Acts of Sedition

by Dennis Stephan

“Yes, Mr. President.”

  “Then I need you to go over to see Omar’s wife. Someone should be there to comfort her and handle the press.”

  “Yes Sir. I’ll get right on it.”

  The president picked up the phone and dialed Tarif Mansour’s office. “Tarif,” said the president, “Have you heard the news?”

  “I just heard Mr. President. I’m so sorry. I know how close you both were. I’m in shock.”

  “As am I Tarif,” said the president. “Are you up to the challenge of being the White House Chief of Staff?”

  “Yes Sir, I am Mr. President. I just hate to get promoted this way.”

  “I understand, but I need a trusted friend to be my right-hand man, and you’re the best person for the job. So, it’s yours. I’ve called a meeting of my cabinet for tomorrow morning at 7 but I want to see you right away to discuss your duties and to get your ideas on how to best move forward.

  “I’ll be right there, Mr. President.”

  Chapter 40

  Two blocks away from the site of the shooting, Ronnie sat in the park reading his Kindle waiting for some of the commotion to die down. It had been a good day for Ronnie. He had time to relax, do the job for which he got paid fifty g’s, and in a couple of hours, he’d be home. Killing always made Ronnie a little horny, and he was looking forward to having sex with his wife. These feelings were hard to deal with when he was in the military as his kills were always overseas. He did have a few women he’d have sex with from time to time. The irony of his messin’ around with some foreign babes while his wife was faithfully waiting for him in South Philly was lost on him. Somehow he justified his actions by telling himself that it was essential for him to wind down after a kill.

  At 7 pm, Ronnie left the park and started walking to catch a cab to Union Station. A metro police officer stopped him briefly to ask if he needed help. Guessing that he looked a little confused, Ronnie asked: “What happened officer?” The officer told him that a senior White House staffer had been killed, so there was a massive manhunt on.

  Looking shocked, Ronnie said “No shit. Wow. To think I was just a few blocks away in the park reading. Is there a cab stand nearby? I usually just grab a cab on the street here, but I guess with all that has been goin’ on, the hacks had to get outta Dodge so as not to get in the way of you guys, right? “

  “Yeah, it’s right on the next corner. Just hang a left and you’ll run into it. Got it?”

  “Roger that” and with that Ronnie was on his way home.

  Chapter 41

  Tina got the call from Ronnie at around 6 pm telling her that he was taking the 8 pm train to Wilmington. He said his efforts in Washington had paid off and because of that he was going to make some more money. He asked her how her day was and then asked if she could pick him up at the train station around 9:45 pm

  “What happened to your car Ronnie,” she asked.

  “That was a car that I was driving down to DC for a car dealership. They were supposed to give me another car here for me to drive back but there was a snafu, and there wasn’t one. So I’m taking the 8 pm train back. It’s not a big deal Teen. It’s just that I need you to pick me up.”

  Tina hadn’t heard him so upbeat in a long time, and she couldn’t wait to see him to find out more about the money he was making.

  She’d never been to this train station before. Usually, they used Philly’s 30th Street Station but that station was under major repairs and parking and getting around was a nightmare. Plus, she wasn’t a good driver, having learned to drive just a few short years ago. So Ronnie suggested using the Wilmington Station, which was much easier to navigate.

  Ronnie gave her vague directions, telling her it was in the center of town on the waterfront at French Street. She put the address into her GPS but still managed to make a wrong turn. The GPS gave her new directions, and she finally arrived at the Amtrak Station at 10 pm.

  She had prepared herself for Ronnie to have been waiting there for 15 minutes, angry as hell. But when she arrived at the station, there was no sign of Ronnie. She went up to the Information Desk in the center of the station and asked the clerk if the 8 pm train from Union Station had arrived and he told her that it had arrived on schedule.

  She thought that he might have gotten pissed at her and went outside for a smoke, but he wasn’t there either. She waited, figuring that he might be in the men’s room. After a while, she started to get worried. She had an Amtrak security guard check the men’s room, but he said that there wasn’t anyone in there. She tried his cell, but it went directly to voice mail. “Hey, you’ve reached Ron. You know what to do.”

  Beep.

  “Hey Ron, It’s 10:15 and I’m here at the train station in Wilmington, and I don’t see ya. Are ya outside? Did ya miss the train or go to 30th street or somethin’? Call me right back.”

  After another half hour with no word, Tina explained to the desk clerk that she was picking up her husband who should have been on the 8 pm train from DC but that he didn’t appear to be on it.

  “Could ya check the passenger list to see if you have him on another train? His name is Ronnie Tartaglione, and he would be on a train from Union Station in Washington.

  The clerk punched in a few characters, asked her to repeat the spelling, typed it in again and then said that there was no record of any Ronnie Tartaglione on any train out of Washington, DC.

  “Ok thanks,” said, Tina. “Maybe he missed the train and decided to rent a car instead.”

  She left another message telling Ronnie that she was headed home and that she figured he had decided to rent a car instead and that she would see him at home. She assumed that if he took a train, he would call her when he arrived either at 30th Street or Wilmington. If she didn’t hear from Ronnie by tomorrow morning, she would have to call the Philly PD.

  Chapter 42

  It all happened so fast. One minute Ronnie was hailing a cab and the next he was in handcuffs.

  “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”

  Ronnie protested. “What’s this all about? There must be a mistake, officer.”

  “Do you understand your rights, sir?”

  “Yeah Yeah but I ain’t done nothin’ wrong.”

  With that, Ronnie was pushed head first into the rear of a police cruiser.

  Shit, he thought. If they were on a fishing expedition, they’d have said they knew I was in the area of the shooting, and they wanted to see if I saw anything. But, handcuffs and Miranda? They had something. How did I screw up?

  At the station, Ronnie was interrogated by a ranking detective who seemed to know a lot more than Ronnie would have thought. First he was asked some of the expected questions. “What is your business in DC? Can anyone verify that? Where were you at approximately 4:30 pm this afternoon? Did anyone see you?”

  He told the detective that he was planning to move to DC and spent the day looking for work and sightseeing.

  All were standard until the Detective asked: “Did you drive a rented 2048 Toyota Kira today?”

  Ronnie’s face went white, but he refused to answer.

  “Have you ever fired a Barrett .50 Cal rifle?” More silence.

  “Look,” said the detective. “We know that you were a sniper in the Army. We have two witnesses who saw you get out of a 2048 Kira early this afternoon and walk over to the roof of a building on H Street and 15th Street. You can play coy with us, or you can come clean. Which will it be?”

  Hearing all of these clichés would have been funny if it weren’t for the fact that they seemed to have him dead to right. Further interrogation revealed that a witness saw Ronnie take a rifle out of the car in the afternoon, stroll over to the roof again, put it back into the car’s trunk, and then head out to the park. A search of the car reveale
d the long range rifle that they were sure would match the ballistics of the bullet that killed Omar Khalid. It was just a matter of time.

  Ronnie finally spoke, “I would like to exercise my right to have an attorney present.”

  Outside the interrogation room, the detective dialed White House Secret Service.

  “Yeah Sadeem,” said the detective, “We’ve got your shooter. We read him his rights at the scene, and he just lawyered up.”

  “Thanks,” said Sadeem, “Don’t let him see his lawyer. Under the ‘Patriot Act of 2038’ and the ‘Treason Sentencing Law’, people suspected of terrorist actions or of killing any high ranking government official do not have the right to speak to an attorney. Hold him for me and we’ll be by to pick him up for questioning.”

  Chapter 43

  Back home that night Angela and Tony relaxed in front of the TV for the first time in weeks. They talked about Monday’s meeting, how well that had gone, and about what Nicky had told them a few days ago about hiring someone to kill Omar Khalid. That was supposed to be a secret so they now knew that Nicky could not be trusted with confidential information. Who would have thought just a few months earlier that a Sicilian-born Mafioso would be their compatriot?

  She flipped channels as Tony mixed them a drink. She loved Vodka mixed with fruit juice, and she liked that Tony had a heavy hand with the vodka. This time, he brought her a combination of juices; passion fruit, pineapple, guava, and lots of vodka.

  As was usually the case, there was very little on the tube, but she was able to find a rerun of an old TV show called “Papa’s Family.” It had been one of Angela’s favorite shows, and she loved being able to share it with Tony. They laughed heartily at the humor. It was good to laugh. They hadn’t done that in months.

  Suddenly the show was interrupted by A SPECIAL REPORT.

  The announcer told the audience about the shooting outside of the White House. “In Washington, Chief of Staff Omar Khalid was shot and killed by a sniper as he left The White House at the end of his workday. According to a report just in, a suspect has been arrested and taken to Metro Police Headquarters for questioning.”

  The report went on to describe Khalid as a hard working member of President Abbas’ staff. Then the reporter provided some background information on Khalid and his family, lots of speculation about motive, what weapon was used and a few other details before it was announced that the president had appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Tarif Mansour as the new White House chief of staff.

  So finally, things were moving ahead as planned.

  “Tone,” said Angela, “This is really happening, and suddenly I’m scared.”

  “Me too Ange, we’re really in this thing. It’s not a game. This is real.”

  “Hold me tighter,” said Angela.

  They embraced, kissed, and the passions and tension of the last few weeks were released as Angela took the initiative. She knelt on the floor and unzipped his pants, ready to show him how much she really loved him. She was patient letting her tongue tickle his most sensitive spot. Tony ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her head down so that she could fully pleasure him. Angela stopped long enough to pull her top over her head. She was not wearing a bra, and Tony couldn’t get enough of her beautiful breasts. She stood and took off her pants and panties. With hands on hips, she was posed completely naked in front of him.

  “You like?” she teased.

  He nodded. “Do you want to go to the bedroom?”

  Angela shook her head and, moving the coffee table out of the way, started pulling his pants down partially dragging him off of the couch. Tony took off his shirt leaving him naked as well. They kissed long and hard as their tongues moved playfully inside each other’s mouths. While still embraced, they slid to the floor. He nibbled on her ear lobe and then kissed her on her neck as he ran his hands over her breasts and then slowly moved them downward. She spread her legs wide as both his fingers and his mouth moved lower. He suckled her breast, first the left, then the right as he let his finger probe her vagina thrusting in and out, alternating between deep thrusts and just barely placing his fingertip inside.

  Focusing his attention on a more direct path to her pleasure, he let his moist middle finger tickle her little bud. She closed her eyes and reached down, slowly stroking his erection.

  He did everything he could to not come in her hand but it was getting harder to hold out as he heard her moans getting louder and felt spasms starting to rise throughout her body. Suddenly she started shaking and screaming in ecstasy.

  “I want your dick,” she cried out as she rose to straddle him. “Fuck me.” With one swift motion she engulfed his penis and had him deep inside. She moved slowly but rhythmically over him as he raised his hips thrusting to meet her up and down movements.

  “Come with me Tone. I want to feel that.”

  He was running his hands all over her. As her pace quickened, she could feel that he was close.

  “Don’t stop! Don’t stop!”

  She felt him coming as his fluid filled her. His spasms continued until he was fully drained.

  While their first love making session had been over in a matter of a few minutes, this time they were able to hold out a lot longer, giving each other immense pleasure. It was close to an hour before they were both spent

  They snuggled for a quite a while making “pillow talk” before deciding that it was time to clean up and go out to dinner. Facing the mirror Angela said “Today, Angela Marie Mastronardo you are officially a slut,” she paused before adding “and a terrorist.”

  Chapter 44

  After showering and dressing, Tony and Angela went to one of her favorite Italian restaurants, Dante & Luigi’s on 10th Street. This was an old family run business that had been here for almost a hundred and fifty years.

  As she ate a stuffed calamari appetizer, she noticed that Tony was just staring out the window. He was unusually quiet.

  “What’s the matter Tone,” Angela said.

  “Ange, I love you. Marry me.”

  She almost choked. She went through her 20s and 30s attending all of her friends’ weddings and now at 44, she figured that marriage just wasn’t in the cards for her.

  “Are you serious?” was all she could think of to say.

  “I’ve never been more serious in my life. I’ve loved you from the time we were teenagers. Don’t you remember how I used to drive by and flirt with you,” said Tony?

  “Nah, I don’t remember that,” Angela remarked and could barely keep a straight face.

  “Really?” said Tony. “You used to yell something like you wish jackoff.”

  Angela laughed “And my guess is that I was right on two counts, you wished, and you probably jacked off a lot over the years.”

  “You can joke,” said Tony “but I’m serious. I love you.”

  She loved him too but had never said those words to anyone before and even now she didn’t say them out loud.

  “I’m not trying to be funny Tony. It’s just that with everything that is going on, I don’t know if this is the perfect time to get married.”

  “When is the perfect time, Ange? There may never be a perfect time and this feels right. I love you Ange and I want to spend the rest of my life telling you that.”

  “How can a girl say ‘no’ to someone who professes his love with such passion? Yes, Tony, I’ll marry you.”

  Tony stood and moved to her side of the table. He bent down and gently kissed her. She saw a tear in his eye. He really did love her. “Let’s do it tomorrow Ange.”

  “That’s too soon. I don’t need a big wedding but I do want to have a small ceremony with family and friends there. And, I want Father Quinn to do the honors. Okay?”

  Tony nodded, as he sat back down. He didn’t give two craps where they got married. They could be marriedin thebasement of his house for all he cared.

  Chapter 45

  The news in the morning paper was all about the president’s chief of staff
being shot by a sniper outside the White House. According to the story, an unnamed gunman shot Omar Khalid with a high powered sniper rifle from a half a block away. The manhunt led to the arrest of an Army Veteran, who was taken into police custody for questioning last evening. Because of the ongoing investigation, no further information was being released by the DC police department.

  Ahmad sat in the oval office on this dark, gloomy day reading the reports of what had happened. He knew that this story was bad press for his administration. But he also knew that the media in the United States would move onto something else in a few days so long as there was a story that was more sensational. Cold cases are called that for a reason. It’s not just the police who go cold on a story but also the press.

  The phone rang. It was Sadeem Ali, the Director of the Secret Service. He told Ahmad that he now had the shooter and had been interrogating him all night and relayed to the president all that they had learned. Ahmad thanked Sadeem for his hard work and then told him to “handle” this Ronnie Tartaglione in the usual manner.

  At 7 am the members of his cabinet filed in. He had the perfect idea for the next story. But first he needed to brief The Cabinet.

  “Gentlemen,” started Ahmad. “It should come as no surprise that with Omar’s death, Tarif Mansour has assumed the responsibilities of White House Chief of Staff. I’d like to formally welcome Tarif to our inner circle.” After everyone’s congratulatory wishes, the president continued. “The Secret Service has the man who assassinated Omar Khalid in custody. They have been questioning him all night and have learned that the Mafia hired him to kill the chief of staff. He’s claiming that business was conducted via email and phone with anonymous money drops, so he does not know who hired him to commit this despicable and treasonous act. The email was routed through servers in Russia and could not be traced. It’s no longer working. The same holds for the phone which was a burner phone that has no doubt been discarded. But Sadeem intends to interrogate him until he gathers some additional information. “