He put the gun to his temple. Just as the officers rushed into his office, he pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Everyone was glued to the TV screens on the 737 as Chris Wallace told the world that Harry and the team were on the way home. There were cheers, tears, champagne and a Bloody Mary or two on the plane. There were slaps on the back and an impromptu sing-along led by the President with accompaniment by one of the flight attendants who'd brought her guitar along. It was a festive mood and everyone was excited in his own way.
All the phones were returned, fully charged and ready to go. For the first time in weeks everyone had communication again. Most spent the rest of the flight reconnecting with friends and loved ones.
When the plane landed at Andrews Field, Jennifer looked out the window and began to cry. "Look, Harry. Look what they're doing."
As the plane pulled off the active runway, there were fire trucks lined up along the taxiway, spraying columns of water into the air as a tribute to the return of a beloved man once thought lost.
"Good thing Cham's in jail," Harry quipped. "He'd kick the ass of whoever thought that up!"
Before the door opened, Harry made a few heartfelt comments about how much he appreciated the contributions of this special group. Everyone hugged everyone else. At this moment they weren't cabin stewards or pilots or United States Presidents – they were people who had been through an incredible ordeal together and survived.
When the former President and his family descended the stairway, there was a lot of clapping. A crowd of reporters and cameramen were in a roped-off area. They were filming and broadcasting, but they were applauding too. It was a rare sight. Flanked by his Secret Service agents, Harry walked over and shook their hands.
"It's good to be back," was the only statement he made.
There was a tearful reunion between Secretary of State Clancy and his forty-year-old daughter, who until this morning had thought she would never see him again. He had called her from Homestead and arranged for her to be brought here from her home in Philadelphia. She stood at the bottom of the staircase right next to another person waiting for his loved one – Brian Sadler.
Brian and Nicole hugged the Harrisons one last time before they went to the lounge area. The same government jet that had brought Brian here this morning would soon take them home. They called family and their offices to let everyone know they were safely back. Then they boarded the plane, relaxed and talked about how nice it was going to be to get to work again.
Bob Parker was on his phone. When he finished, he caught Harry's eye and waved him away from the press.
"Parkes and Breaux just resigned," he said. "The chief justice has called the court into session behind closed doors."
"That'll be interesting," Harry responded. "They're four-to-three liberal. Wonder what they'll do?"
That answer came quickly. Less than ten minutes later Bob snagged Harry once again.
"They voted unanimously to reinstate you and Vice President Taylor, sir. I'd like to be the first to welcome you back, Mister President."
The two friends hugged for a long time. Harry told Jennifer about the decision and they turned to enter the lounge. Just then there was a frenzy of activity in the media area. Obviously they were just getting the news.
"Mister President! Mister President!" The yells happened all at once.
"I have to do this," he told his wife. "Give me a minute and we can go home."
The closest reporter raised his hand and asked, "Since you've just been reinstated, do you have a comment?"
"The same comment I made a few minutes ago still applies, folks. It's good to be back."
The Harrison family boarded Marine One for the short flight to the White House lawn. They landed, and as they walked toward the entryway, Harry and his family heard shouts behind them. They turned and saw hundreds of people lined up along the fence on the other side of the broad back yard. They were chanting, "Welcome home! Welcome home!" All four of them waved. Harry and Jennifer knelt, hugged the girls tightly, stood and walked back into their lives.
Over the next forty-eight hours the Democratic leadership fought unsuccessfully to overturn the Supreme Court's decision that reinstated Harry as President. Given this uncharted ground, dealing with circumstances that had never occurred before, they finally withdrew their opposition in the face of overwhelming support from the American people. Polls showed the populace - Democrats and Republicans alike - were united behind the President and Vice President.
This time it would be Harry and Jennifer who stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom for a few nights until Cham Parkes's two boys could come supervise the removal of their parents' belongings. Cham's wife, Karen, would never walk into the White House again. She was too embarrassed to even appear in public. She remained in seclusion on the family ranch outside Austin, as new allegations of corruption and kickbacks seemed to pop up against her husband every day. If it wasn't some sheikh in the Middle East, it was a corrupt governor in Mexico. If it wasn't a secret oil deal with his buddy Lou Breaux in Louisiana, it was a pay-for-play extortion of lobbyists.
EPILOGUE
The key players, nine months later
PRESIDENT CHAMBLISS T. PARKES refused to cooperate with the government's attorneys and did not take the stand during his trial. Investigators were able to locate more than twenty million dollars hidden in offshore accounts, all of which was confiscated. His bank accounts in the United States were also seized. He would receive no pension or other benefits normally afforded to past Presidents. His wife, who was deemed to have had no part in the plot, was granted an allowance of two thousand dollars a month for the rest of her life.
Zarif Safwan was on the stand for three days testifying against the former President. His shocking revelations kept the media on fire. Chambliss T. Parkes was convicted of treason, sentenced to death and is in solitary confinement on death row at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.
VICE PRESIDENT LOUIS BREAUX was willing to cooperate but the US Attorney didn't need what he had to offer. Zarif Safwan had already given them everything they required so there would be no plea bargain for Breaux. His assets were seized and he avoided trial by pleading guilty to one count of treason. He was sentenced to life without parole. He received death threats while in jail awaiting trial, and he is now in the protective custody unit at the United States Penitentiary in Hazleton, West Virginia.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON IV went to the Republican National Convention just weeks after his return. His parents sat in the audience with Brian and Nicole. After the opening ceremonies, Harry's three opponents stood together on the stage before an arena full of cheering supporters and announced they were withdrawing in favor of Harry. It was a magnanimous gesture, reflecting the admiration and respect most Americans felt for Harrison and his family after the ordeal they had endured. Harry won the general election in November with fifty-eight percent of the popular vote, one of the greatest margins in recent history.
MARTIN TAYLOR was formally reinstated as Vice President but immediately declared he would not join Harry on the ticket at the convention. The stress of Operation Condor and its successor, Operation Clawback, had caused him to decide there was more to life than this. He served the few months left in his term, attended Harry's inauguration in January, and then retired to Florida to enjoy a life free from politics.
BRIAN SADLER was Harry Harrison's first choice to be his running mate after Taylor declined, but Brian told his old friend he wouldn't do it. Bijan Rarities and his trips to archaeological sites were the things he enjoyed. Nicole and her continuing progress after the wreck were his top priorities. He'd had enough politics for a lifetime.
Bijan Rarities' auction The Wrath of Vesuvius reaped over sixteen million dollars and attracted thousands of bidders. It was no surprise that the broadcast on History Channel had more viewers than any of his previous events. Anyone who hadn't heard of him before certainly knew and respected him
now. His fame and reputation increased exponentially once people learned the extent of his involvement and help with the mission.
NICOLE FARBER practices law in Dallas, improving mentally and physically every day after the debilitating car wreck that almost took her life. She vowed to take more trips with Brian, spend more time with her family and not take life for granted. She and Brian continue to talk about marriage, but it isn't top priority yet for either of them.
DONOVAN "DON" CASE, former director of the CIA, was Harry's second choice to join him on the ticket. His years of service to the CIA and his heroic efforts during the time Harry and the team were missing made him a perfect running mate for the immensely popular President. He is currently serving as Vice President of the United States.
HASSAN GROUP After Amin's suicide, his daughter and only heir Amina took over Hassan Group, unwinding its operations. At the direction of the SEC, she sold the block of Exxon stock in small units over a few months, to avoid negatively affecting the price. She is cooperating with the governments of several countries that are investigating her father's criminal activities, all of which were made public thanks to the testimony of Zarif Safwan.
ZARIF SAFWAN could have been charged with far more heinous crimes, but the CIA director asked for leniency, as had been agreed. He pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of the two Supreme Court justices and to the attempted murder of Brian Sadler. He also pled to racketeering – violating the RICO act. He is serving a thirty-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Facility in Lee County, Virginia. He continues to cooperate with the government regarding his activities and those of his former employer.
VINCENT VALGARDO increased his Exxon block, buying some of the shares previously owned by Hassan Group. His holdings have increased significantly in value as oil prices moved upward and the economy stayed buoyant.
AMINA HASSAN was rescued and kept in a safe house by the CIA until Operation Clawback was over. Although her father was dead and Zarif Safwan was in custody, Amin could have put something in place as payback for his only child’s betrayal. Fortunately for her nothing happened.
Since then she has become close friends with Brian and Nicole, visiting Dallas three times. She helped the Vesuvius broadcast become the most watched of Brian's telecasts ever. Partly because of the notoriety surrounding her father and partly because she agreed to display her priceless relic Cupid from the House of the Genius in Herculaneum, the broadcast was a tremendous success. Amina is now helping Brian develop clients for his London gallery, in much the same hostess function she performed for her father's operation.
ZAYED AL-FULAN, Amin Hassan's partner, received his fifty billion dollars back with interest, as Amina wound down Hassan Group. He remains one of the world's wealthiest men and survived his involvement with Amin Hassan with his reputation untarnished.
JOE KAYA cooperated with authorities but was unable to provide substantial help because he really knew nothing about who his handlers Ali and Mo were. Prosecutors turned down his offer for a plea bargain, and he was convicted of treason. He is serving a life sentence without parole in the protective custody unit at the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas.
TARIQ THE HAWK His mentor Mohammad al-Joulani learned that Tariq personally received Hassan's fifty million dollars, money that was intended for the Falcons of Islam. He made plans to kill his protégé Tariq, but the young man struck first. Mohammad was ambushed and killed at the safe house in Edlib, and Tariq is now the leader of the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda in Syria. He is on Interpol's list of the ten most wanted men worldwide.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill Thompson, whose first book The Bethlehem Scroll won the prestigious EVVY award for fiction, is a former corporate entrepreneur and an avid student of history. Order of Succession is his ninth novel.
He’s traveled extensively and particularly enjoys the ancient Mesoamerican sites in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. When he’s not writing he’s often off in the remote jungle where there’s plenty of adventure. (There also has to be a martini at five o’clock. That’s a requirement.)
Bill, his wife and a bunch of dogs live in Dallas, Texas.
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Books by Bill Thompson
The Crypt Trilogy
THE RELIC OF THE KING
THE CRYPT OF THE ANCIENTS
GHOST TRAIN
Brian Sadler Archaeological Mystery Series
THE BETHLEHEM SCROLL
ANCIENT: A SEARCH FOR THE LOST CITY
OF THE MAYAS
THE STRANGEST THING
THE BONES IN THE PIT
ORDER OF SUCCESSION
Middle Grade Fiction
THE LEGEND OF GUNNERS COVE
Order of Succession Page 24