by Jerry Bruce
“So, Richard, now that the country has decided to keep you around for a few more years, what exciting things are on the horizon?” Jonathan followed politics very closely and always had, but became even more interested once Richard was president. “How are you going to top those big projects?”
“Well, there’s always something to accomplish. If nothing else, getting a balanced budget. I’m confident that we can get the deficit down to zero over the next couple of years in spite of the spending on the projects.”
“That would be an excellent legacy to leave Hamilton. I assume that he’s going to run after your term is up; at least that’s what my cronies are saying.” Jonathan’s men’s club could always be counted on to have a rousing political discussion going over drinks and cigars every Thursday evening. There were just enough Democrats among the membership to get the goat of the Republicans.
“The party definitely is going to support Stephen.” Richard knew that the Controller could throw a wrench in the works, however.
“Hey you guys, enough shop talk; we’re here to have fun, remember?” Veronica considered it her job to keep everything on a relaxed playing field. Lunch was served with everyone commenting on how delicious everything looked. Veronica couldn’t decide on a menu that would please everyone, so she went with what she knew were the best dishes the staff chef had prepared in the past. He even surprised her this time with his presentation; the dessert plates were exquisite, each having a pattern of loops and swirls made from chocolate and fruit purees.
“If all of you are finished with your drinks, I can show you to your cabins. After you’ve had a chance to get refreshed, we can meet for coffee and tea. That will give us a chance to do some more catching up and plan some activities.”
“Relax, Ronnie, I’m sure everyone will have enough to handle over the next couple of days just finding their way around the compound.” Richard shook his finger at her in mock admonition and drew cheers from everyone.
Jonathan couldn’t pass up the opportunity and said, “I knew that there was a reason I voted for this guy. He’s the only one I’ve seen who can get in the last word with Ronnie!” That drew more cheers.
“Hey, isn’t anyone on my side?” Veronica feigned sadness.
“Don’t worry dear, I’m on your side.” Richard’s mother, Janet, came over and put her arm around Veronica, turned her head toward the others and winked, causing more cheers.
* * *
After a day of sitting around and chatting, the Sinclair’s guests were ready for some entertainment. The men, with the exception of Laura’s husband, who never found fishing a worthwhile pastime, planned an early morning trip to the favored fishing hole. The ladies planned a late morning ride, with both grandmothers opting out. They preferred to spend their time talking and walking the grounds. When Jonathan was recuperating from his heart attack, Janet offered to come to New York to help Marion tend to his care. Marion graciously declined, saying that her daughters were already more help than she needed, but she was impressed with Janet’s sincere concern and offer. Since then they had spent countless hours on the telephone talking about their “kids.”
After dinner everyone met in the sunporch to watch a movie—except Richard. Christine, not wanting to detract from the president’s time with the family, arranged for Ralph Blocker to visit Camp David at the insistence of the president. She wondered why Richard was so concerned about meeting with Blocker. She informed him that she didn’t feel it was imperative and could wait for a couple of weeks, but the president wanted the meeting ASAP.
* * *
Richard left word with the security guard to escort Blocker to the office in the Laurel cabin, which would keep them separated from the family activities.
Richard asked the Marine corporal to wait outside the office door so that he could escort Blocker out after their meeting.
“It’s an honor to be invited here, Mr. President.” Blocker took the president’s extended hand with a firm grip, giving Richard a clue that this wasn’t a man who would bow to the wishes of the President of the United States just for the asking. Richard motioned Blocker to one of the chairs across from the couch and coffee table, nearer the comfort of the fireplace. He wanted Blocker to feel comfortable and relaxed and offered him a drink.
“I was just going to make myself a scotch and water. Would you care for something?”
“A scotch and water would be fine Mr. President, thank you.” Blocker almost chuckled at the thought of a President of the United States mixing him a drink. On reflection, it made Blocker realize that everything he had heard about Sinclair being a down-to-earth guy was true.
After Richard handed Blocker his drink, he took a seat on the couch, sipped from his drink and began with casual conversation.
“I have a lot of respect for BNN; it’s always placed integrity and truth of reporting at the forefront. That’s hard to come by in today’s media. But that isn’t why I asked you here. Did Ms. Morrison give you any insight as to the reason for my invitation?” Richard wasn’t sure if Blocker really had anything definite on the Controller. In fact, he wasn’t sure if Blocker knew the benefactor was an individual as opposed to a corporation. He had to proceed cautiously so as not to give any inkling that it was one man.
“No sir, but I deduced that it was probably because of what I told her regarding the identity of the benefactor who has been providing all the scientific support for the recent programs.”
“You’re correct. You see Ralph—may I call you Ralph?”
“Of course, Mr. President.”
“It’s like this, the responsible party has made it very clear that anonymity is crucial to our having continued support. I’m sure you’re aware of how much is invested in making these programs successful and how much we would have to lose should we be forced to terminate the projects midstream.”
“I understand your position, Mr. President; however, I would like you to understand mine. I have what amounts to the biggest story to come along in years—no, make those decades. If I were to sit on this and the BNN bigwigs were to find out, I’d be blackballed with no hope of ever working again.”
“I realize this puts you in a precarious position and that asking you to sit on such a career making story would pose a serious hardship, but you have to realize the importance of this. I cannot allow these projects to be compromised.” Richard was trying his best to remain friendly.
“One might take that as a threat, Mr. President.”
“Please, don’t take it that way because that’s not how I meant it. Ralph, there are millions of lives in the balance, and depending on the outcome of these programs, those could be lost lives. The world has suffered long enough with famine and sickness taking so many human lives. We now have the chance to put an end to it.”
“I understand, Mr. President, but let me say this. If you will give me a direct order not to release the information I possess, I will sit on the story; however—and I’m afraid this is not open to discussion—you have to give me something I can use as an exclusive, and you have to allow me to be the first one to release the benefactor’s identity when it is safe to do so. Fair enough?”
“I will agree to that as long as you know that neither stipulation will occur in the near future.” Richard was thinking that his decision to run for world president, were it to come about, would be the perfect exclusive for Blocker. As to the identity of the Controller being revealed, how could he do that when even he doesn’t have the knowledge?
“So now you are going to ask me to wait for an indefinite amount of time to collect?” Blocker shifted in his chair and bolted down the drink he had been nursing.
Richard saw Blocker’s cooperation waning so he immediately got up and took Blocker’s glass over for a refill. Maybe the liquor would relax him and Richard could get an agreement.
As Richard handed the fresh drink to Blocker, he sat down on the coffee table right in front of Blocker. This relegated the president to a subservient po
sition, sitting lower than Blocker. Richard knew that what he was doing could end up backfiring, but he had to try something and didn’t think force was the answer.
“Ralph, I know waiting for a big story for what could be a couple of years is a big gamble. But let me tell you this. If things go as I think they will, in a couple of years I will have a very big story for you, one that could land you an assignment that all the other reporters would be willing to kill to get.”
“That good, huh?”
“That good. But there is one thing you have to do for me right now before we have an agreement.”
“What might that be, Mr. President?” Blocker was dubious and wondering how much more he would have to leave on the table.
“It’s not as bad as you might think. I simply want you to tell me everything that you have on the identity of the benefactor. It will be strictly between you and me, no one else need know. In exchange for that information, I will tell Ms. Morrison to immediately give you preferential treatment and first crack at significant breaking news items. You won’t have to wait a couple of years to enjoy that benefit.”
“I can live with those terms.”
“Good, so we have an agreement?” Richard held his glass out for a toast and Blocker clinked his against the president’s.
“Yes, Mr. President, we have an agreement. I am curious about one thing, though.”
“Fire away.”
“I’m curious as to why you are asking for the information I have. Surely you know more about our benefactor than I do. What could I have that you don’t?”
Richard had to think fast. Now he could see why Blocker was out in front of the other reporters—he didn’t miss anything. “I won’t insult you by asking for your sources. However, if you give me all your information, I will be able to piece together enough to see if I need to worry about others arriving at the same conclusion. Obviously, I have to protect our benefactor.”
“I see. I’m not sure I believe your answer, Mr. President. With all due respect, I’m pretty good at distinguishing between the truth and fantasy. But don’t worry, President Sinclair; I will live up to our agreement, as long as you do.”
Richard was convinced that Blocker saw right through him. At this point he felt it didn’t matter as long as he got the information.
The two men finished their drinks over idle chatter, mostly with Blocker filling the president in on the inner workings of network news giants like BNN. Richard was so enjoying the conversation that he spent more time with Blocker than he intended.
“I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, Ralph. I appreciate you coming here to meet with me and I’m looking forward to a fruitful relationship—for us both.”
“Thank you, Mr. President. You’ve proven to be the man that I always thought you were. That didn’t come out right; I meant to say that you have lived up to my expectations.”
With that, Richard walked Blocker to the door and watched as the Marine escorted him out.
The information that Blocker provided was sketchy. He knew there had to be closer scrutiny and verification. What he did have as indisputable evidence, pointed to several corporations; however, his preliminary investigation had failed to tie the corporations together under one figurehead. Blocker was certain that he was on to something and that once he waded through the smokescreen he would find one man at the top of the pyramid. He reasoned that with his other supporting clues, that man would be the benefactor. Blocker, when questioned by the president, said he didn’t believe that a corporation, or even several, was backing the projects. The amount of money involved would have drawn too much attention. A board of directors would never approve of such expenditures. Besides, as he pointed out to the president, none of the corporations identified had the resources to fund these projects. Even collectively they would be forced into financial difficulty if they had to come up with the funds. Though he didn’t let Blocker know, Richard had to agree with his logic; only an individual with the capability of drawing on funds from many corporations could be behind the projects.
Blocker had another interesting piece of information for Richard; he was able to identify a corporation which was receiving large grants from the government for medical research. “Wouldn’t it be ironic, Mr. President, if our government was paying twice for the same product? And consider this, the corporation in question does even more business on the international front than it does in the United States If this company is involved in one or both of your projects, it’s possible that they are making money instead of losing it.”
Richard ended his meeting with a promise from Blocker that he would continue to feed any new information to the president on a timely basis.
After Ralph Blocker left Camp David, Richard finished documenting their discussion in his notebook. He made sure that every clue that Blocker told him was noted. Whether or not these were the clues that could lead Blocker to the Controller were unclear and Richard had no point of reference to make comparisons. If the information led to a specific individual, who was to say that person was the Controller.
One thing Richard knew for certain was that he must never let the Controller find out about Blocker and his investigations. If the Controller knew, he would have Blocker disappear, never to be heard of again. Richard could only hope that Blocker took him seriously about keeping everything they discussed, and their arrangement, secret.
Richard had left his guests long enough. He knew that they would understand that while they were on vacation, he on the other hand was not as fortunate. Still, he wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, so he went back to the Aspen cabin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Ah, Richard. We were just discussing tomorrow’s activities. What would you like to sign up for—so far we’ve gotten the list down to the following: horseback ride to a picnic area, just a picnic and no ride, bowling, skeet shooting, tennis and volleyball?” Howard was being sarcastic of course. No one in his right mind would try to do all that in one day. “I’m joking of course, but I’ve had quite a battle with our fellow guests as to which day to do what activity.”
“I wish that the only decisions that I had to make these days were whether to play tennis on Tuesday or Wednesday! Dad, I’m sure you will get everybody in line and shaped up in no time,” responded Richard.
“Yes, but you haven’t answered the question, mister evasive politician, now have you?” asked Howard.
“All right, here’s my suggestion. We start each day with a good breakfast, followed by some kind of activity.”
“Well, I guess I know who makes the decisions in the White House,” Howard loudly broadcast to the entire room. “Richard’s staff!”
“Don’t let them hear you; they might start to believe it! Actually, I think a ride to a certain spot that Veronica and I found one day would be perfect. We could pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the view of the Monocacy Valley. In the late afternoon, after all you old folks have had your naps, we might plan something else.” Richard couldn’t keep himself from getting in that last ding, and with it, flashed everyone a big smile.
“You know something, Richard? You are treading on shaky ground.” Veronica finally put in her two cents worth. “These ‘old folks’ just might gang up on you.”
“Hah! I’d like to see them try something. I have Secret Service protection!”
“You know, Richard, one of these days I’d like to hear more about the Secret Service—how they operate and everything.” Jonathan was genuinely interested in learning about the Service.
“Now if I did that, then it wouldn’t be the ‘Secret’ Service anymore, would it? And besides, I’d have to kill you,” he laughed.
* * *
The two weeks at Camp David seemed like only two days. Veronica’s sisters and their husbands were taken to the airport first thing in the morning, while everyone else went back to the White House by motorcade. Richard rode with his mother and father while Veronica rode with her parents and Jennifer.
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Once back at the White House Richard knew that he wouldn’t have the same amount of time to devote to his guests as he would like. On the upside though, he knew they were going to be spending a lot of time seeing the sights that Washington, D.C., had to offer. They planned on spending several days just taking in the Smithsonian. Richard made it a point not to schedule late meetings so that he could at least have dinner with the family.
The first thing Richard did was to schedule a meeting with Christine to fill her in on the Blocker situation. Besides updating her, he was looking forward to seeing her again.
Richard also placed a call to the Controller to check in with him in case there were any developments of which he should be aware. The Controller was in good humor and appreciated Richard’s call being made out of desire, not need. He assured Richard that the projects were on track and there were no concerns. This confirmed what Stephen had told him when Richard called him for an update. Stephen happily reported that Prime Minister Rolt was eagerly attacking any obstacles to the progress of the project. He also put pressure on his friends and allies to make comparable efforts.
Adam updated Richard on the status of the budget proposal, pointing out minor changes made to appease a few of the high-ranking members of the opposition party. “Toss them a few bones” was the expression Adam used.
Not bad for my first day back, Richard thought to himself, his day being almost over. Just his meeting with Christine remained on the agenda.
No sooner had he thought that than the knock on the door announced Christine’s arrival.
“Good afternoon, Mr. President.” She gave him a pleasant smile with eyes that said she was glad he was back.
“Hi, Christine, how have you been?”
“I’ve been fine. How was your vacation with the relatives?” She so wanted to hear him say that he missed seeing her.
“Busy, but it was good seeing everyone again and catching up. Our parents will be spending a couple more weeks here, but I think they’ll be busy seeing the sights. Please have a seat, Christine.”