by Martha Carr
“It’s freaking me out,” said Ned, as he came into the room with two other teenagers Wallis didn’t recognize, startling her. Surely their parents wouldn’t want them involved, she thought.
“Ned, you invited others?” asked Wallis, trying not to sound like she was smothering him. She was finding it tricky to walk the teenager line and not get it wrong on either side but something about asking other minors to a strategy session seemed like a bad call.
“You’ve met before but it’s been a few years,” said Ned, stepping to the side to introduce his friends. “This is Trey and his brother, Will Schaefer. You know their dad, Robert. Remember? We helped save their lives a few years ago and drove them across country to that children’s home. They’re here to help.”
Wallis raised her eyebrows about to ask a question but Ned held up his hand. “And yes, their dad knows. He dropped them off while he went to look for a house. They’re moving back to Richmond.”
“Dad got a job offer,” said Trey.
“And he said if Trey is gonna’ keep running to Richmond to help out they might as well move here,” said Will. Trey elbowed his brother and scowled at him. “Well, it’s true,” said Will, “and Ned said we were all going to be honest here, right?” he asked looking around at the room. Wallis noticed almost everyone looked away for a moment.
“I am,” said Wallis, smiling at Ned. “It’s the only way we’re going to defeat someone so good at compartmentalizing everything. We have to be brave enough to share or we could miss an important piece.”
“That is not my usual nature,” said Esther, reaching for a plate. “But it has merit. Everything else we have done has only at best slowed down Mr. Clemente, and perhaps at times even helped him,” she said shaking her head. “We can take the courageous leap and do something completely different and be transparent.”
Wallis noticed Esther looking at Harriet as she said the last part. She wondered if there was more those two old women still knew that they weren’t willing to share. That they still saw as their duty to keep to themselves, whatever the cost.
“Real courage is trusting in the other fellow until he gives you good reason, instead of the other way around,” said Father Michael with a smile. He took a seat between Harriet and Esther on the far side of the table.
“Am I late?”
Wallis startled again, shaking for a moment as she watched Fred Bowers coming down the short hallway from the kitchen. She hadn’t seen him since he had shown up unexpectedly down by the waterfront when she was trying to rescue Norman. She had never even told anyone about that day, including Norman.
I guess I’m still keeping secrets too, she thought.
Fred Bowers looked fit and rested, which would have been unusual enough, given everything that had happened to him in the past few years. But there was more to his appearance that had most of the table looking confused.
Wallis was quietly taking note of who didn’t seem surprised at all.
“What’s with the costume?” asked Norman, his brows knitted together. “You get a new job offer?”
Fred Bowers was dressed almost the same as Father Michael except his suit looked newer. The same closed off, wariness he had carried since Maureen had died, right out on the street in front of Wallis’ house, was there on his face. That was nothing new and seemed on its way to becoming permanent.
“That’s all you’re wondering?” asked Harriet. “How did you manage to get back into Richmond without anyone noticing?” Harriet pushed back her chair and twisted around to look out the front windows. She was clutching her purse in front of her.
“You’re packing aren’t you,” said Father Donald, giving Harriet a gentle nudge as he leaned down next to her to look out the window. Wallis ducked down slightly to see if she could get a better view of the street but her angle was wrong from where she was standing on the far side of the table.
“You have a cool grandmother,” Will whispered to Ned. Wallis let out a sigh as she noticed Ned smiling, just a little.
“It’s okay,” said Norman, as he put down a tray of glasses on the table. He wrapped an arm around Wallis’ shoulder. “This is who we are, after all, so we might as well feel good about it.” He turned and seemed to take in everyone who had joined them in their dining room.
“Fred? You’re here?” he asked, hesitating. Wallis wasn’t sure what he was going to do next. Norman looked genuinely concerned and the tension in the room rose as everyone waited to see what was going to happen. Wallis reached out to put her hand gently on Norman’s arm to stop him, if necessary. She knew how important it was for everyone to get along today.
“Norman?” she said. He didn’t seem to hear her.
He stepped forward and Fred seemed determined to stand his ground. Helmut took a step closer to them, as if he was ready to break up a fight, just as Norman opened his arms and hugged Fred around his neck, holding on tight.
“I’m sorry,” Norman said, his voice breaking. “I should have done more. I should have stayed with you that day. I’m sorry. I’ve wanted to tell you that,” he said, as his voice trailed off.
Ned and the two teenagers with him seemed uncomfortable and had managed to back up to the wall, looking down at their shoes.
Fred cautiously patted Norman’s back before stepping back, shaking his head. “There was nothing to say,” he said, his face growing stony. “Everything that happened had to happen. You did nothing wrong.”
“What Fred did ended a war,” said Father Michael.
“Agreed,” said Helmut, “and from what I heard, you were only the patient messenger, Norman. Why don’t we all grab a seat?” he said, glancing around at everyone. Wallis knew he was trying to change the subject.
“It’s time we got started,” said Helmut. “There’s a lot of ground to cover and George Clemente has an enormous head start on us. We’re talking years. Fred,” he said, clapping Fred on the back, “glad you’re here in your new capacity.”
“What is that, exactly,” said Norman, finally seeing what Fred was wearing.
“You’re a part of the Order now, aren’t you?” asked Wallis. “The Order of the White Rose. I get it now,” she said. “We have almost every piece of the opposition to Clemente represented right here in this room. The only thing missing is the current Keeper, Tom. Don’t look at me like that Esther. Everyone here knows that fact. I suspect even the Schaeffer boys know by now. No more cloak and dagger.”
“Or our version with Watchers and guns,” said Helmut.
“That’s why you’re always here, isn’t it?” she asked, looking at Father Donald. “You’re a part of the Order. You were always here as their eyes and ears. I should have seen that a long time ago,” said Wallis. “Don’t worry,” she said to Norman, “I’m not going to ask.”
“He never outright told me,” said Norman.
“So he wouldn’t have to lie to you,” said Father Donald.
“You’ve been watching over us this entire time.” Wallis felt the pieces start to fall into place. “This has been a puzzle right in front of me, like a blue sky with a thousand pieces. You were assigned to Harriet,” she said, making a reasonable guess.
“All of you, actually,” said Father Michael. “It helped that he became such good friends with your husband.”
“I decided not to make it hard on him,” said Norman.
“Why isn’t Uncle Tom here?” asked Ned. Wallis noticed how tall he had become as he took a seat at the table. It was such a contrast from the other times when they’d had to protect him from knowing the entire truth. Somewhere during his father’s kidnapping, it became more dangerous to keep him out of the loop.
Especially after Ned had started trying to solve things on his own and then managed to steal almost a billion dollars electronically from George Clemente.
Clemente had traced it back to Ned almost at once and had tried to capture Ned but given up, telling Ned he’d come for the money another day. Given up almost too easily, thought Wallis. Th
e money still sat in the bank accounts Ned set up in the Cayman Islands, gathering interest while they figured out what to do next.
“I want to make something clear,” said Ned, holding up his hand like he was in class. “I’m not asking permission, necessarily, on what to do with the money.”
Esther gave a loud click, frowning at the teenager but Harriet on the other side of Father Michael smiled and nodded at her grandson. Trey and Will nodded in agreement as well, still standing on either side of Ned. Wallis knew her son to be thoughtful and waited to hear what he said next. Clearly he already had an idea in mind.
“Why don’t you young men find a seat,” said Wallis, “and grab a plate. Go on, Ned,” she said, grabbing Norman’s hand to hold. It was an amazing thing to watch Ned grow up, and under these harsh circumstances. Wallis swallowed hard, determined to look calm. Maybe she could still do that for her son. At least look like she believed that everything could turn out okay.
“Go on, son,” said Norman.
Ned cleared his throat and stood back up in front of his chair. “I realize everyone here probably has an idea how to spend a billion dollars and after a lot of research I figured out it’s easier than you think. But I took this money as a way to get my dad back. Alive. Now, he’s here and in one old-man piece,” said Ned, smiling as he looked at Norman. Norman let out a laugh but Wallis was sure he was also trying to stand a little straighter.
“And I still have the money, which George Clemente knows. I know this meeting is about how to stop George Clemente, once and for all, but we,” said Ned, gesturing toward Will and Trey, “and a few thousand others like us…”
“The Schmetterlings,” said Esther, in a hushed voice.
“Have a few ideas of our own. We’ll take your ideas into consideration but they may not be the ideas we choose. If you can’t respect that, then we’re all wasting our time here.”
“A firm stand, I like it,” said Helmut.
“Not much of a choice,” said Esther.
“I hope I’m being clear,” said Ned, lifting his chin up as he looked at each of the adults. “This isn’t a choice at all, but a consideration out of respect for all you’ve done for the Circle and for us. But we’ve watched over the past few years how your choices have also hurt a lot of people.”
“Hang on, hang on, we get that you were doing the best you could with the information you had and the skill set that was burned into your brains,” said Trey.
“Millennials,” said Father Donald, an amused smile on his face. “Norman, apparently our replacements are here and are asking us to get out of line.”
“Not at all,” said Ned. “We’re saying we’re no longer asking your permission to be in the same line. Just as we hope you’ll take us into consideration with your plans, we will do the same for you. But we have no illusions that if we objected, even protested some decision you had about raising another army that you’d stop if you thought it was best.”
There was a tense silence as everyone took in what he said. Ned had forced a shift in power and he had a billion dollars that backed him up.
“Do you have plans for the money already?” asked Father Michael, raising two bushy white eyebrows, as he made himself a sandwich.
“You look completely unconcerned,” said Esther, a strain in her voice as she watched Father Michael.
“Years of knowing a good plan is useful but often changes and worry is generally wasted,” he said, sliding his plate closer.
“Well, I’m as old as you are and I can’t say I share your attitude.” Esther sat back in her chair, a scowl on her face as she glared at Ned.
Ned doesn’t seem flustered at all, thought Wallis, admiring her son’s composure. He had Norman’s unflappable ability to look calm in the middle of anyone else’s storm.
“We have the beginning of a plan but not enough to share here, yet. That’s one of the bigger reasons we wanted to come to the meeting. We’re still in the planning stages and it would still be relatively easy to adjust if there are elements we can take away from whatever you’re planning.”
“This must be what it feels like when they drop you off at the retirement home and you watch them walk back down the hallway,” said Father Donald. “Fred, you’ve been awfully quiet. Nothing to add?”
Fred looked at Father Donald as if he had said something inappropriate.
“It’s alright Mr. Bowers,” said Will, “Sometimes all I want to do is take in the information too.”
“I must have been asleep when that was happening,” said Trey, earning a finger flick from his brother and a fair amount of laughter from most of the table. But Wallis noticed the tension was still there.
“The young man is right,” said Fred, clearing his throat. “We’ve done enough, and our experience may be part of the problem. Let them go at things from a fresh angle using new technology. That already puts them at an angle Clemente won’t see coming.”
“Might not see coming,” said Esther.
“This is new for you,” said Harriet, straightening the pearls around her neck. “The wet blanket in the room. Tell us your grand plan, first, dear Esther. Surely, you must have one with all of this righteous annoyance.”
Esther shifted her jaw from side to side but didn’t say anything more. “I think the floor is yours, dear,” said Harriet, a smug smile on her face.
“They’re like two old sisters,” Wallis whispered to Norman. “I never noticed that before.”
“Because you thought one of them would shoot the other one,” said Norman.
“I still kind of think that.”
“Okay, I’m just going to start,” said Ned, glancing at his parents. “It seems to be taking forever to get started. Look, first we have to lay out what George Clemente is up to so that we can even know what would be effective at stopping him. That’s where Helmut Khroll should take over the meeting for a while. We can pick up the thread after Mr. Khroll,” said Ned, tapping on the table as he sat down.
Helmut swallowed the bite of sandwich he had just taken as quickly as he could and brushed off his beard as a few crumbs flew off in different directions. Both Harriet and Esther rolled their eyes but for different reasons, thought Wallis.
“Right, okay,” he said, leaning forward. “Look, Clemente’s whole plan has always been about power. I think that much we knew from day one. What we weren’t grasping was how far back he started a very simple plan and how far he planned to spread his control. It’s not surprising it’s taken us this long to put all the pieces together. It’s almost ludicrous to think he could pull of what he’s actually doing or that he spotted the opportunity years ago, ahead of probably anyone else.”
“You sound like you admire him,” said Fred, in a menacing tone.
“I can admire his ability to plan without forgetting what he’s done and what he still hopes to do,” said Helmut.
“What does he hope to do?” asked Father Michael. “I take it your trip to Tibet was fruitful, if a little chilly.”
“There you go with the understatements,” said Helmut, letting out a shiver just remembering the cold. “Icicles hanging off my beard. I will start by telling you he hopes to control the world through the natural resource of potable water. Let that sink in for a moment.”
“How is that even possible?” asked Wallis, trying to grasp the enormity of anyone controlling something so necessary.
“Well, by making different deals with different countries and giving them what they want. Do you remember our trip to Angola?” he asked Fred, who let out a deep breath but didn’t answer him. “Okay,” said Helmut, who was used to Fred’s long silences, particularly in crowded rooms. “He was there to make a deal to buy their water and ship it somewhere else. He gave the government what they wanted. A lot of money. I imagine he may have had to renegotiate some of that because of you, Ned. I’m willing to guess he was successful, or he’d have fought a lot harder to get it back.”
“It was that necessary to the bigger picture?” a
sked Norman.
“Very. At first, I thought someone, maybe Clemente, was growing food in Angola only to ship it to Asia, thereby starving the Angolans who could see the food but couldn’t eat it. Turns out it’s worse. They are the wettest country in Africa but soon may have as much water to easily drink as the desert.”
“There must have been a lot of money involved,” said Father Donald, as he let out a low whistle.
“I’m sure it was breathtaking. A nice little bit of irony is that Clemente was apparently stealing in small bologna slices from Management all the years he was there. We think the inspiration for it was from one of our own. Mark Whiting.”
Ned looked at Trey for just a moment.
“I thought you might know something about that, Ned. I figured his blueprint probably helped you out with some of your details when you took Clemente’s money. Mark was stealing from Management as well, just in much smaller increments and for longer.”
“Either Management has way too much money or the worst accountants,” said Father Donald, shifting in his chair.
“Or they’ve grown too large,” said Father Michael, “to pay attention to everything all the time. And their attention has been distracted by being out of power, and a war, and then an assassination,” he said, looking up at Wallis.
“Despite the hate mail, I had nothing to do with that,” said Wallis. She could feel her cheeks grow warm as she grew angrier at the entire mess that happened at the Jefferson Hotel. Norman squeezed her hand.
“Whatever the reason,” said Helmut, running his hand through his thick hair, leaving some of it standing on end, “Clemente got the money he needed to make the first deal and to put together the tankers to transport the water. It gets even more convoluted. He turned around and sold the water to China as a means to get around the rapidly melting glaciers and an evolving water shortage but not for money, at least not just money.”
“He wanted a seat on the State Council,” said Esther, her eyes growing wider.
“Bingo,” shouted Helmut, pointing a dirty fingernail at Esther. “And he wants the seat without the fanfare and with more voting power. If he pulls off this deal, my sources say he’ll have it for as long as he wants it.”