The Lost Journal

by Chris Blewitt

  Behind them, down the stairs, they heard the sound of footsteps getting closer. Brent leaned his head between the rails and peered down at the bald black head of Agent Howell. He held up two keycards. A moment later he arrived and they opened the door to the twelfth floor. Howell was the first one through and the others followed, moving in typical formation, each covering another’s back as they made their way forward. They stopped at room 1209. Agent Howell slipped the keycard in and they entered.

  When the door closed they heard loud voices in the room next to them.

  <><><><><>

  Madison was shocked to see the face of the red-haired woman in the doorway of the hotel room. Kohler and Pierce would be the first to admit that they were surprised as well.

  “What are you doing here?” Kohler asked.

  Chloe entered the room followed by Max and Evan. They moved through the room admiring their surroundings.

  “Nice place you got here,” Max said.

  “I asked you a question. We can handle it,” Kohler stated.

  Pierce decided to goad the three Brits and said, “Seems like you all lost them at the theater, eh? Can’t handle two old men and two kids?”

  Evan chided back, “How’s the nose?”

  “Go to hell,” Pierce said. He moved toward the door and Kohler didn’t attempt to stop him. “Wanna go right now you bastard?”

  “Be my bloody pleasure,” Evan said. He started to remove his jacket and this time was stopped by Max.

  “Don’t be a bloody arse. You want someone to call security or better yet the cops? Handle it after we’re done here.” He turned to Kohler and asked, “You find anything yet?”

  “Not yet. We searched all but the girl.”

  “Well,” Max said smiling and turning towards Madison. “This could be fun.”

  “Touch me and I scream rape,” Madison said again. Her eyes floated about the five intruders. She watched the red-haired girl slide around behind the two Americans.

  “Oh, a tough one, is ya?” Max replied. “You know what happens to tough girls, don’t ya?” He waited for a reply but none came. “They get what they ask for.” He nodded and said, “Chloe.”

  Before Madison could turn her head to see the woman, she was on her. She grabbed hold of the back of her hair from behind and threw her down on the couch. Madison watched as Seth yelled something, made a move toward her and was caught from behind by one of the Brits. Chloe jumped on her waist, straddling her and pinched her nose as tight as she could. Madison’s only thought now was for her survival.

  Her nose burned, and she could feel the cartilage inside being twisted and smashed as the woman squeezed tighter and twisted upwards at an angle. Madison flailed her hands wildly striking the woman but having no effect. She reached up and found the flesh on her face and dug in with all her strength.

  Chloe screamed in anger as a half dozen fingernails slashed across her face causing an extraordinary amount of pain. She let go of Madison’s nose and clutched her face. She pulled back and saw crimson traces of blood on both hands.

  “You bitch,” Chloe yelled. She pulled back her right arm and before Madison could defend herself, struck her in the side of the head near her ear.

  Madison put a hand up to her ear and felt her head ringing in pain. She looked at the seven men just standing there and her vision blurred. She felt hands combing her body, reaching into pockets, into the front of her pants, the back, taking off her shoes. Then the woman they called Chloe found her purse under her right leg and pulled it out.

  Once again the door opened.

  CHAPTER 33

  Being a Secret Service agent had a lot of responsibility tied to it. You were either part of the US Treasury investigating counterfeit money or bonds or you were in charge of protecting former and current national leaders and their families. One thing they were not willing to do was kill a fellow agent unless their life was in danger. They always carried rubber bullets and McCarthy suggested that three of them switch out their guns and he and Howell would stay loaded with the .357 cartridge.

  They moved swiftly out of room 1209 and down the hall to the next door on their left. Using the same formation they used in the hallway, Howell slowly slipped the keycard in the lock and twisted the handle. He held up a hand showing all five fingers. He quickly pulled down his digits.

  Four

  Three

  Two

  One

  The door opened and all hell broke loose.

  They weren’t sure what they would encounter. Would it just be Kohler and Pierce or would it be the other three unknowns as well? As soon as they entered with weapons raised, they knew they were outnumbered, four against five. Fortunately, they were the ones with the element of surprise and they caught the others off guard.

  Closest to the door were the two men that arrived late to the hotel with the girl. Howell was the first in and saw that they were not in any eminent danger of a firearm. He was through the door and on Max in seconds. He brought his foot up and caught him square in the groin. As soon as Max doubled over, Howell pressed his two hands together with the gun hidden and raised them violently, crashing into the man’s face. He went down.

  At the same time Howell’s partner, Franklin, was on Evan. Although he was outweighed by at least thirty pounds, Franklin was much quicker. After his initial blow to the ribcage, Evan threw a wild punch that landed on Franklin’s shoulder. It did have some force behind it but it landed in the bulk of muscle mass. Franklin whirled left and was behind Evan and threw a hard right in the side of his head. He grabbed the back of Evan’s head and threw him down, right into his waiting knee.

  There were screams and yelling and “stop” and “wait” for the better part of a minute as chaos reigned inside the hotel suite. Two men were down and Kohler and Pierce had a look of shock and resignation on their faces. They backed up and allowed the four agents from the Presidential detail to enter the room.

  Chloe, on the other hand, didn’t get off Madison. She was still straddling her and had now tucked her arms beneath her legs. Her left hand was holding the closed purse, and her right hand was down on the couch. Chloe moved the right hand backward. Her hand crept along her leg like a spider on its web. She watched as the men yelled back and forth at each other trying to sort things out. Chloe pulled up her pant leg ever so slightly. Madison, still in a daze saw the glint of steel peek out from her black boot.

  Chloe turned toward the men and a smile drizzled across her mouth. She put a finger into the loop of the trigger and dragged the gun out of her boot. It was just about out when Madison came to and said, “Who’d you call bitch?”

  A confused Chloe turned her head, gun fully in her hand. Madison bucked the back of her legs up at the same time constricting her abdominals and crouching forward. Chloe rose forward on Madison’s legs just as Madison came up. Madison swiftly steered her forehead perfectly into Chloe’s nose and heard the crunch of bone on bone. Both women went back and Chloe fell off Madison onto the floor and dropped the gun.

  Seth scrambled for the gun.

  “Put that gun down!” yelled one of the men that had just saved his life.

  It was the first time he had held a real gun and it only lasted all of three seconds as he quickly dropped it to the floor.

  <><><><><>

  No more questions were asked, and it was clear who was in charge. Agents Abbott and Costello, as Seth knew them, were left standing in the suite staring at them as they walked out the hotel door. The new agents didn’t ask Seth who they were or what they were doing there. They had brought Kohler and Pierce into an adjoining bedroom for a few moments then came out and told Seth and Madison to follow them. The Brits came back from their slumber and waited while the local DC police arrived, Kohler and Pierce standing guard.

  They were escorted out to the parking garage and placed in separate SUV’s. Howell and Franklin rode in one with Willie and Arthur in the back seat. Brent took the other agent and placed Seth and Madison in th
eir backseat.

  “Where are we going?” Madison asked. She was scrunching her nose back and forth trying to get feeling back in. Seth rubbed his cheek, feeling the small bump that would probably be larger by morning.

  Brent looked over at his partner and didn’t reply.

  “Where do you think we’re going?” Madison said to Seth.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Beats me and I don’t care. It’s gotta be safer than with those other guys.” His eyes gazed toward her purse and he whispered, “You still…?”

  She unzipped the purse, looked inside, and quickly zipped it back up. She nodded at him. She thought about taking it out and reading it but knew the men in front would confiscate it. Seth turned in his seat to make sure the other truck was following them and it was. A few miles later he looked out the tinted windows and his surroundings looked familiar.

  The truck stopped at a gate for a few moments and they were led inside the grounds of the White House.

  CHAPTER 34

  They were in awe as they made their way through the hallways of the 132-room mansion. No one could guess it was approaching midnight as staff members walked swiftly throughout the maze of corridors. Seth and the others looked every which way trying to take in as much as possible. Two agents walked in front and two in the rear, every so often talking softly to their wrist. They went into an elevator and then down some stairs and came upon a hallway deserted except for one guard standing outside a door.

  The agents walked to the man, nodded their heads and he stepped aside. He knocked once and led the way in, followed by Seth, Madison, Willie, and Arthur.

  The smack of a billiard ball was the first thing that Seth heard as the door was closed behind him and the first agent had left the room. He looked around the room and saw a man with his back to them stand up after being crouched low along a red felt billiards table. He was wearing a white shirt neatly tucked into dark blue trousers. His sleeves were rolled up and he had no tie on.

  “Mr. President,” Seth exclaimed.

  “Hi ya folks, Richard Bowe, please come in.” He set the pool cue on the table and walked toward them. He walked over to the bar in the corner and offered them a drink. It had been a long day and they all obliged.

  “Shouldn’t you have a servant doing that?” Arthur asked.

  The President chuckled. “Just because I’m President, doesn’t mean I can’t put ice in a glass and pour something over it.” He handed two bourbons to Willie and Arthur and went to the small black refrigerator in the corner to retrieve three beers for Seth, Madison and himself. It was a local beer from Capitol City Brewery.

  There were pictures throughout the room, most with the current President shaking hands with movie stars, diplomats, and even a few sports stars. A few chairs were placed throughout the room along with waist high cabinets and drawers. Three windows were along the west wall, their drapes closed and there were two doors in the back, also closed.

  “So, first I want to apologize for all you went through these past few days. I, myself, just found out about it today. I want to ask you something and I want an honest answer. Did you find anything at the auction in Lincoln’s door?”

  They all looked at each other and Seth decided whom better to trust than the President. “Yes, sir we have.”

  “Damn, of all the places to look. How’d you come to find it there?” he asked.

  They spent the next twenty minutes going over their discovery of the safety deposit box with Washington’s journal, then Betsy Ross, Valley Forge, Mount Vernon and finally Ford’s Theater.

  “I need to have it,” the President said, no denying the threat in his tone. “I appreciate what you have done, but I cannot let you leave here with it.”

  They didn’t know what to do. It was the President after all. Seth spoke again. “Tell us about it.”

  “You haven’t read it yet?” Bowe asked.

  “Ah, no,” he replied.

  “Huh, I could just take it from you and you’d never know, would ya?” He drank some more of his beer and changed his mind. “I guess I owe you that much. But if one word leaves this room, I’ll know where it came from, and your lives will never be the same, is that understood?”

  They all nodded and walked over to the stools by the bar and had a seat. The President moved behind the bar like he was the barkeep. He made some more drinks in silence, slid a few beers across the bar and asked a question. “May I see it?”

  The four of them exchanged glances, but Madison did not hesitate. This was the President. She unzipped her purse, reached in and pulled out the scroll and handed it over. The President accepted the offering and gingerly massaged the outside of the scroll with both hands.

  “Finally,” he began.

  <><><><><>

  Now bound and gagged, Kohler and Pierce struggled to free themselves when the door opened and the Vice President walked in. It was just moments before that they were evaluating the situation that they had gotten themselves into. In the blink of an eye, four of their own agents burst through the door, took down the combatants from Great Britain and stole their hostages. There was nothing they could have done. What were they going to do, throw down with their co-workers? Shoot them? This was a delicate mission they were on and they failed.

  After the agents had taken the hostages away, the Brits regained their composure. Kohler watched as they stammered around, cursing loudly. They went into the bathroom and got towels to wipe the blood from their wounds. Kohler almost smiled. They got their asses kicked. He was sure Pierce enjoyed it too. They were in the bathroom for a long time. He had grabbed Pierce by the arm and headed over to the half open door. Before he was even able to stick his head in and ask what they were doing, he was struck in the face.

  Max, Evan and Chloe had come charging out of the bathroom as Kohler and Pierce tried to piece together what was going on. It was over quickly. Pierce was one on one with Evan and they traded punches for a few moments. Max and Chloe finished Kohler rather quickly and once he was down, helped Evan with Pierce. In less than three minutes they were tied together in bed sheets and pillow cases. They started on their knees with their backs to each other and their wrists secured but now they were on the floor, struggling to breathe.

  “What the—” Castle asked, walking in and closing the door behind them. He went over to Kohler first and pulled the white pillow case down that was tied around his mouth.

  Kohler inhaled deeply a few times before saying, “Sorry sir, they ambushed us.”

  “Who?” Castle asked. He untied Pierce’s gag and then moved down to the sheets that were tightly bounding their wrists.

  “The freakin’ Brits,” Kohler said. “They’re gone. Said they didn’t wanna be around when the cops showed up. We gotta move.”

  “Where the hell’s the kid, the girl, the old guys?” Castle said sharply.

  “Gone.”

  “Whadaya mean gone?” He finished freeing them and he stood back as they got to their feet and stretched their limbs.

  “Sir, we gotta problem.”

  Castle waited for his right hand man to finish the sentence. A problem was never good to have, especially if you were the Vice President of the United States of America.

  “The President knows,” Kohler stated. He paused and watched the blood drain out of his boss’ ashen face. “His men were here just a bit ago. They’d beaten the crap out of the Brits and took the hostages.”

  Castle ran his hand through the remaining strands of hair on his head. “And the document?”

  Kohler shook his head.

  CHAPTER 35

  They were tired, but their attention was focused solely on the leader of the free world as he took a swig from his beer. The four of them drank copious amounts of their preferred drink and the President leaned in close with both hands on the bar, the scroll sitting between them.

  “So this is it,” President Bowe began. “This is what has been missing all this time. In all respects it didn’t really matter that you
found it. It just mattered that it didn’t fall into the wrong hands.” He picked up the scroll and pulled the string that enclosed the parchment. He unraveled it and read it to himself. “Yep, this is it all right.” He placed it back on the bar.

  Arthur made a move to grab it, but Bowe was quicker and snatched it from his grasp.

  “Ah, this won’t make much sense to you yet,” he said. “Let me ask you a question sir,” he said, looking at Arthur. “We’re fighting a war right now, correct?”

  Arthur didn’t quite know what to say and looked at the others for the correct answer. Madison was the first to speak up and she said, “Afghanistan?”

  The President nodded and replied, “Any others?”

  Madison continued, “Iraq.”

  “Keep going.”

  After those two countries she didn’t have anything else to add and looked to the others for assistance. Willie came to her rescue. “Korea.”

  The President nodded his head, “Yep, all of you are correct. There are even more…” he made imaginary quotations with his fingers in the air, “…engagements that I’m not even going to talk about. The point is, are we doing this alone? No, we have help from other nations. Who has helped us every step of the way?”

  The President didn’t let them respond and he continued. “Tony Blair got so much shit in his own country for allowing his countrymen to be killed for what they considered an illegal war during the first Iraqi War. Who was with us every step of the way in World War One, World War Two?” He outstretched his arms and was theatrical with his presentation. “Great Britain, England, the U.K., whatever you wanna call it is our best friend. America’s best friend. You think we would invade Iraq without their blessing or support? Well, maybe we would, but the point is, they agree with whatever decisions we make. ‘Want a new oil well in the Atlantic?’ Sure, go right ahead. ‘Can we build a military base in Northern England?’ We’ll hold your hand as you do it.”