The Dark Trail

by J. C. Fields

  “Good.”

  “Now what, Sean?”

  “Thomas Shark and five other agents died getting these files.” He paused as he took a breath. “Whatever’s in those pages must be pretty damning evidence.” He glanced at JR. “Let’s make sure we don’t miss anything.”

  “You know I hate printing files.”

  Kruger nodded.

  “But I was thinking, if it’s printed, we can categorize it better.”

  Kruger gave his friend a smile. “Good idea.”

  JR pointed his mouse cursor to an icon and pressed the left button. On the other side of the cubicle wall, Kruger heard a laser printer spool up and hum as it spat out paper.

  As the file printed, JR asked, “So, what’s the status of this new group you’ve talked me into joining?”

  “Typical government bureaucracy. President Griffin is supposed to sign the Executive Order anytime now. David Wu has already transferred the money to the account we will use. But once the president puts his signature on it, Homeland Security has to sign off as well.”

  With a frown, JR asked, “Why?”

  His answer was a chuckle. “The Secretary of Homeland Security told the president they could not issue IDs for us until a background check was conducted on each one of us.”

  “You’re kidding, a background check? I bet that didn’t go over too well with Griffin.”

  “Nope, it didn’t. Joseph told me the discussion between the two occurred behind closed doors and—uh—got heated.”

  “Does she still have her job?”

  “Probably, Roy isn’t like that.”

  “So, what about the IDs?”

  “Once we have them, we can be operational.”

  “When will that be?”

  Kruger shrugged. “When we get them.”

  JR rolled his eyes and stood to go to the printer. He took the stack into the conference room and placed it on the long table. “Didn’t know it was going to be half a ream of paper.”

  After taking the first fifty pages from the stack, Kruger glanced through them. “It appears a lot of the pages are handwritten notes. I was told Thomas felt it important enough to have the information sent immediately to Quantico. So, he had them photograph every page and saved it to the cloud. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have it.”

  “Monk wasn’t much of a file clerk, was he?”

  “No, we saw that with the files he hid in the bank boxes.”

  The two men were silent as they looked through the stack of papers. Kruger stopped skimming and read one carefully. He held it in one hand while grabbing a page he had already returned to the table. “Oh, boy.”

  “What?”

  “Dorian Monk wasn’t the horrible file clerk we’ve been accusing him of.”

  “I’m not following you.”

  “These pages are out of order for a reason. It appears to be a way of hiding the information from prying eyes.”

  “Still not following you.”

  “Monk was a mathematician, right?”

  JR nodded.

  “These pages were photographed in the order they were found, right?”

  “Don’t know, I wasn’t there.”

  “Trust me, they were.”

  “Okay.”

  “Note the handwritten number in the left bottom corner.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Now, look at this page and then this one.”

  JR studied each piece of paper and handed it back to Kruger. “The first page is continued on the second.”

  “Correct. Now look at the number on the bottom.”

  “They aren’t in sequence.”

  Kruger shook his head. “No, they aren’t. We need to find more examples. Once we have a few examples, we might be able to break Monk’s filing code.”

  The pattern eluded them. The two men worked until eight p.m. when Kruger went home to spend a few moments with his kids. JR stayed another hour staring at the pages on the conference table.

  At six a.m. the next morning, armed with freshly poured coffee, they studied the pages.

  Kruger said, “I can’t see a pattern.”

  JR nodded. “I can’t either. Now what?”

  Taking a sip of coffee, Kruger shrugged. “Not sure. Without identifying the pattern of the sequence, it will take forever to pair the correct pages together.”

  They were interrupted by Alexia Gibbs, who knocked on the conference room door frame.

  JR looked up. “Good morning, Alexia. You’re here early.”

  “Morning, JR.” She smiled and went to Kruger for her customary hug from the man she considered a substitute dad. “Morning, Sean.”

  Kruger gave her a fatherly hug and said, “How are you this morning, Alexia?”

  “Good.” She stared at the pages on the table. “What’s that?”

  After taking a sip of his coffee, JR told her and said, “We think Monk has hidden information within the pages. We figured out the first few, but after that, we can’t see the pattern.”

  Alexia studied the pages in the sequences as they appeared on the table. She smiled. “It’s a Fibonacci Sequence.”

  Kruger frowned and JR gave her a small grin. He quickly did the math in his head and went to the next sequential page number. “That’s it, Alexia.” He looked at Kruger, who stared blankly at the pages on the table. “Do you know what a Fibonacci Sequence is?”

  “I’m a psychologist, not a mathematician.”

  With a giggle, Alexia said, “To create the sequence, you add the first two numbers in the sequence together to generate the following number. For instance, if you add three and four together, the next number would be seven. Four and seven equal eleven; seven and eleven would produce eighteen and so forth.”

  While she explained, Kruger started sorting and identified the next ten pages in the narrative. He looked up and said, “My guess is the pages in between are nonsense and have no purpose, other than to confuse the person looking at the file.”

  Twenty minutes later, they had the chronicle in order. JR looked over his glasses at Kruger. “Aren’t you glad I hired her?”

  With a nod, Kruger said, “Very.” He paused and read a few of the now in order pages. “I wonder if Charlie’s team found this pattern?”

  JR chuckled. “What are the odds?”

  “Hush, Charlie’s good at his job.”

  “No argument there, but do you wanna bet?”

  “No.”

  “Chicken.”

  Kruger paused for a second. “No, not really. I just don’t have that much confidence in other members of his team.”

  “My point exactly.”

  “Shhh…” He punched in the number for Charlie’s cell phone.

  “Hey, Sean. What’d you find?”

  “Did you guys find a pattern in the order of the documents?”

  “No. It all seems to be miscellaneous nonsense.”

  “It isn’t. There’s an order to his filing system. Here’s the key.” He told Charlie about the Fibonacci sequence.

  “We didn’t see that.”

  “Like you said, sometimes it just takes another set of eyes.”

  “What does it say?”

  “It’s a manifesto.”

  “A manifesto?”

  “Yes, similar to the one Ted Kaczynski wrote, which was published by the Washington Post in 1995. Only this one is much darker.”

  “They were both mathematicians, Sean.”

  “True, but Monk only retreated to his cabin during the summers and he didn’t send bombs through the United States Postal System. He used a gun and managed to kill twenty-one innocent souls. Unfortunately, there is also mention of a group of like-minded individuals.”

  “The director has over a hundred agents assigned to the investigation of Thomas Shark’s ambush. What are they going to find?”

  “Not a thing. Whoever these people are, they have gone to great lengths to keep their identities secret.”

  “I’d better get this bumped upsta
irs.”

  “Remember, Charlie, your team found it.”

  “Yeah. I’d better go.”

  The call ended and Kruger stared at JR. “They didn’t find it.”

  “Told ya.”

  “That’s not the point, JR. We have a group of white nationalist plotting against the US Government and no one seems to have a clue.”

  “Then we have an advantage.”

  Shaking his head, Kruger said, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  JR raised his eyebrows and smiled. “They don’t know we know.”

  Kruger smiled too.

  Chapter 33

  Christian County, MO

  Due to Joseph’s position within the Griffin administration, an invitation to gather at his secluded Christian County home seldom occurred. When one did come, few if any of the invitees felt the desire to turn it down. Rather, they relished the opportunity to gather as an extended family and enjoy each other’s company socially.

  With the growing number of children within the group, separate SUVs were required for each family.

  Sean, Stephanie, Kristin and Mikey Kruger arrived first and parked Stephanie’s new Ford Explorer behind Joseph’s gun metal gray Range Rover.

  Joseph greeted them on the wraparound porch of his rustic log-cabin style home. After giving Stephanie and the kids a hug, he suggested they go on inside to join Mary.

  When they disappeared into the house, he turned to Kruger. “When’d you get the Explorer?”

  “Right after the Cherokee was totaled.”

  “Ah, forgot about that.”

  “I haven’t. The Explorer’s bigger, which will help with the kids as they grow. The dealer ordered it specifically for us. Since I was with the FBI at the time, he was able to order it with the same engine and suspension as a Police Interceptor. It’s basically a police vehicle without the special wiring while retaining the comforts of a passenger one.” He gave Joseph a brief smile. “I think Stephanie feels safer with the kids in it.”

  Joseph nodded thoughtfully. “I’m sure she does.”

  “Okay, you didn’t keep me out here to discuss cars. What’s going on?”

  “We’ve run into a bit of bureaucratic red-tape with getting official IDs for your new organization.”

  Kruger’s eyebrows rose. “Oh—such as?”

  “Senator Jordan Quinn is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. He’s been meeting on a regular basis behind closed doors with Joan Watson. Now, Secretary Watson is protesting the new department not being under her jurisdiction and Quinn put a squelch on finalizing it until it is.”

  “Disloyalty within the Griffin Administration?”

  With a nod, Joseph continued, “I’m afraid so.”

  “Is Ms. Watson still the Secretary of Homeland Security?”

  “Uh—no. She met with the president earlier today and after a brief discussion decided it was in her best interest to spend more time with her family.”

  With a chuckle, Kruger said, “Let me guess, something in her past might have been mentioned.”

  Joseph displayed a sly grin. “It seems she hired someone to take the LSAT for her to gain admission to law school.” He paused. “She went to Yale, by the way.”

  “Oh, dear, what a naughty girl. Did this information just get discovered?”

  “Kind of.”

  “You wouldn’t have had anything to do with it, would you?”

  “Me? Of course not. I don’t work for the CIA anymore, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah, I forgot.” After a thoughtful pause, Kruger asked, “What about Quinn?”

  “He agrees we need the department but expressed his disappointment with how the president handled the sudden departure of Joan Watson.”

  After a few moments of silence, Kruger said, “So, where does that leave us?”

  “For the moment, dead in the water. The president is working on something with Paul Stumpf, but nothing is going to happen anytime soon.”

  Kruger grew quiet as he returned his attention to the Explorer in the driveway.

  “The matter’s being addressed, Sean. That’s all I can tell you at the moment.”

  Kruger pressed his lips together, shook his head with frustration and started to say something. He hesitated for a few seconds, thought better about his words and said, “I appreciate everyone’s efforts, Joseph.” With a grim smile, he continued, “There’s been a development with the papers found buried on Monk’s property.”

  “I heard.”

  “No, you heard about the manifesto. Last night Alexia and JR found another document hidden within the pages. A document we haven’t told anyone about yet.”

  Joseph stared at his friend.

  “It seems Monk had a simmering hatred for anyone who did not look like him, act like him, or believe the same things he did.”

  “Kind of what you thought, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, but we didn’t know the extent of it. JR and I can’t prove any of what I am going to tell you, the only source we have is from Monk’s papers.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Taking a deep breath, Kruger stared out over the front property. “Most of the recent mass shootings are being encouraged by the group Monk was associated with.”

  “You say most.”

  With a nod, Kruger continued, “Some are wannabe shooters or copycats. Those are the ones the police usually identify, stop, and the public never hears about it. The majority of the successful ones are being committed by individuals this group encourages.”

  “How?”

  “Very easy—social media. They’ve taken a page out of the ISIS handbook about spreading jihad over the internet. However, this group is spreading hate here in the US. They target individuals on the fringe of society who already carry a grudge.”

  “Did this document mention their purpose?”

  “Yeah, it’s a little farfetched, but so was the purpose of ISIS. They want to establish a Caucasian-only society. They believe if they encourage enough of these mass shootings against ethnic groups, it will scare them into leaving the country.”

  “That won’t happen.”

  “You and I both know that, but…” He paused. “That’s their plan.”

  Joseph stared at his friend. “How do we stop them?”

  “That’s a good question. Right now, I don’t have an answer.” He paused for second. “There’s something else.”

  “This just keeps getting better.”

  “There’s reference to a source of money the group uses to buy influence.”

  Now frowning, Joseph asked, “What kind of influence?”

  “Political.”

  The frown on Joseph’s face intensified.

  Kruger continued. “Monk’s writing doesn’t specify the source of the funds or who the beneficiaries are.”

  “But you suspect something.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Care to share?”

  “While this new document does mention it, we know Monk was running a bank scam that produced a lot of cash. Apparently, it didn’t generate the amount they needed. There is mention, within the second document, of another source creating the bulk of the group’s revenue.”

  “I take it this source is not identified.”

  “No, but JR and I have a theory. We think it has something to do with the Russians.”

  Joseph closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Oh, boy. How?”

  “JR’s company’s been busy with a rash of ransomware attacks on current and new clients.” When Joseph did not respond, Kruger continued, “The night Steph and I got back from South Dakota, JR and I were on my back deck talking about these attacks. He mentioned he traced one back to a town in eastern Belarus, near the border with Russia.”

  “Is this going where I think it’s going?”

  “Probably. He also told me how much money the FBI believes is being paid in ransoms to get the encryption keys. I checked with a source a
t the bureau this morning. The amount is huge.”

  “How much?”

  “Over a billion dollars.”

  “You think this group Monk was associated with is involved?”

  Kruger nodded.

  “And?”

  “I really hope I’m wrong, but I think the Russians are orchestrating the ransomware attacks and funneling some of the money to the group Monk was involved with. Those funds are now being used to buy influence in our government.”

  ***

  By six p.m., all the guests were present at Joseph’s home. The large back deck found, as usual, Jimmie Gibbs and Sandy Knoll tending the competition-size charcoal grill while the growing number of children played in the yard. Enjoying his first time at one of these gatherings, Bobby Knoll was home on leave from the Navy Seals. He stood next to Jimmie and the two were catching up on each other’s activities.

  Bobby Knoll possessed broad shoulders and a trim waist, although his muscles did not stretch the fabric of the polo shirt like his father’s did. Like his mother, his hair was dark brown and his eyes were hazel. Also like his mother, the eyes betrayed an innate wisdom for a person his age.

  He watched Jimmie flipping burgers and said, “I want to thank you for talking Mom and Dad into moving to the Stockton Lake area.”

  Jimmie smiled. “Alexia and I are pleased they are. Sandy told me they found a piece of land and made an offer on it this past week.”

  “Yeah, I saw it today. It’s east of the lake. There’s a small house already on the property. Dad said they would live there until one could be built. Then he’ll turn it into a guest house for when Peter or I visit.”

  “How’s Peter?”

  “He’s good. He asked me to tell you he’d be here sometime in September and wanted to see you.”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  “Jimmie?”

  Gibbs looked at the younger Seal. “Yeah.”

  Bobby Knoll’s expression turned serious. “Is this venture you and my dad are starting gonna fly?”

  The older ex-Seal offered a sly smile. “Don’t know, but with your dad’s and my contacts, we’ve already had a number of inquiries. Why?”