Nance’s cocksure attitude was infuriating. With sarcasm Stansfield replied, “Oh, I
don’t know, Mike. Perhaps your kidnapping of Congressman O’Rourke may have changed things a bit.” Coleman stopped his truck at the main gate of the Naval Academy.
A U.S. Marine stepped out of the guard booth and approached the car. Coleman rolled down the window and said, “Good evening, Corporal. I’m here to see Sam Jarvi.”
The Marine held out his hand and asked, “Identification, please?”
Coleman handed over his driver’s license. The Marine studied it briefly and then handed it back. “Sam just called, Mr. Coleman. Do you know where to find him?”
“Yes.” The Marine stepped away from the car and motioned for Coleman to proceed.
“Have a nice evening, sir.”
“Thank you. You, too.” Coleman drove onto the campus and grinned, thinking of the surprise the feds were in for. Two blocks back, Skip McMahon had pulled over. The other three cars were waiting several blocks back. He watched Coleman pass through the gate and then got the bad news over his walkie-talkie. “What do you mean you can’t follow him?” he yelled over the radio. The pilot of the helicopter elaborated, “It’s restricted airspace.”
“Damn it.
Can’t you call someone and get clearance?” The pilot had come across this problem before and knew it was not an easy obstacle to overcome.
“I could try, but it will take a lot of time and they’re going to ask more questions than you’re gonna want to answer.”
“Can’t you just tell them it’s official FBI business?”
“It doesn’t matter. The military is rather particular about people flying over their land.
Even us. If you want clearance, the best way to get it is to work from the top down. If I
call the local tower, they’re gonna want to know why, and then they’ll have to go to the top to get approval. They have to go through the chain of command and that takes time.”
“Damn it.” McMahon tapped the rubber antenna against the side of his head. His orders were to keep as tight of a lid as possible on their surveillance. Calling the local tower might set off too many bells.
It would be better if he called headquarters and worked it from that angle.
Maybe Roach could call some admiral and quietly get them clearance.
McMahon pressed the talk button.
327
“Cars two, three, and four, let’s find out how many exits this place has and take up positions. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can get the chopper some clearance.” McMahon set his radio on the dash and reached for his digital phone. Coleman zigzagged his way through the old campus.
He parked underneath a large oak tree near the administration building and dialed
Stansfield’s number. Someone else answered and told him to wait. Stansfield was on the phone in short order, and Coleman asked, “Did you find the Congressman?”
“Yes.”
“Is he all right?” Stansfield looked at O’Rourke. “He’s a little roughed up, but other than that he’s fine.” Coleman breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Are you at Nance’s house?”
“Yes.”
“I think it’s time we had a meeting.” Stansfield was caught off guard by the proposal.
He turned his back to the rest of the group. “In person?”
“Yes. You, Nance, and Congressman O’Rourke.” Coleman paused.
Stansfield’s apprehension was obvious. “You have nothing to worry about, sir. There are some things we need to discuss, and I would like to see with my own eyes that the
Congressman is safe.”
“And if I decline?”
“The tape gets released.” After a long pause, Stansfield asked, “Why should I trust you?”
“Director, we have gone to great lengths to try and find a way out of this mess. My beef is not with you, it’s with Mr. Nance. Am I clear?”
Stansfield considered the last statement. “I think so. Where would you like to meet?”
“Do you still have your helicopter?”
“Yes.”
“Get on board with O’Rourke, Nance, and one pilot. If anyone else comes along, it’s off. Tell the pilot to fly to Dutchman Point and then head due east five miles out into the
Bay. I will call you in twenty minutes and tell you where to go from there.”
Coleman paused. “And, Director, I don’t want any surprises. We have Stinger missiles, and if I see another aircraft within a mile, I’ll have my men blow it out of the sky. Understood?”
