Banyon took a sip of his drink and noticed her staring at him. She had dark green eyes and they were full of resentment. “Frankly,” she started, “I resent that you have been forced upon me and I want you to know that while working for me you will do exactly what I tell you. Do you understand?”
Banyon had been told that the DOJ would attempt to intimidate him and make an untold number of unreasonable demands on him. In the business world, he had run across many such women. They thought they had to be tougher than any man and used their positions of authority to keep their male underlings off balance. Good communications and terms never resulted in those relationships.
Fortunately, he knew what to do. “Excuse me a minute,” he replied as he pointed into the air and opened his phone.
“No phone calls,” she demanded.
“Don’t worry, I’ll soon pass the phone to you,” he offered.
“Who are you calling?” she suddenly demanded.
“I’m calling my real boss. I only report to you for political reasons and convenience. You know that, don’t you?”
He noticed a sudden change in her. “No need for the call,” she quietly replied. Banyon knew intimidation worked both ways on this type of bureaucrat. He hung up the phone and turned towards her.
“I believe you have some papers for me to sign and some information as well,” he said smoothly with a smile on his face.
“Who are you Mr. Banyon? Why do you have so much clout? What is it exactly that you do?”
“I’m afraid only one person can tell you that,” he replied. “If and when, he tells you, I will fill in the blanks, until then everything is on a need to know basis. I’m sorry, but those are the rules for now.”
Suddenly, changing her tune again, she sweetly said, “Call me Marlene.” She shifted her seat to be closer to Banyon. He was sure she flashed him some thigh while doing it.
“You can call me Colt,” he offered, attempting to be conciliatory.
“This is all so strange. Why does the President want you to report directly to him?” she asked as an inquiry.
“Because, I can do things for him that no one else can, Marlene. Sometimes these things are too sensitive for the general public. He is afraid of leaks, and so am I.”
“But I’m in charge of the best law enforcement agency in the world, the FBI. We can keep a secret.”
“Sometimes, I’ve used the FBI as well. I know they can keep a secret, but some of the other people in government can’t. I expect I will continue to use them in the future,” he said as he looked directly into her eyes.
“The President told me you are a ‘finder’. What does that mean? I mean, I checked up on you and found out that you and your team have an excellent record of recovering artifacts and solving mysteries. It’s better than the FBI, which, as you know, reports to me. How do you find things so easily and quickly?”
“I may tell you sometime, but not today.”
“But you have worked with the FBI before, right? We work together and yet I know so little about you.”
“I have worked with the FBI many times, but there is no record. Agent Gregory Gamble was my main contact.”
“Yes, it was a major tragedy to lose him,” she quickly replied. “It happened during a shootout in Wisconsin, as I recall,” she added.
“Yes it did, I know, I was there,” he replied as he watched the shock fill her face. Agent Greg Gamble had been part of Banyon’s team and was also a full-time FBI agent. In addition he was a member of a clandestine task force set up by the President to rid the government of an insidious evil force that had infiltrated deep into American politics. Banyon’s team hunted old-line Nazis and the new American version known as the Effort. Their tentacles were deep into several government agencies and tracking them required complete secrecy. Agent Gamble, and others, had been protecting Banyon and a defector at a safe house when he was killed by Effort people. Word had leaked out through government employees. The President attended the funeral and recruited Banyon to help him in his fight.
Suddenly, Banyon’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and said to the DOJ,” It’s the President.”
Chapter Two
“Are you done yet?” the President said without preamble.
“We haven’t started yet,” Banyon answered.
“Well, God damn it. I have an urgent assignment for you. Call me back as soon as you are done with her,” the President blustered.
“Yes, sir, I will do that” Banyon replied as he watched a suddenly nervous Marlene fidget in her chair.
“Now, give the phone to Marlene,” he ordered. Banyon handed her the phone. Her eyebrows revealed her shock.
“Yes, Mister President,” she said as she rose from her chair and began to pace the small room. Banyon found himself admiring her slim toned figure. She didn’t just pace, she strutted as she talked. He heard many ‘yes sirs’ in her replies. Soon she was off the phone and handed it back to Banyon.
“Whew, that was fun,” she exclaimed as she returned to her seat. Banyon noticed the slight shaking of her hands.
“He wants me to call him back very soon,” Banyon told her. “So, let’s get down to business.”
Marlene was much friendlier now and seemed eager to please Banyon. “Colt, let’s get all this paper work done right now so we could have a nice lunch, okay?” she announced with a hundred watt smile.
Banyon took out a pen and said, “I’m ready.”
Marlene reached below the table and brought up a slim attaché case. She pulled out a folder brimming with paper. She opened it and pushed the first page to Banyon. “This is your employment contract. It says that you are a contract employee paid the annual sum of one dollar. The money is to be paid to the LCH Detective Agency, LLC. There is also a list of bonuses that you will be paid for finding documents, artifacts, and people. If you succeed, you will be wealth man,” she commented.
“I’m already wealthy,” he said.
“It also says that either party can cancel, at any time, with no penalty.”
Banyon quickly read the document and signed it. “What about employment hours, etc?”
“This document says you are not required to work on any schedule and you can work from anywhere you choose. Good negotiating,” she brightly commented as she smiled at him.
“Where is my home base of operations?”
“We have made arrangements with the legal firm of ‘Dewey & Beatem’. They have offices in Chicago, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas. Chicago is the main office, but you can commandeer any office or staff you need.”
“Do they expect me today? He asked.
“You can use their services effective today. When you go to their offices in Schaumburg, see Heather Vance. She is the office manager. You do not need to meet with the principals unless you want to.”
“I’ll go there this afternoon to introduce myself.”
“Heather will be your major contact for all the offices. Just call her and she will arrange everything anytime you are headed to one of their other locations.”
“Good, I have a home in Las Vegas,” he told her. “I spend much of the year there.”
“I do need to warn you. They are not a conventional Law office.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that while they do handle legal matters, they are also a rally point for operations that the government does not want the public to know about.”
“So, they have several offices that are used by people on a special assignment, like me.” Banyon commented.
“Yes,” she replied. “But the staff is rather unconventional as well.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he answered with raised eyebrows.
She selected another sheet and passed it to Banyon. “This is a Presidential letter. Do you know what that is?”
“Yes, I do. I can require any Federal employee do follow my orders, without question. I can also requisition any Federal assets as well.”
“That’s correct. Use it wisely,” she told him.
“Most of the time, I prefer to use my charm,” he joked. She just smiled at him.
“Here is a list of federal employees reporting to you. The list includes: Maya Patel she is listed as an archeological field agent. She is Chicago based and has a regular job, but can take time off whenever you need her. It also says you can use additional contract employees as required.”
“I have a team of people I use most of the time,” he told her.
“I have met Maya, she is beautiful. I also understand that most of your team consists of women. They must be very capable,” she added as she blinked her eyes at him.
“They are,” he replied.
The DOJ continued. “Did you bring your encrypted phone? I have a new one for you. It includes my private phone number as well as the Presidents. Call anytime, if you need anything.” They exchanged phones and Banyon put it in his satchel.
“There is another document signed by the President. It says that by Presidential order, no Federal employee is allowed to write your name on any document including any report on a crime. It seems you are invisible, Colt.”
“Marlene, let’s make sure it stays that way,” he encouraged her.
“If I ever see your name on a report, I will censor it immediately,” she promised.
The process took another ten minutes and concluded just in time to have a good lunch of fresh fish. The DOJ was now very cordial. “I do know there is a problem with several government employees, but I am not in the Presidents confidence about who and why. I hope to eventually gain your confidence.”
“I hope so too.”
***
When lunch was finished, Banyon stood and gathered all the papers. He told Marlene he had to respond to the Presidents call immediately.
“You can call from here, it is secure,” she invited.
“It’s a private situation,” he replied as he headed for the door.
“What does he want?” she said as she left the table and strutted towards him.
“He will have to tell you that,” Banyon responded. “At this point the less you know about me and what I do, the better.”
She suddenly was very close, he could smell her perfume. She offered her hand and engulfed his in both of hers. It was an intimate moment, and he recognized it. He then left the restaurant.
Her final remarks were sincere, “I hope we will become good friends.”
***
As he walked up the street back to his car, he realized the President had met all of his demands and he became more confident in his new position. He didn’t want anyone else to become aware of his capabilities and the President seemed to understand. The risk was just too much to allow.
He pulled out his encrypted phone and called the number for the President. He answered in two rings. “Mr. President, this is Colton Banyon”
“Thank God you finally called,” the President nervously replied.
“What seems to be the emergency?”
“My granddaughter has been kidnapped. You have to find her.”
About the Author
Gerald J Kubicki currently has 10 dubious books in print. The books follow the continued adventures of Colton Banyon and his team of unique characters. The Society of Orion series will contain eight books.
Gerald started writing fiction novels after a long career as a successful businessman. He has traveled the world and is an avid history buff. His writings contain large amounts of actual historical events and real places woven into the plots.
He currently resides in Las Vegas.
You can find out more about this author by visiting his website.
www.geraldjkubickibooks.com
A Dubious Artifact (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 6) Page 26
