The Cartel Affair

by William E. Boone

  TWENTY-NINE

  Langley Op’s Center

  TRAVIS THOUGHT TO himself, now the fun begins. It had been a good day for Travis and a better day for America. One treasonous bastard is off the streets and behind bars where he should be. Travis would be sure to be at Baker’s arraignment hearing. Travis would be damned if the senator, or should we say ex-senator, would get out on bail. He would make sure that didn’t happen. He would also make sure that the judge was not on Baker’s payroll.

  Travis set about the task of going through the list of names of people on Baker’s payroll or who owed him favors. He came across four judges that owed Baker favors. Travis called Turner. “Director, this is Travis. I found four judges names that owe Baker favors. Who’s hearing Baker’s arraignment?”

  “Judge Allen Cromwell.”

  “We have to get the judge changed. Cromwell is one of the judges owing favors to Baker. It can’t be Cromwell, Orson, Dawson or Bean. They all owe Baker favors for things he has done for them. I knew that sorry son of a bitch would try to get someone that owed him something to hear his arraignment.” “Good job, Travis. I’ll make sure none of those judges hear the case.”

  “Thank you, Sir. I don’t want this piece of shit getting out or trying to get it dismissed on a technicality.”

  “I’ll personally see that doesn’t happen.”

  Turner makes a call to the President.

  “Mr. President, we have a problem.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “The judge for Baker’s hearing.”

  “What’s the problem with the judge?”

  “He owes favors to Baker, Sir.”

  “That could be a big problem. What do you suggest?”

  “Well Sir, he has four judges that we know of who owe him favors, and we need to make sure that none of the four hear his arraignment.”

  “Ok, tell me the names and I’ll make sure they have nothing to do with Baker’s case.”

  “Those names are Cromwell, Orson, Dawson and Bean.”

  “Ok Peter, I’ll make sure none of them get anywhere near this case.”

  “Thank you, Mr. President.” Turner calls Travis to let him know that the President is taking care of the problem.

  It’s time for Travis to put his plan into action. Travis calls his source in the media. “Hello Bob. I have some information I think you might be interested in.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “Senator William Baker.”

  “What has the good Senator done?”

  “Do you know where Turkey Run Park is?” “Yeah, why?”

  “Meet me there in two hours at the last parking lot on Turkey Run Loop Road and I’ll give you the story of a lifetime.”

  “Ok. I’ll be there. Don’t let me down.” “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t.”

  Travis sat in the parking lot waiting for his media source to get there. He thought about Sarah and Jamie. He could still smell Sarah’s perfume in the car, and it made him wonder how long that would last. His heart ached for his wife and son, imagining how scared they must have been. He just hoped they were dead before the fire started. He would make sure that Williamson was not. He thought about how Sarah had taken his breath away the first time he saw her on their wedding day. How beautiful she was standing there in her wedding dress. He remembered the day that Jamie was born. How something that small and helpless could put so much love and joy in his heart. He remembered how his heart swelled with love and pride the first time Jamie told him he loved him. Now he thought about never being able to hear that again. Travis snapped back to reality when his source pulled in beside him.

  “Hello, Bob. You ready to hear the story of a lifetime?”

  “Hello, Travis, you really have my curiosity peaked. Knowing you, I’m sure it has to be juicy.”

  “I promise, you will have your mind blown completely before I’m through. I called you because I know you’ve been investigating Senator Baker. If you don’t mind my asking, what got you started investigating Baker in the first place?”

  “I heard from a reputable source that he was involved in some dubious activity.”

  “What kind of activity?”

  “Bribery and controlling elections on all levels. Hell, from what I hear, he decides who wins and who losses.”

  “Well my friend, that’s small potatoes compared to what I’m about to give you, and mine comes with documentation to back it up.”

  “I’m all ears, Buddy. Is this off the record or on?”

  Travis considered this for a moment. He really wanted to say on the record, but he knew with his new situation, there was no way he could.

  “This is going to be off the record from a reputable source.”

  “Ok, I’m good with that.”

  “Take a look at this and tell me what you think.”

  His source looked at the documents Travis had given him, and his smile grew bigger and his eyes got wider. “He has been arrested for treason?” “Yes, he has, and as you can see, we have the documents to prove it.”

  “Damn!! I knew he was a crooked son of a gun, but damn.”

  “He was the one that caused the death of Sarah and Jamie.”

  “I was really sorry to hear about that Travis. I know how much you loved them. How are you handling things?”

  “Better now. Now that I know the son of a bitch who caused it is going down. Hell, he even tried to get a judge that owes him a favor to hear his arraignment.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “I’m serious as a heart attack.”

  “You run this story and I’ll keep you informed of any new evidence we come up with.” “You weren’t kidding about this being the story of a lifetime. You just made my career. Why did you pick me?”

  “One, because I know you’re a good, reputable journalist who people believe. Second, I know you don’t care much for the Senator. And three, I know you were already investigating him.”

  “Travis, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you for this.”

  “You can thank me by making sure the story gets out there and is told in the right way. I know you’ll do this.”

  THIRTY

  Langley Op’s Center

  TRAVIS SLEPT WELL last night for the first time since the death of his wife and son. He felt good about the fact that Baker was in jail, but Travis isn’t an idiot. He knows that being the manipulative asshole Baker is, he’ll be trying to run his kingdom from his jail cell. Travis knows he must come up with a plan to keep this from happening. Travis knows that Baker will be trying to get his lawyer and his cronies to get the charges dropped altogether, or at the very least, reduced to something that carries no jail time. Having friends in high places could result in this actually happening. Travis tries to put himself in Baker’s place and come up with what kind of plan Baker may try to get going.

  Travis calls the team together and lets them in on what he suspects. “All right guys, we know Baker’s in jail. I also know that he’ll be running his kingdom from his jail cell. He’ll be digging up anything he or his cronies can come up with to get the charges dropped or reduced to no jail time. Start digging through all the intel we have and see if there’s anything that he might even remotely use and make a list. I have to take a trip and I want answers when I get back.”

  Travis made a phone call and sets off for a meeting with Bob Masteson, the NBC News journalist to whom Travis has given the information. He arrives at Old Ebbitt Grill in DC, gets a table and waits for Bob to arrive. Travis knows Baker will call in every favor owed him to beat this. Bob arrives and sits down.

  “Hello, Bob. Good to see you again. What’s the word on the street about Baker?”

  “Hey, Travis, not a lot right now. The story really hasn’t come out yet.”

  “Speaking of such, when’s the big reveal scheduled to hit?”

  “Funny you should ask. The story’s scheduled to hit at three this afternoon.”

  “
That’s fantastic. The sooner the better. Less time for Baker to come up with a plan and bullshit story. Are they featuring you in this breaking story?” “Thanks to the information you gave me, yes, I’ll be featured when it breaks. You’ll never know how grateful I am that you gave it to me instead of someone else.”

  “I know and trust you and know that Baker can’t get his hooks into you like he can with a lot of other journalists.”

  “Thank you for the words of praise, and I won’t let you down Travis.”

  “That’s why you were chosen, Bob. Is there any kind of talk behind the scenes about this?”

  “A little bit so far. The word is that his lawyer will ask that the charges be dropped at the arraignment. He’s not really expecting that to happen so I’m sure he’s working on an alternate plan.”

  “I figure he’ll try to get the charges reduced to something with no jail time. With the information you gave me and with what I’m coming out with later, he might find that hard to do.”

  “I’ve got my men pouring through every piece of intel we have. They’re making a list of possible ways he might try to wiggle his way out of this and who he’ll call to help. Hell, he has half of Capitol Hill in his pocket as far as owing him favors. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if Carpenter himself didn’t owe him favors. So far, he’s been on our side. I’ll be watching to see if that changes. I’ll be watching very closely indeed. I need to get back. I look forward to your story at three. Make it good.”

  “I will. See you later, Travis.”

  Travis leaves and proceeds back to Langley. As Travis heads back, he comes up with an idea to slow down Baker’s plan. He turns the car around and drives back to DC. He pulls up in front of the police headquarters and parks and goes inside. Travis shows his ID and requests to see the Chief. He’s ushered back to Chief Robert Ludlum’s office. “What can I do for you, Mr. Bones?”

  “Hello, Chief Ludlum, I’m here to talk to you about Senator Baker.”

  “What does the CIA want to know about Senator Baker?”

  “It’s not what I need to know, Chief, it’s about what I need you to do for the CIA about Senator Baker.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “I need for you to restrict access to the Senator. That includes his lawyer and all government officials until after seven o’clock this evening.”

  “Mr. Bones, do you realize how many laws that breaks?”

  “Yes Sir, I do. But your government is asking you for that favor. It must be done in a way that doesn’t set off any alarms with the legal community. All I can say right now is that the government needs this block of time to have some things happen for the good of America, Sir.”

  “For the good of America? Are you kidding me?”

  “No, Sir, I’m serious as a heart attack right now, Chief.”

  “So, let me get this straight. You want me to put the Senator on pretty much lock down until seven this evening, and all you have is for the good of America!!”

  “Yes Sir, that’s what I mean. I can make a phone call if you need me to, Sir.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary. I think we might be able to come to an agreement on this matter without involving anyone else.”

  “Thank you, Chief, I was hoping you would see it that way.”

  “You have your window of time. I don’t want any more favors asked after this. Are we clear on that?”

  “Yes, Sir. Thank you again, Chief.”

  Travis was glad the chief went along with his plan. Travis had no one to call. This was strictly his idea and he didn’t think Turner would go along with it, and he knew damn well that the President sure as Hell wouldn’t. At least he had his window of time to let the story leak out without Baker being able to dilute the story when it broke. He knew Bob would do one Hell of a job with the story. Travis drove back to Langley running scenarios through his mind about what to do next.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Langley Op’s Center

  TRAVIS ARRIVED BACK at Langley, turned the TV to the NBC News station, and waited for the breaking story to come on.

  “This is NBC News with a breaking story out of Washington, DC. We are going live to our correspondent Bob Masteson in Washington. Bob.” “Thank you, Cory. Today is a sad day for America. Senator William Baker has been arrested on charges of treason against his country. More charges may be pending, but we know for sure that he’s charged with treason. Senator Baker has stated publicly in numerous interviews that he’s fighting the drug problem in America with the full resources of the Federal Government. We have found out from a source high in the government that Senator Baker is working with and taking payments from the drug cartels in Columbia. He’s paving the way for millions of dollars in illegal drugs to pour into this country from Columbian Cartels. With his seat as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, he has the power and influence to be able to circumvent the war on drugs and provide a way for the cartels to bring their drugs into this country. He has access to information regarding all the operations the government has going to fight the cartels, and is passing this information on to them so they can steer clear of any operations to hamper their bringing drugs into the country. The American citizens should be outraged that someone they duly elected to fight these cartels is using his power to help them instead.”

  “Bob, what other charges may be pending against the Senator?”

  “Cory, my sources have told me that he could possibly be looking at extortion, bribery and possibly even murder charges. Just to name a few.”

  “Bob, what could the murder charges be about?”

  “Cory, my sources have shown me documentation that some of the information Senator Baker passed along to the cartels, has directly resulted in the deaths of several military personnel as well as civilians. Apparently, the cartels sent money to Senator Baker and he in turn hired and arranged for hit squads to take out these people the cartels wanted removed.”

  “That’s quite disturbing, Bob.”

  “Yes, it is Cory. Apparently, Senator Baker used his influence on Capitol Hill to call in favors to get these things done. I have also been informed by my source that other charges may be pending on other people involved by helping the Senator. We’ll be keeping a close eye on events as they unfold, Cory. This is Bob Masteson reporting from Washington, DC.”

  “Thank you, Bob. We’ll be bringing developments in this story to you as they become available. This is Cory Stevens for NBC News.

  Thank you for watching and we now return you to regular programming.”

  Travis caught himself with a huge smile on his face. He knew he had chosen the right person to give the information to. Bob Masteson was like a bulldog with a new soup bone. It was his and he owned it, and no one was going to take it away from him. Travis smiles even bigger. Life is good at the moment.

  THIRTY-TWO

  Central Jail – Washington DC

  TRAVIS DECIDED TO go to DC and have a talk with Baker. He wanted Baker to know that he wasn’t about to let him off the hook with just a slap on the wrist. His time in control was over. Now Travis held the cards of power and he would make sure Baker paid and paid dearly!

  “Travis Bones to see Senator Baker.”

  “Yes Sir, Mr. Bones. What is the nature of your visit?”

  “I’m here to see the Senator about the charges against him and the potential charges that might be filed.”

  “Yes Sir, I’ll need to check with Chief Ludlum, Sir.”

  “I understand, officer.”

  “Chief Ludlum, I have a Mr. Travis Bones here to see Senator Baker.”

  “It’s ok officer, let him in. Tell him to come by my office when he’s done.”

  “Yes Sir, thank you, Sir. You may go in to see him, Mr. Bones. The Chief would like to see you when you’re done.”

  “Thank you.”

  Travis makes his way back to solitary confinement where Senator Baker is separated from the general population. Travis arrives at Baker’
s cell and the guard opens the door. Baker’s eyes get wide and he steps back against the wall.

  “Hello, Baker.”

  “What the Hell are you doing here?”

  “We’re going to have a little talk about things so you know where I stand and just how fucked you really are.”

  “I have nothing to say to you.”

  “Oh, but I have quite a bit to say to you and you will listen. Hell, you can’t get away. I have the proverbial captive audience. Your power doesn’t work in here like it does on Capitol Hill. You’re going to listen and listen well. Sit down, shut up and open your ears. You might have power and influence on The Hill, but here you don’t have squat. You’re facing a charge of treason. That’s a hangable offense in this country. I have enough hard evidence against you to bury you for the rest of your life. Did you happen to catch the news last night?”

  “No, no one has said anything about the news. Why?”

  “Your story was told on the news last night, so now the whole country knows. You’ve become the laughingstock of the government. Not to mention there’s a whole nation out there pissed off at you right now. Treason is just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re smart, you’ll take the treason charge and shut up. If you don’t, you’ll be charged with extortion, bribery and murder among other things. You’ve already disgraced yourself in the eyes of the country. You’ll be an even bigger disgrace if you try to fight the treason charge. Your wife is already in hiding from the public. How much do you want her to suffer? Haven’t you done enough to her already? Your own man has taken your family away from you. Do you want him coming after her too?”

  Travis knew this was a lie, but he needed Baker to believe it for now. Maybe he would tell him the truth before they hung his ass. But then again, maybe not. After what Baker had cost him personally, he didn’t care what Baker thought. The more Baker worried about Williamson, the better for him and the case. Travis knew Williamson was far away from DC, but Baker needed to think he was close by and dangerous.