there’s any link between the death of Senator Hammond and the attacks on Senator DeMouy and you.”
“They were all ricin poisonings.”
“So what? Ricin is easy to concoct from easily obtained items. Spend ten minutes on the Internet researching it and you can make some, too. That’s no justification for this crazy new law. For repealing our basic civil liberties.”
“Only on a temporary basis.”
“You hope!” Mike tossed back. “But you don’t really know, do you? Because once this security council has declared a state of emergency, they can do anything they want. For as long as they want.”
“If you assume that every law will be abused, you’ll never pass anything.”
“When it comes to law enforcement types getting more power, you shouldn’t pass anything. You’re playing with fire. What were you thinking, Ben?”
He hesitated, still unsure what to say, still stunned by Mike’s reaction. “I was thinking that…given what happened to you-”
“Stop right there. Don’t lay the blame for this pitiful exercise in poor judgment at my feet. I don’t want this law. And if you’d thought clearly about it for one moment, you’d have realized that.”
“Mike-you were almost killed!”
“And that means I want to repeal the Constitution? I can promise you, I don’t.”
“April nineteenth was a tragedy. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I agree. And the way we do that is by taking extra precautions. Working every possible security detail. Maybe even beefing up law enforcement-meaning their resources, not their powers. But you don’t make people safe by giving up their most basic rights. What good is being safe if we have no freedom?”
“Most people approved of the Patriot Act-”
“Because 9/11 was so shocking most people couldn’t think straight. And Congress was afraid to go up against the president. Make no mistake, Ben-the current president is manipulating public opinion in exactly the same way, trying to push this through before everyone shakes off their stupidity and realizes what a truly bad idea it is.”
“Mike-” Ben wanted to reach out, but he didn’t know how. “When I saw you in this hospital bed, not moving, not waking, because you took the time to shove my sorry butt out the door before you saved your own, I-” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I had to do something.”
“I get that, Ben. I truly do. You thought I was headed for ‘the undiscovered country’ and you wanted to do something about it.”
“I wasn’t sure…what to do.”
“Right. ‘And the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.’”
“I had to do something. ”
“You want to do me and my colleagues a favor, pass a bill that gets us the money and equipment we need to do our job right and pay public servants in the manner that they deserve. Expand our capabilities-not our power.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything-to me. Get back on the damn plane and tell the president that he can take his amendment and shove it-”
The phone rang, interrupting him.
“Perhaps that’s the president now.” Mike picked up the phone. “Close, but no.” He held out the receiver. “It’s for you. Loving.”
“Loving! He hasn’t checked in for days.” Ben snatched the phone. “Loving? Where are you? What’s happening. Why-?”
Ben’s voice fell silent. For the better part of the next minute, he just listened.
“Who have I told what? What’s that got to do with anything?” Ben didn’t begin to comprehend, but he thought a moment and answered the question.
“You’re kidding! I don’t believe it.” Another pause. “Are you sure? My God, that changes everything. And-”
Another pause, this time even longer.
“Loving, are you certain? Because this is very important. The president is making a public appearance tomorrow in Baltimore to drum up support for the amendment. He-”
Ben’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to find out. Get over there as soon as possible. Then call me back.” Ben disconnected the line and began dialing again.
“What is it?” Mike asked, his eyebrows knitted. “What’s going on?”
“Something…very…bad,” Ben whispered as he dialed the phone.
“Come on. You can give me more than that.”
Ben glanced up as he waited for the receiver on the other end to pick up. “If Loving’s intelligence is right-and let’s face it, it usually is-the April nineteenth killer is a lot closer than we ever imagined. And about to strike again.”
53
Jason got out of bed when he heard the noise in the garage. He knew it was probably nothing, but given what he had found out there himself-and had no opportunity to get rid of-he was understandably a little paranoid.
When he entered the garage wearing nothing but a bathrobe, he was startled to find a huge burly man reading through the documents he had discovered. The strongbox was lying on the floor, wide open.
Jason turned to run, but the man grabbed him and threw him on the ground. “I won’t hurt you. Just don’t get in my way.”
Jason stared at him, uncomprehending. “Who the hell are you? What’s going on?”
“Name’s Loving. I’m conductin’ a search.”
“Don’t you need a warrant or something?”
“I’m not a cop.”
“Then you’re trespassing.”
“Sue me. I think the nutcases behind Oklahoma City are gonna try somethin’ else. I wanna stop them.” He gave Jason a closer look. “You the chief of staff?”
“Who wants to know? Look, if you don’t leave immediately, I’ll-”
Loving grabbed him by the neck. “Let me make this short and sweet. I’ve been tortured, hit, cut, threatened, had an electric cattle prod rattlin’ my teeth. You are not gonna intimidate me. I’ve already found the goods. So why don’t you do yourself a favor and tell me what’s goin’ on?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why are you here?”
“Because while I was bein’ tortured I found out the man I thought was the head of a terrorist operation had help. On the inside.”
“And who was that?”
“I didn’t know at first. Then the General started hintin’ about his connections to the Senate. Then he quoted one of my boss’s favorite jokes, somethin’ about God and Abraham Lincoln and the United States of America. I’ve heard Ben say it before, but I didn’t figure he’d said it to this punk sex trafficker. So I called Ben and asked him if he’d repeated it to anyone in the Senate. Guess what? He had. One person. Your boss, the late Senator DeMouy.”
“Are you saying-?”
“You know what I’m sayin’. Your boss was the inside man. All this crap proves it.” Loving pointed at everything he had found hidden in the garage strongbox-the photos and the papers, the ones that weren’t in Arabic.
