Hulagu's Web The Presidential Pursuit of Katherine Laforge

by David Hearne

  “Judy, I will be visiting both those sites to get a first hand view of what is going on.”

  “Well Senator, there is one more thing that is happening at Paducah. Yesterday a 110 million dollar Health Protection Program was announced with fanfare giving out a few hundred thousand to stricken workers with chronic beryllium disease. I think this was supposed to diffuse the rejection of the ten billion dollar lawsuit.”

  Senator Laforge stopped listening to Judy and gazed dumbfounded at her car. She stood there for a long moment with the phone pressed against her ear. She heard Judy ask if she was still there. Senator Laforge mumbled to Judy, “I need to go.” And without waiting for a response hung up.

  In front of her was her rented car with the tires flattened and shredded. Red graffiti was scrawled across the side of the car. It read “Rich man’s whore go back to NH. We don’t want you.” On the other side of the car, someone had scribbled, “live free or die’ needs to be ‘live our way or die.’

  Beneath the car was a cardboard box that had been crushed by the weight of the car as it descended onto its rims. The box had a blackish red stain around its bottom. Frank Payne stopped Senator Laforge from getting any closer to the car. He grabbed her arm and hurriedly escorted her out of the parking lot. In an excited voice, he told her that he needed to call the police, and that she needed to call for another rental.

  They waited outside the lot for the police. Within a couple of minutes the wailing siren of the approaching patrol car could be heard over the sound of the traffic. Just as the blinking lights became visible a car quickly exited from the lot with four men. Frank Payne noticed that all of them were looking away from him. He immediately felt a tinge of suspicion, as the car sped away he squinted at its license plate. There wasn’t one, just an empty frame. The car turned the corner and was out of sight. The patrol car screeched to a halt in front of the entrance and abruptly the shrill siren went silent. Two police officers clamored out of the car and walked briskly over to the Senator and Mr. Payne as staring, unspeaking bystanders gathered on the other side of the road.

  “Are you the people who just called in a complaint?” The tall officer questioned.

  “Yes we are!” Offered Mr. Payne.

  “Well I’m Sergeant Sandford and this is my partner officer Niven. What’s the problem here?”

  Senator Laforge stepped forward and offered her hand and said, “I’m Senator Laforge and this is my campaign manager Frank Payne. The problem sir is that our rented vehicle has been trashed by vandals.”

  Sergeant Sandford looked at Senator Laforge inquisitively and said, “I’m not much on politics Ma’am so could I see some ID real quick, so I know you two are who you say you are?”

  “Sure officer here is my driver’s license. Frank, give him yours, so we can get this over with quick.”

  Sergeant Sandford looked at her license and her senate pass and smiled at her as he handed them back and said, “No offense, I hope Ma’am, just always need to know who we are dealing with! Don’t you all go around with a bunch of secret service agents?”

  “Well, I wish that was so, but as you can see it is just the two of us.” The Senator quipped.

  “Yes Ma’am, well let’s go look at the car.”

  Frank Payne interjected, “Officer, there is a box under the car and something is leaking from it. I think it would be safer for everyone if you got someone down here to check and see if it might be a bomb.”

  “You really think someone would do something like that to the Senator?” Officer Niven asked wide-eyed.

  “Oh yes, there are a lot of powerful people hating Senator Laforge who would love to see her seriously harmed.” Senator Laforge interrupted Frank Payne with:

  “Officer, what Frank means is a lot of people would like to see me dead. Not hurt, but dead! I would not want others to be harmed, so it is best that you get someone down here to look into this incident.”

  “Okay Senator! Let me call it in, and we will cordon off this area until we find out what it is. A bit drastic, but better safe than sorry, as they say.”

  While Sergeant Sandford called in for assistance, Frank Payne gave a more detailed account of what he had seen to Officer Niven. He told him of his suspicions of the car driving away. Unfortunately, he was not sure of the car’s make or its color. It could have been black, dark blue, dark green or a dark shade of gray.

  As they went over the event and waited for more police, two more cars pulled up; one was another Honda Hybrid rental and the other an older Chevy used to escort the delivery driver back to the agency.

  Frank Payne asked the police sergeant if they could leave and have an associate pick up their belongings after the police checked out the car. Sergeant Sandford drawled, “I guess it is okay. You need to keep in touch with us. We got your cell phone numbers, and if we need you, we will call you.”

  Frank Payne slipped behind the wheel of the Honda Hybrid and Katherine slid into the passenger seat. They sat quiet for about a mile, listening to the news, the quiet hum of the engine and contemplating what had happened. The quiet was interrupted by a call from Danny Lantrip. He had noticed that they were not in the caravan of cars that were following the Sundancer and wondered if they were lost. Frank filled Mr. Lantrip in on the incident. Danny Lantrip prophesized that it was just some drunken pranksters leaning toward another candidate who did it.

  “Well, I hope you are right. How is Sundancer doing now?”

  “We have had problems. We had some electrical difficulties, probably due to the dew this morning and that set us back a bit, and then we had a bad incident on a straight away where we were going to attempt a pass. The Sundancer was given a signal to pass just as an 18-wheeler came zooming by. If the driver and others had not been observant, we would have had a major incident, but the correction was made, and now we will just suffer some big penalty tomorrow at the announcements.”

  “The weather is predicting showers on the race route. Hope you miss them.” Frank said.

  “Well if they come, they will affect all of the teams because we are still pretty close to each other.”

  “We will catch up to you soon, I expect probably in Tenaha, Texas. See you soon.” Frank said as he hung up the phone.

  Kat was scribbling some notes and was lost in her own thoughts.

  “You know Kat we really need to get more security for you. There have been just too many strange incidents happening lately. I am not trying to scare you, but many candidates in the last few elections have been shot or killed.”

  “I know!” Senator Laforge replied looking up from her notes.

  “Well Senator I don’t want some Travis Bickle gunning for you. Did you know that movie Taxi Driver wasn’t just fantasy, it was based on the guy Arthur Bremer who shot and paralyzed George Wallace during his Presidential campaign?”

  Frank did not wait for a reply.

  “I am just trying to make a point. Let’s not forget Robert Kennedy was shot dead in a kitchen on his campaign and Reagan, and Ford both were used for target practice by some angry citizens. I think we have to hire some bodyguards for you until you get secret service support.”

  “Okay, Frank! When we get back to Houston let’s do it.”

  Frank was quiet for a long moment and then said, “I was thinking they can get going on hiring right now back at headquarters. I am sure Ira would be glad to handle it.”

  “I guess on days like today it would have been very nice.” The Senator replied.

  Frank didn’t answer; he just fixed his eyes on the long black ribbon of asphalt stretched out ahead of them bordered by swaying pines. The wind had picked up and dead leafs and debris swirled like tiny whirlwinds across the road. Katherine slipped down deeper into her seat and closed her eyes for a few minutes of rest. Frank turned on the radio to a local am station and listened to the news. The major headline was about the mysterious death of Dr. David Kelly, who was found dead on July 18. He had recently testified at the British Parliament’s
Foreign Affairs Committee that he saw Iraq’s nuclear capabilities more of a spin of fabricated information than reality. The statements made by Dr. Kelly were refuted and ridiculed by officials. Their explanation of his death was the result of suicide according to the official version, but the whispered story was murder. It was rumored that Kelly was silenced to prevent him from embarrassing powerful members of the British Parliament.

  Frank tried to relax as he watched the center markers on the road stretch out like a dotted line flashing in the afternoon sun. The gnarled trees that grew among the tall pines fascinated him; their wavering bare branches appeared to reach out beckoning at him as he drove by them. Exhaustion was overtaking Frank just as the sound of the Senator’s cell phone lifted his mental fog.

  Katherine opened her eyes and fumbled for the cell phone on the console. It was a Texas number that displayed. She didn’t recognize it, but took the call anyway. She voiced a weak, “Hello!” A booming voice came back, “Is this Senator Laforge?”

  “Yes it is.” Kat replied.

  “Well this is Sergeant Sandford. Got some info on your earlier incident.”

  “I am glad to hear that.” Katherine replied, sitting up in the seat.

  “Well Senator, the good news was there was no bomb in the box. What was in there was a bizarre layout of cat parts.”

  “Cat parts?” Katherine echoed.

  “Yup, looks like someone took the time to cut up a cat or two and use some of the bones to write the word “KAT.” They also left a cat’s head in the box. I guess it is really just some sicko who was trying to scare you. Could have been kids also.”

  “God, that is horrible. So you have no idea of who might have done it?” Katherine asked.

  “Well not yet, but we are checking it out more to see if any locals are talking about it. Besides that, we do not have much more to go on, unless someone reports a missing cat or something like that. Sorry!” Sergeant Sandford apologized.

  “I understand. Well thank you for calling us with the news, Sergeant. If anything else comes up, please keep us in the loop.”

  Katherine exchanged goodbyes and settled back into her seat again. “Well, that is another mystery; I bet will never be solved.”

  Frank glanced over at Katherine and saw that she had already closed her eyes. With them still closed Katherine said, “Frank, I think we should cut this trip short before that protest in Macon, Mississippi. I won’t feel right having my presence interfering in this race and causing such a tremendous expense to that little town. Macon is only about two thousand people, so I think the plan should be we leave this race at Houston, Mississippi right after I deliver my speech. Okay with you?”

  “No problems here, Senator. I think that is the best way to handle this nasty situation. Those protesters will still create a bit of a ruckus in Macon, but a lot less if you are not there.”

  Senator Laforge responded, “We need to get back to the give and take settings of town meetings, late night TV, and the standard fair of speaking engagements. Two things I want to do is visit some electric coops on our way back and then visit that area in Galveston where they are building the “Galveston Offshore Wind” farm.”

  “That is something I would love to see also. I think I read that they are planning to have 50 wind turbines installed, generating about 150 megawatts, or enough power to supply 45,000 homes.” Frank said.

  “Yes that is what I read. So how about making plans for us to visit it as soon as we get back to the Houston area.” Senator Laforge said.

  The third day of the race would start in Houston, Mississippi, the hometown of the Sundancer and its team. On the morning of July 19th Senator Laforge addressed the event’s crowd. It was a proud occasion for the locals; their team had won the race in previous years and this fact filled the townsfolk with pride.

  After being introduced by the Mayor of the town and quieting the applauding followers of these solar car teams, Senator Laforge expressed to the audience her genuine surprise at the dynamics of the race. She said, “When I was invited to this event, I had no idea of the education and excitement that this race generates. It is easy to become enamored with these vehicles of the future and this unique group of young men and women. What these students from Mississippi, Colorado, Indiana, New York and Mexico have demonstrated in the last three days is harnessing solar energy is a reality that big industry needs to embrace.” The Senator paused for a moment as the audience applauded, and then she continued, “If the federal government will not see the benefit of this plentiful energy source, than the states need to create their own energy plans to replace the soot belching coal power plants and dangerous nuclear power plants with biodiesel, wind, solar, and wave power.”

  Senator Laforge waited for the applause to die down and then said, “This will be my last day with the race. Late this afternoon, I will be flying to meet with community leaders in Buzzard Bay, MA. to learn firsthand the complications of cleaning up large oil spills. Buzzard Bay has become another disaster of Big Oil and another reason why imported oil needs to cease. The cleanup has already cost 2 billion dollars.

  While I have your attention, I wanted to take a couple minutes of your time and give you a little more of my campaign concerns. Freeing us from our addiction to foreign oil is one of my primary goals and the actions of these wonderful dedicated young men and women prove that the answers to our energy crisis are not that far away. This group of students has harnessed the sun’s energy to power their solar vehicles to speeds of up to 65 miles per hour. These young men and women should not just be seen as racers of solar cars, but as national champions who are helping to usher in a new era of power. If big business would follow their lead, we could prevent wars being fought for the dwindling supply of oil, because we would be using solar power, wind power or the movement of ocean waves. We would not have to have refineries belching out tons of pollutants into the air you and I breathe. You would not be worrying about petroleum products seeping into your water table like what has happened in New Hampshire and Vermont. With solar energy you could eliminate devastating oil spills like the Exxon Valdez or the Buzzard Bay tragedies. Alternative energies are here today, and you need to send a message to your representatives to promote and embrace this change, or you should vote them out. Your actions in this matter do not simply create cleaner energy; they also eliminate the need of our men and women to fight wars over yesterday’s energy source and big business’s greed. Energy self sufficiency would prevent members of this community from dying in some foreign land for a cause that you have the power to eliminate.”

  Senator Laforge thanked the crowd for listening to her comments. She hoped some had embraced her message and would become a part of the solution. Suddenly, a roar went up as the next leg of the race started. Down Main Street this fleet of alien looking vehicles whizzed by the applauding and shouting onlookers. These flying saucers and manta ray looking vehicles awed the onlookers and enchanted the young.

  As Katherine watched the vehicles zoom down the road, Frank handed her an envelope. On the outside it read “Private for Katherine Laforge” She unfolded its content and suddenly the roar of the crowd dissipated and only the pounding of her heart was audible. The single sheath of paper was a missing children’s flyer with a crudely altered picture of her daughter added to it. It was a recently taken photograph of her Lyndsey leaving school with friends. A message scrawled with a black marker read, “Let’s hope your sweet Lyndsey is not one of the 2,300 children that disappear everyday in the good old USA! It could happen so easy!”

  She stared down at the flyer as a maelstrom of emotions swirled through her mind. Anger, fear, hate, confusion, sadness all boiled into an overpowering rage. She wanted to turn and run from this horrifying nightmare, but another voice in her told her she could not. Even with this new darkness closing in on her, she had to continue her quest for the presidency. She tried to catch her breath and gulped in air. The air suddenly felt cold and stunk of a freshly lit match or perhaps t
he stench of a solar car battery. Inside her head she was screaming.

  Katherine turned to Frank, handed him the paper and blurted out that he would have to cover her while she called her daughter. Her voice sounded almost controlled, but her eyes exposed her fear. Payne said, “Katherine you need to call her.” As he glanced at the cryptic message on the flyer, he added, “We need to get more protection for her, Ira, and all of us.”

  Katherine meekly shook her head in agreement and walked back to their vehicle. She turned on the engine and felt the cool air from the conditioner hitting her in the face. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her daughter’s phone number.

  It rang and rang again. No answer. Finally, the voice mail picked up and Lyndsey’s recording played. Katherine waited till the beep and started her message. “Lyndsey, as soon as you get my message, call me. This is very important and I must talk to you. Have your dad call me too. Remember this is important, call me right off, or you are grounded forever. I love you.”

  She hung up the phone and thought for a second. That was a dumb message “I’ll ground you forever!” She hoped Lyndsey would get her message soon and call her. She was not sure what she wanted to tell her, but she really wanted to hear her voice and make sure she was safe. She dialed Ira and listened as the phone rang over and over with no answer. On the forth ring she heard a call coming in on her phone, and she switched over to take it. “Hi mom, what’s up?” the voice said.

  She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. “Honey, I was just calling you to see what you were doing and if everything is all right. Can a mom do that?”

  “Of course mom, but nothing is going on accept you know the same old stuff. I am getting ready to go to the mall, okay?”

  “Yes!” Katherine replied.

  “You sound a lot happier today.” Lyndsey said.

  “What do you mean,’ I sound a lot happier today?’ Why do you say that?”

  “Mom you were just about crying last night when you were talking to me. I know when you are getting ready to cry. You even made me cry when you talked about all the things we did when I was little. You made me remember what a great mom I have!”