you, director. If you hear anything further, please notify me, and if I’m not available, pass on the information to either Christine Morrison or Adam Broderick.”
“Yes, sir.”
Richard hung up the phone and settled back into his chair. “If Wilkins was killed in the explosion, then Wilkins wasn’t the Controller, and we had the wrong man all along. If Wilkins was indeed the Controller, then he escaped somehow. Either way, we are in trouble.”
“How could he escape? Besides the three of us, only Thornton knew about the house. It certainly wasn’t one of us and I seriously doubt that Thornton was the leak.” Adam’s reasoning couldn’t be questioned.
“You’re right; I don’t see Thornton being guilty of anything. If he were passing information along to the Controller, the abduction of Wilkins would have been stifled from the very beginning. There has to be another explanation, but at this point it doesn’t really seem to matter. The damage has been done and now we are on the defensive side of the ball.” Richard hung his head and placed his hands over the back of his neck as he stared at the floor, like a beaten man.
“If Wilkins was indeed extricated, we have to find out how anyone knew of his whereabouts. If we don’t find out then we would be going ahead with our plans knowing that there is a spy in our midst. How could we ever hope to succeed with that hanging over our heads?” Adam was no longer shocked; the shock had given way to anger and determination.
Christine went over and sat next to Richard and put her arm over his shoulders and leaned towards his ear. Quietly enough that Adam couldn’t hear, she whispered, “I love you and I don’t want to see any harm come to you, but I know that if you give up you will never be able to live with yourself.”
Richard stood and walked over to the window. Looking down on the street below he spoke softly, “I can’t tell you two how much your support means to me. Lesser people would have said ‘to hell’ with this whole mess, but you two have proven why my choice of picking you as my successors was a wise decision. You have given me the courage to go on.”
“The most important thing for us right now is to figure out a way to protect you, Mr. President.”
“Thanks, Adam.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Christine insisted that Richard sneak out of his office in disguise and go to her apartment to await any new information. Adam went out and bought an overcoat and hat so that Richard could slip out a side entrance and catch a taxi. Christine gave her cell phone to Richard to use as their communication media should her home phone be tapped; an unlikely possibility since no one knew of her involvement with Richard, but caution was the order of the day.
Christine had Richard’s secretary clear his calendar under the guise of his being sick from food poisoning and unable to reschedule
at the present time. This would buy him some time until they heard more about the bombing. They would have to devise a scenario to explain his absence once he committed to dropping out of sight.
Richard objected to using Christine’s apartment at first, but sound reasoning from Adam and Christine prevailed and he finally relented. His concern for Christine’s safety was obviously driving his objections, but in lieu of an alternative, he had no choice.
* * *
Richard was wondering if he would ever hear from Thornton again. “It’s been two days and still no word.” Richard was pacing the living room and talking to himself out of frustration. Here it was, one o’clock in the afternoon and he was still in pajamas, hadn’t showered or shaved and had a whole pot of coffee as his sole sustenance. He was beginning to feel the onset of cabin fever setting in. If something didn’t break soon he was going to turn into a basket case. It would have been different had Christine been around, but she decided to spend a couple of days with her mother who was recuperating from a bout of the flu.
Richard was too used to a demanding and busy schedule to be relegated to sitting around. He had done as much reading as he cared to do, considering Christine’s limited library. He made a mental note to chide her about her collection of romance novels. He did, however, find her selection of science fiction classics interesting. With all that was going on, they had never had the opportunity to just relax and discuss the little things in each other’s lives. When they weren’t being intimate, they were embroiled in their pursuit of the Controller.
Richard was about to turn on the television to see if there was any mention of him on the news when Christine’s cell phone rang. He recognized the caller’s phone number as his office private line. Answering it treated him to the soft lilt of Christine’s voice.
“Richard we have news from director Thornton; his team went over the blast site with a fine toothed comb. They … God this is gruesome … .”
Richard could tell from her cracking voice that Christine was fighting back tears. “Christine, get a hold of yourself and tell me what he had to say.” Richard couldn’t disguise his impatience.
“They found various body parts around the site. DNA tests were performed and the identities of the four agents were confirmed.”
“What about Wilkins?”
“I was just getting to that Richard, relax and let me finish.” Christine tried to restrain herself and not reveal her own impatience at Richard’s interruption but the tone of her voice sent him a clear message—she was having a difficult time getting through the gory details.
“Wilkins was definitely killed in the blast; an arm was found and tests against the blood sample, that was taken when we captured him, confirmed it to be his. There were no indications of anyone other than Wilkins and the agents being there at the time of the explosion.”
“So, we know for sure that Wilkins was not the Controller. Since he’s dead, we now have no way to get him to lead us to the real Controller. This puts us back to square one.”
Christine didn’t need to see Richard to know that he was probably hanging by a thin thread with little to prevent him from lapsing into a deep depression.
“You know, Richard, what I don’t understand is how we could have been so far off base in identifying the Controller. Every piece of evidence pointed to Wilkins. I could see if there were conflicting clues, but there were none. Everything fell into place and all the parts fit.”
Christine’s postulation got Richard thinking and snapped him out of his self-pity. “You’re right, Christine. In fact, reflecting back on it, maybe it all fits too well. Tell me what you think about this hypothesis. What if the Controller somehow knew what we were doing and planted clues designed to lead us to Wilkins? What if we were manipulated?”
“It would explain a lot. But that leads us back to the same big question—how could he know what we were up to?”
“Simple, from someone we thought we could trust.”
* * *
Richard decided to get cleaned up and dressed. It was a perfect day for denim jeans, a polo shirt and a pair of sneakers. Maybe if he went for a walk and got some sun he could think more clearly and make some sense of what was happening.
The day was sunny and warm and the minute Richard felt the sun’s rays on his face and uncovered arms he spirits were slightly lifted. He had forgotten to pack a pair of sunglasses in his haste to drop out of sight, so his first order of business was to secure a pair. Richard noticed a drug and sundries store across the street so he jaywalked across the busy street, dodging traffic and eliciting a rude gesture from an irate taxi driver. Richard walked to the rear of the store where he found a rack containing non-prescription reading glasses and an assortment of sunglasses. After trying on several pairs and looking at himself in the rack’s mirror, he decided on a pair of standard aviator style glasses.
Back on the street, Richard noticed a sign for a park and recreation area and followed the arrow. A park might be a good place to relax and think things over.
Richard had walked three long blocks before coming to the park entrance and was relieved to see a heavily wooded area that provided a lot of shade, benches and a drinking fountain. Taking a long drink to quench his thirst, he noticed an especially dense patch of lawn under a gigantic pine tree. Richard sat down on the cool grass, and then reclined on one side, propped up on one elbow. Richard enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of several children kicking around a soccer ball about twenty yards away. He actually found himself laughing when a small tyke fell after missing an attempted kick at a ball not too much smaller than himself.
His elbow starting to ache, Richard lay back looking up at the tall pine’s branches so thick that only an occasional glint of sun shone through as the tree swayed in the breeze. Gradually he became so engrossed in the peacefulness of nature that he couldn’t keep his eyes open and let the children’s playful yelling lull him into a deep sleep.
Richard could have slept longer had it not been for the ringing of Christine’s cell phone. He had almost forgotten to take it with him and would soon wish that he had indeed left it behind.
“Hi, Richard. What are you up to?”
“Actually, I’m sitting under a tree at the park a few blocks from your apartment.”
“Do you think it’s wise to be out in public? Somebody might recognize you.”
“I think most people are too busy with whatever they are doing to be worried about me.” Richard looked at his watch and saw that it was four o’clock. “Why did you call? Aren’t you going to be coming home soon?”
“I was in your office looking for some paperwork when I heard that cell phone in your drawer ring. There is no mistaking that ring. Of course I didn’t answer it, but I was wondering if I should bring it home with me.”
“I suppose it would be a good idea. I don’t know if I’ll answer it, should it ring again. I guess it will depend upon what excuse we can dream up for my being out of circulation.”
“I’ll bring it home with me. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you too, bye.”
Richard sat under the tree for another few minutes wondering what the Controller would have said had he answered that phone. He finally came to the conclusion that it would not have been anything good.
Richard made the walk back less purposeful than when he was on his way to the park. He was enjoying being among the people walking the streets. It made him feel alive, a feeling that had been missing for the last several days. Finally getting back to Christine’s apartment building, he got off the elevator just as the maid that came in weekly to clean the apartment of one of Christine’s neighbors was waiting for a down elevator. Not thinking anything of the encounter, Richard flashed her a smile and said hello.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
That evening Richard had Adam come over to Christine’s apartment so the three of them could have an update meeting and decide on their next course of action.
“Have y
ou two come up with something viable to explain my absence?”
Adam took the lead. “We wanted to know from you whether or not you want your disappearance to be permanent? We have a scenario that would allow for your return to public life and also one for your ‘death’. It’s up to you which one gets the nod.”
Christine jumped in with her own opinion, one that reflected her personal concerns for Richard’s safety. “I prefer that you choose the death scenario. God, I didn’t mean that to sound so insensitive.” Christine’s comment caused both men to laugh heartily. Christine decided to ignore them and continued. “If we make it truly believable, then the Controller will move on and forget about you. Anything else and you are still going to have to deal with him.”
“Thanks, Christine, it felt good to have a laugh. There hasn’t been too much levity of late. I’ve told you both many times before that I have no intention of giving up on taking him down. I can’t very well do that if I’m dead. Besides, there is no way the Controller is going to believe that I’m dead. That would be too convenient a coincidence for him to buy into. So I think the issue here is how long do I need to be ‘missing’ and how well can I hide? We have to make some kind of statement soon, since I’ve been gone for several days already. Tell me about your scenario.”
Adam inched forward in his seat, anxious to outline the plan. “Well, the beauty of this scenario is that we can drag it out as long as we want. We propose releasing a statement that says you have been taken hostage by an upstart, radical, terrorist group. Since we are making this group up, no one can disprove its involvement. What’s more, nobody—including the Controller—can use resources to infiltrate the group. We will be the only ones determining how the cards fall.”
“I like it. Of course the Controller will know it’s just a ploy to buy time. He can’t tell anyone except his closest confidants what is really going down without putting himself in jeopardy. In fact, the more I think about it, he would probably keep it all to himself so as to protect his cloak of perfection with his conspirators.”