by C. G. Cooper
“What about the Riley chick? Was she acting strange?” There had to be something.
“Nope. Looked a little stressed out, but I would be too if I had her job. Sorry I couldn’t help, Cal.”
“It’s not your fault, man. Thanks for keeping this quiet. We’ll get to the bottom of it before tomorrow night’s show. Wait, do you think you could get me and Briggs and a few other guys in for the practice run tomorrow? I’d like to see the layout and take a look around.”
“Let me call one of the Secret Service guys that I just talked to over there. I don’t think it’ll be a problem as long as you don’t come armed and keep your distance from the President.”
Cal laughed out loud. “No offense, Andy, but I’ll pass on meeting the President.”
Andy chuckled. “Cool. I’ll call you back as soon as I know.”
The call ended and Andy dialed the Secret Service agent’s number.
“Hey, Pete. I’ve got a favor to ask.”
+++
11:13pm
Congressman Zimmer was just getting ready to hop into bed when his cell phone rang. It was his father.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“Are you ready for the Convention?”
“You still think I should be going with you?”
“Of course. I need you there with me. By the way, there’s a slight change for tomorrow. I know I told you we wouldn’t need to be at the convention center until five, but I just got a call from the President. He’s going to the venue early to watch the Silent Drill Team practice. He invited us to come along to watch and stick around to chat afterward. I think he’s going to try to get me to be Secretary of State again. I’ll have to tell him no, but you can’t refuse a Presidential summoning.”
“Why don’t you want to be at State, Dad? I thought it was something you’d pushed for before?”
“Maybe with Hank Waller in office, but the current President and I don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on much these days. You remember that little argument we had about our CIA assets in Jordan?”
Brandon did remember. His father had grown into a hugely popular figure among intelligence and military personnel. Despite his political affiliation, he was a staunch defender of a powerful armed forces and a robust intelligence arm. The tiff with the President about Jordan had been about the President’s decision to pull half of the CIA’s human assets stationed there in exchange for a larger drone and signals intelligence presence. Sen. Zimmer had argued that while technology certainly augmented the intelligence gathering process, spies and informants were absolutely necessary. The President, still pushing for full withdrawal from Afghanistan, didn’t relent. His closest advisors still professed the increased use of technology because it protected American lives.
Sen. Zimmer almost screamed in the President’s face that if it weren’t for intelligence community’s boots on the ground, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden never would have been found. In the end the President won and twenty-five CIA personnel were pulled out of Jordan. A week later, the coup in Syria caught the American government by surprise. One of the duties of the withdrawn CIA staff was to monitor the situation within the Syrian government. They’d even found seven exiled Syrian officials living in Amman, Jordan, and convinced them to be American informants. Each man still had extensive networks inside Syria. A day before the coup, all seven men disappeared. It was later determined, the lack of American protection around the men had allowed their capture and subsequent murder.
No, Sen. Zimmer would respect the office, but he could not serve directly under the man. Their ideological differences were too extreme.
“So why do you want me to come with you tomorrow?” Brandon asked.
“I think I’m gonna need a little moral support, Son. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt for you to mingle with him a little bit. He is the President.”
Brandon wasn’t sure. He’d have to check with the SSI guys. Then again, what could it hurt?
“Will it be okay to bring Trent with me?”
“Is that your bodyguard?”
“Yeah. It’s kinda one of the requirements you signed me up for.”
The Senator thought about it for a second. “I don’t see why not. I’ll call the President’s office and have them add him to the list. What’s his full name again?”
Brandon relayed Trent’s full name and former military rank. What would Trent say about meeting the President?
“I’ll have my driver come pick you two up at six thirty.”
They ended their conversation with a quick goodbye. Brandon walked into the adjoining living room and found Trent flipping through the TV channels. “Anything good?” Zimmer asked.
Trent answered without looking up. “Nope. It’s all commentary on the Convention. This damn TV can’t even get me the Falcons game replay.”
“Hey, something’s just come up.”
Trent muted the television and looked at Zimmer. “What’s up?”
“My dad got invited to meet with the President tomorrow morning. He wants you and me to come with him.”
“What? Cal’s not gonna like that.”
“I know his attitude isn’t your fault, Top, but Cal’s being an ass. I don’t really care what he thinks right now.”
Trent had spent enough time with the Congressman to know that the man had truly experienced a wake-up call. More than anything, the comment was a reaction to his most recent conversation with Cal.
“Congressman, I know you two got into it, but Cal’s trying to do the right thing. Put yourself in his shoes. He has to protect you PLUS all the rest of us. All I’m saying is that it’s a lot of pressure and you might want to give the guy a break.”
Zimmer exhaled. He knew Trent was right. Brandon had grown to respect the SSI men immensely. He trusted their judgment and promised himself that, if allowed to stay in office, he’d never lose that perspective. There were secret men and women, true patriots, that laid their lives on the line so that men like him could do their jobs and America could remain free. It was something he couldn’t forget.
“I know,” Zimmer replied. “But, this is really important. Have you ever met the President?”
“Nope. They don’t let many big dudes like me around the White House, unless you just won the Super Bowl.”
“Well, this is your chance. I’m sure Cal will be good with it as long as you’re with me. Do you mind asking him? I don’t think he’s ready to talk to me yet,” Zimmer almost pleaded.
The Marine thought about it. On one hand, he was sure Cal would be pissed. It really wasn’t smart to let the Congressman out until everything blew over. On the other hand, they’d be surrounded by Secret Service agents AND he’d get to watch the Silent Drill Team. What could go wrong?
“I’ll talk to Cal.”
“Thanks, Top. You won’t regret it,” Zimmer smiled.
+++
11:47pm
Cal put his phone down and closed his eyes in frustration. Another wrinkle.
“Okay, guys, one more change. That was Top on the phone. Seems as though the Congressman got himself invited to the party. He’ll be at the convention center during the rehearsal tomorrow morning, too. I told Top to stick to his ass like glue.”
Brian and Daniel looked up from their card game. “So who’s going with you tomorrow?”
“Andy called back and said he could only get two passes from the Secret Service. No offense, Doc, but I think I’m gonna take Daniel with me.”
Ramirez waived off the apology. “No biggy. That means at least one of us can sleep in tomorrow.”
“You cool to come with me?” Cal asked Briggs.
“No problem. I guess we won’t be taking any weapons.” It was posed as a question.
“Yeah. We can leave them out in the car. I’ll bet they’ll have that place pretty buttoned up before the big show. I’m more worried about tomorrow night. Why don’t you guys hit the sack? I’m just gonna go over that new list Neil gave us. I want to memorize as many fa
ces as I can.”
Daniel and Brian finished their game, cleaned up, and went to their rooms. Cal watched them go, wishing he could do the same. It was already midnight. He’d be up for at least two more hours, poring over the files Neil kept digging out of the Ichiban network.
+++
1:25am
Cal had just dozed off when a natty-looking Neil Patel tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey, what’s up?” Cal asked groggily.
“I just found something I think you need to see.” The earnestness on Neil’s face shook the fuzziness from Cal. He followed Neil to the computer station.
He watched as Neil pulled up a file. “So, earlier I found the original video file of the murder scene. Remember that in the one posted to YouTube, no one else was shown and the girl’s face was blurred? Well, this one I’m about to play was put together not only with clips of the Congressman, but also with a full view of the woman’s face. You ready to watch it?”
Cal knew they’d find some video like this, so he wasn’t sure why Neil was being so damn serious. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“I need you to watch the video first. Then I’ll tell you what it all means.”
Cal knew Neil wouldn’t waste his time, so Cal nodded to his friend. Patel pressed the Play button.
Cal watched as the cameraman walked around the body. It was similar to the shots he’d already seen online, but this time it showed a full view of the woman’s face. She was undoubtedly beautiful. She actually looked peaceful, despite not having any of her limbs attached. She must’ve been drugged, Cal thought.
Next, the camera panned over to Congressman Zimmer. He was lying unconscious, naked, and covered in the woman’s blood. The sharp knife had obviously fallen out of his bloody hand and sat inches from his gory appendage.
Holy shit!, Cal thought. He couldn’t imagine waking up to that. It reminded him of the iconic horse head scene from The Godfather. But this was different. This was a dismembered person. Maybe I need to cut Zimmer some slack.
The video finished and Neil looked up at his friend. “So what was your takeaway from that?”
After pausing for a moment to gather his jumbled thoughts, Cal replied. “First thing is maybe we can find out who that girl is. I also just realized Zimmer really went through some crazy stuff there. I’m surprised he’s not in the nut house after that.”
Neil agreed. Working with SSI, he’d seen some gory crime scenes. This was something different though. You could almost feel the detached brutality and evil of whoever had killed, then cut the poor girl up. It reeked of someone who had absolutely no regard for human life.
“You’re right about finding out who the girl was. I ran her through the FBI’s facial recognition system...” Neil had a way of hacking into any government agency he needed at the moment, “…and I got a match.”
“Just tell me the punch line, Neil,” ordered Cal impatiently.
Neil hesitated, “Her name was Patricia.”
“I thought Zimmer said her name was Beth.”
“Apparently, she wasn’t telling him the whole truth.”
“What’s her last name?” Cal asked, totally intrigued.
“Waller.”
“Waller? Is she related to President Waller?”
Neil nodded. “She’s his daughter.”
“Oh shit!”
Chapter 36
Las Vegas, Nevada
1:30am, September 19th
Cal hesitated before grabbing his phone. Who to call first? He was in completely uncharted territory here. Should he call President Waller first? Should he call Travis and get his opinion? His sluggish mind struggled to come to grips with the latest information.
How in the world had she just happened to run into Congressman Zimmer? And, more importantly, why did she call herself Beth? Was she part of a larger Japanese plot?
It was too much for his tired mind to unravel alone. He needed help.
Reluctantly, he grabbed the secure phone and placed a call to SSI headquarters. He asked the man on duty to patch him through to Travis’s encrypted line.
Ten seconds later, Travis was on the telephone, voice heavy with sleep. “What’s going on, cuz?”
“We just got some news that I don’t know what to do with. I need your help.”
Travis was suddenly awake. It was rare that his cousin called to ask for anything. This must be big. “What’s up?”
Cal told him about Waller’s daughter.
“You’ve got to be shitting me! Have you told him yet?”
“No. That’s why I’m calling you! What am I supposed to tell him?”
Travis had no clue. In the military, trained teams were sent to the homes of troops killed in action. Luckily, during his time with the SEALs he’d never had to pull that duty. How in the world do you tell an ex-President that his daughter was murdered and now being displayed all over the Internet?
“This is a big fucking mess, Cal.”
“Tell me about it. So what do I do?”
“I think you need to call him and request a meeting right now.”
Cal couldn’t think of anything better. If it had been his daughter, he’d want to know right away as well.
“Okay, I’ll make the call.”
“Let me know if you need my help.”
Cal killed the connection and dialed Waller’s number. He picked up after one ring. Apparently, he was used to calls in the middle of the night because he sounded wide awake.
“Hey, Cal.”
“Hello, sir. I’ve, uh, got some news that I need to share with you,” Cal started hesitantly.
“Can you tell me over the phone?”
“No, sir. I think I better head over to your place, if that’s okay.”
“You think that’s safe?”
“I’ll bring a couple of my guys with me. If you can just make sure your detail knows we’re coming.”
“No problem. I’ll see you in a few.”
The call ended and Cal gazed out the window. He could clearly see the happy crowds enjoying the warm night air, hopping from casino to casino. Cal wished he were with them. Instead, he had to deliver the worst news possible to a President of the United States.
+++
2:13am
He’d woken up Daniel and the two met up with three guys Gaucho sent over. They hurried down to the parking garage and loaded into the rental car. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived outside Waller’s hotel. Cal and Daniel hopped out and headed in.
Waller met them at his door and let the two Marines in. The three men were alone, the security detail stayed right outside the suite. Waller’s wife was asleep in the adjoining bedroom.
“So what’s going on, Cal?” President Waller was in an expensive blue robe. Even past one in the morning, the man looked put together.
“I think we better sit down, sir,” Cal requested.
“I take it by your tone and the fact that you’ve forgotten to call me Hank that this is pretty serious.”
Cal merely nodded and took a seat on the large sectional. Waller had weathered more crises than most men will ever have to endure, but the look on Cal’s face sent prickles up his spine.
“Sir, we found out who the girl is in Congressman Zimmer’s video.”
By the look on his face, Waller was starting to put the pieces together. “Just tell me, Cal,” Waller asked quietly.
“It’s your daughter Patricia, sir.”
Waller stared at Cal blankly. He hadn’t seen his daughter in almost a year. She’d left for Los Angeles almost three years ago to pursue a career in acting. He and his wife had scattered contact with their only child. In fact, it’d been almost eight months since they’d last talked.
Shortly after arriving in L.A., Patricia had sent her security detail home and refused any more money from her parents. She was going to make it on her own. A part of Hank Waller was proud of his daughter for stepping out and being independent. It was often hard for the children
of well-known politicians to have real lives. Waller was happy she’d chosen her own life.
He allowed her to live without the bodyguards, but still secretly kept tabs on her with a private security company. A few months after her independence, he’d received word from the owner of the company that his daughter had fallen in with a disreputable crowd of young actors. All played wholesome characters on TV and film, but in their private lives gorged on heavy drugs and explicit sex. Waller was crushed. He’d thought his daughter would have better sense.
Upon receiving the news, Waller and his wife hopped on a flight to California. They’d tracked down Patricia, who’d by then taken up with a local movie producer twice her age. It was obvious that she’d taken to the drug lifestyle, her skin hanging loosely from her pretty figure. Hank Waller almost cried when she’d first come to the door. He was losing his baby.
Her parents confronted the issue and threatened to have her committed. The intervention hadn’t gone well. Patricia stormed out of the house and disappeared. For weeks, the security company couldn’t track her down. Then three months later, Patricia had shown up on their doorstep completely out of the blue. She looked clean and healthy. He almost didn’t recognize her at first. She’d grown into a beautiful woman. Hank and his wife cried as they hugged and welcomed her home.
Over lunch, she’d told them the entire story. In short, she’d fallen in with the wrong crowd and allowed them to manipulate her. She was embarrassed but owned up to her shortcomings.
“Most of all I’m sad that I worried you guys,” she’d told her parents.
The weekend was perfect. They’d cancelled everything and spent time as a family. That had been eleven months ago. Then she’d apparently gotten a job with a Hollywood PR firm. Traveling extensively, contact had been rare, minus the occasional quick text hello. They’d wondered about the lack of correspondence, but just figured she’d been busy.