"Rob don't get your shorts in a bind. All I ask was that you listen to what they have in mind when the time comes. It's as simple as that."
"I will only consider something that I feel is good for the country," he said stubbornly.
"What's good for the country is not what's always good for an individual," Linden said.
"Don't you dare lecture me about the good of the country. I have dedicated my life to the good of the country. I have always put the people before my personal goals," he said heatedly.
"Yes, yes. I know all of that. Who in the hell has been with you every step of the way? I'm telling you right here and now that there is nothing I would not consider at this time. The Richards are a cancer that is eating at this nation. The clock is running and I will not just roll over and let it happen. Robert my old friend, I respect your position, but I for one, will not just stick my head in the sand and hope it goes away," Linden said looking the Vice President straight in the eye.
"I understand Lin. I'm just saying that I cannot consider anything that outside of the law. I was elected to this office to uphold the law, not to break it as the circumstance presents itself. I have to live with myself, you know?"
"Sure Robert. I understand your feelings, but understand this. The Richards are not reasonable people, nor are they moral or law-abiding. They will stop at nothing. I will fight fire with fire if that's what it takes. Look, let’s drop it for now. You just think about what all this means, and for God's sake watch your health. I don't know what they have in mind for you but it sounds dangerous. You keep your balls in your right pocket. That bitch will loop them off without so much as by your leave, thank you very much."
"Look, let me think about this for a few days. I'll call you soon."
"Alright Robert. You keep this to yourself. If they get any inkling that the cat is out of the bag they will step up the time table and eliminate your power immediately. You watch what you say and to whom."
"What a mess. Don't worry about me. I've been around long enough to know how to play the game. You will let me know of any other developments won't you?"
"You will be the first to know," Linden assured him.
"Don't let them get you down Robert Henderson, you’re a good man."
"Yeah. I know that and you know that, but tell it to Harriett Richards will ya?" he said jokingly.
"Look, I need to get back to the White House for a reception. Well, I guess that's stretching it some. I'm sure Harriett would be quite happy if I didn't show. What the hell, it will piss her off to no end and that's a small victory."
"I'll expect for you to call later in the week. I'll snoop around and see what I can turn up. It's much easier for me than it is for you. They will have everything you do under a microscope you can be sure of that. Take care my friend and I'll talk to you later."
The two men shook hands and the Vice President departed. Smithers thought the V.P. looked rather grim when he left.
"That could have gone a lot smoother," Linden said to himself as he prepared to leave the room.
He gathered the tape recorder he had used to record the conversation. He needed to review what was said to make sure his report was accurate.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Giovanni was always apprehensive just before meeting with a potential client. Even though he knew the reputation of this particular contact, you could never be too sure of how one of these meetings was going to go.
At exactly the prearranged time he entered the small bar located just across the street from the local police station. One other man was in the room and as soon as he entered he placed a "closed" sign on the door and left.
"Welcome. It is a pleasure to come face to face with you at last. I have been following your career for some time. Most impressive," the man said as he approached the bar.
Giovanni looked around the bar nervously, trying to get a feel for the layout. He did not like to feel trapped.
"Please, feel free to look around. I can assure you that no one is here except for the two of us."
Giovanni paid no outward attention to the man but continued to check out the location. At last he settled in a chair facing the door and away from the windows.
"Very good. I would have no use for you if you were not cautious. Only a fool does not check out his surroundings. I have no respect for fools."
"Spare me. Just tell me what you have in mind."
"It's about business. Your kind of business. I have need for someone of your expertise. I am the arranger. I have been authorized to negotiate for your unique talents. I have not made this offer to anyone else at this time. You are my first choice. If we cannot come to terms, I will seek another to fulfill my obligation. You will be told only what is necessary to successfully carry out the operation. Are you interested in more?"
"Maybe," Giovanni said.
"Maybe is for fools. Either you are or you’re not. If not, the conversation ends here and I go on my way. Simple isn't it?"
"Alright, I'm here. I'll listen."
"You would be working for a private organization. The hit would be a once in a life time deal. The sum I am authorized to compensate you with is five million dollars, deposited in any bank in the world of your choice. You will be supplied with a very special weapon and all the knowledge to carry it out. You will have access to all the resources my employers have to offer. They are considerable. The target is politically significant. This will be a one man operation and the controls are strictly up to the shooter. You would pick the time and place within certain guidelines."
"Twenty," Giovanni said suddenly.
"We can negotiate later. I assume this means you are interested?"
"How politically significant?"
"Let me put it this way. Is there anyone you would not be willing to assassinate?"
"Not right off. But the price is twenty million. Look, I'm not a patsy like Oswald understand? I'm too smart to be your smoking gun."
"Relax, this is not, as you put it, a smoking gun operation. You will come to appreciate that as the details are known to you. We can haggle over money all night. You want twenty, I say seven and it goes on and on until we settle at ten million. Let’s just cut to that amount right now so we can get on with it. There is much to tell and little time to tell it in. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Giovanni said. This is a no bullshit man and I can respect that, Giovanni thought to himself.
"Let’s get a drink and get down to the nitty-gritty shall we? I have much to tell you before this night are over."
"Sounds good to me. Tell me about the target first," Giovanni wanted to know.
They procured a bottle of scotch and the arranger proceeded to lay out the details of the plan. The sun was starting to come up when they finally departed and went their separate ways.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Two month had passed since their last meeting in Milan, Italy. Now they were all assembled in Zermatt, Switzerland. It was time to update progress and finalize the plans. Access to Zermatt is limited to train for tourists so it took several days for them to all arrive.
The day was bright and clear. A fresh snow had fallen the night before and the sun glistened like a thousand tiny prisms. It was exactly what you would expect to find in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The Matterhorn towered over the small village nestled in the valley below. Skiing season was in full swing and the town was alive with brightly dressed skiers.
The four men inside the small chalet at the Southern edge of town were not concerned with the beauty of the place or the fresh powder that covered the ski slopes further up the mountain. The beauty of the place was one of the furthest things from their minds.
"I have arranged the contract as we discussed at our last meeting. The price is, I dare say, much better than originally projected. Mr. Red as he is to be called has agreed to ten million. That should make Tim and Mike a little happier I should think."
"We know you too well, you always start with the good news. Le
t's have the rest of it," Tim said.
"Well I'm not sure you would call it bad news exactly. Mr. Red has insisted on testing the weapon prior to the actual sanction."
"So? Who cares?"
"On a real target."
"You mean a human target?" Mike asked.
"Yes."
"Horseshit. I can't agree to that. It would only draw attention to the fact that someone has the weapon and that it's still in the country. Look what we are doing I can justify in my own mind so far, but to just go out and kill someone to see if the damn thing works is out of the question," Mike said.
"I agree with Mike. I'm not about to give my blessing to a random killing. Let our Mr. Red test it on any animal he wants but no human targets. To stir up unnecessary interest is foolish and dangerous. It's out of the question," Tim added.
"Look, I don't disagree. I have expressed just exactly that concern. The fact is that he will not take the contract if he cannot be assured of how the SILVER - 2 will function under actual conditions."
"I'm totally against it. This won't help our country. This is......hell, I don't even know what this is but I want no part of it," Mike said forcefully.
"What if we select the target? Let’s say one that we all can agree upon?"
"The answer is still no. It's out of the question as far as I'm concerned. I say get yourself another shooter. Mr. Red will just have to take a powder as far as I'm concerned," Tim said.
"Look, I understand the need to test this weapon but not on a human target. Either you talk him out of it, get another shooter or replace me. It's as simple as that for me," Mike said.
"Same goes for me," Tim agreed.
"Alright gentlemen. I will talk to Mr. Red again. He won't be happy but he may go along with us if he thinks he will be replaced. He does know a great deal about our plan and that could prove to be messy. That's a bridge we may have to cross later. For now your message is clear. No practice on a human target."
"Damn straight," Mike uttered.
"Let’s move on shall we? Assuming that we are going to stick with Mr. Red, I will need six million from each of you within the next few days. I know you have had it ready for some time now. You will need to transfer it into the account number I gave your couriers. One million will go to the set-up man. Ten million to the shooter. The rest is for expenses that will crop up along the way. Do you have any problems with that arrangement?"
Both Tim and Mike shook their heads no.
"Good. I will expect the money to be transferred by Wednesday. I will start the setup man in motion just as soon as I have the prospective list of cities that are to be visited before June 1st. Linden, why don't you bring us up to date on your progress with Henderson?"
"Well, as they say, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I have been able to meet with Robert on several occasions. I have been able to lay my hands on further memos from Harriett. Rob is willing to listen to reason and is fully aware of what the plan means to the country. The bad news is that we have no ‘LBJ’ here, using his own words. He does not want to discuss any illegal action whatsoever. I haven't been able to find the button to push that will make him consider all the options. He shuts me down the minute I start to suggest alternative solutions."
"Shit. I know we don't ever need another LBJ in the White House, but this guy needs to wake up and smell the roses before he ends up pushing up daisies. Doesn't he realize they intend to see to it that he has some sort of health problem soon?"
"Of course he does Tim. He's in no hurry to die and he isn't a fool. He knows that little can be done from within the law to stop them. He just needs time to come to the same conclusion that we have. It will take time."
"I need not remind you that time is on their side, not ours."
"Yes, yes. I know all of that, but it doesn't change the fact that Robert isn't ready to go along with us yet."
“So what is your next move?" Mike asked.
"Well I was able to get hold of this memo from Harriett to Calvin. It just might be enough to send him over the edge. You can read it for yourselves," Linden said has he passed around the plastic enclosed memo on White House stationary.
Calvin,
You are to announce that I will be heading up the committed
on Welfare Reform. I want to insure that my name is
attached to every significant undertaking from this point on.
Have Wilbur immediately strong arm anyone who bulks at
this.
Secondly, the secret talks with Khaled Meshaal are coming
along nicely. We are about strike a deal. He will get
whatever he needs to be the dominate power in the middle east. In return he has agreed to keep a low profile until after your term is over. It will be made to look like we negotiated a peaceful settlement with him. No one will ever know the real deal. As you know, he wants three billion up front. How you handle this is up to you. Your next term will be virtually
trouble free. His people took care of the Assidi problem as
agreed. If he goes back on any part of the deal I have made
arrangements to cover that contingency. We should have a firm deal by the end of the month. Once that is accomplished, you will announce that negotiations will be forthcoming. You can expect Robert to have a sudden down turn in his health within the next few weeks. I have taken care of the details. All you need to do is to be appropriately caring for his health. Just follow the plan and all will go well. H.
"Holy shit," Tim exclaimed when he finished reading the memo. She can't be serious."
"Ah, but she is," Linden replied.
"Well I don't know if this will change Robert's mind, but it sure the hell would mine. Hell, she is admitting to everything. Why can't we just go public with this and forget all this other crap?"
"Oh hell Tim. You know better than that. This is a photocopy. There is no way we could prove this isn't a fake."
"What about the handwriting? With today’s computers it should prove it’s hers."
"How do you prove you didn't just cut up memos from her, to staff members, and simply rearrange them to suit your need?" was Linden's reply.
"What about the original memo? Someone had to have made a copy. What happened to it?"
"In Harriett’s possession I would imagine. No, I can't get the originals, so don't ask. This is the best I could do, understand?"
"Hey, don't take it personal Linden. I didn't mean you weren't getting the job done. It's just that this is even more dangerous that I suspected."
"Don't worry. I have thick skin. I understand your concern. With luck this will be the straw I needed to convince Robert to join forces with us."
"Don't wait too long Linden. I need that list as quickly as possible. It will take some time to gather all the intelligence needed to select the right location."
"I'm aware of the time line," Linden replied tensely.
"What if this doesn't work? What then?" Mike wanted to know.
"I can answer that," the host interjected.
"I have activated an old source, at some risk, but it will give us a fallback position if needed. If Robert doesn't come through, I will obtain the list through the back up. It carries a high degree of risk for me, but I will do it if all else fails."
"Yes, but won't that cause us to lose control of Henderson once the plan is carried out? I would think Linden would be exposed as well," Tim observed.
"That could well happen but the primary results would remain the same. We are not trying to control Henderson as much as were trying to give him the necessary momentum to assume the leadership this country so badly needs. Are you changing the intent of this operation Tim?"
"Not really. I just assumed that we would maintain some sort of control over him once we insured he was in office. It seemed reasonable," Tim said.
"Well, that was not my understanding or intent, I can assure you. I see this as a mission to re-focus the direction in which the nation is headed.
Once the Richards are out of the picture the course of events that follows will be up to the new President and God's will," Linden said sternly.
“Of course you are right Linden. I just wanted us to be able to guide Henderson along if he needs further assistance."
"Well Tim, I've been doing that ever since he entered politics. I don't suppose that will change much."
"Point well taken."
"Alright gentlemen, since we seem to be in agreement on that point, let’s move along shall we. Linden, please continue. What is your current plan?" the host asked after a short silence.
"I will have a meeting later this week with Robert and show him this memo. I can only hope that it will be enough to convince him to join our cause. If that doesn't work I will consider my part a failure. As it was pointed out, we are running out of time. The fallback position may be our only answer at that point. I've given myself until Friday of next week. If he isn't on board, we go forward with the alternate option."
"Hell Lin, I have faith in you. You'll pull it off," Mike offered as support.
"Thank you. I'll damn sure give it my best shot, so to speak."
They talked until late into the night before everything had been discussed to everyone’s satisfaction.
"Any further business, gentlemen?"
"I just want to say it one more time. No trial run on a human target. I know I've made my point but it's important to me," Mike said.
"Your objection is noted. Both of you," the host said motioning to Tim, "I will meet with Mr. Red and explain our position. If he cannot agree then I will obtain another shooter. Our time line is drawing shorter by the day so I will have to move fast if it becomes necessary to replace him. Unless there is further details you want to go over, I suggest we all get to work. There is much to be done and little time to do it in."
"Will we need to meet again?" Tim asked.
"Only if an emergency arises. I will be returning to the US soon to take personally direct the operation. We could meet someplace inside the US if it becomes necessary. The less you and Mike know from this point on, the better for you, should something go wrong. You can't answer what you don't know."
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