The tour had become a lesson beyond their wildest imagination. The three men continued on across the bridge spanning the Charlestown River. A small group of tourists had fallen in line behind them, listening in on the stranger’s description of each site. He might as well have been a tour guide for all they knew.
The men paused for a brief moment. Walters looked up at the obelisk, memorializing the battle of Bunker Hill. He took a deep breath and then continued on his march up the hill. His quick stride caught the new founders off guard and they hurried to catch up.
Upon reaching the statue, Walters decided it was a good time to address the small crowd of approximately twenty people that stood within earshot.
“We could have won this battle. We should have won this battle. We exhausted our armaments and had no choice but to surrender. It was a defeat—but a victory in the long run. The British lost a thousand soldiers and many officers. The battle gave the American war effort resolve and proved we could stand toe to toe with the supposedly superior British army.”
One spectator in the crowd yelled the famous quote that is long remembered from the battle. Walters responded with vigor.
“Yes, Yes! As Colonial William Prescott ordered, ‘Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes!’ The men knew their firepower was depleted, yet they fought on. This was America at its very best and we were only in our infancy.
“General Nathanael Greene put it best when he wrote that he wished he could sell them another hill at the same price! This is the message we have to get out right now. We may have lost this early battle, but we ended up winning the war!”
Another voice cried out from the right side of the growing crowd, recognizing the speaker as Mr. Walters from the Josh Anders Show.
Walters looked directly at the young lady and decided to make the most of the opening.
“Yes. I am Frank Walters and I seek the presidency of these United States.”
The crowd erupted in spontaneous applause. Murray looked at Hahn as if to say, “Here we go again.” Neither expected the Freedom Trail Tour to turn into a campaign rally but forces were at work and they went with the flow.
“This country is in the midst of a modern day Battle of Bunker Hill, against an opponent who outnumber us in resources, outnumber us in influence in the press, and outnumber us in influence in the media. But they do not outnumber us in resolve or intellect or the truth. They will not outnumber us in patriotism and love of this country and they will surely not outnumber us in the will to fight for what is right and just!”
The crowd had grown to nearly a hundred and the candidate purposely whipped them into a frenzy.
“June 17, 1775 was a dangerous time in our young country. Well, our country is still young, my friends, and it is still a dangerous time. Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is a force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to the irresponsible action of the administration in charge at this very moment, men who do not have the interests of you fine Americans in its heart. Government is not the solution. Government is the problem.”
Murray again looked at Hahn. Hahn looked back and mouthed that they were witnessing history in the making.
“We are one with the original Continental Army. Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable as the British found out during the Revolutionary War!
“As your president, in executing the duties of the office, I can promise nothing but purity of intentions, and, in carrying these into effect, fidelity and diligence. I thank you and God bless you all.”
The crowd lurched forward and rushed toward the candidate. Murray and Hahn tried to shield Walters from the oncoming throng, but to no avail. Within seconds, he was surrounded by well-wishers and people touched by his words. A chant of “Walters!” began and delighted the General.
Hahn whispered in Walters’ ear that it was time to go. He had trouble getting the first president to move as Walters quickly became accustomed to signing autographs and posing for pictures.
The limo sat at the bottom of Bunker Hill and the two men used all their power to clear a path toward it. Mr. Walters was now outside of the friendly mob when he turned to face the people applauding on higher ground.
“My fellow Americans, do not forget that every post is honorable in which a man can serve his country. I compel each of you to spread the word and join with me in our fight for independence from our current administration. My fellow patriots, I thank you all!”
With a friendly wave, Walters walked to the waiting car. Hahn and Murray followed. The three men disappeared behind the tinted glass as the car sped away.
Chapter 22
The inner voices had been relatively merciful on William Fredericks since the Lincoln Continental emerged on the steps of the Memorial. They ordered Fredericks to confront, expose, and publicly humiliate this political interloper, tasks that were nothing new to Fredericks. He had made his bones and a handsome living doing these exact kinds of things.
Now he simply had to have Mr. Frank Walters as a guest on his show. He wanted the first shot at delving into this newcomer to expose him as the unqualified bloviator he knew him to be. Josh Anders was the first to have the man on a national radio show but Fredericks had to be the first to get him on national television. The problem, it seemed, was that Fredericks would have to go through Anders himself to get him. The talk show host always made William Fredericks nervous. But this time would be different. In Fredericks’ eyes, he was as qualified as anybody to grill the new candidate.
Fredericks prided himself on being the privileged son to an upper crust London family. He claimed his ancestry directly to the eighteenth century British Royal family. The roots of such a claim were dubious. And given his confidence that the American media would never question this assertion, he proudly stuck to it.
Will suffered from a hereditary disease that caused, among other things, blisters, severe stomach cramps, and periodic mental disturbances. He was loathe to admit the existence of the late night voices—“Them” as he privately referred to the demons. But it was clear from a young age that Fredericks had issues. His father, a respected barrister, and his mother, the daughter of a member of the House of Lords, recognized Fredericks’ problems and like any good upper class English family, dealt with them by sending Fredericks to the finest boarding schools in Switzerland. He was popular in school for all the wrong reasons. Considered too spindly to compete in his favorite sport rugby, Fredericks turned to fencing, making the college club’s first team. Even so, he had no real friends until he met fellow fencer Sophia during his third year at Oxford.
Fredericks was immediately taken by Sophia’s piercing violet eyes that seemed to see into him, see what others could not, to understand him. She didn’t glimpse the madness, but instead the goodness in his soul. When he was around her, the demons retreated. She kept him from those dreadful nights of screams, orders and howls in his mind.
Knowing he could not survive without her, Fredericks married Sophia immediately upon his return from his mission on the destroyer HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War. Fredericks nearly lost his life along with twenty of his shipmates when the Sheffield sunk after being hit with a French made Argentine missile. Fredericks spent several terrifying days in the Atlantic and developed, among other things, an irrational fear of the water.
Through a family contact, Fredericks landed a job reporting politics with the WNN London affiliate. Within the year, he applied for a stint in America, hoping to escape his demons.
Fredericks and Sophia arrived in Los Angeles in September of 1984, the proud parents of a little boy. Fredericks’ first assignment was covering the Reagan reelection from the president’s ranch in Santa Barbara. As with many of his life experiences, he felt the assignment was beneath him.
Fredericks eventually moved the family back East to host WNN’s daytime political talk show out of New York. He built his reputation by lambast
ing conservatives and Republicans. Soon thereafter, Fredericks was named host of WNN’s New York City based morning show in 2000. This assignment lasted only three years as his erratic behavior and disheveled appearance in the studio, set off alarm bells within WNN.
He was live on the air the morning of 9/11/01 when the planes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon. He reported the facts that day and for months after in a strangely detached, almost robotic fashion, displaying no outrage. It was as if he felt the attacks were somehow justified. Even through the many memorial services he attended, his disturbed colleagues at WNN only saw him shed a tear or show emotion once, when he described the youngest of the 9/11 victims, beautiful two and a half year old Christine Lee Hanson.
A move back to the west coast and a new assignment calmed his life. His personal life and career benefitted as the ratings showed. But he wanted a higher profile job and pushed management until WNN finally relented, naming Fredericks the new host of their flagship political talk show based in Washington DC.
Fredericks knew the move to DC without Sophia was wrought with landmines but his never ending ambition made him go. Unfortunately, the voices in his head also demanded he go and while she stayed behind in LA with the kids, the demons accompanied him to DC.
Fredericks excelled in the nation’s capital. He was on his game and managed to book the cream of the crop within Washington political circles, finance, entertainment, and even the sports world. It was evident that the more contentious he became, the more the audience grew and paradoxically, the easier it became to book his guests. Everyone wanted to be heard and seen by as many people as they could. No such thing as bad publicity.
But with all of the success, he still had reservations about his overall view of the world.
There was no time for self-doubt now. Fredericks had just finished listening to Frank Walters for a third time; this time on the Anders show, and he knew his moment of truth had arrived. The Anders’ appearance topped both his speech at the Memorial and his spot on that local Virginia radio show. Fredericks’ clever Lincoln Continental nickname was even obsolete now that the world knew the man’s name.
Walters used founding principles as his candidacy platform, becoming the darling of conservative blogs and pundits everywhere. Fredericks was repulsed by the thought, telling himself he had to take this man down. He had never come across a man like this before. Unlike most conservatives who immediately fell into apology mode when pressed on the issues, an unapologetic Walters seemed astonishingly comfortable with his positions.
Walters differed from other candidates in that he had a deep understanding of the Constitution and a grasp of the day’s issues. His verbatim recall of the American Founders’ positions and an uncannily clear ability to articulate each was impressive. To top it off, he also had Josh Anders and the Tea Party on his side. All those factors made Fredericks uncharacteristically cautious about confronting Mr. Walters.
The voices compelled Fredericks to confront and destroy this enemy. He sensed a moral clarity in Walters that he had yet to confront in the politics of the day. Recent skepticism about his life-long statist positions, brought on by the reality of the current government, caused Fredericks concern that he may not be able to take down Mr. Walters head on. But he must and there was only one way to do it.
Fredericks smiled. “I would love to have him on my show,” he thought. Fredericks quickly called his “people” who had undoubtedly already begun extensive “background checks” on Mr. Walters. His next call went to his producer. He directed him to invite this mysterious candidate to make his television debut the following night on The World Today.
Fredericks’ blood went cold once again when his producer informed him that not ten minutes before, Ken Rader of the Walters’ campaign had called Fredericks requesting he do his first television interview on The World Today.
He couldn’t believe a guy as well-known as Rader would take up with this virtual unknown. Fredericks scratched his head, muttering to himself that this Walters guy was certainly not your run of the mill conservative. Anyone requesting a confrontation in the lion’s den must plan to bring along a weapon or two. Fredericks was nervous. He certainly needed to prepare for this formidable foe.
Chapter 23
Frank Walters sat on the oversized brown leather sofa in Josh Anders’ study, reflecting on the day’s events. It was a successful day by any measure. The interview with Anders was getting plenty of “airplay” and “positive tweets.” Walters was not sure what those were. He could ask, but decided not to bother since he understood what positive reaction meant. And that was good enough. Plus his team seemed to be pleased.
There was no stopping him now. Providence had seen to that. Still, he wondered why he continued to feel a bit uneasy. He loved his second chance at life, but seeing the tombstones of old friends in Boston made him wonder again if he really belonged here. The obvious answer was that he did not. He knew how America used to be and he knew how America should be in the future. But he did not know her in the present day. Sure he learned quickly and understood the issues, but George Washington did not share the same life experiences as today’s Americans. Hell, he thought, he had never been alone with a twenty-first century woman or even driven a car.
But he was here now, had a job to do, and was determined to see it through. He knew this second life could not last forever, but he just didn’t know how or when it would end. Soldier that he was, he decided that if he was going to be in the fight, fight he would.
After a few tumultuous moments earlier with Rader, the candidate had convinced his campaign manager to set up his interview on The World Today with that Fredericks fellow. Rader preferred Frank’s first TV spot be in a friendlier setting, but Walters, in his words, insisted he first vanquish the serpent in its own lair and be done with it. Besides, the General saw something in Fredericks’ eyes that reminded him of someone from his past; someone he vowed to defeat.
Josh Anders was apoplectic. He was on the phone with Jenson as the new candidate confidently walked into Josh’s kitchen with Ken Rader at his side. Jenson had just seen a promo for Walters’ interview on cable and called Anders to find out what was going on.
Josh could not control himself. Putting his iPhone on speaker, he demanded of Rader an explanation as to why he booked Mr. Walters on The World Today. Josh was careful to conceal Walters’ true identity as he decried to Ken that he may have jeopardized the entire candidacy by being so irresponsible.
Mr. Walters smiled and, putting his left arm around Anders’ shoulder, calmly explained his reasoning. Murray and Hahn had entered the room, curious to see what all the fighting was about. Their leader quickly calmed the situation.
“Josh, it was not Mr. Rader who insisted on the interview, it was me. Gentlemen, will you excuse us for a moment?”
Walters quietly led Anders away from Rader and the other men and into the backyard. He kept his left arm on Anders’ shoulder the entire time.
“Josh, with your volcanic temper you are so much like your predecessor, Mr. Adams. It brings me reassurance that Providence remains with us. In you I see its wondrous works and the uncertainty of things human…. In today’s language, don’t worry, Josh. Have some faith.”
Anders smiled and looked sheepishly at Walters. He nodded his head in agreement, his internal fire extinguished for now.
“We’ve come this far, George. I know I shouldn’t doubt you, but this is different. You do not know William Fredericks like I know him. The guy is an anti-American mouthpiece for the Democratic Party that spews nothing but hate. Are you sure you know what you are doing?”
Murray and Hahn joined Walters and Anders on the back lawn as the first president answered Josh’s question.
“There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet an enemy. I feel well prepared to meet this enemy and intend to slay this dragon first.”
As was his custom, Washington let his words sink in for full effect on his men.
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“And besides, my dear Mr. Anders, I believe I know Mr. Fredericks a lot better than you could ever imagine. May we leave tomorrow morning on that fantastic airplane for the interview with Mr. Fredericks in our nation’s capital?”
So it was decided. Candidate for president, Frank Walters would enter the lion’s den the following evening on national television.
Like heavyweight contenders, Fredericks and Walters prepared for their duel. Walters went over last minute notes with his most trusted advisor, Hahn. Both saw the irony in considering the interview a “duel.” Deemed illegal in the eighteenth century, armed duels were euphemistically termed “interviews” to avoid attention from authorities. The most famous of these types of interviews was the duel in which Vice-President Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton on the cliffs of Weehawken, NJ. Hahn vowed not to let history repeat itself this night.
Walters was ushered to the set where the host was already seated. As he took his seat, the guest extended his hand to Fredericks for a salutary greeting. The host shook his hand quickly without uttering a word. He reviewed his notes on the desk before him as Walters sat calmly under the bright lights. The candidate made a mental note that the host’s hand was soft and layered with perspiration. He looked toward Hahn in the wings and mouthed a few words to him.
“We got him.”
After welcoming his audience to the show and describing the lineup, Fredericks decided that raising questions about Walters’ background would be a good start. The interview began.
“So Mr. Walters, you have come out of nowhere to become the Tea Party candidate for President of the United States and have chosen to make your national television debut on The World Today.”
“Yes. Thank you for having me, Mr. Fredericks. I must admit the advice of my team was to sit down with another host, but I felt drawn to your show.”
Walters leaned in toward Fredericks and focused his eyes into William’s. Fredericks was unnerved for that moment. Random thoughts coursed feverously though his brain. Pleasant visions of a fox hunt through the pristine rolling hills of rural England jumped at once to dire feelings of pain and dread. Uncertainty swirled in the pit of his stomach. He had these kinds of flashbacks before, but always in the dead of night when They showed up.
The New Founders Page 21
