by Kurt Winans
Although much of what Heath had learned of Samuel Tillman was not obtained until recent weeks, he had come to understand that his clan was probably among the wealthiest handful of families in all of Texas. A certain amount of inherent power must assuredly come with such wealth, and Heath believed that Samuel Tillman was the type of man who would flex that power whenever the mood struck him.
Turning to the extended Tillman family, Heath cited what he had learned from various lists which were provided by the Secretary of Defense during the previous fall. A name which appeared on a few of those lists of cadets or midshipmen from the military academies was Jason Tillman, who was none other than the eldest grandchild of Samuel.
At the time of the terrorist attack Jason had been a cadet at West Point who was due to graduate with his class in six months, but unlike many others, he was one of the lucky ones who was not killed or injured at Michie Stadium. The first list where his named appeared was that of cadets from Texas who in the following months swore an oath of allegiance to their new republic. Since that time he had been posted for service within the Texas military forces as an instructor of first year, or plebe, cadets at the Texas Military Academy in College Station.
When hearing that tidbit of information, President Harwell stated, “So that’s why Mr. Tillman stopped at College Station on the way back to Crockett. He was visiting his grandson Jason.”
Heath nodded and replied, “Yes sir. That would be logical, but there may have been a deeper purpose to his visit than that.”
Continuing on, Heath took the President and the other two men back to the day of the terrorist attacks. As an ardent supporter of the football team who was known to be present at all of their home games, Jason would have been directly in harm’s way during the horrific event if he had taken his normal place within the corps of cadets. However on that day, the final home game of his senior year, he was mysteriously absent from the stadium for the first and only time during his four years at the academy. As a result, he was able to avoid the extremely hazardous confines.
To that end, the appearance of his name on a separate list raised another question. The duty roster for the academy on that Saturday revealed that Jason had called in a favor and was given a special duty of command cadet for the squad which manned the cannon on the opposite shore of Lusk Reservoir from the stadium. Well within visual range for many of the spectators seated within, its sole purpose was to be fired when the team took the field before the game, at the beginning of the second half of play, and on any occasion when they would score points against the opponent. Such a posting was not in line for the duties which Jason was normally given or pursued, but it did coincidentally keep him at a relatively safe distance from the shootings and explosions of the attack.
Heath expressed a belief that an additional benefit for Jason with that planned and fortunate circumstance of duty was the ability to avoid the infirmary for his required safety. A spot in the infirmary for the day would have required him to fake an injury or illness, and doing so was not a foolproof way to avoid being within the stadium.
Then Heath spoke of the day when he had been at the side of President Harwell for the unveiling of the memorial which recognized the fallen cadets. During those proceedings the cannon had been fired in salute, and Heath remembered that the location of it offered an unobstructed view of Michie Stadium. Although he admitted that the following was merely conjecture, Heath surmised that perhaps the most vital reason for Jason to obtain such an unusual posting on November fourteenth of 2026 would be to act as a lookout.
President Harwell and Christopher Westin stared at each other in silence for a moment, and both realized that their respective facial expressions revealed a shared belief. Everything that Heath had conveyed was a plausible truth.
Before either could break the silence to communicate that belief, Heath added, “Mr. President. Among other evidence I also have some information which pertains to another grandchild of Samuel Tillman. His name is Beau Tillman, and at the time of the terrorist attacks he was a third year cadet at the Air Force Academy. He is currently in good standing, and is on track to graduate with his class this coming May.”
Jordan Harwell shifted his gaze from Christopher Westin toward Heath.
Then he replied, “Another grandson at a different academy which was attacked?”
“Yes Mr. President.”
“Well I’m sure that the information you have on that young man would be interesting to hear, and I will want you to brief me on that subject in the near future. Unfortunately as I informed the Secretary at the beginning of this briefing, my time is rather short today. Rest assured that you made your point clearly enough for me Heath, as you have uncovered something tangible which can be built upon.”
“Thank you Mr. President.”
Turning his attention toward the Secretary of Defense, the President stated, “Mr. Secretary, your team has done a wonderful job in obtaining pertinent information from number eleven and twenty-nine. Do you believe they could install wiretaps and other listening devices into the residence where number twenty-three does her work?”
“Yes sir I do. Based on the open border policy which we currently share with Texas, my team could easily enter the republic while posing as tourists. Once in Austin, they could surveil the residence in question and develop a plan to access the home under false pretenses.”
“And how long do you believe that would take?”
“Well sir, that is difficult to define in exact terms. However we could begin the operation immediately if you so desire.”
“I do. Now how will you go about it?”
“Well sir, to begin with it would be safer to have my team drive to Austin as opposed to being flown in or using commercial airlines. That way even with false identities there would be no record of their arrival, and if anything were to go wrong during the operation then there wouldn’t be the concern of possible detainment at the airport while attempting to depart. In addition, my team will be better served if they could have all of the necessary equipment for the operation in two vehicles as opposed to risking airport security.”
“That sounds prudent. Please continue.”
“Yes sir. If my recollection of the geography is correct, then we should fly them to a location near Lake Charles in the southwest corner of Louisiana where we can provide my team with an appropriate everyday generic vehicle and an ordinary van. It’s the closest point of entry to Austin, and there is bound to be a small useable airstrip for our needs in the area. If we can handle all of the logistics and travel to Louisiana this afternoon and evening, then it should be no problem for my team to begin the drive at first light and be in Austin no later than mid-day tomorrow. Once there, the surveillance aspect of the operation could be put in motion almost immediately.”
“That all sounds excellent Mr. Secretary. Please get started on that plan right away.”
“Yes sir.”
Four weeks had passed since President Harwell instructed his Secretary of Defense to move forward with the increased surveillance of number twenty-three in Austin, and during the latter stages of that timeframe, the effort proved worthwhile. As had been outlined by the Secretary, his covert team was able to gain access into the residence, and as a result, tap into a broader communication highway.
That process began with determining when the residence would be most vulnerable to uninvited entry, so two members of the team took up secretive positions under cover of the surrounding landscape. For three days they observed and took note of when people would arrive or depart to identify any possible patterns. Throughout those seventy-two hours they realized that the best possible time to attempt their task would be in the late morning, and unless there was some unseen individual who hadn’t exited the residence during their observation of it, they believed that it could be done with relative ease.
Having then seized that opportunity, the duo moved with stealth into the home and swept it quickly to ensure privacy. Finding no othe
r human present, they proceeded with their work as the remainder of the team provided cover by watching for incoming traffic from the van now marked as being with the local water company. Moving with haste throughout the residence, they placed several listening devices and tiny cameras within. During the process the duo located the phone used by number twenty-three, and as the most vital measure to their task, inserted a device which would record and transmit the phone numbers of what calls were made when it was in use. They subsequently left the residence with no trace of having ever been there other than some light footprints on a few carpeted areas. However in understanding that the maid would be arriving soon, the duo felt that her cleaning efforts would eliminate the hint of evidence in short order.
Throughout the next three days the team monitored all of the various devices from a safe distance of several miles, and when they felt completely confident that all was working perfectly, they made the drive east to exit Texas into Louisiana. Before doing so they were able to ascertain that the woman known as number twenty-three was a Ms. Gail Matthews who was also the owner of the residence. That was confirmed via video evidence from within the home office and various rooms of the residence, as it showed the same person receiving and placing all of the necessary calls. In addition, a time record of when some of those calls were made excluded the maid and other visitors from consideration.
In the weeks that followed the woman spoke several times with Marcus Stoddard and Ambassador Pearson, but more frequently with Samuel Tillman as she would either convey information to him or be asked to pass some along. Beyond those numerous conversations with numbers three, eleven, and two, she also placed calls to individuals known as numbers five, seven, thirteen, and thirty-one. The location and identity for each of those operatives was then determined by tracking their phones and using voice recognition software. It had taken some time to establish the various connections, but the Secretary of Defense was able to inform Heath, and subsequently President Harwell, of who three of them were.
Starting from the top of the list, number five was identified as the Speaker of the House for the Independent Republic of Texas Legislature. Subsequent digging had shown that the woman had held the same position as Madam Speaker within the political structure of Texas when it was part of the United States, and according to the ratified constitution of the new republic, she was third in line for the Presidency. Number seven was discovered to be the Commanding General for all of the military forces within Texas, with his former position as that of senior General for the Texas National Guard. Denise Walker, a former United States Senator from Texas, was identified as number thirteen. She, like her counterpart Nathan Pearson, had served in Washington D.C. before answering to what she felt was a higher calling. As the appointed Vice President under Marcus Stoddard, Denise Walker stood as second in line for the top position in their government. Finally there was number thirty-one, and although there was no voice link to another source which could identify his name, his location had been constant within the area surrounding El Paso and Fort Bliss since the tracking of his phone began.
After listening to the entirety of what Heath and the Secretary of Defense had to say, the President responded with a few questions. They discussed the various implications of who the newly discovered numbered operatives were, and why more information about the network needed to be continually gathered. If everything revealed by Gail Matthews as number twenty-three was accurate, then the organization could be even more formidable than originally believed. They not only possessed the extreme wealth and power of Samuel Tillman, but they had also placed high ranking numbered operatives into the top three government positions within the structure of the republic and another who headed all of the Texas military forces. When combining that information with knowledge of Ambassador Pearson and Commander Foster also being numbered operatives, the President wondered just how deeply entrenched the organization was.
Knowing that he had formed a tight circle as to who was aware of the information, and that it had been expertly maintained by those around him, President Harwell felt confident that a plan of action could be developed without news of it leaking out. He tucked all of what had been conveyed into to his memory for the time being, and ended the typical Monday morning briefing of Heath and the Secretary by thanking them once again for their superb efforts. Then after the Secretary departed, the President prepared for the next task at hand. It wasn’t always an enjoyable one, but regular meetings in the press briefing room were just another part of the job.
Strolling confidently into the White House pressroom, Jordan Harwell said, “Good morning everyone. It’s a fine day isn’t it? For those of you that celebrated in some respect over the weekend, I hope that St. Patrick’s Day was pleasant and safe.”
While he set the tone of his mood as pleasant and non-defensive, most eyes within the office regions of the White House were focused on the nearest flat screen or holographic monitor to view what was asked and answered. Unlike various other occasions, the barrage of questions which were aimed at President Harwell seemed rather benign. When given the opportunity, one reporter asked about what progress had been made toward the proposed combined statehood of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island territories. The President informed him that discussions were moving along nicely, and many of the intricacies to make the proposal a reality had been worked out to mutually benefit the islands and the United States. Then he added a belief that a vote on the matter could occur in the near future.
Near the conclusion of the press briefing he was then asked something which could be defined as far less important. However the President, in maintaining the ridiculous notion of constant political correctness, was mindful of how he responded. Apparently one reporter felt that opposed to the President commenting on numerous national or global newsworthy topics, her readers would be more interested in who he thought would win the annual college basketball tournament. President Harwell had never laid claim to being an expert on the subject, nor did he really care who would ultimately come out on top and be crowned the national champion. Nevertheless, he did need to appear as if he had some inkling as to what she was asking him about. Looking directly at the woman, President Harwell made her believe that he had answered the question without actually doing so.
He stated, “I must admit that I’m not familiar with many of the teams which have advanced to this point in the tournament. However as with most years, there are probably a handful of them that could emerge as the champion. I do know that the University of Washington is surprisingly still in the mix, and as many of you are aware, that is my alma mater. Therefore I will personally be rooting for the Huskies.”
As President Harwell strolled along the outside patio toward the oval office, he could feel that spring was in the air. It was Saturday the first of April, and although still brisk at the early hour, the morning had dawned as pleasant and clear. In breaking from his established pattern, the President stopped for a moment to take in a few deep breaths of the clean fresh air. As he did so it occurred to him that there were very few places where he could take such action without either intrusive eyes or cameras needing to know the reason why it was done, so he lingered just a bit longer. The pause gave him comfort, and helped him prepare for what could be troubling news in the coming moments.
The President then once again moved toward the oval office, and as he stepped inside Christopher Westin greeted him with, “Good morning sir.”
“Good morning Chris. How are you today?”
“Fine sir. Thank you.”
“So did they go through with it, or was it some sort of elaborate April fool joke?”
“I’m afraid they went ahead as planned sir, at midnight local time in Texas.”
“Well that’s unfortunate. And to be honest, I didn’t think that they would.”
“Yes sir.”
“Alright Chris, give me some specifics.”
Throughout the next several minutes the President was briefed on how Texas ha
d begun the stoppage of all tractor-trailers and any large vans which their border agents believed could be transporting any type of commercial goods through the republic. A report had come in from a border agent on Interstate-20 west of Shreveport Louisiana that he and members of his command had witnessed searches of trucks while they were being conducted. From their accounting, it looked as though the findings were then compared to manifests. Unfortunately their observations were not random, as it had been verified that similar actions were being taken at the entry points on all of the interstates and highways. The report continued by stating that some of the truckers had agreed to move forward under police escort so that they could turn around at the first exit and leave Texas, while others had paid the tariff so that they could pass through. It was also believed that some had no choice but to pay, as they may have been transporting perishable goods with a finite window of time for delivery.
In response to the action of Texas, some local law enforcement units from each of the four neighboring states had set up checkpoints short of the border within the next few hours. Their task was to inform any trucks or vans of what was happening ahead of them, which would at least give them an opportunity to divert if they so desired.
President Harwell had remained quiet while listening to the lengthy report, but his Chief of Staff noticed that he had begun to clench and unclench his left hand while absorbing the information. This was not the first time he had seen such a response from the President, and understood that it was a sign the man exhibited when growing overly angry or frustrated by a current circumstance.
